The Vavoom: Or, when the show's hinting Crowley & Aziraphale first kissed

It was not in 2.06, if that makes you feel any better?

Meta/theory hybrid stuffity stuff below the cut. As always, all interpretations are valid. This isn't meant to offend anyone who sees things differently. Post contains spoilers for the films 'Kiss Me Deadly' (1955), 'About Time' (2013), 'Love Actually' (2003), and 'Four Weddings and a Funeral' (1994). Apologies that this took a few days. Life's been wild this week. Let's dive in...

no one is talking about how the fact that crowley liking richard curtis films almost definitely means he's seen love actually (!!!) AND the bridget jones films

yes! fic is probably the place for it, or fan vid mashups, but oh wow. especially since bridget jones is based on pride and prejudice, already intertextually referenced. how about that silly "fight" in the fountain? the ugly xmas jumpers? and too many scenes from love actually to list. all of them. i have to rewatch now.

Your favourite Martin Freeman character who is not John Watson or Bilbo Baggins 😉

After the 1st poll is finished with a very clear winner and 2nd place, I'll make another poll.

Yes, this poll does not include John Watson or Bilbo Baggins. Why? Well, why not? 78% of the votes in the other poll went to either John or Bilbo. That is A LOT. I am curious how the votes will spread out this time. To get a clear 3rd place, which didn't really happen in the other poll.

And no, I will still not include an "all of them"- option. 😉

love actually. i forget the character's name, but he is SUCH A CUTIE.

LOVE ACTUALLY (2003) dir. Richard Curtis

GO Rom Com Spotlight: @portablechemist​

The gorgeous @portablechemist​ (OTHER REFS) has claimed Love Actually to adapt for Good Omens in the Good Omens Rom Com Event.

For reference, here’s a little background about the source material!

About Love Actually: Nine intertwined stories examine the complexities of the one emotion that connects us all: love. Among the characters explored are David (Hugh Grant), the handsome newly elected British prime minister who falls for a young junior staffer (Martine McCutcheon), Sarah (Laura Linney), a graphic designer whose devotion to her mentally ill brother complicates her love life, and Harry (Alan Rickman), a married man tempted by his attractive new secretary.

We spent some time chatting about how the adaptation is coming so far, as well as future plans for it! Now, get to know @portablechemist​ a little better!

* * *

goromcom: Starting with something about you, you know how if you open a Tumblr chat with someone you haven’t chatted to before, Tumblr tells you two things they post about? I wanted to tell you that yours reports that you post “about #tru and #:d”. Those are some really fun tags, and I browsed your :d for a minute and had several giggles, so thanks for that!

portablechemist: Oh, that’s so accurate, I love it :D I’m glad it gave you a laugh!! The #:d tag is all stuff I want to be able to find quickly to cheer me up, so I’m glad it makes other people laugh too :P

goromcom: But let’s move on to your rom com, Love Actually. Has this movie been a favorite of yours, or is there some other reason you chose it?

portablechemist: It’s one of my favorite Christmas movies specifically, and I try to make a point of watching it every holiday season - Love Actually (along with Doctor Who and the IT Crowd) was part of my introduction to British media, so it holds a special place in my heart. As soon as I saw it on the list of choices, though, I immediately knew who I wanted Death to be, and that was enough to write the rest of the story :P

goromcom: So interesting that it would be that casting to cement the idea in your mind! Now I can’t wait to see!

What’s your favorite moment of the movie and are you looking forward to presenting it in your adaptation? Any loose plans for that scene that you can share?

portablechemist: There are a few moments that I really love - Hugh Grant dancing through the PM house, Rowan Atkinson doing up the necklace at the jewelry counter, and the bit where Jamie (Colin Firth) learns Portuguese and goes to France to confess his love to Aurelia (Lúcia Moniz) - but I think my favorite bit is the montage of the PM going door to door in Wadsworth to try to find Natalie. Loose plans for that scene include Gabriel making his way through Hell to find Beelzebub, because she’s the only being he respects. But that’s ALL it is - respect!

goromcom: Do you plan to stick very closely to the beats of the original story, or make bigger changes?

portablechemist: I’m sticking pretty close to the original beats of the story - it’s still set around Christmas time (the chapter names will be the weeks until Christmas), there’ll still be a school play with lobsters, etc., but those beats are wrapped in a new story. It’s going to be set during the first Christmas after Armageddont, when Heaven and Hell have sent their own agents to Earth to get Armageddon II going. While this story line is the plot device driving the story forward, I’m focusing more on the individual couples/groups and their personal struggles. There are parts of the fic which are definitely more serious, but overall, I’m going for the same light, kind of silly tone that the original movie had (which will lead to some ridiculous scenes I am very excited to write). 

I’m also doing my best to remove all the problematic bits (because yikes there are a lot of problematic bits).

goromcom: I know a lot of people are making little nips and tucks here and there to their rom com storylines, and it’s another thing I’m very interested in watching how it pans out as the stories begin to post.

But let’s see if I can charm one more little nibble about your story plans away from you.  What’s an interesting decision you’ve made in your planning so far–a notable casting decision, a changing of venue, or some other plan you have to paint Good Omens all over your rom com?

portablechemist: This was the one I cast immediately - I’ve given the role of Colin (the guy who desperately wants to sleep with someone and thinks American girls will find him more attractive) to Death, and the roles of the American girls to the Four Other Horsemen of the Apocalypse. In this version, Death’s lonely after War, Pollution, and Famine are destroyed, and God gives him the advice to find some new friends. I was really hoping to see the FOHA in the Good Omens show, so this is me bringing them in! 

I’ve also recast Billy (the singer) as Agnes Nutter, and I’m rewriting the Christmas song to be one of Agnes’s prophecies :D

goromcom: Oh my, Billy Mack is my favorite in the original. But before you reveal too much, I’ll cut off the previews here and move on to my favorite final question. 

Tell me something “good”. It can be something big or small. It can be a charity you think is doing good work, or you can talk about how great your pet is.

portablechemist: I mean, I think this whole thing you’ve put together is amazing - I’ve never felt more welcome in a group of folks online. Even though I mostly lurk (because life is crazy), it puts a huge smile on my face every time I see a new emoji or a brand new work from someone. This is so special and I want to thank you for putting it all together and doing all the moderation :)

goromcom: Oh my, blushing super hard over here! I’m really enjoying the whole thing and I really have fun with the whole group. :)

portablechemist: Outside of that, an organization I really enjoy is Little Free Library. They’re a great way to bring reading to communities that otherwise might not have a lending library, and they also donate books cost-free to libraries in need around the world. You can do everything from donate money to build a Little Free Library yourself, if you’re so inclined. Their website has resources to get involved, and the world map can let you know if there are any libraries already near you.

goromcom: Oh, I adore Little Free Library. Check that link out, everyone! Such a sweet and wonderful project.

And speaking of wonderful projects, make sure to catch the GO adaptation of Love Actually, coming soon!

*FLAIL* i love that movie so much, and am SO looking forward to a GO crossover version!

CONDUCTOR  OF  THE  UNIVERSE

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This post is part of another one - of ‘Love, actually …?’ from Feb.14th 2019. Only recently I noticed that I’ve overlooked one of the elderly ladies in Sherlock BBC. And a rather important one too, I guess. Therefore I decided to do an OUTTAKE for this one because it grew more lenghy than I first thought it would. But I will also incluce it into the original post for the sake of completeness. 

Love isn’t always blind

Another elderly lady who plays a very interesting part in the story is professor Cairns. She isn’t among the hostages in TGG, but nonetheless she is a victim in the ‘Lost Vermeer’ case of the same episode and she shares the fate of the blind old lady, the hostage in the Prince’s case … the case immediately prior to this one.

More under the cut ….

Keep reading

AH, brilliant, as ever! I jotted down a few things that popped out at me while i was reading.

I feel like we've established that a photo is a metaphor for a memory, though i couldn't put my finger on a specific meta. So the fake painting is a fake memory, it's supposed to represent something from history, but it's not. What gives it away is the misplaced supernova, ahead of its time.

The golem has an international reputation, like sherlock in TSOT (but not john)

the kid on the phone = the future of the heart. (@sagestreet 's "baby switch" meta)

IIRC, @just-sort-of-happened wrote something about the planetarium being full of circles, and circles represent feelings. I will see if i can find that.

I just love your reading of sherlock, the titan moon, between the two planets! and love as the conductor of the universe.

LOVE,  ACTUALLY  …..  ?

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ELDERLY  LADIES  IN  SHERLOCK  BBC

The story told in Sherlock BBC is full of characters who sometimes mirror each other, some seem to represent personal believes and opinions, some refer to occurences in the past, some are ambassadors/representatives of emotions like love, friendship, disgust, fear, hate …. This applies already to the surface level of the story … told in the language of Sherlock’s mind … I’m not even touching all the subtext packed into it.

This post is about a certain aspect which seems to connect all the eldery ladies of the story. Right from the beginning those ladies turn up now and then, often in short minor roles, unobstrusive but very interesting. I wrote about some of the more obvious similarities which connect Mummy Holmes, Lady Smallwood and Vivian Norbury (hairstyle and dialogue) here & here. But that’s just a small piece of the thread that weaves it’s way through the whole story. And the name of that thread seems to be … LOVE.

More of this theory under the cut …..

Keep reading

@ebaeschnbliah I no longer remembered the initial of Sherlock’s mother, how they were the same as those of Mrs. Hudson! … who as you say, and she constantly, she is not his housekeeper (even if it does ) but the landlady. Considering his character as the allegory of Sherlock’s heart we can well understand how fundamental she  is. Without heart, even if you are a sociopath, you die. The heart is what keeps you alive (England would fall). And it is nice that she don’t consider herself the housekeeper, like who that  simply takes care of the practical management of the house, that is the mechanical and physical job of the heart, but the owner. Sherlock as opposed to being just a brain, is a heart. A big heart. And all the connections with the older ladies of the cast are so interesting, love is a feeling as old as the world, the most powerful motivator and above all, as you say very well, it’s blind.

@possiblyimbiassed @ebaeschnbliah @gosherlocked @sarahthecoat

ah, nice distinction between housekeeper (maintainer, maybe even a servant) and landlady (owner, in charge)

LOVE,  ACTUALLY  …..  ?

________________________________________________________________

ELDERLY  LADIES  IN  SHERLOCK  BBC

The story told in Sherlock BBC is full of characters who sometimes mirror each other, some seem to represent personal believes and opinions, some refer to occurences in the past, some are ambassadors/representatives of emotions like love, friendship, disgust, fear, hate …. This applies already to the surface level of the story … told in the language of Sherlock’s mind … I’m not even touching all the subtext packed into it.

This post is about a certain aspect which seems to connect all the eldery ladies of the story. Right from the beginning those ladies turn up now and then, often in short minor roles, unobstrusive but very interesting. I wrote about some of the more obvious similarities which connect Mummy Holmes, Lady Smallwood and Vivian Norbury (hairstyle and dialogue) here & here. But that’s just a small piece of the thread that weaves it’s way through the whole story. And the name of that thread seems to be … LOVE.

More of this theory under the cut …..

Weiterlesen

Wow, what a great and comprehensive analysis, @ebaeschnbliah. I did not realise there were so many elderly and old women in the show and it is interesting how they take key positions in the narrative. From Mrs Hudson who could be called a leading character to Grace who is seen only once. 

However, the quote from Trace (”Are you lost?”) reminded me of Eurus’s song beginning with the words “I that am lost”. So in a way we have a connection between Henry Knight, a definite Sherlock mirror, and Eurus, who we believe to be a part of Sherlock’s own personality. She seems to answer Grace’s question over a distance nine episodes. 

Yesssss, of course, @gosherlocked  The whole time I had the feeling that something is missing between the lyrics of the song and the next pic. That I’ve overlooked something important. That’s it! The lost children! Eurus, Victor, Henry, Max & Claudette, Rachel too ….. And indeed, Eurus ‘seems to answer Grace’s question over a distance of nine episodes’ as you put it so poetically. “Are you lost?” … “I that am lost!”  Wonderful! Thanks for this great addition!!!

wow, what an excellent meta!

i am particularly struck by how closely vivian norbury mirrors mycroft, yikes! Lives alone, likes sweets, drinks alone, wears a ring (although widowed), was never a field agent, sold secrets (big plot point in TRF!), calls herself "love", but tries to kill sherlock. HMMMM, maybe giving m- theory another look.

i also love the idea that the color yellow is being associated with love on account of ACD YELL, that's pretty nifty.

One of the ways that Sherlock deduces that David still has romantic feelings for Mary is that in all his Facebook pictures of John and Mary, John is, ‘always partly or entirely excluded’.  This shows that he wants John, ‘out of the picture’, so to speak.

Then we see director Colm McCarthy’s approach to framing his shots during the best man speech.  During Sherlock’s speech, Mary is, ‘always partly or entirely excluded’, in any shot that also includes Sherlock.  Janine, a character we’ve only just met, and of much less importance to the proceedings, seems to have plenty of room to fit in shots that exclude Mary.

If excluding half of a couple is a sign that someone wants them to not be a couple, then, here, the show is explicitly telling us that John and Mary are not the right couple.  The compositions escalate from merely cutting Mary out to having Sherlock actually physically block her from the audience’s view.  We are meant to not see John in relation to Mary but Sherlock.  It’s always Sherlock.

(Thank you to obliquely-related for their comment that reminded me to write about this.)

Colm McCarthy didn’t frame the shots. That would be the camera operator/DP. All together now… :-)

Well, yes, the camera operator (or possibly the DP) is the one who literally frames the shots.  But what I’m talking about, here, is the creative decision to reference an earlier part of the text with the framing.

It’s interesting that you are making this distinction because my first instinct was to refer to even higher up the chain of command, directly to Moftiss/Moftisson, but I chose to give a nod to the director, instead (possibly creating this confusion.)

If the decision to put Mary out of frame, or partially in it, does come from the writing then it comes directly from Moftiss/Moftisson, then to the director, then to the DP, then to camera operator.  

So while I know who literally executes a shot on a tv show, when I refer to someone, ‘framing’, things I mean at the highest level of creative decision-making.  Which I think lies higher up the chain of command than Colm McCarthy, not lower.   

Just fyi….there are always two scripts. The first is the original screenplay. The second, the most important one, the one, we as public rarely see, is the production script, the one with all the camera directions, set details, etc. The scene framing, candle angles, lighting choices, etc, are ALL predetermined, planned, and are deliberate choices made by the dop, director, and writer(s) of the story. This was written. They knew exactly what they were doing. Johnlock is real.

I needed to add my own thoughts onto this (I apologise if anyone else has already pointed this out!) 

The camera angle thing is like an actual romantic trope - Someone irl pointed this out to me, when re-watching tsot. Has anyone noted the similarity between the wedding scene in tsot and the ‘wedding video’ scene in Love Actually. The Best man,Mark, is hopelessly is love with the bride, Juliet. His video of their wedding is pretty much all shots of the bride. When Juliet sees this video, she realises his feelings for her because of this fact.

See the video HERE - the wedding video bit starts at the 2:00 mark. Bonus for people who like pain… Mark’s face at 3:10 (ish?) reminds me so much of that look between Sherlock and John after Sherlock has told them of Mary’s pregnancy… before he tells them to dance.

I hope you appreciate the emotional pain I had to go through to get these screen shots!!! :’(

what an excellent parallel! *sets tea and scones next to you along with a shock blanket*

In the last 24 hours, I have written over 9,000 words of a Christmas-themed fic, before I’ve even finished the Halloween fic I started back in October. 

Ugh, writer problems. 

Over 10,000. 

Over 11,000. 

Over 12,000. 

Probably should have mentioned that this is a Love Actually fusion so expect smut and fluff (but surprisingly more angst than I was anticipating?)

Ah, well.

Yay body doubles who have NO idea what they’re doing and just need money for the holidays! 

Wheee!

(oh my god I need to go to bed)

oooh this sounds good…

OMG i can hardly wait! :D