Anyone Please Ask Your Crush Out Like This

Pause you who read this, and think for a moment of the long chain of iron or gold, of thorns or flowers

calling it right now! the short story collection will be called chain of flowers

maybe this is just copium but...maybe MAYBE cassie left so many unanswered questions because she wants to release what will essentially be book 4.

Netflix cancelling shows isn’t the problem, actually. is it annoying? sure. but the problem is they don’t finish them

they know what’s going to be renewed and what isn’t even before it airs. they’ve likely known for months that warrior nun wasn’t getting a season 3, probably before they even gave it s2

so why not tell them? why not say s2 will be the last? why encourage the show to create a bigger cliffhanger and make him fight to have the post credit scene when you know there won’t be a next? why not give creators an opportunity to finish their creations?

15 good shows with 2-3 seasons start-finish is better than 30 fantastic shows that ended on cliffhangers after 1 season

I don’t know who told Netflix that quantity mattered more than quality —- because it doesn’t. please, i’m begging, commit to something. because in binge era tv, 1 season is not enough, but 2 might be if you tell them in advance so they can wrap it up

The owner of this blog has too many feelings for fictional characters.

Let's talk about The Mummy (1999)

Someone was talking at me yesterday about this movie and I was getting riled so I decided to go full rant. Specifically in regards to the feminist podcast that slammed it.

I don't even remember which podcast it was, but I am still rankled and baffled that any "feminism in movies" podcast could jump to anything but "this movie is phenomenal."

First of all, even just discussing the overall quality: sure, it might not have been groundbreaking with its cgi or plot twists. But back in the 90s, that wasn't the standard of measure like it is now (and even now is a shitty standard that needs to die). This movie was light and funny and yet hit all the right beats to maintain the dire stakes needed to make it a compelling action flick.

Its characters are fully realized and entirely distinct from each other. Even those treated with a broader brush, such as the Americans, were charismatic enough that we were fully invested in their fate. The entire cast of characters were real people with real impact and real agency.

The script is quotable and fucking hilarious. There are gems from literally every single character. Rick and Evie have actual chemistry, aided by Rachel Weisz's natural magnetism and Brendan Frasier's career-long knack for acting utterly charmed with his female costars.

Actually, let's talk about Rick O'Connell for a second. This is peak 90s Brendan Frasier. He is absolutely GORGEOUS, suave, and cool, rugged and handsome. He is the epitome of the 1920s adventure hero. Dear god I want to kiss those casting directors. But for all his general peak masculinity? He's feminist as fuck. He is equally dumbstruck by Evie as she is by him, and it's wholly evident that it's more than a "oh no she's hot" thing.

How do we know?

He steals her some tools to dig with. This gift demonstrates that he a) has identified her passion for archaeology, b) has recognized her proficiency in the field, despite it not being explicitly stated on screen, and c) sees a chance to restore her full and active participation in the discovery of Hamunaptra.

There is never a moment where Rick assumes to be the leader of the expedition. He is the weapons expert, the muscle--and he knows it. Better than that, he's totally okay with it. He follows Evie's lead in all things.

Another favorite moment of mine is when they're facing off with the American team on Day 1, and Evie realizes there's a chamber underneath Anubis they could use to excavate the statue. She puts her hand on Rick's arm, looks him in the eye, and says very deliberately "there are other places to dig." And he yields, instantly.

By comparison, see the way the Americans treat their workers and guide.

Does he groan about his work being made exponentially harder as a result? Nope. And that's a recurring theme in his behavior the entire goddamn movie. The only time he is in charge is when a situation is in his wheelhouse-- namely, combat and rescue. And it deserves mentioning that the majority of the time that he's in charge, Evie is not present.

Meanwhile, Evie-- her adventurer's spirit chafing in an academia that dismisses her for her gender-- is an absolute marvel. She is visually coded as being very feminine (she's in dresses and long hair most of the film), but that fact in no way detracts from her competence and agency.

She is consistently protrayed as a fully capable expert in egyptology and there is never a single moment where she waffles on what to do. Even when she's the damsel in distress, she actively makes the choice to be so because she weighs the potential outcomes and decides doing so provides their best chance of success.

Evie is never the passive victim. She is constantly brash, constantly scheming, and saves the lives of her would-be rescuers mid-abduction. And when her brother (who is the failure of the family, against type) needs help with translation, she correctly translates for him while being throttled by a mummified priestess.

When I first saw this film, I was too young to realize how novel it was. Back then, all I knew was that it was just a good time. But now as an adult-- an adult acutely aware of the treatment female characters have gotten in the twenty years since-- I marvel at the respect with which the writers and directors treated Evie.

I marvel at how tender Rick was allowed to be, despite his rugged adventurer archetype.

The Mummy (1999) is peak storytelling. It doesn't try to outsmart the audience, but rather lays out a consistent, coherent narrative that gives the characters and viewers room to breathe. It invests the audience enough to care whether the characters succeed in their goals.

The Mummy (1999) does it right. It's the reason that any talk of the Tom Cruise version gets an immediate eyeroll from me, because whatever modern grimdark grit they shove into a story about a mummy cannot compare to the reliable and timeless entertainment of the 1999 adaptation.

All modern media should aspire to be the kind of film that The Mummy (1999) is.

It’s an old tradition that during a leap year women could propose to men. This was usually depicted as old or ugly women trapping men, but some art focused more on the role reversal and could be quite cute.

I have a soft spot in my heart for the last one because it plays on the idea of “undesirable” people, a tall masculine woman and a shy effeminate man, finding each other but instead of mocking them depicts it as sweet that she could finally ask him because he was too shy and insecure to ask her.

Has anyone ever thought about how ironic it is that the present lines of Blackthorns possibly only exists because one of their ancestors commited necromancy? Like, we always joke about Herondales and Blackthorns engaging in necromancy, but it's quite likely that Ty and the others only exist because of Lucie's necromancy.

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THE FORESHADOWING!!!

Pierre Curie died young, she outlived him by several decades.

My heart 💔

Christopher and Grace did end up collaborating like the Curies and revolutionizing communication for shadowhunters

can we all agree if we get a season 2 of my lady jane, Guildford and Jane enjoying wedded bliss with little to no conflict should be a must, they survived an execution and almost burning at the stake together, let’s not do the breakup-makeup thing please

Did you know that James' last name in the German original is Pimplebottom?😂😂

It’s always awesome to see Charlotte looking pissed, but this photo goes supernova with the amazing prissy Pympoole-Botham sighting in the back. Shine on, you crazy diamond!

(found at the Rubinrot Facebook page)