#spirantization

[oodlyenough]

I love reading your thoughts on TLOU as a filthy peasant Show Fan because I watch the episodes and I'm like "nailed it, what a great episode" and then I get to go online and see the Discourse.

For what it's worth as a Show Fan, I didn't get the sense that we were supposed to agree with David's "violent heart" monologue. This seems to be something a lot of people have issue with, but I interpreted that as him trying to make her feel bad about herself so he could more easily manipulate her with his whole "we're the same" bullshit. To me all her supposedly violent actions have fallen under "morbid curiosity" (like with slicing that one dude's forehead before stabbing him, in retrospect maybe a bit of revenge against the infected for biting her) or "self defense". Maybe we're supposed to be doubting her, but I don't think so. Feels like an appropriate level of violence from a girl born and raised in a zombie apocalypse.

Ok I also got an anon ask on this same topic (taking the opposite stance lol) and I'm going to tie them together:

Anonymous asked:

Even outside of it not fitting game Ellie, the writer validation of 'Ellie has a violent heart' lands pretty weird in the context of and as a direct assessment from someone actively preying on her. Like, Ellie responding with reactive violence to David is indicative of her Dark Heart? The groomer-predator was right about her, and it was proven by her not reacting peacefully to his attempts to assault and murder her? It just makes me :/

So I think there's a few things here:

Taken on its own, I think your reading of Ellie @spirantization makes sense with what we've seen on the show, and is a fair way to read those scenes. Especially for someone coming to the show as a first-time viewer who doesn't have any preexisting ideas about who this character is/should be/will be in future seasons/etc. But as I understand it, a lot of this discourse (and what Anon is referring to as "writer validation") comes from either the behind-the-scenes little snips they show in the US after the ep, or from the podcast with Mazin and Druckmann. Canada doesn't air the BTS clips and I don't listen to the podcast, but I do see excerpts and clips that get reposted to Tumblr and stuff. In this case I'm gathering that Something was said about Ellie's "violent heart".

I will say Anon I didn't get the sense at all that the show is judging the way Ellie responds to David. I think it came across as horrible but deserved catharsis for her. Instead the "violent heart" stuff to me felt like it was foreshadowing stuff that ... doesn't make sense to foreshadow here and now (and from David of all people). And if it WAS meant to be like, some dark commentary on Our Heroes then I agree it coming from David is ... eesh

Having said that, because I don't seek those out myself, I also don't have the full context of whatever quote etc. Sometimes creatives in a show like this with a ton of attention talk too much and half the stuff they say doesn't end up reflected in their work anyway. That quote Mazin had re: the pilot and Ellie being "activated" by Joel killing the guard has had me on watch all season though.

[thewollfgang]

@spirantization replied to your post “after s4 i have only one question - how LAPD gonna deal with all those...”

Tbh I assume it won’t be dealt with at all the same way none of the other season finales have really been dealt with realistically. Honestly I don’t mind, this show isn’t about the nitty gritty of police work or reality in general

that’s what I figured, too. Pella mentioned they tend to just handwave things away and that’s fine. Fanfiction tends to fill that niche in for me anyway, since it has the time and ability to expand on that space between supernatural and mundane. :)

[tarysande]

i just want to say that i love your Lucifer meta. it's really well thought-out, intriguing, and makes me think critically. any time you feel like dropping an essay on my dash i am THERE.

Thank you so much! <3

I think Lucifer hits the perfect mix of “I love this so much!” and “But what about...” and “Huh, I wonder if...” for me, because I feel like I could talk about it (big picture, small picture, psychology, mythology, story, design) at length and never get tired of it. I’m like the Energizer Bunny; just point me in a direction and I’ll keep going. 

Some things jump out--like the way Lucifer uses (and doesn’t use) names and nicknames---including his own. Or the very specific way Lucifer interacts with people via drinks: who he snubs, who he serves, who is allowed to drink from his glass. Or when Lucifer blinks (and when he really doesn’t). Or where and when and who initiates physical touch---and then how that touch is received by the person being touched.

Some things are a bit more subtle, but I find them really interesting to think about. I once watched the whole series paying attention to light---specifically, the kind of beams of light that are often associated with God in art/paintings/etc; it’s really neat to see when and where those beams of light show up in the show (and what’s happening when they do). Or: what stories do people’s clothes tell? Because I know how specifically costume designers choose things, and I like trying to imagine the method behind the seemingly random choices.

And then there are these huge, overarching concepts that I basically want to write a PhD thesis about, like Control. Who has it, who doesn’t, how does it manifest and to what purpose? Or Sacrifice. 

...and then there are scene breakdowns or character analyses or discussions about arcs. 

And it’s not that I go into it thinking “I’m right! Any other opinion is wrong!”; it’s more like, “I noticed these things and wouldn’t it be neat if the puzzle pieces fit together this way!”

Then again, having all these thoughts is like WOW WHERE TO BEGIN, which is why I always like when people ask me questions (pick up and point the Energizer Bunny). It’s also why I have rewatched the show so many times; I see new stuff every time. I’m planning on doing a rewatch soon (certainly before S4 airs) and am hoping it’ll pick me up and point me in specific directions, too!

[thedeckerstarnetwork]

                                         • THE ARTIST WEDNESDAY •

                                           @spirantization (on AO3)

If you fancy a wonderful, post S3 series - run, don’t walk to this series! Great characterization for all the Luci-fam, feels and humour… what’s not to love?

[oodlyenough]

I'm sitting here with my faced pressed against the glass watching while everyone else has fun with Psychonauts 2, and I gotta wait until they release it for OS X because I am one of thirteen people who games on a Mac

oh no that's the worst!! are they planning to release for Mac later? I think they're owned by Microsoft now?

lol that's how i wound up getting a playstation in like 2017... telltale suddenly stopped releasing on mac and i was like i Must play twdg3

[oodlyenough]

I can’t even count the number of times you’ve answered the same question about John Barrowman. When is your tell-all book coming out

lmao truly... when will cancel culture free me of this man

[oodlyenough]

Meme: #2

2: summarize your current project

Rhys and Fiona’s time in the vault is all of about twelve seconds for them and twelve years for everyone else; subsequent interpersonal drama ensues because as it turns out it really sucks to disappear for twelve years by accident. 

It didn’t occur to me when I first started writing, but this kind of plot used to crop up in Doctor Who too (Rose missing twelve months, for eg!) and was never imo satisfactorily resolved or delved into. And also tbh I just really wanted to look at who Sasha would be if the two people she was closest to disappeared for that long, and what it would be like when they came back. And the more I thought about that the more other bits fell into place. 

I think it was a go-to commute-to-work daydream for like, literally two years before I started writing. @corporatestooge put up with a lot of off the cuff messages about various ideas for it and probably deserves some credit/blame for me sticking with it and eventually going for it. 

[oodlyenough]

spirantizatio replied to your post: i want a documentary about this momo challenge...

People keep popping up to say they’ve seen it or their kids or their dog has seen it, but does anyone have actual video? No.

it happened to a friend of a friend of mine