Translating Period Dramas For Today

a twitter thread that actually killed me

modern asoiaf aus are interesting to me bc seeing how they reckon with cersei and jaime’s whole…. thing….. is like a delightful little window into authorial intent and the story they want to write like. ive seen some people who go full hog with it – jaime and cersei have a long term sexual relationship with incest babies and all – and some people dodge it entirely – their sibling relationship is normal, or they’re not siblings at all. I think its kind of a betrayal of the source material though to pretend NOTHING is wrong there, bc like its so essential to both of their characters that they have a weird thing going on with each other that is actively affecting their lives in a major way. I can understand not wanting to write incest but imo the characters dont make sense without SOMETHING. when i wrote that bit i just posted i was trying to figure out where in the middle i wanted to fall, and i landed on a weird unconsumated too-close-for-comfort sibling relationship, which i think is a good middle ground. saw these tags on a fanfic that were like “no incest bc jaime and cersei’s relationship is fucked up enough without it” which i also think is a graceful way to handle the issue

nylon beatin viimeinen ja rakastuin mä luuseriin on tyylii niinku alkuperäset horny for pathetic men teemabiisit. harmi ku tääl ei ihmiset ymmärrä suomea koska nää biisit ois niinku theee tumblr anthemit

i don't think people actually realize how unsettling, degrading, and racist the depiction of criston cole has been thus far. the sheer white feminism of the showrunners 1) using him to give rhaenyra a sexual awakening moment and immediately turning him into a misogynistic brute to service her woke colonizer queen arc, 2) being completely unaware that this scene was actually rape, and 3) refusing to acknowledge the blatant abuse of power in order to push rhaenyra as the heroic queen?

rhaenyra instigated it. she blocked him from leaving the room. she ignored his request to stop. and then the next day she laughed at his clear discomfort. not only did he break his vows at her request, but in so doing also put him under threat of mutilation or execution. and she didn't give a shit because it doesn't affect her. this is his boss. this is the person who personally promoted his station in society. the person who pays him. the person who he must follow around and guard with his life until death. and people still act like they are on equal social footing, that he could've easily rejected her and continued his watch outside the door with no consequence? and even if he did feel comfortable enough to do that, she opened up that aspect of their relationship. merely putting him in the position to make the "choice" of either committing treason by sleeping with her or rejecting the most powerful woman in the seven kingdoms is a heinous abuse of power.

criston has been the butt of jokes for weeks now because he had the nerve to be disturbed at the prospect of rhaenyra using him sexually for the rest of his life. let me reiterate: his position requires being sworn for life. can you imagine if your lifelong boss suddenly and secretly decided to change the description of your labor to something completely different than what you were hired for? something that you can never discuss with anyone because you will be humiliated and executed by the state? and she doesn't even care about the potentially deadly consequences for you because she personally had a good time and can rely on her father to cover for her?

also, him being dornish in the show completely changes the optics. he is marginalized in this world. this is his livelihood. this is the only way he can promote his family. how does he know that she won't just fire him (or more likely have him killed) if he doesn't do what she wants? what choice does he have? and even though he was arguably attracted to her, there's a difference between being attracted to someone and being at their complete mercy to be fucked whenever they want for years, relying on their discretion and whims to keep you safe from execution.

rhaenyra is not entitled to sex with criston. criston is not wrong for being mad about that. she doesn't owe him what he asked for but it doesn't change the fact that she treated him in a dehumanizing way. the fact that people think rhaenyra is a person we should emulate and endorse as the leader of the seven kingdoms, the fact that people do not see her treatment of criston as a reflection of her views on people beneath her station is deranged.

Mad Men doesn't have a significant fandom because aside from the period setting there is almost nothing fantastical about it. No action, limited violence, mystery mostly cleared up within the first season, no overarching love story you're pushed to root for, the rich people use their money to live comfortable, pretty unremarkable lives, most of the action takes place inside on sets we're familiar with. So then what you're left with is the nuance of reality which uh, people don't like, especially when it results in them relating to people they saw do bad things. Obviously in fandom villains and antiheroes are often glorified (and/or blorbofied) but that usually comes with some trappings of separation from our reality.

People wonder why Mad Men never got the treatment Succession is getting. Ostensibly they're extremely similar, but Succession and its constantly changing scenery and helicopters and ease of access to influence over politics are much, much farther away to us than the time period of our parents and grandparents and the people who are our parents and grandparents. When you look at the way people talk about Mad Men characters, they are very afraid to come right out and say they like them. There's usually a justification and disclaimer coming with it that no one feels the need to apply to their enthusiastic comparisons of Tom Wambsgans to Princess Diana. People are afraid that if they just say they love Pete that denotes condoning his actions whereas it's implied you don't condone anything bad the Roy siblings do. And this is not a Pete defense post but he's outspokenly liberal and means it, yet people stay terrified of identifying with him because that might mean they're also capable of hurting people they care about in the fruitless search for finally getting something they really want, all at once. Identifying with the Roys mainly involves sympathizing with their reactions to things that have been done to them while eschewing thoughts of the harm they inflict, because they inflict harm on a scale you could never actually achieve.

As an aside I also think those of us that love Mad Men enough to rewatch and rewatch get hooked on it from the humor which is simply not going to hit for the average viewer, as harsh as that is to say. How often do you hear people who watched it as part of their golden age of television curriculum mention that it's funny? Usually doesn't come up

I just remembered this video and it just brings me so much joy

au where Steve is a famous Disney kid and Eddie is a teenaged singer-songwriter. They get pushed together at events because they're close in age, but they just quietly dislike each other.

Steve's got a new show starting, a spinoff of the one that made him a household name. They hire a newcomer, Robin Buckley, to play his best friend and the two quickly become BFF in real life.

The show runs for two seasons but when it comes time to renegotiate contracts, neither star is interested. They're older now, ready to live life on their terms and not the company's, or in Steve's case, his parents.

As soon as the finale airs, Robin and Steve celebrate by going to a gay club. A few weeks later, an interview is released where Steve comes out as bi and talks about how his parents mistreated him; how they worked with the network to pressure him to be a perfect "all-American" kid even off screen.

Meanwhile, Eddie's an impossible level of famous. He's had number-one hits, won a Grammy, headlined an arena tour, achieved every dream he had for himself as a kid growing up in a trailer park in Indiana. He's not shocked by the news that Steve is leaving Hollywood, but he's flabbergasted that the guy isn't straight. When Eddie reads the interview, he gets this weird pang in his chest, almost like regret. But he never even liked Steve.

Steve isn't in the news again and Eddie doesn't think of him for a long time.

Steve goes to college. He loves it. Not because he's great in his classes, or anything, but because he's free to be himself for the first time. He makes friends and goes to parties and relaxes. He and Robin share an apartment.

After a few semesters, Steve decides to take a couple of theater classes, and is quickly cast in campus productions. In the vague anonymity of college theater he rediscovers his love of acting. No one has expectations of him, no one forces him to perform. He graduates and slowly starts appearing in small roles in Indie films, gathering critical acclaim. He feels good. Happy. Hopeful.

Eddie is blissfully unaware of Steve's career resurgence, experiencing his own musical highpoints, until the day where he's scrolling Twitter, sees a Variety headline that's getting a bunch of attention, "Steve Harrington in talks to star in Max Mayfield's first film." Eddie's livid.

"Maxine, what the fuck?" He growls when she answers his call.

They grew up together in the same Indiana trailer park. When she moved to Hollywood to start a career as a screenwriter, Eddie was by her side. And when her first script wound up on the Black List, his involvement on the soundtrack and original songs sealed her production deal.

She gives a long suffering sigh. "Munson," she grumbles. "I know you have a weird history with this guy, but I swear he's the right choice."

"He's a stuck up rich boy who's never been in trouble in his life."

"He's changed."

"Doubtful," Eddie sneers.

"Look. I'll set-up a meeting. Come hang out and you'll see what I mean." Before she hangs up she adds, "Call me Maxine again and I'll end you."

They invite Harrington to Eddie's recording studio. His hopes are not high for this meeting, so he's already a little thrown when Steve Harrington walks in, all grown up. He's in a crimson sweater, tight jeans, hair grown long so that it flops around his face in tousled waves that actually look genuine, windswept and golden. Eddie's eyes instinctively trace the scatter of moles on Harrington's face and neck, a pang of something hitting deep in his gut. Fuck, this dude is beautiful.

"Harrington," he greets, sticks out his hand. Eddie barely hears the answering, "Munson," because instead of a handshake, Harrington pulls Eddie in for a hug. Muscles bunch under the sleeves of the sweater, against Eddie's chest, and he's assaulted by the scent of cedar and sunshine and Steve. Eddie's not prepared for any of this.

They make small talk, Harrington sharing about going to college, falling in love with theater, Robin Buckley who he calls his soulmate. Eddie's head rings with how wrong he was about this guy; the pretty kid he grew up alongside who seemed to have the world in his hands. Max was right, he's perfect. Except.

"Let's get down to it, Harrington," Eddie says. Can't bring himself to call him Steve yet, feels that will somehow change everything and he's not ready. "I'll admit that Mayfield had the right idea about you, but can you sing? Play guitar? You have to perform my music, dude. That's not a small ask."

Harrington smirks, asks for a guitar. He gets it settled across his lap before he speaks. "I started taking piano lessons when I was 4. Voice and guitar at 7."

Eddie belatedly recalls that Harrington's parents were the worst kind of stage-parents, pushing their cute kid to perform even as he sobbed about wanting to play soccer with his friends instead of going to auditions. He has a moment of shame that he forgets as the other man begins to play. It's one of Eddie's biggest hits, a ballad about a teenaged broken heart from a kid whose name he can't even remember.

Harrington's hair flops in a swoop over his forehead, his fingers move across the strings with ease, skill. His voice is a rasp, close mimic to Eddie's own, but not quite deep enough. Goosebumps spread across Eddie's arms, his neck, and warmth pools low in his gut.

Steve finishes the song, looks up, cheeks glowing pink, honey eyes bright. Eddie's fucking gone for this guy. He wants so badly he might choke on it.

"Good?" Steve asks.

Eddie's embarrassed suddenly. Unsure. He tugs at his hair. "Yeah," he laughs. "Good."

He reaches out to take the guitar, the one Steve's already handing to him, and their hands brush. Eddie flushes. Their eyes meet and Steve smiles. Eddie's thoughts are consumed with the desire to kiss his plush pink mouth.

"You wanna get dinner? Just you and me?" Steve asks.

"Yeah, Steve," he laughs. "I'd love to."

🎬🎸🎬🎸

Fifteen Months Later

"Former Teen Heartthrobs Make Love Connection?"

Fans of musician Eddie Munson and former child star, Steve Harrington, were in for the surprise of their lives last night as the men arrived together for the premier of Harrington's new movie, Small Town Sins, written by up-and-coming screenwriter Max Mayfield, featuring original music by Munson. While Harrington's performance and the movie itself are garnering quite a bit of positive buzz, it's being overshadowed by gossip about Harrington and Munson's budding romance. They walked the red carpet together, pausing for photos as a duo, holding hands and flirting. When asked for confirmation of their relationship, Munson answered, 'we're bros,' before winking and pulling Harrington close.

There's a TikTok video embedded below the article, showing the men being interviewed on the red carpet. Their arms are loosely around each others' waists, and when their eyes meet they catch and hang for a beat.

"So, longtime fans of both of yours are going feral online right now because of the rumors that you two used to hate each other. Is there any truth to that?" An off-camera voice asks.

The men laugh. "We've always been great friends," Eddie answers.

"Eddie thought I was stuck up," Steve giggles.

"I did not." Eddie slaps at Steve, who gives him an affectionate smile.

"Liar," Steve answers.

Eddie leans into the camera like he's telling a secret. "Harrington here was afraid of me."

"Fuck off, I was not." They wrestle around for a couple of seconds.

Steve shrugs Eddie off, straightening his suit jacket. "Okay, maybe I was a little intimidated back then, but then this morning you found a pretty rock and cried about it."

Eddie shrieks, swatting at Steve until someone in a black suit and name tag shoos them down the red carpet.

Eddie walks off first, so he misses Steve withdrawing a hand from his pocket and saying, "Still have the rock, though." He flashes the red, grey, blue striped stone at the camera.

His gaze drifts away, landing somewhere in the distance, hazel eyes soft and heart-wrenchingly fond.

appreciation post for kaz’s best one-liners

because he’s the chandler of the crows

about jesper spelling ‘forgive me’ on dirix’s chest in bullet holes: “Compromise”, Kaz said. “I’m sorry does the trick and uses fewer bullets.”

“If you fail, all the world will suffer for it.” - “Oh, it’s worse than that, Van Eck. If I fail, I don’t get paid.”

“I had a question,”, said Kaz. “About your mother and whether the rumours are true.” (he says that to a guard in hellgate 💀)

when he tells wylan to watch jesper so he doesn’t go gambling: “I don’t need a nursemaid”, Jesper snapped. “More like a chaperone, but if you want him to wash your nappies and tuck you in at night, that’s your business.” (captain of the wesper ship from day one)

Kaz replied with a time-saving gesture that relied heavily on his middle finger and disappeared belowdecks. (i know, technically not a line, but still great)

“I’ll just hire Matthias’ ghost to kick your ghost’s ass.” (iconic 👏🏻)

when jesper doesn’t know what to do with the backless book: “Hold it up so we don’t have to look at your ugly face.”

“What is he doing?” asked Matthias. “Performing an ancient Zemeni ritual,” Kaz said. “Really?” - “No.”

“How do we cross? I don’t see anything.” - “Because you are not worthy.” - “I’m also not nearsighted. There’s nothing there.” followed by: “This is only one part of Hringkälla.” - “Yes, I know, then a tree tells you the secret handshake.”

“You can explain why our illustrious Shu scientist looks like one of Wylan’s school pals along the way.”

about van eck’s replacement for the ruby (that HE STOLE): “Nice pin,” Kaz said with a glance at the ruby stuck to Van Eck’s tie, “Not as nice as the other one, though.”

“Let’s go.” - “Me?” - “No, the idiot behind you.”

“How is-” - “Nina is fine. Jesper is fine. Everyone is fine except for me because I’m stuck with a gang of hand-wringing nursemaids. Keep a watch.” (actually it’s because of inej, but sure, kaz)

while petting a dog: “Now why can’t people be this easily trained?”

“I helped as well,” added Kuwei, looking sulky. “He did help,” Wylan said. “We’ll make him a plaque,” said Kaz.

“I need to do this. I’ve never been to my mother’s grave. I’m not leaving Kerch without saying goodbye.” - “Trust me, you care more than she does.” (i mean he’s right but jesus christ 💀)

“Pick up the pace,” Kaz said, eyeing his watch. “If I spill a single drop of this, it will burn straight through the floor onto my father’s dinner guests.” - “Take your time.”

when he breaks that dreg member’s leg: “My leg! My leg!” - “I recommend a cane.” (he’s a bad bitch and he knows it. 10/10)

Jellen Radmakker had fallen to the stage and was bellowing, “I’ve been shot!” He had not been shot.

when zoya tries to reanimate kuwei: “I really hope she gets this right,” murmured Nina. “Not as much as Kuwei does,” said Kaz.

in conclusion: kaz is actually funny as hell