Fluffy February Day 4: Strangers To Friends

someone on twitter is trying to claim that use of an em-dash is an indication of AI-generated writing because it’s “relatively rare” for actual humans to use it. skill issue

Your original WIP is getting an adaptation! Spin this wheel to find out what it is!

Feel free to ramble about your results in the tags!

there's a lot of love for computer science genius skye/daisy johnson, but i think a lot about pattern recognition anaylsis expert daisy too. she was the first to react to Fitz's run-down of the Peruvian 0-8-4, clocked how highly militarized the Hub was about Ward and Fitz's mission despite the brief being about disabling a weapon, saw the connection between Hannah Hutchins and Tobias Ford and this is just off from the top of my head from season 1 alone.

she knew something was happening in SHIELD when the Iliad crew hunted for her in the Retreat. she understood fitz’s theory of using her powers to open the Kree Monolith when he was still halfway explaining himself. she found Ivanov and Coulson’s connection in 4x14 The Man Behind the Shield, which ultimately revealed Ivanov’s motive. she even knew that there would be some incident or event in which they will need her powers back in season 5, which was her entire reason of staying behind.

also the Framework. it’s essentially a world made of binary. it makes sense that even if she didn’t have her avatar’s memories, she caught on when May and Coulson pointed out AIDA’s strategy in 4x22 World’s End. May saves the girl in Bahrain, the Cambridge Incident happens, Hydra reveals themselves and blames the Inhumans. “It’s me. I’ll be the monster. She wants the same fascist state she had in the Framework.” she was there for ten days tops and she got all that without the memory duplicity thing? she fucking rocks

nothing will ever live up to the moment when after devouring over 250 pages deeply immersed in the characters and story and after the emotions of the proposal I reached the very end of the letter that turns everything on its head only to find out that Mr Darcy's name is Fitzwilliam

What are some of your favorite fictional teams and crews? Groups of characters whose relationship is founded on the goal of accomplishing something together. They might become close friends and important presences in each other's lives--or just finishing the mission without biting each other's heads off might be a win--but either way, they have to work together and use each other's skills. I love this type of dynamic--tell me yours!

"Howl Jenkins is swarming in girls falling head over heels for him" factoid is actually a statistical error. Average girl is tired of his existence. Sophie Hatter, who falls head over heels for his stupid overdramatic face at least once a day, is an outlier adn should not have been counted

As a rebuff to the “Harry Potter is a himbo running on adrenaline and dumb luck” take: the difference between how Hermione is smart and how Harry is smart is similar to the difference between how Sticky is smart and how Reynie is smart in the Mysterious Benedict Society (a great series that I highly recommend for its wonderful representation of different kinds of intelligence): one utilizes pure information and memorization, the other utilizes mental flexibility and deduction. Both are equally valid, albeit different, forms of intelligence.

To illustrate further: at the beginning of the Mysterious Benedict Society, Sticky aces a test because he had all the information on the test memorized. Reynie aces that same test by figuring out that the answers to each question were hidden in the other questions on the test.

I've recently started rewatching Agents of Shield with my sister who hasn't seen it before, so here are some rewatch-inspired thoughts about the first half of season one:

The Bus Kids are all such babies! Especially Skye.

May gets knocked out in each of the first two episodes. It's definitely taking her a moment to readjust to fieldwork.

So many Shield water bottles.

Even though I know what Ward actually is, he still makes me like the version of himself we see here.

May and Coulson's one-sided conversations are amazing.

I honestly can't remember. Did Ward's younger brother die in the well? The flashes we see aren't super clear.

Interesting that Coulson tells Skye that there was a little girl in Bahrain, but he doesn't mention that she died.

I'd never realized that we get a glimpse of the carvings during Coulson's flashbacks of being revived.

Speaking of which, I thought looking at the carvings was what triggered his instinct to carve, but the drawings on the whiteboard in Eye Spy don't seem to set him off.

I love the way that when Coulson is kidnapped, he doesn't say the "Previously on" or "We'll return in a moment" bits. I remembered that from later seasons, but it's a nice touch to start it now.

Eomer and Eowyn only talk to each other once in the films

but they communicate so much.

When Eomer first returns with a wounded Theodred, an entire dialogue is shared between Eomer and Eowyn without a single word passing between them.

This mutual look of concern, they're both on the same page.

Eowyn then goes on to look at Theodred's wound. It's interesting that Eomer now looks curious above all things, he's waiting on Eowyn's judgement.

Eowyn looks at the wound and grimaces. It's bad. Theodred isn't going to survive this.

She looks to Eomer, who looks back at her in grim resignation.

They go to Theoden to inform him of the situation. As Eomer walks by Eowyn, he doesn't speak to her or interrupt her, but he puts his hand on her back as he passes. Even when the focus is on other things, he is giving her that gesture of support and fondness. That it is done without fanfare shows that this sort of affection is commonplace.

They both stand before the throne, both of them united in their attempt to reach through to their uncle. They're a team, a unit.

Eomer throws down proof that Saruman, who Grima is trying to protray as a friend to Rohan, is sending his soldiers to terrorise their people.

Eowyn gives Grima a death glare, challenging him to refute her brother's accusations. She's on Eomer's side, Eomer's team.

Eomer sees Grima looking at Eowyn, and knows what he wants. It fills him with fury.

Eowyn sees her brother choking Grima against the wall. She looks on in cold silence, then walks away.

When Aragorn reveals that the beacons have been lit, Eowyn rushes into the throne room, drawing to a stop at Eomer's shoulder. They wait together for Theoden's judgement.

When it comes, and Theoden sends Eomer to muster the troops, Eomer bows, but even before he has fully straightened up, his eyes go to his sister.

Again, no words exchanged, simply a look of common understanding. They both know what the risks are, they both know what is at stake, for the world, for their country, for their family.

Before Eomer leaves, he touches Eowyn's arm, before walking away.

With Eomer gone, we see a steely determination come into Eowyn's eyes. Now there's something Eomer's missing, now Eomer's back is turn and there's something about sister that she's keeping from him. She's riding to battle.

The one time they speak to each other, they're in opposition. About Merry, about Eowyn, about war.

The words are harsh. Eomer is stern, Eowyn is defensive.

But Eomer puts his hand on Eowyn's shoulder. He doesn't say "I don't want you to get hurt, I don't want you in battle", but that hand on her shoulder, tells the audience that's exactly what he's saying.

Those small moments of physical affection culminate in one great moment, when stern, stoic Eomer discovers Eowyn on the battle field, and breaks down in tears, cradling her and rocking her like she's a child.

And his devotion to her ultimately shown in him sitting small and hunched, tucked in on himself, crouching down in armour for what seems to have been a lengthy space of time, as he sits by her side, waiting for her to be healed.

This is such an effective way of showing to an audience that two characters love each other, when there is a limited time window. The movie needed to crack on to cover the ground it needed to cover, and with so many important dynamics to reveal to the audience, the creators needed to be time effective. Eomer and Eowyn don't share much screen time, but the looks exchanged, the passing moments of intimacy, tells us clearly that these are two people greatly fond of each other, and have been fond of each other a long time.

The lack of spoken dialogue almost enhances it. Little is said between them because little needs to be said. They already know. The one time they do speak, it's when they're quarrelling, because that's the only moment when they need to use words. The rest of the time, a gesture, a look, is enough.