flaming ginger @wildroses-peonies - Tumblr Blog

Back in the day you couldn't just say "no cell signal" or cut the phone lines, you had to raid the victims' luggage and wardrobe for their paper and envelopes, their notes, their memoranda, and their letter of credit! Uphill, both ways!

#Dracula Daily

capyclara

thought id share a fun lil shot analysis thread i made on here. i ❤️ blocking

#patrick zweig #challengers #YES #these tweets are so good.#it's isn't just art who is repressed even if patrick is obviously less repressed than art #also art would probably do a double take if he saw the patrick here #patrick's “swagger” comes from the love he has for art and tashi #(which does come through in sometimes off putting ways #but it is still love even when he's being an asshole)#i do wish luca (and justin) hadn't been so blink and you miss it with patrick's bisexuality though #but then again #we bisexuals all know the straights and gays love to erase us or box us so even if the film had been more explicit #people STILL would have missed the obvious #also the film is coming to tubi and since i've read lots of meta since Jan #i think i will rewatch it to see if I pick up more of the layers

lauralot89

Dracula's blog: Reasons My Solicitor Is Crying

29/6, 10:00 PM - He wants to go outside, where there are wolves.

29/6, 10:01 PM - I opened the door to demonstrate that there are wolves. Now he wants to stay inside.

#Dracula Daily

ceevee5

edgebug

you'd think that "inhuman thing that isn't a person but speaks like a person and talking to it will slowly drive you mad" would only be found in folktales and fables and so on. but no. chatgpt

ladytumbledown

RIP James Van Der Beek, March 8 1977 - February 11 2026. You will forever be Dawson Leery, thank you for making my 20’s so full of teenage angst.

#rest in peace #james van der beek

captaindelafere

CHALLENGERS (2024), dir. Luca Guadagnino

#challengers #art donaldson #it's not just patrick bringing out the fire in art here #it's tashi too #he's mad and he's sloppy and all sorts of intense feelings #because he's replaying the conversation in his mind #where tashi said she's leave him if he lost #ofc he doesn't KNOW she doesn't actually want to leave him #and not knowing that and then having patrick cockily confirm to him #that he and tashi slept together that she cheated #no wonder he tries to take patrick out with the ball in the last gif #he's raging mad and sloppy for valid reasons #what's strange is that once he lets that finale act of violent RAGE out he's able to let it all go #and yet it works #it really shouldn't work by all logical and rational reasons #but it does because we know tashi and patrick are actually rooting FOR him #in their fucked up ways #(you know what's weird? i usually despite things that are overly plotted #but i guess there is an exception for everything and this film is that exception #because i adore how utterly and brazenly manipulative it is with it's in your face #every single detail leading to the ending arc.)

cyberfruck

you know what it is?

i firmly believe art expresses his love not only through kissing, but through the mouth itself. oral fixation is putting it lightly. the act of him kissing is one aspect of a greater complex that involves a man using his lips to express his desire, devotion, dedication, determination, and desperation. donaldson's mouth is nothing if not a way for him to give himself (perhaps even control and power) to the other person. the spitting of the gum into both patrick and tashi's hands, the biting of the churro from patrick, kissing tashi's thigh.

art's mouth is also the one thing that gives him away as a character. when he's contemplating, when he's lusting, when he's mad, when he's frustrated. during his kiss with patrick, we see a second mini kiss yes, but we also see his unfiltered desire and even greediness as a character to take through the same mouth that he expertly gives through.

tldr: art can't control his mouth and it's affecting everyone.

#challengers #art donaldson #if there is anything i hate about this film #it's how LITERAL Justin and Luca originally envisioned them #which thank god that obscene literalness didn't end up in the final cut #because it's already a heavily plotted film which everything hinges on the plot #like the original screenplay has art being a failure at being able to get hard on his own #but ofc patrick is the sex god who can just turn his dick on #that's even more on the nose than christopher sledgehammer nolan's everything in caps plots and characterization #but i do like this because yay i do think art would be an oral man #while patrick is very much about his dick #and both things make for good sex #and tashi is getting the best of both worlds #(i am NOT a Nolan stan so I will not apologize if i hurt you feelings using him as an example #of always screaming in your face obvious plot writing)#This film would NOT work had the characterization been so literal #the fact that there are gaps and blank spaces #the fact that the final film allows them to be MORE complex #lets them EVOLVE rather be stuck in extreme stereotypes #is what makes it be compelling #is what makes rise above the plottedness #luca lets them be actual humans in the onscreen film #in the screenplay they just cardboard cutout to get his ending

princess-of-songs

Tashi’s Jealousy and Possessiveness

*originally posted on Reddit*

I like how Tashi’s jealousy and possessiveness manifests itself in different ways.

Patrick: We see her jealousy and possessiveness in the way we are used to seeing it. At 19, we see her get visibly upset over Art suggesting Patrick may not be loyal and that he may not love her. I think this possessiveness started when they first got together when she asked him not to tell anyone or she’d stop seeing him. It meant something to her because I think Patrick was her first serious relationship. In the original screenplay, Tashi mentions to Patrick in the Atlanta scene, that her dad hated his guts because as far as he was concerned, Patrick was the boy who ruined Tashi’s life. In the film, we see Tashi mention her parents didn’t want her to go to boarding school for a multitude of reasons, one being distracted by boys like Patrick and Art. Tashi’s cross necklace also pointed me in this direction. I would remiss if I didn’t point out the chaotic hypocrisy. Challengers has strong motifs of repeated behaviors coming in cycles of 3 and specifically with Tashi’s relationship with Patrick- cheating together has been inevitable. Patrick cheated on his girlfriend with Tashi and Art at the Junior US Open, Tashi and Patrick cheated in Atlanta, and Tashi and Patrick cheated in New Rochelle. Each time, Tashi attempts to ignore Patrick’s luring charm and fails spectacularly. Our girl is nothing but consistent and I can’t say I would’ve fared much better. The specific jealousy part of it is fascinating to me. Tashi gets irritated with Art over the simple idea of imagining Patrick being with other girls on tour or being filled with quiet, simmering anger when she sees Patrick with Helen at the hotel bar, and even making a snarky comment when Patrick mentions he’s still staying at Helen’s house. But we never see her jealous when Patrick is with Art. Tashi only smiles and cheers when they’re together, she’s devastated when Art tells her they fell out of touch, and she’s pissed off when Patrick tries to put Art down in the alleyway. Patrick and Art are just as much of each other’s as they are her’s. What pops out at me also in the midst of this, is seeing Patrick both excite and frighten Tashi. Here is someone who can see through her facade she puts on, calls her out on it, still thinks she’s hot, and loves her anyway. I can easily see why that would scare her. It’s not secret that Tashi loves to be in control in any and all aspects of her life. Patrick disrupts that and gets under her skin like no one else does. It’s not a feeling she’s used to. She’s probably used to getting praise from others like Art (though I think his is so raw and genuine) or ignoring the not so glamorous parts of who Tashi is as a person. Patrick doesn’t allow for that and it drives her (and Art) crazy.

Art: We see her jealousy and possessiveness in a unique way. Tashi is simmering with jealousy over Art being able to heal from his surgery with no issue. The thing really withholding Art in the present, is his emotional and mental exhaustion from a myriad of things. Art still gets to play the sport that Tashi lives and dies for and it drives her crazy that Art’s heart doesn’t seem fully in it. She tries to do everything in her power to help him get his confidence back despite saying she can’t do that for him. Art is her avatar in tennis. His body is her’s and through him, she can still play the sport snd accomplish her dreams. The idea of hanging up her racquet is unfathomable. Tennis is so intertwined in her soul. The question rises who is Tashi to the world without tennis? Tashi clearly wants to delay that answer as long as she can. This possessiveness and jealousy unravels when the night before the final match. I honestly think Tashi’s conversation with Patrick opened her heart. As much it hurts to leave tennis, I think she’s finally fully allowing herself to see it from Art’s perspective. He’s tired. I think in the best way an emotionally repressed person can, I do think she does try to reassure and comfort him by saying he doesn’t need her permission. It’s okay and he can retire. What throws Tashi for a loop is when Art questions her being okay with it, he was expecting and hoping for similar argument he had with Patrick, something to fuel him. I think he wanted Tashi to neg him in a similar way. Tashi and Patrick are extremely similar but there are key differences. As much as Tashi can be quite brutal with her words when talking to Patrick about his tennis career, we don’t see her be as harsh with Art. In fact, Tashi highlights his skills and praises him. Tashi doesn’t really neg Art and we can see why. She goes too far with her statement. At first, she looks visibly ill before and after she says it. Topped off by her rubbing Art’s head, asking if that helps him. This makes Tashi spiral into desperation with her feelings all over the place. I think she’s too stubborn to take her words back so she comes up with a last ditch effort plan to get Patrick to throw the match so Art can win. So she doesn’t have to lose Art or tennis. The chaos of this act is logically speaking, Tashi could’ve texted or called Patrick. Getting in the car in the middle of the night with the your ex that you’ve been passively aggressively flirting with and gotten jealous over is setting yourself up for failure. But Tashi’s feelings and intentions are all jumbled up because she’s desperately trying to cling on to tennis and she isn’t ready to leave it or them because she cannot have it without Art or Patrick.

It isn’t that Tashi isn’t herself around Art, she is. How I’ve read it, is that the two of them are deeply repressed in several areas of their lives so there is a wall of passivity between them in addition to the current lack of passion in their marriage and the pedestals they put each other on. They’re both fully aware of each other’s flaws and the issues in their marriage but they dance around it until the bedroom scene. With Patrick specifically, I was thinking about him saying to Tashi “You like precisely one thing about me. It’s the fact that I’m such a piece of shit that I can see you for exactly who you are.” In the original script, Patrick mentions he didn’t treat her like a mystical being who was going to change his life. I believe that he is Tashi’s twin flame/mirror. To me, Tashi is a more raw, unfiltered version of herself when it comes to Patrick. He pushes back and challenges her, which is something I don’t think Tashi is quite used to in her life when she first meets him. I think what’s also notable to me is whenever Tashi and Patrick talk, they’re saying the most raw unhinged things but they aren’t beating around the bush with each other. As you mentioned, it’s fun foreplay for them. But unlike with Art (for the both of them), they struggle to surrender to the deeper feeling of love, longing, and surrender. Being vulnerable and soft with each other doesn’t come easy to them. Ultimately looking at it from Tashi’s perspective, she can be herself around both of these men but displays different aspects of her true self.

ghostgirl-22

So good

#challengers #tashi duncan #this is also excellent meta

fruitjoos

the most misunderstood thing about tashi duncan is the idea that her actions are purely driven by her love for tennis. yes, she loves the sport, but that’s not the main reason she makes patrick and art play for her number.

walk with me.

she does it to establish a connection with them, whether that’s romantic or platonic. patrick may have won the game, but she still acknowledges art’s intelligence and talent. when tashi got into a relationship with patrick, she tried to strengthen their bond by giving him advice on improving his game. patrick misunderstood this as criticism of his skills, but in reality, tashi just wanted to help him become better so that they could succeed together, as a couple. you see what i'm saying? it's more about the relationship than just the tennis.

tashi duncan likes to be understood and that’s why she fucks patrick in that musty ass car. not just for him to throw his game for art. patrick called her out for who she is and she folded. to be understood is a turn on for her.

#challengers #tashi duncan #such good meta here

socialistfremenist

campmiasmas

CHALLENGERS 2024, dir. Luca Guadagnino

wildroses-peonies

Tashi's entire arc with Patrick is telling him to be more disciplined. Whether it's telling him to care about academics and not just sports before he wins her number, to care about not being a sloppy player in his competitions when she's actually fucking him before they have The Fight, and telling him to get his entire life shit together when they reunite at Challengers. No wonder she rejects his offer to become his coach. No wonder she also has no problem asking him to lose to Art, because she doesn't believe he is actually serious about being disciplined and serious about winning. (Also, small detail, even HE thinks Art can beat him now because he asks Art not to demolish him the night before while he and Art fight/not cry in the sauna.)

Oh, my god, the poor woman. No wonder she's so aggressive with both men, because here she thought she was only dealing with Art's crisis, and then Patrick flounces in his "help me be great now" feelings onto her. (Which truly, what a slap in the face, because she's gave him free advice he never wanted to listen to while they were dating.)

Tashi Duncan is a fucking saint. (I still love Patrick. You couldn't make me hate Patrick. But damn dude! It took you too damn long to finally appreciate her knowledge about tennis!)

(Once again I am perplexed I love this loser so much, because in real life, I'd wouldn't touch Patrick with a 10 foot pole. But I also don't think I would like either Tashi or Art in real life either. But they are so gloriously rootable onscreen.)

#challengers #tashi duncan #patrick zweig #he was cursed BEFORE he had her number

seraserababy

art had them sick.. the blonde boy and his manipulative ways have bewitched them

#for real though #challengers

jesterlesbian

CHALLENGERS (2024) dir. Luca Guadagnino

I'm just asking that you'll love me no matter what. What am I, Jesus? Yeah.

wildroses-peonies

So, I'm gonna disagree with the general consensus here that this scene is evidence of them having a failed marriage, and that Tashi is uncaring. Art earned and asked for that disdain. WHY IS TASHI NOT ENOUGH FOR HIM? He has won 6 Gram Slams, made a miracle career comeback that the way Tashi tells it is the stuff of legend, and they have a daughter. What the fuck is this man doing being so goddamn obsessed with the ghost of his former friend who is ranked 261 in the world of tennis?

Art is shy, Art lacks swagger. He uses generalizations when he flirts. But every compliment he ever made to Tashi was positive. Aren't you everybody's ideal? Shouldn't everybody find you beautiful? Doesn't everybody want to date you? He isn't even sure she would accept his offer for her to coach him. Imagine hearing that for YEARS and then suddenly having your spouse say "but you won't love me if I don't beat my ex bestie who you dumped for me?" SHE HAS PROVEN SHE LOVES HIM. Time and again. Why is she NOT ENOUGH?

This is the scene where she threatens to leave him if she loses, but then she turns around and tries orchestrate with Patrick that Patrick should lose to Art. NOBODY is stopping her from divorcing Art. Shared custody exists, and it's not like she's be jobless as a coach. Yet, she fights tooth and nail to help Art gain his confidence back. Even during the match, when Patrick is swaggering by Art, and Art pulls out his racket, she points to her head, which you know: focus, remember, think, be confident baby! She could be looking away dismissively, and she's not.

But this is Tashi. This is the self-described homewrecker, who recognized that her two loser bisexuals needed a good makeout to release that pent up tension and love they had for each other back in that hotel room. Her disdain isn't completely uncaring. She does have the right to be bitter, and probably on level she is, except why she's still fighting for her marriage? Her parents are practically raising their daughter, so it's not like Lily would be ruined if her parents broke up.

This is also the woman who says the most interesting thing in tennis the RELATIONSHIP between the players. (Yeah, she cares about winning, but come on now! Look at who her two great loves are! Art thinks he is a loser and Patrick actually is a loser. She isn't one to just throw people away because they are losing or didn't live up to their potential. Why would she? She lost her own career to a knee injury. Is she of lesser value because she's a coach and not a player? She absolutely isn't. And she must be a legendary coach in her own right because the advertisements feature her alongside Art.)

(Why is so impossible to stick to writing meta about one character with this damn film?)

I hate that we don't see what sets Art off into this shitspiral. It could have anything. It could have nothing. But it's amazing that he has the actual nerve after all the good and the bad, truly the highs and lows and all the mundane moments that we don't get to see, that Tashi has been through with him, that he would say that to her. She should be enough.

(I root for this couple, and I support this couple, so to be absolutely clear this is NOT an anti art x tashi post.) (I need to rewatch the film before I can delve into my own theories about Art is jealous! over Patrick's ghost, but i'm sure it comes down missing his former bestie, having a late in life realization that he's bisexual too, and that jealousy also stems from being in love with Patrick too, and regrets over losing Patrick but we can go only go what is shown in the film.)