Latest Posts by whoamiorami - Page 3

Why does Catholic, the largest church, not simply eat the other churches?

SO MANY FUCKING THINGS stood out in tonight’s belter of an episode of His Dark Materials, but Marisa Coulter’s meeting with Mary Malone and her subsequent Blue Screen Of Death on realising the reality of the patriarchy was something I will. never. forget.

Look at her. Look at her eyes, listen the words she uses. Marisa is absolutely fucking full of blinding rage at the truth she’s suddenly been hit in the face with. All her life she has been better, clever, smarter, and stronger than the men who dominate her society. And she has been forced to kowtow to these pissants, these simpering dull crude men, slaving constantly in labour and cunning to secure the meagrest of breadcrumbs of respect and recognition in her academic and political fields. She has been forced to swallow the bitter pill of being ineligible for a doctorate, despite the undeniable superiority of her work. She has had to submit to her papers being published under the names of male peers and them taking her rightful credit. She has had to smile and simper and be agreeable and claw her way to power and respect through the utmost ruthlessness and cunning - and even though those things were always in her nature, the mental and emotional toll it’s taken on her is crystal fucking clear. She’s destroyed her own soul to rise to her rightful place.

And then she steps into another world and meets Mary. A doctor in her own right, with academic research in her own right, with her own brilliance in her own right. No fuss. No compromise. Just recognition on the basis of merit. And she realises, in that moment, what has been kept from her all her life, and how incandescently fucking outrageous it is.

And she is blinded by rage.

I felt that

oh to be a young woman in the 1960s with stylish outfits and a smashing red bob absolutely obliterating men and their egos in a board game

[ID: Three vibrant gifs of Beth Harmon from The Queen’s Gambit as she plays chess. 1: Beth and Mr. Shaibel sit in the basement together with a chess set in front of them; Beth moves a black pawn. In the center of the gif is the outline of the piece in a pink and yellow gradient with the word “pawn” overlaid on top in an italicized serif font. Text in a smaller sans-serif font underneath reads, “Beginnings, defense.”

2: Beth takes a black piece with her knight and then moves to strike the clock beside her. The word “knight” is overlaid over the outline of a knight piece and the words, “Grace, battle” are written underneath. 3: Beth moves her queen to the side in her game against Borgov; over the outline of the queen piece, text reads, “queen,” and underneath: “Power, independence.” End ID.]

THE EVOLUTION OF BETH HARMON, TOLD WITH CHESS PIECES

The moves they applaud the loudest are the ones you make rather quickly.

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT: AN ANALYSIS

Winning moves by Beth Harmon, featuring: Townes v Harmon, Harmon v Beltik, Harmon v Giev, Harmon v Puzzle, Harmon v Borgov

S01E06 - Grand Prix in Paris S01E07 - The Moscow Invitational

She is an orphan. A survivor. She is like us, losing is not an option for her.

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT

THE QUEEN’S GAMBIT (2020) + mentioned and played openings

The Queen’s Gambit (2020) | 1x06 “Adjournment”

Ok, another hot take about The Queen's Gambit:

It's a known trope in movies or series with a male protagonist to put his love interests into the stereotypical, exaggerated categories of a 'mother', often represented by a dutiful wife, a 'slut', who is attractive and independent, and a 'virgin', who often isn't an actual virgin, but represents childlike innocence and is sexually unavailable. A combination of all three is then found in The One, a perfect, albeit unrealistic, woman.

In 'The Queen's Gambit', where Beth assumes the role of the leading man as I discussed earlier, Harry, Benny, and Townes assume the three female roles for Beth on a very surface level. These characters are men, yet exhibit the typical characteristics. However, they still have enough complexity to escape the confines of the trope, still drawing interesting contrasts between each of them without falling into banality.

Harry, the 'mother' or dutiful wife, as Beth's love interests is more of a steady companion than a riveting affair, he wants to nurture her, help. He doesn't say as much as he would like to, is submissive and rather quiet, almost boring, but loves her and worries about her. He worries about her too much to look at her destroying herself. He believes himself to be too weak, is too passive to fight. Now, as 'dutiful wife' he would just bear it until she herself decides to ditch him, but it's not what Harry started as, it's not his full character. In his first game with Beth he showed himself as a stereotypical male baffoon, which, when he chooses to leave her later, despite still having feeling for her, an act as similar to a divorce as giving up a game, proves rather to be an exaggerated display of his inherent pride. It's not cowardice, it becomes a virtue when he realizes the truth that Beth doesn't love him romantically and that he has no future in professional chess playing. To take a step back from this, defeated in what he cared about most, and still go forward his own way with a job and studies is a form of gentle bravery and keeping face. He is proud enough to not let himself be ridiculed, is proud of his life choices. It's obvious when he talks with Beth in the school parking lot. He cannot be reduced just to his role in Beth's life.

Then Benny, as the 'slut', has a long history of affairs. He is shown at first as cocky, overconfident and fully aware of the effect he has on people. Women warn Beth about him, but she cannot resist him. His role is exactly the role of the 'slut' in a male-led movie, where the main character falls for a dangerous skillful seductress. And just like it often goes, the main character is the one to become the 'slut's' weakness. Benny lets Beth have him eventually, when she dominates over him in chess and matches him in her cockiness. It's her conquest. It would be the moment in which the slut turns into a repenting converted sinner, having been defeated at her own game. Except Beth's triumph is short-lived, because Benny has more to him than just being her conquest. It doesn't change his values, his core personality. Chess are the most important to him. It's a shock to see him as unapologetic as he was before and a difficult realization for Beth that her conquest didn't force Benny into submission. This would still fall into 'slut's' behavior if not for the fact that Benny just genuinely wants Beth to succeed beyond winning (with) him. He genuinely cares about her and has feelings for her that don't disappear even when she decides to leave him. He's in love, but it doesn't turn him into somebody he's not. When he calls her later it's clear he has sensitivity and vulnerability to him, but it's not a dramatic change, it must have been something he already had, and that's why Cleo, even though she must have been infatuated with him and rejected, cannot hate him. He's sympathetic despite his flaws.

And Townes. The 'virgin'. He's charming and treats Beth with unusual respect, compared to other men, when they first meet. He seems perfect with how he doesn’t impose himself on her, how he is friendly, but keeps distance that makes her feel comfortable. He seems honest, innocent, Beth idealizes him. This by itself doesn't make him the 'virgin' for Beth, but combined with his status of being in a relationship with a man does (it's heavily, but tastefully implied). He breaks out of the mold the easiest, because of his behavior in the hotel room and his conversation with Beth in the last episode. He isn't as pure as he initially seemed, weirdly attracted to Beth in a way that made him keep the truth about his relationship from her in a situation that could have turned more erotic if he hasn't been caught. He lead her on, confused with his feelings that he later identified as fondness for a beautiful talented friend. Losing her trust and a chance for friendship hurt him, but he only has himself to blame. He's flawed. Him calling other men he knew cared about Beth for help was his way of redeeming himself.

Now, combining their strengths would make an ideal man, so only together they become what Beth needs, as shown in the last episode with them providing support. The polyamorous side of me ships Beth in this polycule. Yet, for a monogamist, neither of these men is a suitable partner for life due to their various shortcomings and that's why Beth can only have them as friends. The trope is subverted one last time with how she never finds The One, but accepts herself as a full independent individual.

The Queen's Gambit (Tv Series 2020)

The Queen’s Gambit (2020)

Luchenko’s the oldest player here, was World Champion before Elizabeth Harmon was born. He defeated the great Alekhine in an exhibition when he was a boy, played to a draw with Botvinnik, and crushed Bronstien in Havana. 

✨Studio Ghibli Asks!✨

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind: What type of apocalypse do you think you would have the best chance of surviving?

Castle in the Sky: If you could live in any fictional place what would it be? (laputa, atlantis, narnia etc.)

Grave of the Fireflies: Top five sad songs?

My Neighbor Totoro: Favourite mythical creature?

Kiki’s Delivery Service: If you were a witch, what area of magic would you excel in? (flying, potions, divination, spells etc.)

Only Yesterday: Favourite childhood memory?

Porco Rosso: If you were an animal, what animal would you be?

Ocean Waves: Tell me about your best friends from high school.

Pom Poko: Favourite animal?

Whisper of the Heart: What are you most passionate about? Why?

Princess Mononoke: What elemental sign are you? (fire, earth, air & water)

Spirited Away: Tell me about a time you faced your fears.

The Cat Returns: What is the coolest adventure you’ve ever been on?

Howl’s Moving Castle: Which movie adaption do you prefer to the book?

Tales From Earthsea: Tell me about something that everyone else hates, but you love. 

Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea: Favourite fairytale?

Secret World of Arrietty: Tell me about the most beautiful place you have ever been. 

From up on Poppy Hill: Tell me about an experience that changed your life or your worldview. 

The Tale of Princess Kaguya: What folktale/wives tale from your childhood stuck with you your whole life?

The Wind Rises: Tell me about your greatest accomplishment.

When Marnie Was There: Who do you miss the most?

Mary and the Witch’s Flower: What is the last movie you watched? What are your thoughts on it?

Hayao Miyazaki: Who is the person that you look up to most?

Isao Takahata: Who is the person that helped you/is helping you achieve your dreams?

Studio Ponoc: Do you like change?

Studio Ghibli: Top three Studio Ghibli movies?

Colin Morgan as John Armstrong in The Crown, 3.04

The Handmaiden (2016), Park Chan-Wook

Arrival (2016), Denis Villeneuve

T E N E T dir. CHRISTOPHER NOLAN (2020)

They put you in a cell and took everything they could take...except your life. And you believed that was all there was, didn’t you? That the only thing you had left was your life.

But it wasn’t, was it?

DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989, dir. Peter Weir) V FOR VENDETTA (2005, dir. James McTeigue)

[…] I shall die here. Every inch of me shall perish. Every inch, but one. An Inch, it is small and it is fragile, but it is the only thing the world worth having. We must never lose it or give it away. We must never let them take it from us. I hope that whoever you are, you escape this place. I hope that the world turns and that things get better. But what I hope most of all is that you understand what I mean when I tell you that even though I do not know you, and even though I may never meet you, laugh with you, cry with you, or kiss you. I love you. With all my heart, I love you. -Valerie

V For Vendetta (2005) dir. James McTeigue

I'll never be over this fcking scene okay

yeah

Inception (2010) // Tenet (2020)

Community + top 10 highest-rated episodes on IMDb

Klaus: *Signs a legal document with a glitter gel pen*