didn’t want to derail from oomf’s awesome post, so i made a separate one— but (puts on nerd glasses) i really hate when people say the knives out franchise takes Too Many Shots at conservatives/that it’s Too Political and should Focus On The Murder. i don’t think a lot of people realise that 90% of golden-age murder mysteries are actually never about the murder.
the murder acts as a vessel by which to deliver some kind of political commentary or moral message to the audience— largely stuff like, “government corruption is bad”, “be nice to marginalised people”, “the legal system sucks”, and so on. for obvious reasons, a lot of these messages in the 18-1900s focused on classism, financial abuse, and corruption in high society— which is why we HAVE the modern murder-mystery stereotype of A Bunch Of Rich People In A Big Mansion House Killing For Money. even in terms of detectives, there has always been political commentary— poirot and marple specifically are always dismissed by others on account of them being foreign and old respectively, and holmes and watson meet in the first place because they’re both poor and the latter was WIA. this stuff gets played for laughs a lot in modern adaptations, but it’s actually a big part of their personalities and the stories the authors are trying to tell.
murder mysteries have ALWAYS reflected the modern political climate, because they have always had to answer the question “in this day and age, what would people kill for?”. some constants remain— money, love, etc.— but a lot of the environmental context changes with age. good modern mysteries recognise this; i’m sure the killers in the thursday murder club, for example, would not be given half as much mercy in the 1900s as they are by modern viewers— and yet in today’s world, where we can recognise their pain as something that exists within the context of modern society and its disregard towards the vulnerable, WE, the audience, feel that their actions are justified and that they should be allowed to remain above the law.
it’s why a lot of contemporary hollywood mysteries don’t work. so many modern authors try to return to “the good old days” by copying the 1900s formula— tossing a ton of rich people in a house and saying something vague about money— without realising that the appeal has always come from the tackling of real, relatable issues, and in justice for those who deserve it. it’s the reason why murder on the orient express, widely considered one of the greatest mystery stories of all time, HAS to end the way it does— because having it end any other way would completely undermine everything the story is trying to say about the legal system. in a similar way, there’s a reason why knives out CAN’T end with fran surviving/ransom getting away with it, why glass onion CAN’T end with miles being arrested normally, and why wake up dead man CAN’T end without jud taking martha’s confession— because those endings miss what the films are trying to say about the very real modern issues at the centre of them.
sorry for how ranty this was— what i’m trying to say is that the knives out films’ focus on “wokeism” and their insistence on taking shots at right-wing radicalism, political corruption, etc. is what makes them good films, because good contemporary murder mysteries are inherently reflective of modern society, and those things are increasingly prevalent within modern society. murder mysteries are political; they have ALWAYS BEEN political. THE WOKENESS IS THE POINT OF THE MEDIUM!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙏🙏🙏‼️‼️‼️
idk why but kuroo to me like a “hm?” guy. he takes in the information and gives himself a careful moment to filter it before answering . yaku blurts out whatever he thinks there is maybe One filter between his brain and mouth and that’s to be polite to strangers and his elders. kuroo has at least seven hundred and one filters and analyses the situation from numerous angles before choosing how to handle it . which I think is why sometimes when a situation he didn’t think of pops up he’s thrown a bit (I think yaku surprises him sometimes)
so i was having a conversation about and then there were none and lombard in general a while ago. i thought it was so stupid that killing 21 africans was deemed as “less bad” by the narrative than, like, vera killing a kid. it was something i just took for granted as a doylist thing, a byproduct of the racism of the time…
…until i realised, suddenly, that the fact that it’s stupid is part of the point.
wargrave is inherently an unreliable narrator. he kills these people based on his own individual definition of justice. he’s a white man in the 30s— of course his definition of justice would cast the killing of africans as inherently less villainous than the killing of whites. it’s the same definition that casts marston with less guilt because he’s “naturally evil”, and the same definition that casts vera with more for the crime of being a Hysterical Woman.
even if you say these people DID deserve to die, the manner of their deaths is a power fantasy come to life. in spite of its commentary on the ineffectiveness of the justice system, and then there were none isn’t a cathartic story of killers being brought to justice. it’s just as much a critique on the the power that the justice system has over individual lives— a massacre committed by a man who has been taught by the system that he has the right to play god, to decide who is deserving, to decide who gets to live and die. that’s how i read it, anyway.
i’m not a big fan of the mystery itself, but i think thursday murder club is so unique… because although there are lots of stories about old people being sleuths, i’ve never seen one that makes you so constantly aware of the main cast’s mortality.
penny is in the hospice unit. stephen has dementia. preserving the memory of dead/dying loved ones is a central theme. joyce is widowed, and she loses another lover by the end of the story; the rest of the TMC lose their best friend. the idea of the elderly being viewed by others as Disposable/Temporary/Stupid and thus Worth Less permeates through the whole narrative.
so many subplots of the book are buried in loneliness and an insurmountable grief for things that have happened or Certainly Will happen, and yet the story itself is so full of Sweet Old People moments in spite of it. such a juxtaposition begs the question, “how do you even begin to deal with so much loss?” — and in every instance, the book looks you in the eyes and tells you the only way to survive is through connection and love.
thinking about FTM foreman again; obviously, the way his queer identity would add to his existing arcs about feeling imposter syndrome because of his race— because, you know, intersectionality and stuff… but also, how it would recontextualise his whole fear of turning into house as an allegory for the transmasc fear of becoming TOO masculine, passing TOO well— turning into, in the eyes of society, an “unsafe” man— and having to weigh the pros and cons of that identity, that loss of community around him vs his knowledge that he HAS to do what’s right— finding the middle ground between house and not-house, between masculinity and the traditionally-oppressive cis male identity— the way he walks that line….
do tou have any form of like.. analysis for anything in house!! i love analysis posts or even just when people spill out a take for anything or how theh viewed something.. id love to hear!!
i had trouble thinking of what to write for this so i think i’ll use it to finally go stream-of-consciousness about The Kraken
(⬆️ most autistic image of her btw. #loner)
to clarify this isn’t an “amber is autistic” post. i am very aware that she’s not, i just want to put forth some traits i see in her & relate to as an autistic person. don’t take this as canon, don’t vaguepost me, and ESPECIALLY don’t pull the “You’re Attributing Regular Human Behaviour To Autism, Not Everyone Has To Be Autistic!” bullshit because i am NOT in the mood. this is my self indulgence post and if you disagree then please let’s talk about it Nicely in the comments of the post as god intended.
more points. it’s 5am and i’m lazy so we’re going sourceless, i’m taking for granted that you have a good enough grasp of the source material and autism to understand what i’m talking about when i reference specific canon events & symptoms of high-masking autism. i’m also largely talking about fellowship amber because i like her, and i won’t cover everything here because there’s a lot!!! here is a summary of my thoughts & some traits in no specific order.
⭐️⭐️⭐️
— hangups on fairness.
obviously amber doesn’t play fair in the competition, but her rule-breaking never Actively goes against the Overarching Rules house has set about the competition. the car wash & dog collar stunts are two examples; it’s her way of eliminating the competition from within, but she never Forces her targets to leave. in a similar way, she doesn’t seem to begrudge cole or brennan for their tactics, nor does she hesitate in getting cuddy’s thong in an underhand way.
her issues arise when the Win Condition ITSELF is changed— when kutner changes his number, and when terzi suddenly takes a spot— and BOTH instances make her mad, because it’s not Fair. it’s not FAIR that kutner just gets to come back, and it’s not FAIR that terzi gets a free pass. THAT’S why she gets so hung up on both.
— social ineptitude.
amber is BLUNT as FUCK.
“oh, but nick!” i hear you cry, “amber doesn’t count because she’s rude on purpose!”. and yes, this is true Sometimes— with thirteen, for example, she is Obviously acting cruel on purpose— but there are several instances where she’s around people she’s trying to please and she actively brown-noses them so much that it actively makes them dislike her.
i mentioned it in this post which has explicit quotes— particularly noting the cuddy & cameron ones— but she also does it to chase once, and house Several Times. and yes, i know what you’re thinking— you absolutely CAN put this down to neurotypical social messups— but that brings me to…
— “cutthroat bitch” as a mask
gets its own section. amber has that speech mid-s4 about always having to choose between love and respect, which itself is a very autistic sentiment (the idea that Being Yourself means people will inherently perceive you as lesser— hello?!?!?!).
it also, however, brings up the idea of “Cutthroat Bitch” being The Method By Which Amber Gets That Respect— “if you want to win, you want cutthroat” or whatever she says. because if you can’t naturally garner love from people through her personality— which, well, seems like it’s not her strong suit— then the other option is being so good you garner respect instead.
amber is not an inherently cruel person— cruelty is a means to an end for her to reap the benefits a normal person would get from social aptitude and kindness. which leads nicely onto…
— “if they don’t like you, you gotta be right, or you’re not worth anything.”
like house, she is laser-focused on Winning and Being Right. her one-track mind and black-and-white views on patients (which are both traits, btw!!!) are literally what get her fired. she’s also generally stubborn and competitive (see; Her Whole Thing, but the whole kutner betting thing comes to mind).
she is So focused on winning that getting fired genuinely makes her burst into tears. and sure, you can argue that she’s just sensitive, but… is she??? because it definitely feels more like frustration in the context; she did everything right, she even acted Suitably House-ian, and then got nerfed for the same logical one-track mind that hinged her own worth as a human being on her success in the fellowship competition.
DON’T MISINTERPRET ME. i am NOT saying she shouldn’t have been fired— house had EVERY REASON to fire her. what i am saying is that, in the context of the previous point re; “cutthroat bitch” being a means to an end, amber’s firing serves as a proof that being Right and Independent and Better— something that she relied upon as a substitute for Love— was Never Enough on its own. she cannot be liked OR respected, she is chopped AND unc, yadda yadda yadda.
— safety in control
kind of unrelated to the previous points, since it concerns wamber-amber… and i will admit, this is more of a Theory or one of those highly fantastical watsonian points where the doylist explanation is undoubtedly “the writers didn’t care enough to think about her character like that”. but wilson-relationship-era amber— aka, amber after having the Curse Broken and being Healed By Love— is the one looking after wilson. she puts his feelings before her own, she takes care of him… hell, she even takes care of house in the events leading up to house’s head.
i think the idea of her being autistic would offer a good explanation for this— because amber likes to Be Right, as demonstrated— likes to Know The Score, to have some kind of objective metric to make herself feel Worth Something (which she’s just lost on account of being fired). wilson, in all of his needy glory, perfectly provides that for her— because he NEEDS someone to be gentle with him, and who can Fight for him like amber does. his weakness/willingness to let her take the reins gives her a kind of control & safety in the romance which she is in desperate need of after the sheer Lack Of It she was left with at the end of the fellowship competition.
*in spite of my personal dislike of the ship, i am quite biased towards this interpretation, because Amber Benefitting From Wamber By Wilson Allowing Her Control is quite possibly the only way i have found to read the romantic relationship between them as Mutually Beneficial. it also offers a deeper reason for amber’s upset re; the water bed thing— because the foundations of the relationship are actively disturbed by wilson NOT trusting and relying upon her. i hope i’m explaining this clearly because i don’t know how else to phrase it in a way that makes sense— but tldr; control makes her feel safe and wanted, so wilson’s neediness lets her feel secure or whatever
— random miscellaneous points
she’s not very good with hiding her expressions. taub telling her “shiksas are for practice” & amber (slight delayed reaction time) going 🤢 is one example. Surprised Pikachu Face amber is another. her smile when terzi is fired and her elation whenever she solves a case, her Abject Disgust when kutner checks her out… she’s generally just a goofball. i’m too lazy to get these gifs so this is a #trustmebro situation
in the rare moments she does actively try to connect in a vulnerable way, she is awkward— her blurting out “i hate thirteen!” in an attempt to please house is crazy. there’s also this scene, which is kind of giving I-Love-How-You-Can-See-Quackity’s-Emotions-On-His-Face Meme— it’s literally just her trying to butter up thirteen— but her body language here vs how little of a fuck thirteen gives DOES fry me, so i WILL gif it:
she doesnt care girl……. girl ur doing too much… im sorry…….
she generally Goes Places Most Self-Respecting People Wouldn’t Go for the job— you could put it down to competitiveness, but i’m making a case for social disregard. would you go commando for a job? would you climb through the window of an oncologist’s office MID-MEETING??? WOULD YOU BRING COFFEE AND DONUTS FOR AN APPOINTMENT TO DIG UP A GRAVE?!?!?!?!
& a point for high-intelligence but low common sense/social perception— letting a smoking addict alone in a room with an oxygen tank. NOT HER FINEST MOMENT!!!
sorry that this was so rambly and probably ooc!!! i had fun writing it though. like i said before if you have any harsh criticisms please either phrase them nicely or keep them to yourself (i am normally up for debate but i’m kind of sensitive to this one so please be nice to me <\3).
there is also def more i’m not thinking about rn so if u have any additional thoughts feel free to leave them. i am very normal about amber volakis can you tell??? i like amber volakis a normal amount
I love making kai have the most amazing life in the background of kryk fics like kuroo and yaku are fucking struggling with their emotions and changes all while Kai’s up a tree watching birds flutter by, at utter peace
tagged by: @robinticism and @reineyday , thank you guys 🫶
last song:
jane remover has taken over my brain . /I crashed the car I saw an angel and it watched me burn/ repeats in my head so often as well as /oh god, I’m so tired, of being young / she’s just. so fucking good one song of hers spawned a whole kryk au
favourite colour: I like dark purple :3
last book: on earth we’re briefly gorgeous by ocean vuong. jesus fucking christ. I kept sobbing on the train. I had to take BREAKS and one break lasted almost a year. loved it <3
last movie: twilight - new moon LMFAO watched it with my friends had a blast !!
last tv show: the sopranos! watching it with my parents and rly enjoying it
sweet/spicy/savory: savoury…
relationship status: taken ✌🏻
last thing I googled: haikyuudle! lmao (I’m bad at it because I always start with Yaku who is nearly the worst character objectively to begin with)
current obsession: jane remover. oh my god her lyrics just roll around in my brain like a really REALLY large marble … she’s so good at saying phrases that evoke feelings and I love thinking and thinking about her lyrics … as well as that, the sheer WALL of sound in census designated songs? scratches my brain so nicely… she’s up there with haikyuu because like I listened to a reviewer praising her and I started tearing up because I was so elated !! . so of course I also think of kryk during it
looking forwards to: spending a lazy weekend with my gf in a hotel & also fucking off alone on a ferry next year for a week to work on TLK because I just need to be kept in a cabin for a while . alone. that will fix me
no pressure tag: @sophistired18 @yakkunmori @javasleuth @tetsuyaku @otakurooster907 @just-anotherrandomartist @cavewretch @bbagelbitch @heylanini @what-the-f-is-going-on (you’re not escaping)
