A bunch of movies and some new fiction!
Good evening!
So firstly, I dug into some self-examination the past few days and made a list of regular themes and character archetypes I play with across my body of work. It's not a complete list of everything I could possibly think of, but it's a lot to be getting on with.
So Predictable: A Big List includes examples of a whole lot of different themes and story tones and regularly recurring archetypes I use, and I'd really love to hear people's responses and takes! Any archetypes you think I've missed, or more you think I should add to certain lists? Any themes you think I regularly do that I haven't mentioned here?
This was a really fun exercise to do, especially because I've got such a large body of work and so many different characters, and while I realised I regularly do certain ones again and again, it was still different to see them all written down together.
A bunch of media recs this week, so let's go through them:
The History of Africa Podcast - I don't normally listen to podcasts as I struggle to concentrate on them, but I've been enjoying listening to some episodes of this! Obviously Africa is a massive continent with hundreds upon hundreds of disparate cultures and histories, but this cast is very upfront about that reality whilst also covering as much ground as possible in deep detail, and it's really fun.
The Kominsky Method (2018-2021) - These three series are Netflix originals, starring Alan Arkin and Michael Douglas, and are written and produced by Chuck Lorre, who was responsible for the likes of Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly, etc. For how mean-spirited a lot of these shows tend to be, I was really surprised by how deeply human this show is - there's a lot of self-examination and self-reflection going on where Lorre is explicitly exploring his own body of comedic work, and that makes a lot of sense given that this is largely a series about the grief and the difficulties that come with growing older and looking back on the legacies one leaves.
A lot of this series has genuinely made me laugh, especially Alan Arkin's role as a crotchety old bastard to whom I unfortunately relate - it also feels like a very honest look at an older cishet white dude who is kind of doing his best to not be a piece of shit re: marginalised communities, but isn't very good at it, whether he's trying or not?
It attempts at times to be "tongue-in-cheek" while making commentary about racism, antisemitism, homophobia, and other bigotries within the show - one thing that really stood out to me is that in the absolute first episode Michael Douglas is talking about whether an actor is a he, a she, and then looks at a white person with a short haircut and is like "they?" and they nod, and he's like, "a they" or something... And that person never has any dialogue for the rest of the show. Which is hilarious. In general, I would say that where most of the show is not hugely dickish (esp not in comparison to other Chuck Lorre shows), there's an ongoing theme of it attempting to grapple with nonbinary ideas, genderfluidity, neopronouns, and so on, including Morgan Freeman playing a nonbinary reboot of Doctor Quincy, and while it's not as bad as many shows and honestly doesn't come off as mean-spirited as most nonbinary references in a show, it's not great.
Despite those aspects, I do still recommend it, and I actually really love his cast of acting students, those scenes are probably my favourites.Red Eye (2005, dir. Wes Craven) - You know, I really fucking loved this movie, it's such a fun little flick - I love Rachel McAdams, I don't always like his roles but Cillian Murphy always gives an interesting performance, and like... So much works in such a tight and constrained space in this movie, the script is so fucking clean with such sharp performances, there's a bazooka... It's class. It's great.
The Founder (2016, dir. John Lee Hancock) - This movie was interesting, definitely took some turns I wouldn't ordinarily expect. It's really fucked up, honestly, and it takes how fucked up its story is and runs with it, paints everything in feel-good colours whilst being clear that it's not remotely feel-good in concept, and I really loved that juxtaposition. Michael Keaton often feels kind of false and oily in his roles anyway, and that comes off perfectly in this when he's meant to come off that way.
Also, I don't recommend Hope Springs (2012, dir. David Frankel) with Tommy Lee Jones, Steve Carrell, and Meryl Streep, and I don't recommend it, but I did review it here.
New Works Published
Fiction Short: The Ring
A young man misses his departed boyfriend.
Rated T, 5k, M/M. Tragedy and horror and ghosts in this one - note CWs for different kinds of domestic violence implied throughout, infidelity, death and references to suicide and self harm.
Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium
Erotic Short: Ridden Hard
A trans man is trapped between his boyfriend’s strap and a powerful vibrator.
1k, T4T M/M, rated E! Featuring a vibrating wand, rope bondage with the arms pinned behind the back, vaginal and anal, objectification, a smattering of dirty talk, multiple orgasms, and overstim.
Read on Patreon / / Read on Medium
Erotic Short: The Mermaid and the Fisherman
A wanderer meets a mermaid, and the two of them work to understand each other.
7.3k, rated E, M/M. A young man fleeing home has taken up residence in an old fishing cabin on the west coast of Scotland. He is observed, very closely, by a mermaid from beyond the maerl beds nearby.
Featuring cultural differences, humour, oviposition, cervix penetration, mild chem sex from the mermaid’s aphrodisiac, some rough sex, some mildly dubious consent, stuffing, belly bulge.