howdy pardner

SIDNEY PHILLIPS & EUGENE SLEDGE before, during, and after the war

do you think there were any distinctive differences between entity ryan and entity naim? by that i mean how they treat the real version of the other ... if that makes sense.

i'm inclined to believe this is true, given that the entity is obviously a bastardized version of all your desires, so i'd assume entity naim behaved differently for. real ryan

sorry if that didn't make sense you are probably one of the number one ryan whelan understanders and i wanted to get your take on it!

hey! i’ve had vague thoughts abt this exact thing floating around since my first watch and i totally agree with you. given the entity manipulates your desire to tempt you, there are definitely different undercurrents to how entity ryan tempts naim and how entity naim tempts ryan. 

to start with naim and what we see explicitly in the film, entity ryan lulls naim into a sense of safety by exuding a sense of assuredness. the first time naim encounters entity ryan at hunter's funeral it's cold and cruel, walking away from him and saying "told you to fuck off" (which is all necessary given naim's last interaction with ryan at the roller skating rink). but when naim follows, brokenly cries and admits he feels lost, the entity responds by pulling him in close, stroking his face and kissing him. not to subspace naim truth on main but we see a lot of naim finding mental relief through ryan's touch bc of how ryan allows him to let go of his spiralling thoughts and be lost in feelings of pleasure/intimacy. throughout the film naim is someone constantly seeking assurance and help from others. he tries to get it from the counselour at the police station, repeatedly tries to get it from his mum. naim desires safety, someone to tell him that things will be okay, that they've got him, and that's what naim finds so appealing about being with ryan--ryan turns his brain off and grounds him. we get to see him experience this with the real ryan in the mill and on the bus, ryan leading their intimacy and naim allowing himself to just enjoy it. what the entity draws on to tempt naim is not only his sexual desire, but the sense of safety ryan gives him. at the screen door, the entity tells him i was never scared of this naim bc that's what naim wants to hear--that ryan isn't scared, and so naim can lean on him.

now for ryan, i think it's similar, but there's a slight different colour to it . something i think abt a lot in regards to ryan is the "make what stop?" exchange with hunter before the ritual. if we put things in perspective ryan has been hooking up with hunter for at least a while before naim came to town (i suspect a considerably long time tbh), but when they get found out, when they're told they have to stand in front of the church and undergo this ritual to "make it stop" hunter looks ryan dead in the eyes and says "make what stop?" and leaves ryan totally stranded. this lays the foundation for what ryan desires from naim: reassurance that he’s not alone in this. ryan desires his feelings to be returned, their relationship to mean as much to naim as much as it does to him, and for naim to stand by ryan despite what the town or anyone thinks about them. ryan is constantly bidding for naim's validation. "so there's nothing you like about this place?" + getting quietly upset whenever naim brings up leaving bandee (and thus, leaving ryan), it's the prospect of naim leaving ryan behind that elicits the famous: i don't want it to look like some other dickhead, i want it to look like you. i've always felt that in contrast to naim who still feels like he's figuring things out in terms of being queer, ryan knows who he is. ryan knows he's gay, and though he might have a complicated relationship with whether being gay is "wrong", he knows it's not something a ritual can make go away. ryan doesn't need reassurance about his identity, he just wants to know that naim is with him. that he's not going to be who he is alone. 

so. entity naim. i think the entity presents itself to ryan shy and quiet like the real thing, but a version that feels less shuttered, and is more forthcoming with naim's feelings and his desire. i can just imagine big wet eyes looking up at ryan as naim openly asks for what he wants, hands roaming freely, sounds not bitten back. it's naim, but a naim less afraid, who can be open about his desire for ryan and tells him straight up i like you, i want you, i'm with you.

it’s also very interesting to compare hunter and naim’s interactions with the entity vs ryan’s. for naim and hunter, the entity comes for them when they’re alone and keeps them there, because hunter and naim both want intimacy with ryan without an outsiders perception of it. but for ryan, the entity lures ryan into safety by taking him to a public place because that's exactly what ryan desires--for naim to love him openly, to treat him like a boyfriend and not only touch him behind closed doors. so even after already having a violent encounter with entity naim, when he comes by his house again and asks him out to the roller skating rink, ryan follows. i don't care the town knows about you, the entity says to ryan, drawing on his desire. i'm the same anyways. and i want to be with you. 

TDLR: the entity weaponises naim's struggles with his queerness and his desire to feel safe and assure. ryan is more secure in his identity, but craves for his his feelings to be validated and not left alone and that's what the entity drawns on to tempt him.