#How Many Different Actors Have Played Dumbledore?

[annabellelupin]

thoughts I've had while re reading poa as a marauders fan, part one (chapters 1 - 4)

(id just like to point out this is my first time reading the books since middle school and first time I've read the books since I became a marauders fan in 2020)

chapter 1

- ok so ye the Weasleys are really poor, but if they're "extremely poor" you'd figure they'd use their money for something other than a vacation

-I forgot sweet little hedwig existed djdjdjdkdjd

-someone please eat the rat

-let the future cat have him pleaseeeee

-why did I start to dislike hermione so much again??? maybe it's just movie hermione I hate and I can't remember the differences between the two

chapter 2

-why are most of the antagonistic characters portrayed as fat and why is the fact that dudley is obese brought up so many fucking times like that seems pretty fat phobic of you Rowling

- when actually reading and thinking about the Harry potter books and movies I imagine the actor that played sirius and not the fanart marauders sirius I'm more used to, and apparently his hair is depicted as elbow length in the books not shoulder length WE WERE ROBBED. could have had long haired sirius with a bun in ootp

- also I swear marauders Era Sirius and golden trio era Sirius (so canon and fanon sirius) are two completely different people in my mind

- also forgot "muggle" news talked about sirius

-just finished the chapter and seriously he is so sassy (guess that's what you get when you're Sirius and marlenes godson, and James and Lily's actual son)

- also I really fucking hate how much mental abuse is glazed over here like????

- it happens every summer and he's forced to return to his abusers like wtf

- this is why I don't like Dumbledore very much

chapter 3

-forgot padfoot wasn't like an actual dog sized dog

-lowkey forgot about padfoot in general ngl

-bro harry are your really throwing precious and innocent Neville under the bus rn come on dude seriously

-ok like when they mention Sirius I can't help to think of the dramatic, gay, Remus obsessed Sirius from all of the wolfstar text posts I've read

-also the fact they have to clarify what a gun is in the wizard news is wow

-same with Ron not knowing how to use a phone

-no wonder these people keep having Wizarding wars and unstable teachers at their schools

- love how this 13 year old kid is panicking over the possibility of going to wizard prison for breaking one rule

-also side note the more I read the more I feel like Daniel Radcliffe portrayed him super well

- hedwig supremacy

- "ur the literal wizard president" "yea but I'm not ur guardian dumbass I can't sign ur permission slip what in hell is this"

- why is reading stans parts so fucking hard

chapter 4

- ah Florean Fortescue the one genuinely nice adult in these books (isn't he like Alice's dad or something?) I just remembered her last name is actually more or less a headcanon uhhh that's fun

- the Irish quidditch team are actually mentioned along with the quidditch world cup even Harry's checkin out the firebolt

- coincidence that Dean and Seamus are mentioned at the same time? I think not

- seriously jkr why do you keep giving kids abusive gaurdians and acting like it's nothing (talking about Neville and his grandmother)

- "...Ron looking incredibly freckly, Hermione very brown..." (pg 55 in my book). when first reading this part years ago I registered it as Hermione was black/poc and not that she was just tan from the sun lmao

- I swear crookshanks was James' old cat and that's why he hated peter

- also Percy wow this why you don't befriend stray rats man

- the things this rat has seen go on in Percy's and Oliver's dorm room....

- still probably not as bad sharing a dorm with Remus and Sirius tho

- I love the twins sense of humor

- but guys stop messing with my precious baby Percy he's just- an autistic overachiever doing his best guys

- ..."he lost everything..." Yes Sirius did in fact lose almost everything Arthur but not bc what you think happened dude

- "he's safe with Dumbledore-" yea fucking right /sar

- "stationniong soul sucking demons around a school is such a good idea hehehehe" /sar

- literally there's no fucking way McGonagall thought Sirius did it- literally fucking refuse to believe that she did

going to start another post for chapter 5 bc oh boy it's going to be long

[whinlatter]

Hi, You mentioned you liked the Tent scene in the DH movie which is very rare for Romione fans and book fans… and so I’m curious if there’s other things you like from the films? I would love to know

me fighting for my life in hinny/romione jail after saying i really like the tent scene

Ok just in defence of the tent scene, which I love for so many reasons in a film series I broadly feel ambivalent about... I love that how plays with the idea of the characters just being kids getting a moment to piss about in a tent with the radio on, while the war rages around them (the song is O Children for a reason, and the fact that the train imagery runs throughout the lyrics... chef's kiss). I think it's a thoughtful twist on that line from DH about them being "three teenagers in a tent whose only achievement was not, yet, to be dead", playing with the teenageness of it all. I also really like how it steps out of being a HP film and plays both with a change of pace but also different forms of media - like, if you're converting something from one form to another (in this case, from a book to a film), you can and should think about what you can do in movies that you can't do in books, and music is so important in that. And I actually really love at the end where movie!Harry and Hermione look at each other and something seems to hang in the balance - I think it works as a bit of a wink and a nod to the audience expectations, but I love that they both turn away from it, because to the two characters there’s nothing of that between them, just deep love and ease with another person that they treasure and are grateful for. And then the song ends, and it’s back to the worry, three minutes of forgetting and back to the hours and hours of waiting and worrying. And although I don't really think of the movie characters as the characters, I do think it works as a way to render a dynamic in book!Harry and Hermione’s relationship by DH, which does have this intimacy, tenderness, and these gorgeous little twinge moments of physical affection:

She hesitated, but recognised the dismissal. She picked up the book and then walked back past him into the tent, but as she did so, she brushed the top of his head lightly with her hand. He closed his eyes at her touch, and hated himself for wishing that what she said was true: that Dumbledore had really cared.

Overall, though, I really don't love the films. I absolutely enjoy rewatching them with friends as a nostalgic relic of my childhood, yes I will re-enact the PS/SS chess scene on request, but I don't think as a series they're very strong, either as an adaptation or as a standalone body of work. My favourite film is probably GoF, because I think it just gets the vibe right: it nails the series shift that happens in book four, in that it delivers boarding school caper vibes immaculately, but then also really nails the political/courtroom scenes (the Barty Crouch Jr trial scene holds up as iconic, oh my god!) and the truly terrifying graveyard scene and the tragedy/agony of the aftermath. But in general I don't think the films are hugely well done, and I think giving David Yates films five through eight was a huge mistake (the man just turns the lights down to show that everything is getting dark and miserable, and directs weak, mannered performances from his actors in scenes that are poorly cut and edited. I will die on this hill). If JKR weren't set to make bank that she's going to pump into toxic TERF lobbying in Scottish/UK politics I'd be excited for the HBO series. Since the films were made we've seen how long-form series television can really be a wonderful medium for delivering quality adaptations and is where some of the most exciting new IP has been coming out of for the past few years, so there's such rich creative energy in that space that could deliver a really quality adaptation. But she is... so I am not!

Other things I like from the films that aren't in the books, after a lot of thought lol:

Burning the Burrow scene — it happened in the wrong film (the Burrow probably was attacked during DH, after Ron is revealed to be travelling with Harry at Malfoy Manor), but I think it’s extremely atmospheric, really chilling and beautiful (the reeds! the water! obsessed) Also it’s basically the best/most bearable Hinny moment in the wasteland of film Hinny........ but I digress

The crackling radio scenes from DH 1 (borrowed these heavily for inspo for Beasts, I love them so much)

[romancomicsnews]

Who should play Professor X in the MCU?

Despite multiple X-Men movies with multiple bad interpretations of classic X-Men characters, Professor X is a character that has been adapted to the screen fairly well.

With Patrick Stewart portraying in multiple X-Men films and even all the Wolverine films (yes post credit scenes count), and James McAvoy playing a younger Charles, both felt like the same character but in very different parts of his life.

With the X-Men on their way, it's nearly impossible to imagine them without a Charles Xavier, even just to begin with. So I will be my darnedest to cast a Charles who feels fresh but can live up to both these outstanding actors.

Before we look at who we should cast. We need to answer a few questions.

What can we learn from past portrayals?

As with all my castings (check out Flash and Lex Luthor here), I will briefly go over what came before and what I loved about them to look ahead, starting with:

Patrick Stewart as Charles Xavier

I mean, he's a legend.

Patrick Stewart is most people's definitive Charles Xavier and it is easy to see why. He's charming, calm, and a strong steady presence for his X-Men.

Stewart portrays a wisdom mixed with sincerity that I quite like. You get the sense he genuinely believes humanity, even when it fails him.

I do want a that genuine nature, but my only fault with this version is he is not arrogant enough. We get glimpses of it in X-Men the Last Stand, but Charles can be and should be wrong in many of his decisions. Unlike most mutants, Charles views all come from privilege, and that should be reflected through mistakes.

James McAvoy as Charles Xavier

While I'll admit Stewart feels more like classic Charles, James McAvoy's version is still my favorite.

While he still contains that half glass full hope that Stewart has, McAvoy mixes it with this arrogance, charm, and wit of a young man I just love.

McAvoy was able to lean into the flaws of Charles, making him more relatable and sympathetic. I think he was a standout of the First Class, and was able to hold his own with the likes of Hugh Jackman.

This should be more of the blueprint for me, someone who guises their poor decisions with a calm intelligence and logic that often lead the X-Men into more trouble.

Where does Charles fit in the MCU?

In my mind, Charles will not be the leader of the team for long. I think a well-intentioned Charles could die within the first two films, leaving the X-Men to find a new leader and continue his legacy.

This gives us enough room to get an actor who maybe wouldn't normally do a role like this and leaves the X-Men in an interesting place to elect a new leader. Perhaps Storm, Cyclops, or even Magneto.

What ethnicity/race should Charles be?

Charles has been exclusively white through media, particularly British.

While I don't think he needs to be white, British is a staple of the character and I think adds a barrier of "I'm better than you" to others that I want to keep.

I do think it is interesting that for a team that is meant to be a metaphor for racism, there is hardly any people of color on the X-Men.

While I think there is value to keeping Charles white, as he is the embodiment of privilege leading the X-Men, I will say a person of color can still nab this one.

Any other stipulations?

Yes, a few.

We want an actor old enough to feel like an equal to a Magneto and an elder of the team. While we don't have a clear view of how the MCU would do a Magneto, I think over 50 is a safe bet.

Given we had Stewart and McAvoy, we have some wiggle room to get some big name actors. We should go for names only.

I don't like casting people who have already been in superhero media. It's not entirely off the table, but most likely I will look elsewhere.

Bald is cool but not a dealbreaker.

Let's get into it.

3. Jude Law

I know I just said no superhero repeats, but he is just too good.

Jude Law is known for roles like Dr. John Watson, Dumbledore, and Yon-Rogg, Law has an intense presence that cannot be denied.

While he is a bit younger, just on the cusp of 50, I can see Law playing a very flawed version of Charles, picking up right where McAvoy left off.

My main concern is he has played a role within the MCU before, as Yon-Rogg.

While he was wasted here, it was a noticeable role, and MCU fans aren't soon to forget.

I also don't know if Law is a big enough name to helm the X-Men or take over for the great performances that came before.

I think he's got a solid shot, but there's a few more I like a bit more.

2. Daniel Craig

Arrogant. Smartest person in the room. Cool smooth British man. Daniel Craig has done it all.

Known for James Bond or Benoit Blanc, Craig has been known to part of big franchises, (although he seems less excited about it these days.)

While he was apparently rumored to play Balder in Multiverse of Madness, Craig has not been in a part of any Marvel or DC Comics.

I think this role suits his resume quite nicely, and depending on the writer/director, this could be the best Professor X we have ever seen.

If it weren't for his history being anti Bond, and his love for Benoit Blanc, I'd say this would be a slam dunk. But because of the uncertainty, I have to leave him at number 2.

1. David Oyelowo

Known for roles in Selma, Rise of the Planet of the Apes, Nightingale, and The Butler, David Oyelowo may be the only name on this list you don't know.

Oyelowo is best known for playing Martin Luther King Jr. in Selma, where he was nominated for several awards.

Charles Xavier is often seen as a stand in for MLK in the X-Men Universe, so casting MLK as Charles can be kind of meta, and we can play with expectations.

Oyelowo has played unlikeable villains, heroes of Civil Rights, even a redeemed empire soldier (watch Star Wars Rebels it's really good).

This Charles can go in any direction we want, and with an actor who won't take us out of the film for their name.

While he is the youngest actor, at 47, Oyelowo can play older believably, and can easily play a mentor to the X-Men.

And as a person of color, I believe this will help the metaphor of the X-Men and racism feel improved.

If we want a dramatic force with room to see where this Charles leans, I think Oyelowo is the way to go.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can:

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[fandom-imagination-ss]

Dumbledore’s Secrets review.... thoughts..... It’s a mess

I just watched Fantastic beasts and where to Find them Dumbledore Secrets. I have thoughts,  and I have ALOT of questions. Under this Gif, I shall be Spoiling EVERYTHING I can remember So If you do not Like spoilers Please. Do not read. 

First, what I thought this movie would be about, Credence learning how to use magic. and Getting all angry at Albus and Going after him for abandoning him (which kind of happened) And about the How to Break the Blood Vow thing. Albus and Grindlewald made.

-I Knew about the change of Grindlewald I wasn’t a huge fan of the change, (( I am completely Justice for Johnny But if they had to Change the actor.. a Charming Guy would have been better. I get this guy is supposed to be Evil. But he’s supposed to be also Charming to Woo people into agreeing with him. Mads. Didn’t do it for me. Personal opinion. 

Tina 

I knew Tina wasn’t going to be in it (those I was HOPING For more scenes than just 2!)) I am Hopeful for the next movie. she is Fully Back! it made NO sense she would jump and focus on her career after her Sister Joined the Dark side and basically just ignored it? 

-Credence in general

. With the Actors behavior for almost 2 years now with assault etc. Makes sense that they would kill him off, Just so they wouldn’t have another thing to Deal with like what is happening with Amber Heard (( the petition to Kick her out of Aquaman 2 is Now at 4 million!)) the writers, producers, probably Killed him off Due to that. cause they already Knew they were dealing with Bad Press by firing Johnny. One less hassle. that being said, the way they just had him dying (And Not really Showing him Sick until halfway thru when he fought Dumbledore, and then after that fight, he looked like Death was on his door. could have been better. they should have shown Him Ill and Unwell sooner. and what happened to his BFF Voldy Snake? Wtf happened to her?? the Big secret is that He wasn’t actually a brother of Albus but his Nephew. I won’t lie. that surprised me. 

-Newt and the Creatures

, For a Movie series.. about Fantastic beasts. there aren’t many creatures in this movie. I did enjoy watching ppl recognize him Over his brother, and that scene where the brothers are holding hands was cute. Also, the scene where Newt had his hand on Tina’s waist for a second was cute. Newt seemed more open and Huggy and touchy in this movie. which I will Say I enjoyed! 

-Jacob 

I Loved that he got a wand. Does it make Absolutely ANY sense that a Muggle has a wand? Hell  No. Did I enjoy those? Yes. That Being said. Excuse me! you had Jacob a Muggle. who’s been watching his friends play with magic for years now (or however long it is in the movie) We don’t have a scene of him playing with the wand trying to make things Float, or explode Ect we were ROBBED Of seeing him playing with the wand! For a man who just got unlimited power, he didn’t play with it! it was the most unrealistic thing in the movie!

Queenie 

It took me a solid second to realize she was Even Queenie when she was on the other side. she looked so different. I wished they plaid out More that she was regretting her choices. and that she didn’t turn back too Good till the next movie. But still, seeing her Pining for  Jacob and saving him, etc. it would have made the reunion better for me. 

things that Didn’t make sense in the movie  ((If I’m wrong please correct me!))

they probably mentioned it in the harry potter books But Dumbledore’s sister was an Obscurial... while her brothers were both wizards.. who attended Hogwarts. How is that possible? She knew the existence of power, her parents Knew the existence of magic. and let her brothers go off but ignored her? (( i was reading quickly on a wiki page that she hurt some muggle boys and she just.. felt so ashamed she stopped using magic? if that was the case. wouldn’t her family be like “your gonna die if you don’t use your magic!!” and try to fix the problem? IDK that’s my thoughts 

the magical elections? 

So In the original HP movies, we see that England has their own magical Government, Same thing for FBAWTFT ....we even are introduced to both leaders. But in this movie. it’s one person to rule ALL of the magical worlds? 

wtf is the point of the magical ministry if it is One Ruler to Rule ALL of the magical worlds. Why would England vs America have different Rules (( Like in America you can’t marry a muggle? but in England, you can)) Please explain that to me! Did I miss something? or is that how it goes down? they even showed a German Ministry! 

the blood promise in general they made SUCH a huge deal about this thing last movie. to this movie barely being mentioned? they set it up that we would be trying to Figure out How to break it to just be “Nah can’t break it mate” to Kaboom. with the power of Love, I break the Blood promise?

I’m sorry about the “Voting” If for years you actually voted and all of the sudden you’re going to go back to an old tradition where a creature doe thing picks.. wouldn’t you idk Ask questions? like Why? Speaking of that cute little Creature. 1) Clearly Jacob is Prue of heart and Gold wtf didn’t it bow down to Jacob? 

2) Or Newt cause let’s face it. those boys are Pure Goodness 

3) YOUR TELLIN’ ME! THE MAN WHO RAISED HARRY POTTER JUST TO BUTCHER HIM AT THE RIGHT TIME! who internally was Only invested In harry to have him Killed off at the right time is Prue of Heart? I Love dumbledore but he isn’t “pure of heart” he’s Cunning and Brilliant and he makes sacrifices but Pure of heart? No. Sorry No. I’m not saying he isn’t a great Guy. But no. that man allowed Harry to live in a house where he was mentally, and physically abused and slept under a staircase for years. and Turned his head on it. a person pure of heart would have Snatched Harry out from his Aunts and uncles and given him a good life. a happy life! 

4)In the first movie they mention that No Maj and witches and wizards cannot interact in America that which was against the law, the second one. Queenie and Jacob are in love and Queenie wants to get married. but Jacob is scared they would take her away and refused. that’s why she turns to the dark side? but now they can just get married in Queens? without breaking any law? wtf was that about 

5) the excuse for Tina not being around is awful!. Did she get a promotion? her sister turned evil, and her boyfriend / and friends are fighting the big Bad but let’s stay focused on work? Even theasus was there helping out. Other its the excuse she had Covid throughout the entire movie process (( or was scared idk..)) Or the fact she spoke up against JK Rowling and JK was pissed and cut her almost completely out am annoyed. I’m Sorry I love the series but I watch 70% for the magical creatures 10% for the magical world and 20% because Tina and Newt together are adorable as HELL and I felt cheated out of the corny cheesy scenes with them! 

6) How did Credence Now how to 1) use that spell to write to the dumbledore’s 2) Know about Albus’ brother? 

7) I know they said the girl Albertius (Albus’ brother) was taken away. for some reason.. but ... Did he know about the child? did he just let his baby and love dash off without fighting to get them back? wtf expected better from a dumbledore. 

8) I already mentioned this. Jacob getting a wand. Just..as comic relief and Fun and ect I enjoy him having a wand.. but realistically.. shouldn’t that just be a stick to him? how the Heck can he use magic he’s Not magical. he’s a muggle. No magical being it’s in the definition! lol, I loved seeing him in Hogwarts and interacting with the Kids. and I slightly wished the doe creature bowed to Jacob at the vote. President Jacob! lol 

All in all... this movie... this was a movie. I’ll buy it I have too to complete my collection but honestly... wasn’t this movie delayed due to covid? IDK I expected More. and better I guess... especially with Jacob having a wand. I wanted Newt to try to teach him a simple spell and it just blows up on jacobs face like in the first HP movie when the kids are learning how to use their magic. Miss opportunity! 

My rating 

4/10

[weilan7]

FANTASTIC BEAST THE SECRETS OF DUMBLEDORE

The one I'm MOST PANTICIPATE!! to be honest I'm here mostly for the "#grindeldore" but I'm a potterhead too 🤗

I LOVE IT!

felt there are so many differences and changes between 2 n 3, and for that I'm pretty pleased with how the plot is more easy to understand, the characters are more likeable (for me), The humors are genuinely funny and I'm all for that nostalgia parts.

Imiss hogwarts and their soundtracks so freakin much😭

My tweets 👇🏼

MADS MIKKELSEN REALLY DOES JUSTICE TO GRINDELWALD's character,

I ended up falling in love w the actor change and now I can't imagine other actors to play the roles

Tho It would be awesome to see JOHNNY DEPP play a gay character roles and I hope one day we could see that.

The shift in Dumbledore characterization from 2 n 3

"I followed you around only because I was in love with you"

"With or without you I'll burn down the world"

"Who will love you now, Dumbledore?"

My heart aches for #grindeldore

knowing how they fates gonna ends hurts me so much! This tragic love-bound have awakened smth primal in me😭

The fact that after 30 yrs the first thing they touches is each other's heart,

the only thing that could stop "the two most powerful wizards" from casting their spells is each other's heartbeats,

They protect each other's heart from themselves.

This love story reminds me to one song from BTS called HEARTBEATS ❤️

🎵When you hear my heartbeat, baby

You give me new life, You give me new birth

I feel you're heart beat away

I've been losing my mind

I've been craving my shine🎵

🎵My heart's on fire for your love. Oh my heart's on fire for your love

I wish that you would love (love) me (me). Just like yesterday again, without letting go of this hand

And every time my heart beats. Match your step with me again so that I don't wander anymore🎵

This song literally describe #grindeldore in fantastic beast 3 and I cried listening to this song while thinking about Dumbledore and Grindelwald 😭

[magicalhideoutengineer]

https://news.abs-cbn.com/ancx/culture/movies/04/11/22/jude-law-on-playing-a-wizard-and-returning-to-hogwarts

Q: We recently celebrated the 20th-year anniversary of the Wizarding World, and Albus Dumbledore is the only character in the films who has been there from the start. What qualities are constant and what qualities are different from the man we first met in the Harry Potter stories?

JUDE LAW: Looking at Dumbledore’s journey from beginning to end, what remains constant, I would guess, are his abilities to see the good in people, his mischievous quality, his good humor, his enjoyment of young and innocent magic, and approach to life. I think he is revitalized by the youth around him because it's sort of untarnished. But you get to see his regrets, I think, a little more earlier on. He’s still someone solving self-afflicted issues, someone who is still unpacking who he is in the world. There’s perhaps a quality of experience and wisdom that we see later on where those wrinkles have been ironed out.

Q: He always seems to be a couple of steps ahead as well, right?

JUDE LAW: I think this idea that Albus Dumbledore is always a couple of steps ahead is a position he naturally finds himself in. One thing that I found very hard playing him was playing someone who is really seeing the world and the multiple dimensions and perspectives of the world and its possible outcomes all in one, effortlessly. It’s quite a hard thing to convey. Because Albus has that ability, which I suppose isolates him slightly. It can be a place of loneliness because you see everything ahead of everyone else. So it weighs on him somewhat. I guess it’s true to say that, later on, when we see him in the Harry Potter stories, he’s also learned how to settle into that ability.

Q: What appealed to you about delving into Dumbledore’s history?

JUDE LAW: There was so much to relish in a part whose future we already know. He’s already this much-loved, admired character in folk history. To be able to go backwards and understand how he put himself together, how he worked out a young man’s issues, a young man’s problems, and understand the path he took, or didn’t take, or fought to take to get him to the man that we know he became, is a gem for an actor because you know that journey’s going to be rich. I suppose there was also something wonderful about knowing that in his heart he had strength and a goodness that he was resolving. There were so many facets to the possibilities and so many areas to mine that it was a wonderful part to accept and be a part of.

Q: This film also delves into the relationship between Dumbledore and Grindelwald. Can you expand on how what once brought them together has now turned them apart?

JUDE LAW: What brought Grindelwald and Dumbledore together at an earlier stage in their life was a like mind and a shared passion and excitement, I suppose, for what was possible with their abilities. I don’t think either had ever met a wizard who was as capable as the other. So suddenly, they were able to speak freely, think freely, and express themselves freely. Like many relationships from our past, they then changed, as we all do when we grow up, and their paths separated. The bond that they made in the blood troth was at a very specific point when they were both, let’s say, naive, ambitious, and unexperienced, and their philosophies, therefore, evolved in very different ways, into very different directions. So there’s this huge amount of regret from Dumbledore’s perspective that he has tied himself to someone who he sees now as holding a very dark perspective and creed. And yet, of course, he’s still connected to this person, and I think still holds him very dearly because of the relationship that they did share, the bond that they did share, but Grindelwald’s outlook doesn’t represent Dumbledore’s.

Q: It seems that in this film, Dumbledore is treating Newt more like an equal, giving him a position of leadership within the team. Can you talk about how their relationship has evolved?

JUDE LAW: Newt and Dumbledore’s relationship has evolved, but let’s not forget that in the first film, Newt was sent to New York on his own mission and has always been entrusted and believed in by Dumbledore. But at the same time, I guess it’s fair to say that, because Newt was a student of his, there is this teacher-pupil relationship, which you slowly see shifting to equal, but also friend. Certainly now, I think the two of them recognize a very special connection between each other and trust. For Dumbledore, I think, Newt’s incredible barometer of what is right and what is wrong and his natural tendency to choose what’s good is a really important element in his personality because obviously Dumbledore needs to know that someone isn’t going to sway, isn’t going to be misled and is, in real crunch moments, going to make the right choice. And with Newt, I think he just knows it’s implicit.

Q: And yet, he doesn’t tell him the full plan.

JUDE LAW: Well, the problem is he can’t tell him the full plan, so of course there also has to be trust. That’s something I think the two of them share. Even though Dumbledore can be infuriating because he doesn’t always explain everything, Newt trusts him enough to know that he has the overview, and he’s therefore willing, if you like, to jump out of the plane without a parachute. Not that he does that, but he would.

Q: Dumbledore assembles an interesting team to try and stop Grindelwald, including a Muggle.

JUDE LAW: Everybody who Dumbledore recruits for this is someone he has to trust will react in a certain way in a given moment because only Dumbledore really knows what is going to happen. Everyone else is sent out blind. So, he has to know that each of them will make the right choice, but in the right way. They also will have a different skill set. Jacob, the Muggle, is kind of key to the whole thing. He has a sort of willful and spontaneous personality, and, as he says to him later in the story, he also has a full heart, a heart that sort of guides him. A lot of that all boils down, again, to Dumbledore being able to trust these individuals and know that they will eventually end up where he needs them to end up in order for the plan to come together.

Q: Why does Dumbledore send Jacob a wand and what do you think it symbolizes?

JUDE LAW: Well, I suppose Dumbledore giving Jacob the wand is first of all a symbol that he belongs in this team of witches and wizards. In a way, it’s also slightly cheeky; there’s a cheeky side to Dumbledore in that he offers Jacob a false sense of security, a false sense of power, which he knows will lead Jacob in a certain direction.

Q: From Harry to Newt, and now this group… How do you think Dumbledore gets people to risk their lives, carrying out these missions?

JUDE LAW: Ultimately, his aim always is that the right, the good, the honest choices are made. So he has to hope that he attracts and has the devotion of people who are led by what is right, what is good, and what is honest. He’s also someone who doesn’t necessarily go out and say, “You must do this.” He sets it up in such a way that people feel the need to do it because they know this is good, this is right, this is honest. What’s interesting is that all these people also go on a journey in which they discover their own honest, good, true self. So it’s a personal journey that is also for the greater good, and Dumbledore somehow manages to conduct all of that, without it feeling like, “You must do this for this person.” It’s like, “You’ve got to do this for yourself; it’s the right thing.” He’s someone who just seems to be able to attract that, but he’s also someone who’s out there doing it anyway. And I would say Dumbledore is persuasive because he guides the needle in yourself to be the better you, the stronger you, and the more honest you.

Q: There’s definitely a theme of family and of brothers in this film. Can you talk about Albus’s relationship with his brother, Aberforth?

JUDE LAW: There is a strong theme of family and brothers, and all the complications that go with that. Dumbledore’s journey to the sage that he becomes in the Harry Potter films, I think, is unearthing and facing the darker shadows of his relationship with his family, the regrets. That’s very much locked up in what The Secrets of Dumbledore is about. I don’t know that, when you find him at the beginning of the Fantastic Beast series, and certainly even in this new film, he thinks he’s a very good person. I think he believes he’s a bit of a monster, really, because of things that have happened, particularly between him and his brother. There’s always love between Aberforth and Dumbledore. It’s not that it’s gone that far, this kind of crevice between them. But there’s a lot between them. First of all, you’ve got to remember that Albus, as the older brother, was this outstanding wizard from the beginning. Aberforth was always, probably, in his shadow. So there’s that, which let’s call it brotherly, fraternal jealousy, I suppose. Then added to that, Dumbledore’s decisions in his youth have really caused a wound that has affected the whole family, particularly these two brothers. The relationship with Aberforth is one of the main wrinkles, if you like, that needs ironing out in Dumbledore’s past.

Q: There is a climactic moment in the movie with Dumbledore and Credence. Can you just speak a little bit about shooting that battle with him?

JUDE LAW: First of all, what was really quite brilliant on the VFX department’s side was that they decided Dumbledore would take Credence into this sort of mirror world so that any destruction or violence that they wreak with each other doesn’t affect the Muggle world. Then on top of that, there’s this fantastic battle and I think it will be exciting for people to finally see Dumbledore in action. There was also this unusual kind of contrast between the desire to destroy from Credence and the desire to protect from Dumbledore. It makes for quite an interesting dance.

[bespokeredmayne]

…in which Eddie Redmayne spills to his fan interviewers about:

•His growing bonds with Fantastic Beasts cast members, old and new

•His deep dive into studying physical comedy at a legendary Paris school before tackling Cabaret

•Exactly how he served not just as the star but as “a silent producer” on Cabaret AND

•The real origin story of the manticore dance, involving his children’s bath time.

When the world was put on hold by COVID for two years, Eddie Redmayne threw himself into being a father and husband — but now his career is back in a flurry of high-profile projects drawing intense media scrutiny.

Thanks to his always-thoughtful and masterful team, our group of five fan interviewers was able to get him to sit still while he was in New York for some hit-and-run promotion. We had another a lovely, lively phone chat about the third Fantastic Beasts adventure — Secrets of Dumbledore — and his return to the London stage for four months as The Emcee in Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club. (Just three days later, he would pick up the Best Actor in a Musical trophy at the Olivier Awards in London, and the production would earn seven awards altogether.)

We didn’t even venture into questions about The Good Nurse, which Netflix has announced it will release sometime this year. Eddie plays a real-life serial killer, teamed with freshly minted Oscar winner Jessica Chastain. But he did bring it up himself in an enthusiastic way that bodes well for his portrayal.

As always, Eddie was warm and open with his interviewers — who are excited to share the answers to the questions we think Eddie’s fans want to know.

IVONNE: The first Fantastic Beasts movie came out in 2016. I imagine one of the perks of being part of this franchise as an actor is being able to really delve into Newt's world and his emotional journey throughout different movies. I wonder if there's been anything about Newt that has surprised you in this new chapter? Things you didn’t initially expect from him when you first started with the character or thought you had figured out?

EDDIE: That’s a brilliant question. What I liked about him in this movie was the two fraternal relationships — one with Dumbledore and one with Callum’s character, Theseus. There’s this kind of fraternal thing, this leveling up, I suppose, of this guy who is used to be talked down to and dismissed and given a moment.

But the thing I love most actually is that little scene with Dumbledore, in which Newt sees in Dumbledore his own vulnerability. He’s the guy who is normally out giving counsel to the world and being kind of father to the world, and that moment when Newt goes, “We all make mistakes and you can try and make things better, and that process of trying is the important thing.”

That breath of Newt having confidence to identify his own character in other people, or his own thoughts in other people rather than just keeping to himself, was the big progression — however small it may seem — for me.

CHARLOTTE: I’m fascinated by these two recent projects of yours, Cabaret and Secrets of Dumbledore. They are both hugely entertaining, and at the same time they manage to be quite thought-provoking and relevant to our world. How important is each of those elements to today’s audiences, in your view — On one hand escapism, and on the other, delivering a serious message through a cautionary tale?

EDDIE: I suppose that’s what I like from art. I love to be seduced, I love to be enthralled, I love to be repelled, and I love to be entertained. But what makes things have a lasting effect is, of course, that piquing of something that you interrogate after having seen the thing.

That is so rife in Cabaret and one of the reasons it’s lasted as a sort of seminal piece for so many years. There are elements in the Fantastic Beasts world — and of course it’s the magic and the whimsy and getting to delve back into this other world of pure escapism — but there are messages there and there are parallels being drawn that will hopefully make you interrogate things afterwards.

MARCI: What for you was the most challenging part of making this film and what part did you enjoy the most?

EDDIE: COVID was the most challenging thing. I did a day of pre-shooting on a Friday, and it was a moment down in Newt’s case that actually was cut from the film, and while I was meant to start shooting proper on a Monday, I got a call on Sunday night saying, ‘This thing called COVID is causing us to stop.’ And it was four months or so until we started again.

And the world had sort of changed, and coming back to the film set — first, we felt so lucky to be going back to work; it also felt complicated because Hannah was at home having to look after the little ones. I’d been helping to homeschool Iris, and suddenly I was allowed to go back to work and my life — although the process was completely different, as far as protocols and all the specifics of a COVID film set — I was able to go back to work. Whereas most of the world, and for Hannah, it was still having to look after two very young children.

As far as the making of the film itself, they’re such big things. It’s really in David and Jo and Steve’s imagination, and we just come and deliver what we can and bring as much joy and life and vibrancy to it. I really enjoyed the silly dancing bit. It’s not often that, as you guys know, I get into something that’s comedic — so it’s fun. There’s a kind of physical comedy element to it that I really enjoy.

CHARLOTTE: That’s great. That plays perfectly into Ali’s first question.

ALI: During your time portraying Newt, you have been able to add some comedy to your portrayal. In the first film, most memorably, you did the mating ritual with the erumpent, and now we’re seeing the manticore dance. You’ve described these as a kind of ‘ritual humiliation,’ but they’re giving you quite a reputation for physical comedy. How hard is that for you, as an actor, to do? What kind of pressure does it put on you when you see that kind of bit in the script?

EDDIE: All I see when I see that bit — I say it’s humiliating, and of course it’s also deeply joyful. I love try to get into things that are outside my comfort zone, and particularly physicality has always been an interest. I’ve always enjoyed making it a part of my process.

After Fantastic Beasts and before Cabaret, I went to this school, [Ecole Jacques] LeCoq, in Paris — this very famous physical theater school — and I went and did a workshop there for a couple of weeks. It’s a school I’d always heard about, always wanted to go to, and not specifically in preparation for anything in Cabaret — it was more about just feeling slightly in a rut, and I felt re-inspired by The Good Nurse, and I wanted to go and just fill my mind and push my myself in different directions and fill my mind with other stimulants.

I enjoyed it SO much, and it really sort of re-affirmed that kind of clowning, physical element of performance is something that I just get off on. I never went to drama school, and so this felt like a moment to go and just throw myself and watch other actors from all over the world, all different generations, trying things and failing at things.

We were all trying and failing — and pushing myself outside my comfort zone so that when I came to the rehearsal room for Cabaret I felt completely free to try whatever.

CHARLOTTE: What a great insight into your performance in Cabaret, the preparation — that’s fascinating. Erina, I’ve lost track of what time it is there (New Zealand), but you can tell Eddie and ask your first question.

ERINA: You really don’t want to know what time it is! (Laughter)

EDDIE: Awww, what time actually is it? Is it something like 4 in the morning?

ERINA: It’s 2:45 a.m. on Friday.

EDDIE: Oh, my God. You’re amazing, you’re amazing.

ERINA: I was worried my alarm wasn’t going to go off, but I’m here, so we’re good, we’re good.

EDDIE: If it’s any consolation, I’m about to be closer to your time zone. I’m about to go to Japan, so if we’d saved this for a few days, we could have been in a similar time zone.

ERINA: So my question is about Dumbledore. Which Dumbledore would you rather hang out with, the young version from Fantastic Beasts or the kooky older one? And why?

EDDIE: Hahaha. I really love Jude Law. When he came onto these films it was such a treat for me because he’d been an old pal. I hadn’t known him that well but socially, and sometimes you click with actors as far as what your process is, not just on set but also kind of in life — but he brings kind of his full-bodied wonderfulness to set. I love him.

We did a lot of questions about what it was about Dumbledore and who Dumbledore is, and Jude just has that kind of gentle, condescending-like wisdom, extraordinary talent, and this kind of slight twinkle in his eye, a funny man.

Certainly in this film, there’s a bond between Newt and Dumbledore growing that’s unspoken, but there’s a trust. I love that. I don’t know how the elder Dumbledore would be towards Newt, but maybe one day when we’ve both gotten even grayer, there will be a sort of Dumbledore moment in Dorset or where Newt’s meant to end up…

IVONNE: I’m going to ask the question that pretty much everyone is asking: How was working with Mads?

EDDIE: Mads was pretty extraordinary. He arrived with so little prep, and he’s genuinely one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. He has an inherent relaxed-ness to him, but he’s also sensationally talented and also really comfortable in his skin.

Tobias Lindholm, who directed The Good Nurse, had written Another Round, a film which Mads had done, and adored Mads. So we had some friends in common, and he was just magnificent from the word ‘go.’

It was all in his eyes, and you just felt this genuinely terrifying figure emerge. What I loved also, going back to the physical element, is that Mads was a dancer, and so watching him do some of the duels with Jude, and the subtle physicality of the thing, was extraordinary.

MARCI: I really love the relationship between Jacob and Newt — the chemistry plays so well together. How does Jacob receiving a wand and experiencing what it’s like to have magical powers impact that relationship in this film and potentially in the future?

EDDIE: I have no idea, Marci. It’s interesting, because in some ways I’ve loved the new relationships that have developed in these movies, and I adore Jessica Williams, who brings such a new vibrancy to the films.

But I also have a sense of sadness that on the first movie it was Katherine and Dan and Ali and I, and we got to interact a lot. And what’s strange about the movies now is that I sort of barely get to see any of those guys.

When Jacob arrives on the train and Newt sort of — it wasn’t in the script, but I instantly wanted to give him a hug, because that’s uncomfortable for Newt, but at the same point, there is such love there between those two characters, and it’s sort of instinctive. Even though Newt isn’t particularly comfortable with physical interaction, there’s such joy there.

Dan is a true improvisational genius, and across all of these films, some of the funniest moments have been his improvisations on set that end up in the movies. It’s a real delight to watch. Everything is 100 percent real coming out of his mouth, and I think when they saw in the first movie that Dan had that extraordinary facility, they sort of — certainly in this movie, less of course in Grindelwald — but they realized that allowing him to riff is part of the joy. So it’s such fun getting to work with him.

CHARLOTTE: We’re going to veer off into Cabaret a little bit. Seeing you in Cabaret — more than once — and understanding how instrumental you were in bringing it to life in such a remarkable way really showed the depth of your talent. It seemed from what your colleagues say and by your own descriptions that you almost functioned as a producer on this, and I wonder if the experience is encouraging you to do more behind-the-scenes work on stage and film, including maybe directing?

EDDIE: I was a producer on Cabaret — like a silent producer, if that makes sense. I had quite a lot of input into the — obviously Jessie and I. The guy who produced, who created the venue when I did it at the Edinburgh Festival was the guy who came to me years ago, and then when I was thinking about doing this, I was thinking about Jessie, that instantly rang true.

So we were allowed to be, Jessie and I, at the forefront of those creative choices. Now once Rebecca (Frecknall, the director) came on, it was entirely her show. But as far as the way it was marketed, the way it was put out into the world, the secrecy of the thing — I kept wanting it to be something that if we had faith in what we were doing and if it became where you couldn’t photograph everything, that we wouldn’t release every image with hundreds of videos going out into the world to begin with —something that you had to come and see it live.

These were all sort of collaborative ideas, and I’ve always worked like that, whether it was on The Theory of Everything or the smaller films. I’ve always loved that ‘company’ way of working and that input.

Now with something like Fantastic Beasts, you just don’t have that. The productions are so grand and expansive that there are so many voices there. But it is something I love.

I love creating things as a team. I love having a voice beyond purely the performance. Because often — I suppose it’s because being an actor, you lack so much control, particularly on film. You know, you create this thing in your head, you give this performance, and then it’s taken totally out of your hands, edited by other people, and it tends never to resemble what was in your head.

Now of course that’s the brilliance of it because the alchemy is other people’s interpretation. But sometimes you want to at least have your voice heard. And so producing in the vaguest sense of the word — having more input than just your performance — has always been quite important to me.

As far as directing is concerned, I think I would love to direct a film one day. But directing is so all-consuming for so many years. It’s got to be a piece of material that for me, OK, I’ll give up four years of my life for something that could well fail, but this story has to be told, and I feel like I have the capability to tell it. I’m not quite there yet.

CHARLOTTE: What a great answer. That was so full of insight.

ALI: What caused you to make the decision to return to the stage, and and what was it about playing Emcee that made this particular role the right one?

EDDIE: I first did Cabaret when I was 15, in a school production [Note: at Eton College], and it’s been a bit confused in the press — I did a student production at the Edinburgh Festival when I was 19. When I did it when I was 15, it was a tiny little thing, but I look back on it as a time before I had any technique or self-scrutiny. And there was something instinctive in that part — it was purely instinctive, and I enjoyed it so much.

I remember it was my parents, who have always been super supportive but weren’t from this world at all, they always say that was the moment that they thought that I could be an actor. I had in my head that has always been something tempered, restricted — there was instinct related to this part — and so when I was asked if I would consider doing it, that had always been a dream, that had been a childhood dream, the idea of getting to do it out on the West End was a dream.

I said you’d be mad not to try and do it, and then I thought of Jessie. This is the version of Sally Bowles — I felt like she would be such an extraordinary actor and such an extraordinary singer, and has such total immersion and freedom. I was like, this is a reason to do it.

There was a moment a few weeks into rehearsal when I was like, how dare I do this? What was I thinking? Just because you were in a position where you’ve done some movies so you could get something financed — what were you thinking, playing this seminal iconic role — that just because you felt like you were OK when you were 15?

And I’ll never forget, there’s a wonderful member of the cast called Emily (Benjamin) and I was having a bit of a bout of insecurity, and she said, ‘You were cast for a reason.’ And I said, ‘No, Emily, that’s not true — I cast myself.” (Laughs)

The fact, honestly, that it went well — I couldn’t imagine the physical elements of doing Cabaret, how absolutely exhausting it was. The idea that if it had gotten horrendously reviewed, if no one had come to see it, the idea of doing that day-in-day-out, I can’t even imagine.

But that is the way I make decisions in the theatre: I go for the most pessimistic. I’m like OK: So the company — everyone hates each other. The rehearsals are a nightmare. No one comes to see it. The reviews are a disaster. Is there enough in this material to sustain me for four months?

Cabaret is one of the very few pieces in which that is a no-brainer. Getting to sing those songs and interact with an audience — even if there are only three people in the audience — that was a big ‘yes’ for me. So it was about fulfilling childhood dreams. That was a really long and ranty answer…

ERINA: Since you’ve just been on stage again, and since there’s now a precedent for Harry Potter coming to the stage — do you see any potential for any kind of stage version of Newt Scamander’s story?

EDDIE: Wow. I think fundamentally Newt doesn’t project much, does he? I mean as far as his literal vocal [projection] — other than when he’s doing that scream at the beginning of the erumpent scene. I just worry that no one would be able to hear him. People struggle to hear Newt on film, let alone on stage. There’d have to be some very good miking.

But I feel like there’s perhaps a potential musical version out there. He’s got a lot of moves that he’s accrued over the years.

It does make me laugh — where does the manticore dance come from? My kids, when they have a bath, I stand outside the bathroom door and I just walk back-and-forth across the door doing weird dances because there’s nothing quite like a 3- and a 4-year-old cackle — like a proper belly laugh.

There’d be that ‘Walk Like an Egyptian’ thing, and that’s basically where the manticore dance came from. That’s the one they found actually the funniest.

When it came to doing ‘Willkommen’ in Cabaret, in those sort of opening moments, there was even a little bit of manticore dance that made it into there. I’m sort of restricted by my physical inabilities, so I feel I put a bit of Fantastic Beasts into Cabaret. I’m not sure there’s a fully fledged theater version of it.

CHARLOTTE: I definitely saw the similarities there in a couple of those moves.

EDDIE: I’ve got a very limited repertoire.

CHARLOTTE: But it’s growing, though — it’s growing. Thank you so very much for doing this. We can’t tell you how grateful we are. Good luck at the Oliviers! And we look forward to going to the dark side with The Good Nurse and chatting with you again.

EDDIE: And thank you guys for everything, for being so supportive. When you came to see Cabaret, I had to be quite monastic while I was doing Cabaret. I’ve never done that — I had to go home every night and try behaving like an athlete, but it meant the world that you guys came, so thank you.

THE INTERVIEWERS:

Ivonne Jofre, originally from Catalonia, is now a budding filmmaker who divides her time among London, Spain and New York — where she has been accepted for a master’s program in cinema studies at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. She founded the first (and most popular) online fan site, Eddie Redmayne Net, in 2008 when she first met Eddie after seeing him on stage, and her @eddieronline account is the largest on Twitter, with more than 67,000 followers.

Charlotte Aguilar from the U.S., is an award-winning writer-editor-producer who has managed BespokeRedmayne accounts on Tumblr, Twitter + Instagram for nine years — assisted by granddaughter Maria Suarez. They have met Eddie in New York and London and coordinate an annual fan fundraiser for his birthday to support the Motor Neurone Disease Association of the UK, of which he is a patron.

Allison “Ali” Sherman from the U.S., has operated Eddie Redmayne Web/www.eddieredmayne.net for nine years years, with up to a half-million views annually.

Marci Wright from the U.S., is creator of TheRedmayneFiles accounts on Tumblr, Twitter and Instagram. As the single mother of a young adult son on the autism spectrum, she is particularly supportive of Eddie’s sensitive portrayals in The Yellow Handkerchief and the Fantastic Beasts films.

Erina Ellis, a television producer in New Zealand, manages the @AmazingEddieRedmayne account — the largest of its kind on Instagram, with 98,500 followers.

[hellolimitless]

Why queerbaiting is happening in tv show

The term Queerbaiting blew up since the last decade. It’s replacing coded representation from the 20th century which was when laws were prohibiting lgbtq representation and productions could only gives hint at a potential same sex relationship. There are multiple definitions of queerbaiting but what I am talking about here is showing sexual ambiguity between two characters whether it’s flirting, some sort of attraction or other people mistaken them as a couple and never denied by the pairing but the couple never came to fruition. It’s not the same as shipping a non-canon pairing as basically every character can be shippable with other characters even with the ones they barely interacted with. It’s really the consistent interaction that look similar to how characters behave when they are attracted to someone.

Reason 1 : have the cake and eat it too

I also call it the Albus Dumbledore method which is basically trying to please lgbtq people and straight ally by giving something queer but not showing anything because of the risk of losing a conservative audience or receive backlash. One exemple we can give is with the character Dumbledore on the Harry Potter saga where nothing about his sexuality was hinted neither on the movies or the books and it’s the author that revealed it to fans after the last book was published in 2007. People let it pass for the Harry Potter saga as it was a different time but it received criticism when the crimes of Grindelwald showed only a former platonic relationship between Grindelwald and Dumbledore when the author during the press tour described their relationship as «  a passionate love affair ».

Reason 2 : Queer characters can never be the leads

Most of the pairing known for its queerbaiting are the leads of their respective show (Destiel, Sherlock and Watson, Merlin and Arthur and many more). When we look at all the canon gay couple, they are either recurring characters or main characters part of an ensemble full of straight. Unless the movie or the show is about the coming out story and center around the lgbtq experience (Love Simon/Victor, Pose, Alex Strangelove), the queer characters will always only be the sidekick on the side and the spotlight will be on the straight characters/couple. Of course they are some exceptions where the main is queer and the plot of the show has nothing to do with their sexuality (the politician and the magician) the problem is those shows are not mainstream as they are either on a small cable channel or not popular with the general public which can be the reason why they were able to put the main character as queer as they have a lesser reach to the audience.

Reason 3 : the refusal of the show/actors

The persistence of the fans always reach the ears of the showrunners/producers/actors and it always end in denial, saying how they never meant to hint at anything romantic and the pairing are going to stay platonic. It’s definitely a refusal from them to canonised the convoited pairing as ton of straight couple got put together when it was not in the plan but just fans liking the ship is enough to make them canon. Even Joey and Rachel of Friends got a storyline at the end of the show and they make little to no sense. It can be the higher up refusing because they already have enough lgbtq representation (and we all know that they have a certain limit while straight are unlimited) or the fear of losing viewers by introducing a new gay storyline. But something never talked about it’s the actors refusing to be paired in a gay relationship, we know from other actors playing queer roles that during the casting search the roles are detailed, the actors have to know it’s a gay character and have no problem with same sex intimacy. While fans demand might sometimes be approved by the creators, the actors has to accept the new relationship when they signed for a straight role and unfortunately there are still a lot of actors not wanting to play a gay role. My personal opinion but I suspect it’s what happened for Destiel and Buddy, the showrunners of supernatural literally said they took months to talk to Jensen ackles about the confession scene because they feared his reaction and said the scene could only go on if he gave his consent and nothing happened in this scene beside a man crying about an unrequited love and dying the next second. For buddy, we all know 9-1-1 is an lgbtq friendly show with multiple queer characters so yes it can be because there are enough lgbtq representation for them,like I said, but I think it’s coming from the actors and now that they are estranged to each other’s, it’s never going to happen.

But now let’s look like at what happen when a straight character become queer or a pairing shipped by fans become canon :

Eve and villanelle (killing Eve)

Actually they got criticised and accused of queerbaiting for the portrayal of the relationship during the two first seasons. But in season 3, they decided to make them kiss and the kiss got well received which show once again that there is nothing risky with having two leads being queer.Notice that they are the only couple from an American show in the list.

Christian and Oliver (Verbotene liebe)

The show verbotene liebe is a soap opera from 1995 to 2015. The character Oliver Sabel ( Purple shirt) was introduced in 1999 and left in 2002 and then came back in 2007. The character Christian Mann came in 2006 and was established as straight only paired with women while Oliver was Bi but more attracted to men. When Oliver came back, the head writer decided to pair the two together and this storyline proved to be a gold mine for the show as they received a huge international following with their cut on YouTube having millions of views and are considered a supercouple.

Aris and Temo ( El corazon nunca se equivoca/ Mi marido tiene mas familia)

The character Aris (middle) appeared in Mi marido tiene familia as a straight character and Temo (left) character came in the second season called Mi marido tiene mas familia, Temo was written as gay since his introduction but he was meant to be paired with Diego (right). The fans liked Aris and Temo better together as Temo had a crush on Aris that the pairing changed and what did they got : an extreme international attention, got noticed by Ricky Martin, became the first ever gay couple to have a telenovela, with 2 millions of viewers in average, won awards and had sold out concert.

It was proved multiple times that a gay couple brings attention to the show and not the contrary as certain Hollywood specialist want to make it believe. Shows has absolutely nothing to lose and in contrary, they gain recognition and help thousand of people all around the world with their representation. But unfortunately Queerbaiting do not stop and the disappointment of fans continue to be bigger.

[ialreadyreadthatfanfic]

It's been 20 years

I've always been a proponent of firm divide between fandom and creators, and by extension, between creation and the creator. It was instinctive, mostly because I find the idea of creators commenting on fanworks in public invokes in me very strong embarrassment, both first- and second-hand (and it kinda ties in with the reasons I don't vibe with RPF). And in many ways, this is a very comfortable seat to be sitting in! The author is dead, my city now. If the actor playing my fave says something stupid, I don't have to care about it. I was into MCU, I was into Sherlock, I was on Tumblr in 2012, I am familiar with the ways that creators, actors, writers can fuck over fandom and be fucked over by fandom. It is very freeing to Not Care. But sometimes even shooting the author at point-blank range is not enough. This is about JKR and Harry Potter series, actually. In last weeks I've heard some echoes about the new HP game, the one where the plot is apparently that you're stopping goblins from taking over white wizarding world and kidnapping white wizarding children, or something like that. Frankly, I don't want to go looking for more details to make myself angrier, the gist is that it was made by racist people, it's bad, and you know a person crossed some kind of moral horizon if a literal war criminal (Putin) invokes your name to prop up his propaganda! Looking back, it's kinda bewildering how she ended up where she's at if you weren't paying attention. There was a post on Tumblr - which sadly I can't find now - that summed up how it happened, how she started more liberal-aligned, through her clumsy attempts at retroactively making series more inclusive ("Dumbledore is gay but it's not plot relevant") and then how she descended into being a TERF. Consequently, we - as in fandom - are having some very relevant discussion on how to deal with that. Harry Potter is too big, and JKR is too involved with her creation to ignore the issue. She's still making money from it. She has a Twitter, she has a platform, she is having real world impact. Which is why I'm writing this, even though I haven't actively participated in HP fandom for years at this point. It's making me uncomfortable (which is good) and it makes me re-evaluate my connection to and attitude toward her works. HP was my gateway to the fandom. I was a young teen and the religious media in my country were decrying the series as morally degenerate and when I started to read it I indeed went "morally bankrupt" at speed of light in exactly the way these media predicted. It took me barely three months to go from reading these books to reading gay fanfiction! When you're raised catholic in almost entirely catholic country, such journey is a thrill and a revelation. HP fandom was so big and vast that a precocious tween with unmonitored internet access could get exposed to very different world-views and end up really expanding their horizons. I cannot help but look fondly back to that part of my fandom experience, and I cannot help but remember fondly the communities, the fanworks, the batshit crazy wank. The last time I let JKR make money off me was when I paid for tickets to the first Fantastic Beasts movie, I think. The experience was ok in so-so way, a bit underwhelming, so that along with whatever glimpses of JKR twitter reached my carefully maintained Tumblr dash, it just so happened that I didn't get drawn back into HP. Her media presence corrupted the franchise like harmful radiation, and I'm not inclined to touch it any more. I don't feel quite the same aversion when I go through my folder full of saved fanfics from back when I was into HP, and I'm not removing my HP fic bookmarks, or anything like that. I still believe that the author doesn't and shouldn't intersect with the fandom. But there is a certain MZB-eqsue effect (MZB - Marion Zimmer Bradley, the author of and the reason why you probably didn't read "Mists of Avalon"). Even if I hadn't moved onto different fandoms by now, I would be distinctly

unenthused about HP by now. HP fic, these derivative works, I'll probably still enjoy, but the source material?... Ah, I guess there's a pang of regret originating from my nostalgia, but I'm fine if it fades into obscurity and becomes largely irrelevant. We can shoot the author, we can proclaim the author dead; however, the corpse is still stinking up the place.

Dear JKR, if only you weren't such a piece of shit! Then we wouldn't have to throw you out along with your stuff in order to air it all out.

[londonhalcyon]

How I would have written the “An Enchanted Kiss” sidequest if I wanted it to fit within The Mad Witch canon:

(If you want to use any of these ideas in your own fic, let me know, because I would love to read that!)

It starts off fairly typically, probably around fifth or sixth year. Flitwick is holding auditions for Equinox Enchanted, and since a play is something new and different, Lily, Merula, and many others all decide to give it a try. At first, everyone assumes the lead roles will be of opposite gender, because this is a romance after all, so Lily and Merula think they are competing against each other for a part, which of course prompts some sparring between them.

However, Flitwick shocks everyone by announcing that Lily will play the role of the Spring Nymph and Merula will play the role of the Winter Sprite. According to him, they had the best chemistry during auditions (and he also loves Enemies to Lovers, not that he would admit that). While both Lily and Merula demonstrate some discomfort with this announcement, Merula is absolutely furious, because her love interest can’t be a girl.

Flitwick tries to assuage their concerns by saying things such as “Gender doesn’t matter as much as the story they’re telling,” “The gender of the actors historically hasn’t always matched the gender of the characters,” and “Besides, nymphs and sprites are genderless!” (He’s not one hundred percent certain about that last one, but he says it anyway.) Merula isn’t convinced, but when Lily offers to step down and let a guy take her place, Merula balks at this as well, not wanting Lily’s charity. They ultimately agree to share the spotlight, albeit with much trepidation.

Rehearsals do not have a great start. Besides a number of disasters that keep happening behind the scenes with the costumes and set pieces, Lily and Merula experience a significant amount of frustration while trying to work together. Merula takes many of the lines personally, especially those written for her character, which prompts her to lash out. While rehearsing a major argument between the nymph and the sprite, she becomes upset and storms out.

Lily follows her to the courtyard to ask what’s wrong, and Merula reveals that her part feels like an insult and that she’s tired of being portrayed as the villain. As a result, Lily offers to switch roles, with Merula playing the Spring Nymph and Lily playing the Winter Sprite instead. Merula agrees, and Lily goes to talk with Flitwick about it. Flitwick is hesitant to agree since it isn’t what he had in mind and they would also have to relearn their lines. However, since it is early enough in production and since Lily (being his favorite Ravenclaw) is persuasive, he allows it.

Progress is made, although rehearsals are still a challenge. There is still the occasional disaster that needs to be dealt with, and Flitwick’s expectations are a bit much. Most emotionally challenging is the role reversal, as Merula finds herself struggling to act differently than she normally does, and Lily has to access negative feelings that she normally keeps buried. Overall, though, the experience proves enlightening, and both girls end up learning about each other.

By some miracle, they make it to the night of the play, which is set in the Great Hall. Badeea manages to convince Flitwick to cut down on the number of sets, Andre manages to simplify the costumes enough to finish them in time, and students are recruited to play the woodland creatures in place of teaching knarls to dance. It is all set to be an amazing performance.

And it is. Everyone is stunned to see Merula dance around the stage as the cheerful and lively Spring Nymph, but she somehow fits right into the role. And they are even more stunned to see Lily storm around as the fierce and angry force of nature that is the Winter Sprite, but her performance is so believable that it’s terrifying. Above all, Flitwick is right: the girls do have a chemistry like no other. The way they fight and flirt and banter (and even waltz together) throughout the play is enchanting, and the audience is enthralled.

When it reaches the final act and it is time for the kiss scene, which is supposed to be a brief brush of the lips, Merula goes for it. Caught up in what is a highly emotionally-charged moment, she pulls Lily into a very real, very passionate kiss. Lily is surprised but stays in character and goes with it (and, hey, it isn’t half-bad either). There are a few gasps and heckles from the audience, but as the Winter Sprite “melts away” (really, Merula just casts a Disillusionment Charm on Lily) and the Spring Nymph finishes her final, mournful soliloquy, there is an enthusiastic applause.

As the leads take a bow, Dumbledore gives them a wink, to Lily’s confusion and Merula’s mortification. After the play, Lily exclaims, “Wow, Merula, that was brilliant acting!” Out loud, Merula agrees with a snarky comment, but internally her response is more along the lines of, “Haha, ‘acting,’ yeah…” Needless to say, it takes a while before her interactions with Lily stop feeling awkward after that.

[buglife]

My Favorite Fic Tropes Ever

AKA the things I stay up late at night searching for on AO3 lol

To be added on whenever

Fandoms mentioned/talked about (Jojo's Bizarre Adventures, Undertale, Hollow Knight, Red vs Blue, Harry Potter, A Hat in Time, MLP:FIM, Fallout, Metalocalypse, Team Fortress 2, Pokemon, Mass Effect, Half Life / Half Life VR. Transformers. My fandoms are smoll lol.

1. When the most gentle idiot himbo character goes completely serious and outright fucks up the villain because they crossed an arbitrary line that exists in said gentle idiot's head. (Caboose is considered a joke but he ripped apart an entire army of texas bots by himself because he thought they were 'taxes')

2. When the annoying but lovable character gets seriously sick or injured to the point of nearly dying and it forces the gang to realize how much said character means to them and how much they would miss them if they were to die. Cue gang taking care of them through recovery and treating them better once they survive. (The Reds and Blues make fun of Caboose all the time...but they would change their tune in a hurry if something were to happen to him.)

3. When you figure out the horrible backstory of a character through listening to them ramble in their fever dreams/intense painkiller/blood loss induced hallucinations. (Giorno Giovanna is secretive but the gang figure out his fucked up childhood when he gets sick and starts rambling)

4. When everyone lives and nobody dies because I'm a fucking weenie and I cry easy so I like happy endings and fix it fics. (Quirrel and Tiso live goddamnit!)

5. When a shitty character gets called out for the shitty things they do in a piece of media when said media gives them 'the greater good' treatment. (Like srsly, fuck you Dumbledore. You let Harry stay in abusive household you dick. >:()

6. One person collects found family/friends like pokemon cards and lives with them all because they love them (Ghost has SO MANY FRIENDS crammed into Dirtmouth now lol.)

7. 'I have known this person for only a day, but if anything happens to them I will kill EVERYONE and then myself. Also "This Is MY KID NOW" (Bruno Bucciarati lets be real he is mom. We all also love Dadmaster Mato lets be real.)

8. Plausible backgrounds for characters that have little to no background known about them. (I stan the 'Caboose is a SPARTAN' theory until the day I die.)

9. The kids of Royals being MUCH BETTER than their shitty parents. (Looks at my Hollow Knight AU and sweats)

10. Baleful Polymorph. Give me someone that gets turned into a monster and can shapeshift and but give them friends. Bonus for critter instincts and behaviors but are untimely, a cinnamon roll. (That AHIT coffee shop au yes)

11. When someone gets lost in their head via panic attacks/ptsd/dissociation and does not recognize their pal/love and said person has to convince the other that they will be okay and that they are safe. (EVERY SINGLE FANDOM HAS THIS)

12. Supernatural AU. As in vampires and werewolves and ghosts and other creepy crawlies all being pals together. (Team Fortress 2 but all the mercs are different kind of monsters and supernatural beasties.)

13. The gang tries to celebrate/get through an actual holiday with varied results. (Everyone in Undertale in ONE HOUSE TRYING TO MAKE IT THROUGH A HOLIDAY.)

14. Lets Have Some Platonic Love And Affection Up In Here. (plz)

15. Behind the Scenes Aus where the characters are actors and there are outtakes while trying to 'film' the dramatic scenes. (Cause it helps soften the blow of canon character deaths and the like, my poor heart.)

16. Where Fridge Horror is explored and addressed in a relatively fluffy and unassuming show (My Little Pony: FIM. For real Luna on the moon for 1000 YEARS. ALONE.)

17. Worlds where I can easily self insert myself in and daydream/write about my own adventures and role playing purposes (Fallout and Pokemon for realzies)

18. Exploring the bad guy and their thought processes, or a bad guy that isn't really a bad guy and has always been on the fence, and not has to make a choice to take that step over the point of no return or make an effort to turn around and make a new life for themselves. (Transformers because there are probably Decepticons that Don't Want To Be Here.)

19. Everyone Now Has to Be Domestic cause someone needs to cook dinner and I burn water (Half Life VR)

20. Uh Oh! The team used to be just a team but now they are family and if you hurt one of our family members we will boil you alive (Metalocalypse)

21. Give me an excuse to flex on my love of (x) (Entomology and Hollow Knight for me lol)

Probably reblog more later but I wonder if these are some of your guy's favorites too!

[odanurr87]

My thoughts on... Hotel del Luna

From left to right: Pyo Ji-hoon as Ji Hyun-joong; Yeo Jin-goo as Gu Chan-sung; Lee Ji-eun (IU) as Jang Man-wol; Bae Hae-seon as Choi Seo-hee; and Shin Jung-keun as Kim Sun-bi.

Released in 2019, Hotel del Luna was my introduction to the works of the Hong sisters as well as actors Yeo Jin-goo and Lee Ji-eun (IU), and what an introduction it was! The first episode of the show was excellent, giving us a hint of Man-wol’s tragic past that left me wanting to know more, then moving forwards in time to reenact that scene from Beauty and the Beast where Belle’s father is caught trying to steal a rose from Beast’s garden to give to Belle, and finally reaching present day as Man-wol tries to recruit Chan-sung and introduces him, and us, to this world of gods, ghosts, and souls with lingering grudges, that reminded me of the wondrous world of Harry Potter. Everything clicked for me in this episode, from the beautiful cinematography and music to the strong performances, particularly IU’s as Man-wol who knocked it out of the park and, incidentally, has a most impressive wardrobe and an uncanny ability to look amazing in every single one of her outfits. This was a highly promising start for my next modern fantasy show after Goblin and I couldn’t wait for the next episode. But what is this show about and why should you watch it?

Plot synopsis

21 years ago, Gu Chang-sung’s father cut a deal with the beautiful and mysterious owner of Hotel del Luna, Jang Man-wol, so that she would save his life in exchange for his son. Regretting the deal afterwards, the father left the country with his son hoping to spare him his fate. Believing himself to be safe, Gu Chan-sung has returned to work as assistant manager in one of Korea’s top hotels but Jang Man-wol is intent on collecting on the old debt by having him work in her hotel instead. However, Hotel del Luna is not your typical establishment, as Gu Chan-sung soon finds out, providing a service for souls who need healing or have grudges left to settle before moving on. While initially afraid of the prospect of becoming assistant manager at a hotel that serves ghosts, Gu Chan-sung finds himself intrigued by the challenge and curious about the story of the beautiful owner who runs it.

A magical atmosphere

Stepping into the world of Hotel del Luna feels like taking the train at Platform Nine and Three-Quarters and attending Hogwarts. In fact, our intrepid hero, Gu Chan-sung, also receives a magical letter welcoming him as Hotel del Luna’s new manager, and while there’s nothing magical about the subway that takes him there Jang Man-wol does use a little magic to ensure their first encounter goes undisturbed. The hotel itself reminded me of Hogwarts, not because it is filled with ghosts and can only be found by them (and the very much alive and fearful human manager), but because of the feeling of perpetual wonder knowing that behind every door lies a new magical mystery waiting to be discovered, be it a room only people who are alive can enter but not exit, the sky lounge, a swimming pool that is actually a beach in some undetermined plane of existence, or a beautiful garden with a magical tree that holds one of the hotel’s biggest secrets. Of course, one should not forget CEO Jang Man-wol (if one wishes to live) who, while certainly a very different character from Albus Dumbledore in terms of personality, always knows more than she’s letting on and is usually in control of any situation, even if the outcome isn’t always the one she anticipates. There is also the wonderful supporting cast in the form of the different incarnations of the deity Ma Go-sin (played by Seo Yi-sook, who looks like she’s having a blast playing the different sides of the goddess), a reserved but diligent Grim Reaper (played by Kang Hong-suk), and the welcoming staff of the hotel, represented by the trio of Kim Sum-bi (the bartender), Choi Seo-hee (the room manager), and Ji Hyun-joong (the hotel receptionist).

In the same way we cannot divorce Harry Potter from its music, given its distinct signature by that legend that is John Williams, I cannot forego mentioning Hotel del Luna’s mysterious, magical, and ethereal, instrumental soundtrack. Let me take you on a brief musical tour, shall I? Let’s start by taking subway line 4 and going to Hotel del Luna. The receptionist seems to be asleep so why don’t we let ourselves in? Wow, looks like the hotel’s throwing a party, apparently they’re welcoming human guests for the first time in years and the staff is particularly excited about it. That explains how we managed to get in (remember, this is not really a hotel for living, breathing, people). I can see that the bartender is busy receiving food orders and members of the staff are decorating the hall with real flowers. Hey, where’s that kid sneaking off to? Let’s follow him. Oh, that’s the Samdocheon Tunnel, which marks the boundary between this life and the afterlife. The Grim Reaper and the manager are there to bid farewell to one of the hotel’s guests. Apparently, there’s a bridge beyond the tunnel that takes 49 days to cross! I’m not eager to cross it just yet so let’s return to the hotel. Wait, why is there water everywhere? Looks like a water god managed to get past the receptionist (not that difficult when he’s asleep) and the CEO isn’t very happy about it. Yup, she definitely doesn’t look happy. We’d better make our exit before she figures out we shouldn’t be here.

To complement this excellent instrumental soundtrack, my favourite among all the kdramas I’ve watched to date, there’s an amazing selection of songs by artists like Red Velvet, TAEYEON, Heize, Punch, Chung Ha, and Paul Kim, among many others. IU herself sings an absolutely beautiful song that plays in one of the most highly-anticipated scenes of the show but which, sadly, has not been released. However, just as important as having a great soundtrack is using it well. If you’ve read my reviews of Angel’s Last Mission: Love or Strong Woman Do-Bong Soon, you should have an idea of how much I value using the right music at the right time to convey or accentuate the proper emotions during dramatic, comedic, or romantic scenes. Correct music usage can lead to your soundtrack being memorable, whereas incorrect music usage will surely render it forgettable. Fortunately for us, Hotel del Luna knows precisely when to use its music and how. It knows when levity is called for and when it’s not, when to highlight the wondrous side of magic and when to show its darker side, when to use Heize’s “Can You See My Heart” or Punch’s “Done For Me.” I believe it was John Williams, when talking about the music of the original Star Wars trilogy, who said that he wanted the score to tell the story of what was going on in the screen. I believe Hotel del Luna’s score achieves this feat.

Another aspect that contributes to the magical atmosphere of the show is, without a doubt, its incredible cinematography (from camera angles, through its beautiful use of lighting and colours) which, combined with its excellent score, can create scenes that are best defined as poetry in motion. I particularly liked how it favoured studio sets for shooting many of its scenes, giving the sensation that we’re watching a superb play that encourages us to send our imagination into overdrive. Even some of the more noticeable VFX work, like the city view from the hotel’s sky lounge plays into the notion that one cannot always tell what’s real and what’s fake in Hotel del Luna, as Man-wol warns Chan-sung that the view from the sky lounge is not from this world, but the fall will kill him just the same (Man-wol being Man-wol). Because I’m not knowledgeable enough to explain the show’s cinematography in technical terms, I’ll leave you with a trailer that captures some aspects of it and, luckily, also showcases Jang Man-wol’s incredible selection of dresses.

A part of a greater whole

In my review of Bring it on, Ghost I mentioned the show followed a certain formula that is often poorly executed in Western shows. There is a main story-arc that encompasses the whole of the show and there are side stories where our protagonists confront the “ghost of the week.” One of the strengths of Bring it on, Ghost lied in how these side stories would sometimes tie into the main story or would be used to expand on a character’s backstory so that they rarely came across as filler. Hotel del Luna executes the same formula with a lot more thought and care, often laying out the groundwork for events later down the episode, what is expected, or even later down the show, what is a bit more impressive. The Hong sisters remain true to their initially-stated intention throughout the show and reinforce this with the aid of these side stories, preparing both Gu Chan-sung and us for the inevitable dénouement of the show. Let me try to illustrate my point by way of an example. I don’t want to give more for fear of completely spoiling the show for you.

Episode 5 tells the story of a ghost bride whose parents want to give a soul wedding so she will be able to peacefully pass into the afterlife. Unfortunately, the chosen partner for this soul wedding ends up being Gu Chan-sung’s best friend, Sanchez, so while Man-wol goes shopping as Audrey Hepburn with the parents’ black card (our girl has very expensive tastes), Gu Chan-sung tries to figure out a way to spare his terrified friend. After some twists and turns, what is often the case with this show as the truth is not always what it seems, it is revealed that it is actually the groom’s parents who want to marry off the bride so she’ll let go of their son, who’s in a coma. For those who’ve watched Bring it on, Ghost, the parallels with the ghost side story from Episode 10 are fairly evident, as the ghost bride needs to find the strength to let go of the person she loves and she ultimately does so in one of the most beautifully composed scenes of the show. This is one of those “poetry in motion” scenes I was talking about. As the groom runs away in shock and fear, the bride gathers the courage to cut the red string of fate tying them together, under the intent gazes of Gu Chan-sung, dressed as the groom, and Jan Man-wol, dressed as a bride (in red).

You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.

This scene is a portent of events yet to come, when the day finally arrives where Chan-sung and Man-wol will also have to part ways. Indeed, several episodes later, the room manager will remind Gu Chan-sung of the words Goddess Ma Go-sin then told the ghost bride, “You need a stronger will to let go than to hold on.” The bride’s selfless act of letting go of the person she loves, breaking free from her earthly tether of her own volition, can be seen as a challenge to Man-wol, whose hatred for the man who betrayed her has been her sole drive for the past 1,300 years but also a curse that has bounded her to the hotel and prevented her from dying. Could she, like the bride, unburden herself by letting go of her hatred? Is it possible for someone with such a long and deep resentment to simply let go? This is a recurring question throughout the show and one that puts her at odds with her increasing desire to protect Gu Chan-sung, as she fears her actions, born of her hatred for the people who wronged her, might end up harming the man she loves.

Side stories such as this one often give us further insight into Man-wol, whether it be a glimpse of her past or challenging her beliefs, making her question herself and her actions, however briefly.

A fairy tale romance

Man-wol is a tsundere character, both a Beauty and a Beast, who has been nursing a thousand-year-old grudge against the people who betrayed her and consequently filters every human interaction through a lens of cold cynicism, expecting the worst from people. Chan-sung on the other hand, is a proper gentleman, a type of character we don’t often see in kdramas and a natural consequence of his training as a hotel manager. He’s friendly, cultured, well-mannered, kind, clever, and someone who's very much in control of his emotions most of the time. The evolution of the relationship between these two characters is the centrepiece of Hotel del Luna, a breath of fresh air in a landscape that often feels the need to use love triangles, or other polygons, as a shortcut to properly fleshing out the relationship between two characters. While there are elements of a love triangle present, such as expressions of jealousy for the sake of comedy, Hotel del Luna chooses to forego this trope and commit fully to the main characters’ fairy tale-like romance.

When you tell her you’ve been dreaming about her.

Another trope the Hong sisters mostly dispense with is that of misunderstandings, which are kept to a bare minimum, as Man-wol and Chan-sung are very open with each other regarding their thoughts and feelings, although Man-wol is, understandably, less transparent about her feelings in the beginning. It was incredibly refreshing to witness two characters that could guess each other’s thoughts and were willing to have an open and honest conversation about it rather than to hold back for the sake of drama. Of course, this did become somewhat frustrating for Man-wol (and fun for us) when Chan-sung started gaining more confidence, feeling at ease with Man-wol, and rebuking her selfish or materialistic actions. Their playful banter and bickering throughout the show is, to my mind, a clear indication that they’re comfortable with each other, as strong a sign of the chemistry in their relationship as half a dozen kisses, if not a better one, what is a good thing because those are few and far between. On the other hand, it makes those moments much more valuable and meaningful. The love between Man-wol and Chan-sung comes across in the gestures they make, in their facial expressions, in the words spoken and left unsaid. When Man-wol tries to comfort Chan-sung but doesn’t know how (Video), when she confesses she wants him to stay with her till the end and they share an intimate hug (Video), when Chan-sung breaks down and cries at the thought of not being able to see Man-wol ever again (Video), when the two have a conversation on the balcony under the moonlight (Video)... These are a precious few examples of the beauty, strength, and depth of feeling, of their relationship.

When the adult catches you in a lie.

While Man-wol is not the same ruthless person she was at the beginning of the show as she is at the end, she still retains some elements or traits of her personality throughout the show (there’s still a little tsun in her dere), as it should be. In one episode Chan-sung is remarking upon how much nicer she has become and she replies, “Gu Chan-sung, you’ve made leaves and flowers grow and have changed me a lot. But you won’t be able to change my core personality. Don’t even expect that.” Even as she says this you can see her looking a little uneasy about something, a little girl about to be caught in a lie by the adult who’s trying to keep her out of trouble. It is thanks to Gu Chan-sung’s patient and enduring love, that protected her from the worst aspects of her own self, that Man-wol is able to let go of her anger, both literally and metaphorically. But Man-wol also deserves praise, as she reciprocates Chan-sung’s love and equally tries to protect him from the dangers of this new world he has entered but most of all from herself, to the point she is willing to renounce her revenge and extinguish her existence to ensure she can never harm the man she loves.

Conclusion

It should be evident by now that I absolutely love this show and it is, without a doubt, my favourite out of all I’ve watched thus far, including Goblin. This is not to say the show is without flaws. Its almost single-minded focus on the story of Man-wol and Chan-sung has some collateral damage, most notably in the form of a character’s loved one, an event used as a means to highlight the pain experienced by those left behind, anticipating the day when our main protagonists will be forced to part ways. In another case, a poignant encounter for Chan-sung is not properly fleshed out, perhaps intentionally so but it seems like a wasted opportunity. Additionally, the introduction and development of the secondary villain’s arc (Man-wol is both the love interest and the main antagonist) felt a little weak, but is still a functional plot device that leads to some of the show’s best scenes. Finally, there is also the way the Hong sisters handled the riddle of Chan-sung’s dreams, which I may address in a separate post because it has too many spoilers.

If you’re a fan of fantasy dramas like Goblin, there’s simply no reason for me not to recommend this show and, hopefully, I’ve given you a few to persuade you as to why this is such a standout drama and, to my mind, the Hong sisters’ best work to date. It’s even on r/KDRAMA’s banner as one of those must-watch shows. If you do decide to watch it, I advise you to pace yourself so you don’t have to say goodbye to Hotel del Luna’s wonderful family too soon.

[mostlikelyshutup]

thoughts while watching the first harry potter:

listen i started this list a little late im ngl but notable thoughts so far are me thinking of dumbledore as a gay idiot and still loving hagrid

do you think hes speaking in parseltongue in the zoo when hes speaking to the snake

forgot boats existed

these idiots do scream a lot dont they

i forgot how light hearted this universe really is in the first couple movies

yer a wizard harry, okay hagrid maybe slide him into it a little better

we get it tuney you have fucking trauma, doesnt mean you should abuse a child

hasnt everyone had their name down since they were born, hagrid? theres a list

i like that his umbrella is pink

are you paying for those damages hargid? stop taking the door off the hinges

though, if the dursleys are, keep breaking shit

speaking about dragons on the the fucking tube, its a miracle harry didnt get in trouble with the ministry sooner

what is hagrid's usual? does anyone know???

fucking Quirrell, cant wait for your epic love story with the dark lord

maybe we should tell the 12 year old how the fuck everyone knows his name, just maybe

they do a great job of getting the wonder down pat

how much money and licensing do you think it took for them to get all these owls on set

ahh yes, antisemitism the bank

how many vaults are in gringotts?? also if harry's vault is the potters vault, a literal like sacred 28 family, one of the original families, and its number 600 something, how many were there before the potters?? did the potters get a vault recently? or is this james and lily's vault?? how rich were james and lily if so??

look at ollivander, crazy tinker uncle, love him

this might be the socialist in me but why do people have to pay for wands if everyone needs one??

why is the dark lords twin wand just sitting around on the shelf, ollie me boy??

do you think thats Harry's true wand or do you think thats because of the horcux thing?? do you harry had to get another wand after he died?? did he? i dont remember the last movie

is ollie me boys actor wearing contacts or are his eyes just like that??

thats a very weird way of showing Halloween 81, very misleading

hagrid said ill predict voldys rise in the first movie so we can have some plot development

hagrid is late to everything isnt he? i can feel it in my bones

i swear ive seen these movies, and ive even read the first book, i just dont remember shit

youd think theyd have someone in the know stationed close to the entrance for the platform, for any muggleborns

ginnys actress really had no fucking lines in this movie did she, just had to stand there

oh wait she said good luck

amazing work ginny

ooh a warm filter

can muggles see the express? like just running from london to scotland

wicked!

you didnt have to show the woman the sad sandwich ron

i think the trolly replenishes magically, i think thats how thats how that works, i want to believe that

god i cant tell if i would love or hate hermione, shes pretentious but so was i at that age

god dont fucking point your wand right in someones face mione

how does mione know who harry is?? why does she care?

look at the tiny first years, might just go and pinch theyre cheeks

MINNIEEEE i love you minnie

looking stunning minnie, the green brings out the sternness in your brow

you go minnie, give your speech, thats my head of house

shut up draco, youre not bond

you pretentious fuckwit, your hair is brassy anyways

if this is a class of kids born in the middle of a war, how big are the usual class sizes wtf

THE FUCKING CLAP

fucking propaganda ron, you slytherin hater

what order are these names going in, did they just randomized the list

oooh we get quiet for the boy who lived, jesus let him keep living

the fact that for the rest of these people its just silent is so fucking funny to me, Harry's just fucking whispering to himself

get their attention minnie

me dads a muggle, mums a witch, bit of a shock for him when he found out

NICK, love to see you buddy

i have no emotional attachment to peeves but i feel i should mention him here

the stairs still piss me off, why the fuck would you make moving stair cases

who sets out gloves for the next day? am i the weird one who doesnt??

Minnie, you are the love of my life

shut up snape you dramatic bloodpurist incel

i know theyre setting him up to be mistaken as the villain but jesus christ hes still an asshole

your robes Neville, you forgot your robes

its weird how they have to learn all these latin charms yet only have to say up to get their brooms to work

why wont you go after him, hes obviously not exactly in control, Hooch

does Hooch only teach first years? she is quite literally the equivalent of a history teacher who coaches football

what the fuck is Quirells classroom

they dont make the house teams because no first years can try out, Ron

MINNIE PLAYED QUIDDITCH?!?!? WHY DIDN'T I KNOW THIS

why didnt you speak up earlier Mione wtf

bc the fire wont give you away, harry, better hide

FLUFFY, WHOS A GOOD BOY

they have much worse things locked up in the school, Ron

Oliver wood is a bloody liar because i still dont fuckign understand quidditch, also theres like 500 rules, wtf

thats a shitty explanation of how the game works, Oliver

BLOW IT UP SEAMUS

SHES TWO FEET BEHIND YOU RON YOU IDIOT

carrot cake? on halloween?

dont shrug as if you didnt literally bully her ron

thought youd oughta know, bit of an understatement Quirell

no duh the trolls left the dungeon ron

lying: the best start to any friendship

we're at a net zero points for gryffindor for the year at the moment

the amount of interaction these kids have with professors is so weird to me, is this what small class size do to kids?? its weird

not comforting Oliver

Okay i understand Oliver simps now, I get it okay

are there no backups or subs for quidditch? feels like there should be, like of all the games

set him on fire mione, i know hes not the villain of the movie but god he sucks

fancy flying from harry fucking potter

okay but also i feel like there are some things we should not trust hagrid with, like hes not that great at keeping secrets

why is harry excited about christmas if he thinks hes not getting presents? i knw there are other aspects but like thats the only reasont o get up early

i always remember this scene at night for some reason??

not just an invisibility cloak, THE invisibility cloak ron

btw who gives it to harry? is it remus? is it dumbledore? is it like an inheritance thing? whats up with that?

there are jumpscares in harry potter

he very much can hide, filch

stop being a narc mrs norris

does harry even know what his parents look like at this point? how does he know who the fuck is in the mirror of erised?? he doesnt have that stupid scrapbook yet does he

oh they nod, sure lets clear up that plot hole

they shouldve put sirius and remus in the mirror in that scene, shown his whole family, wouldve been a nice setup

how does rupert grint already look so tired as a twelve year old

big speech to give to a twelve year old Dumbledore, when you wont even tell him what you see

Emma really does just slam that book on Daniels hand, thats mustve fucking sucked

the fact that ive watched two movies that had Nicholas Flamel in two very different roles this year is very strange to me

well thats probably on account of it being a fucking dragon egg hagrid, now isnt it?

was hagrid a hufflepuff? i think he was, maybe a ravenclaw

yes four, you blonde idiot

that shot is really nice, it sets them apart

what happened to filch to make him such a miserable man?

ooh mention of werewolves, awooo werewolves of london

yeah just dip your whole hand in hagrid, dont be scared of the strange liquid, take a nice little bath

i loev that dog, i want that dog, i want to hug that dog

god just the look of that forest is so bloody cool

wait so is that quirell walking fucking backwards?

maybe ask who the fuck youre talking to before asking other questions??? wtf harry

why are yout talking to the centaur like hes your old friend harry, youve literally never met him before

snape doesnt want the stone at all Harry

god hagrid you sweet stupid man

snape is completely valid for that, if a twelve year old ever looked at me like that i would punch them

Do you think people ever loose invisibility cloaks? like theyre invisible do you think they ever just never get found again

i hate the look of the dog spit, that is so gross

they really left everything in except for the fucking potions didnt they, damn

harry potter walked so queens gambit could run

hermione, posted up

rons stupid in the later movies because he got a concussion as a twelve year old

god harry really posted up to beat up snape in fucking khakis

"I knew you were a danger to me!" Hes twelve, Quirell

let me wait for this weird dude to unravel his head scarf instead of running away

the magic in this movie is real fucking conditional isnt it

just some casual necromancy for the stone? you sure about that voldy, you two faced bitch?

let me choke out this twelve year old real quick

oh yeah why is he able to just avengers endgame Quirell? is there an answer to that? like was that ever found out

do you think voldy passing by him while he hold the stone actually killed him but since he holds the stone hes functionally unkillable and then some magic gets put into him and thats why he can return to life later when he actually goes to the whole afterlife place?

ohhh we're vouching on the blood magic for the endgaming of Quirell

do you think dumbledore came across the vomit flavored bean before or after his sister died?

Mione's got a headband! Looking snazzy!

how did Hufflepuff only get 352 points? Gryffindor literally lost 150 points this year and they only beat them by 50, wtf, is it because they kept getting caught with weed

I wont even speak on the fucking outrage that is this point awarding, its already been spoken on. However, Neville shouldve gotten more points

What if someone just stood up and started challenging Dumbledores math, that would be so funny

some of these extras are really attractive

but james potter is somehow so fucking ugly why did they do that to my mans

hagrid deserves the last shot of this film, i love him, he deserves everything, that stupid sweet man

[ronweasleyisourking]

Why I Don’t Find Jokes That Claim “Actually, X wrote Harry Potter” Funny

In the wake of Joanne Rowling yet again being openly transphobic on Twitter, a common joke is going around, and the layout of the joke is basically just “[Insert name] wrote Harry Potter,” and the names have varied from Nobody to Luna Lovegood to Daniel Radcliffe, etcetera, etcetera. But what a lot of people making these jokes don’t seem to understand is that this bigotry is not new, that Rowling’s bigotry is all throughout her books, and that saying someone else wrote these books means you believe they have these bigoted views too. And I don’t really find that funny.

I understand that you might be wondering, “What bigoted views played a part in the Harry Potter books? I don’t remember anything wrong.” That’s okay! I’ll be happy to outline some of the issues of the books. So, that’s what I’ll be talking about in this post:  

Firstly, anti-semetism

English folklore has always been rooted in anti-semetism, their descriptions being based off Jewish stereotypes, and this does not stop with Harry Potter where the goblins are cast as the overprotective bankers of Gringotts, following the stereotype that Jewish people (and Goblins, being based off them) are greedy. This trend also does not stop in the books or original series. Ron Perlman (a Jewish actor) play a half-goblin in the Jewish mafia in the first Fantastic Beasts movie, continuing the questionable and problematic connection between Jewish people and goblins in Harry Potter. 

“But the entire series is supposed to be a parallel to the Holocaust, and the muggleborns (who step into the role of Jewish people in this parallel) are the good guys, how can she be anti-semetic?” Let’s turn again to the Fantastic Beasts movies, that she wrote the screenplays of, specifically to the character of Queenie Goldstein. In December of 2014, Joanne revealed that Anthony Goldstein was a Jewish wizard at Hogwarts and from that we can can reasonably conclude that Tina and Queenie were also Jewish. Which wouldn’t have been a questionable decision if not for the fact that a canon Jewish women (Queenie) ended up joining the side of Gellert Grindelwald (who is supposed to be a parallel to Hitler). What the fuck is up with that?

There’s also an issue with house elves and racism but that is a much bigger issue that would require a lot more of my time and research before I would feel comfortable writing about it, plus it deserves a post of it’s own. 

Secondly, “canon” gay characters

I don’t mind that there weren’t any gay characters in the books, I really don’t. What I do mind is JK Rowling going in after the fact to say that there were gay characters. It’s unnecesary and honestly, she chooses the worst rep. First of all, she revealed Albus Dumbledore as gay in 2007, a character that manipulates things and people to his own benefit throughout the series and leaves a child in an abusive home, despite undoubtingly having the power to protect him. The second character she reveals as gay though is Gellert Grindelwald, who, as I said before is supposed to parallel Hitler, who was the face of the Holocaust and led to the deaths of hundreds of gay and effeminate men during that time. And the fact that she continues to refuses to show it in canon, despite having a whole new movie series about the rivalry between the two only makes it worse.

Another thing that has gone around in the Harry Potter fandom is the fact (or rumor) that Joanne once said in an interview that she considered making Dean and Seamus gay but that it would “take attention” away from the trio but one, I cannot find this interview anywhere, and two, believing that a background gay couple would have taken attention away from the main characters is not great. 

If she wanted gay characters, she should have included them in the texts. Otherwise, I think she needs to stop trying to get brownie points for representation that she didn’t write. 

Thirdly, werewolves

Joanne Rowling released an ebook in September of 2016 where she wrote that werewolves in the books, like Remus, were a metaphor for illnesses that carry a stigma, listing HIV/Aids as an example. This again was a questionable choice, seeing as HIV/Aids is a common problem in the LGBTQ+ community and the other main werewolf in the books, Fenrir Greyback, targeted children which follows the stereotype that gay men are predators.

And finally, these characters

Nagini. While I know that many people believe that this wasn’t actually planned as Joanne said it was, the etymology of her name does trace back to the Naag or Naagin, semi-divine half-human, half-snake creatures from mythology in South Asian cultures, meaning it might have actually been planned. But the problem is not whether it was planned or not, the problem is that Nagini is a woman of color (who is Korean, meaning she is East Asian not South Asian)  cursed to live as an animal who spends the last years of her life as the servant of a white man who is equated with Nazis and whose eventual fate is tied to his. 

Rita Skeeter. Rita is described as having a heavy jaw, thick fingers, and large and masculine hands, and with Joanne being openly transphobic, it’s not hard to make the connection of where she might have gotten the inspiration for this character from, and the fact that she transforms her body to spy on children brings to mind a certain tweet that Rowling liked a while ago that described trans women as “foxes pretending to be hens to get in the hen house.” The idea that trans people are predators who spy on others is a harmful stereotype and this description and characterization of Rita Skeeter does not help.

Cho Chang. Cho Chang is a Chinese character who has two surnames for a name, meaning there was little thought put into her chracter’s name. Honestly, it’s not that hard to find out whether or not “Cho” is a first name, it’s just one quick search away from not being in the wrong. That and the fact that Cho, along with Sue Li and Padma Patil (some of the only Asian characters in the books), were all placed in Ravenclaw, or “the smart house” just shows how little thought that Rowling gave her canonically poc characters. 

Seamus Finnigan. I only recently realized the issues of this character, and it’s likely that most people wouldn’t know why this was a problem, but consider why an English women in the nineties (at the height of The Troubles and the English/Irish conflict) would write the one known Irish character in the books as untrusting of the English (of all of Harry’s friend, Seamus was the one who didn’t believe Harry in book five). Not only that, but in the films (which she was largely involved in) characterized Seamus as clumsy and explosive and a bit of a pyro, which are sterotypical Irish traits, and she didn’t question it at all? 

Conclusion

These are just a few of the issues seen in the Harry Potter books and movies and I didn’t even talk about the issues that are less bigotry and more simply problematic, like Viktor Krum’s character, or the theme of forgiving abusive people in your life, or the constant issue of love potions and consent.

There is so much wrong in the books and we can’t just ignore them or transfer them to another person. Joanne Rowling wrote these books and her bigoted beliefs are abundantly clear in them and we all need to accept that. We can love the worldbuilding and the characters and yes, even the story, but we must recongnize the issues in them and we must realize that a bigoted person wrote it. There is no escaping that. 

And yes, as everyone who I have expressed this two has brought up, the story does belong to the fans. And we can do whatever we wish with it, but we should never forget where the story began and we shouldn’t try and pretend that it had a different origin. Death of the author, or the idea that anybody's interpretation of the text is a valid interpretation, and that the author's interpretation is not the only one that counts, does not mean that the author is literally removed from the text. They still wrote it. And their bias (opinions) are still a huge part of the text. And we can try with all our might to remove their bias from our fanworks but it is still there in the original text. So, yes, the story belongs to fans. But the bias in it belongs to the author and will always be present.

The author of the Harry Potter series is JK Rowling, no matter how bigoted she and her beliefs are. We should never forget that.

[shellku]

Film Challenge

Okay guys. Finally did it. As requested.

Have you ever left a theater before the movie was over?

Yes. Only once.

If you ever left a theater what was playing: Savages

Craziest (Random) movie you’ve ever seen:

The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.

“And thanks for all the fish” -Dolphins

Most disturbing film you’ve ever watched:

Crimson Peak

A film you only watched because (Tom Hiddleston ) was in it: Crimson Peak

A minor role (or movie) with a major actor you greatly enjoyed: Sebastian Stan as Jefferson/The Mad Hatter in Once Upon A Time.

A minor role (or movie) with a major actress you greatly enjoyed: Emma Watson as Pauline Fossil in Ballet Shoes

A movie everyone should see at least once: The Princess Bride

A movie you thought everyone has seen but apparently not: Who framed Roger Rabbit?

A movie you’ve tried multiple times to watch but never get through it: Silence if the Lambs

A movie that legitimately surprised you:

Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back. While it came out in 1980 I didn’t see it until much later obviously. I wasn’t even ten when I watched it the first time, I and was genuinely shocked.

Movie that you enjoy, that surprises people you enjoy: Scream (1996)

A movie you associated with Religion and it turns out that tracks: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe

A movie you watched a lot as a kid but your not sure why exactly you watched it so much:

Hook. (And) The Sandlot.

My first movie that made me question my sexualité: The Priâtes of the Caribbean.

Sections

Anime

First Anime: Fruits Basket. Vampire Knight.

Anime I watched with my (brother): Full Metal Alchemist

Anime I tried to get into and couldn’t: D Gray Man

Anime I was surprised I enjoyed: The Neverland Promise. (And) Soul Eater

Anime I always liked (even when it confused people): Black Butler

Anime that makes me cry: Your lie in April

Anime that I love but now makes me sad too: Sword Art Online

Anime I’m just not into: One Piece

One that was recommended that I enjoyed:

Blue Exorcist

One that was recommended that I was ehh on and did not finish: Attack on Titian

One I probably should watch: Pandora Hearts

One I watched Randomly : Castlevania

One that I did not watch until (college) that everyone seems to have watched: Sailor Moon

Cartoons

Cartoons Everyone should see:

- The Peanuts.

- Garfield.

- Scooby Doo.

- Tom and Jerry.

- Pink Panther.

Cartoon I never liked: Spongebob

Cartoon I hate now: Kiayu? Idk. The one with the bald kid that whines a lot. Ugh.

Cartoon I can make myself ‘watch’ with the (niece/nephews): Paw Patrol

Films you would Recommend:

80s: The Breakfast Club

Book Adaption 80s: The Outsiders

Murder Mystery:Murder on the Oriental Express

Jim Henson pick: Labyrinth

(Suicide) Satire:Heathers

Romance: Titanic

‘Horror’ Movie: The Lost boys

Horror Movie: The Nightmare on Elm Street

Spy Flick: Saint (1997)

Mind trips: The Sixth Sense.(1999) Donnie Darko.

Stephen King: The Dark Tower

Stephen King Miniseries: Rose Red

Studio Ghibli: Howls Moving Castle. Or. Kiki’s Delivery Service.

Action Comedy: Miss Congeniality

Adventure Comedy: Jumanji

‘Dark’ Comedy: The Addams Family

Romantic Comedy: Legally Blonde

Tim Burton

Tim Burton Animated: The Nightmare Before Christmas

Tim Burton Live Action: Edward Scissorhand

Tim Burton Musical: Sweeney Todd

Dreamworks

Favorite Dreamwork’s Film:

Rise of the Guardians (and) How to Train your Dragon

Disney:

Unpopular Recommendations:

The Black Cauldron (and) The Great Mouse Detective

One that is still rather disturbing: Pinocchio

Best Soundtrack (Golden Age): Fantasia

Best Soundtrack (Modern): IDk?!

Classics (Golden) everyone should see at least once: Snow White (and) Bambi.

Wartime Era Pic: The Adventures of Ichabod and Mr.Toad

Silver Age or Bronze Age: Both!!!

Disney Renaissance or Post Renaissance: Both! If I absolutely had to choose though, Renaissance.

Moana or Lilo and Stitch: Lilo and Stitch

Frozen or Tangled: Both

Soul or Monsters Inc: Monsters Inc

Toy Story I and 2/ or/ 3 and 4? Toy Story I and 2.

Underrated: Candleshoe

Disney Holiday:

Live Action Halloween - Hocus Pocus

Live Action Halloween Series- Halloweentown

Animated Halloween- Frakenweenie

Live Action Christmas- Miracle on 34th Street (and) Eloise

Animated Christmas- Mickey’s Once Upon a Christmas, Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas, (and) Winnie the Pooh: A very merry Pooh year.

New: The Nutcracker and the Four Realms. (2018)

Disney Reimagined/Live Action:

First that made you rethink the story: Maleficent

Favorite ‘Princess’ Story: Beauty and the Beast

The Surprise: Cruella

The one you worried about but we’re happy with in the end: Lady and the Tramp

The one you worried about but ending up enjoying anyway: Aladdin

The one that was good but you could have done without: The Lion King (which really surprised me!!!I like it but I didn’t love it. Which for me was so strange since I’m a fan of the original and the play.)

The one you had high hopes for and had a mixed reaction too: Mulan. (Ended up really liking it, but I miss Mushu. )

‘Modern’ Shakespeare Adaption:

10 Thing I hate About You (The Taming of the Shrew)

Clueless (Emma)

and

The Lion King Series. (Kid appropriate)

The Lion King: Hamlet

The Lion King 1 1/2: Rosencrantz and Guildenstein

The Lion King 2: Romeo and Juliet

Vampire Pictures:

90s: Interview with a Vampire

2000+: Twilight Series

Tv Series: Buffy the Vampire Slayer

Vampire Action Series: Underworld

Classic: Bram Stoker’s Dracula

Dracula with a Twist: Dracula Untold (2014)

Fun Supernatural Flicks :

Witches: The Craft

Male Witches: The Covenant

Fairytale: Red Riding Hood (2011)

Ghost Hunters: Ghostbusters

Multiple Supernatural: Van Helsing (2014)

Werewolf Romance: Blood and Chocolate

Kid Friendly Live Action: Casper

Kid Friendly Animated: Hotel Transylvania

Supernatural Series:

Multi: Supernatural

Animated: Sabrina The Teenage Witch. (And) Scooby Doo.

Witches: Charmed

Fairytale: Once Upon a Time

Darker Fairytale: Grimm

‘Superhero’ Movies:

90s: Batman. (And) The Crow.

Series: Marvel’s Cinematic Universe

Classic Animated: Batman the animated series

Modern Animated: Harley Quinn

Girl Power: Wonder Woman. (and) Birds of Prey.

Something Different: Deadpool

Younger Audiences/Nostalgia: Teen Titans (animated)

Harry Potter

Favorite Film: Idk. Can’t choose honestly.

Least favorite character portrayal: .. Ginny Weasley?

Someone you loved: (so many..) McGonagall

Someone you loved hating: Bellatrix LeStrange

Someone you just hate: Dolores Umbridge

First time you cried: I cried for Sirius and Remus in Prisoner of Azkaban.

First time you jumped: Snakes or Basilisk. Chamber of Secrets. (I think I was 12?)

Someone who was so spot in acting on you can’t see them as anyone else now: Luna Lovegood

Someone who was so good even if the look wasn’t perfect: Emma Granger as Hermione OR Alan Rickman as Severus Snape.

Someone who’s injury hit you harder than the books: Colin Creevy.

Someone who’s death hit you harder than in the books: None. They hit but not as much as the books.

A scene you found just breathtakingly pretty: Christmas at Hogwarts

A scene you found creepy (even when you knew it was coming): Nagini uses a corpse as a mask.

For any Potter heads. Some things that bothered you about the Harry Potter films:

- Where is Charlie Weasley?

- Where is Peeves?

- Where are Neville’s parents?

- The green/blue/brown eye thing. (This is not against Radcliffe. Some special effects could have fixed this easily)

- HarrY DiD YOu PuT YoUR NaMe IN tHe GoBlET of FIRE?! 🔥

- In Sorcerers Stone, Why did you change the snake at the zoos breed??

- “Voldemort” versus “Voldemor”. The silent t.

- Hermione’s. Yule. Ball. Dress. Color. Blue. Not pink. She specifically changed the color.

- Fluffy. Hagrid’s adorable Cerberus was originally bought from a Greek man. Why change it to Irish? I like Ireland but it was a Greek man due to where Cerberus’s initially came from right???

- Harry’s first Weasley sweater color

- Why does Harry only see his parents in the Mirror of Eirsed? Where’s the rest of the family?

- The Underage magic rules aren’t well explained in the movies making the 3rd year summons even more bonkers sounding

- The Patil Twins Yule Ball Outfits. They could have been soooo beautiful. Like this is the Yule Ball! The Twins would have (in my opinion) much more elaborate traditional Indian styled dress robes?? Idk.

- Love Movie Hermione! But some moments take away from Ron. Like when Ron defended her in the Chamber of Secrets. Hermione didn’t know what the slur “Mudblood” meant in the books. Ron had to explain it.

- Dobby needed more screen time. Some stuff Dobby did went to Neville because so many Neville scenes were cut.

- Where’s all the secrecy from the books when communicating with Sirius- “Snuffles”? Something Harry’s godfather insisted on to keep him safe.

- Snape’s title of “The half-blood Prince” is not explained. Neither is it made clear that Severus was also abused horribly at home throughout his childhood. Also that like Harry Dumbledore did nothing to help Severus when he was a student. (Or maybe Tom Riddle when he grew up in an orphanage. I’m sensing a pattern)

- Dumbledore should have still spelled Harry during Dumbledore death scene. No way would Harry just stand there if given the choice.

- Ron was not quite as ‘dumb’ in the books and a lot of his funny moments were cut from the movie. Which makes his jealousy moments all the more unbecoming. He also comes off a bit more arrogant in the movies. (This is not against R Grint. Who is awesome) The movies gave Ron the short end of the stick.

- Weasley/Malfoy Fued. Who else wanted to see Arthur and Lucius have a fist fight in a bookstore? Exactly.

- Albus Dumbledore isn’t all Sunshine and Daisys. He does some really messed up stuff yet no one ever seems to question this.

- Remus was the last Marauder. Yet his and his wife, Tonk’s, deaths are barley acknowledged.

- Also Teddy. Harry’s Godson.

- Harry’s and Ginnys relationship is not built on. It’s just there. Ugh. Heck Movie Ginny isn’t that great. You don’t know much about her except: She’s the only girl in Ron’s family. She’s the youngest Weasley. She’s obsessed with Harry. She’s a good Quidditch player. She has a temper. She was possessed by Riddle’s Dairy when she was eleven. She’s obsessed with Harry.

- Draco is essentially Harry’s antithesis. Where is he in some critical scenes in the movies?

- Where’s the Luna love???? Harry’s pretty rude to her in some scenes.

- There is no S.P.E.W. And Hermione’s more ruthless side is gone.

- The guys hair in The Goblet of Fire. Get a hair cut. Please.

- Some of Molly’s less than Stellar Moments. (Ex. When she believed rumors about Hermione and so treated he coldly. How horrible she was to Fleur. Ect)

- Fleur. Fleur and Bill still get married but the objections to the wedding aren’t as presented in the movies. Not is Molly’s and Ginny’s extreme dislike of Fleur. Or when Arthur apologizes to Fleur. Or really any of Fleurs best moments. The whole courting process is skipped.

- House Elves. The House Elves of Hogwarts.

- Percy Weasley. The ‘betrayal’. The returned Weasley sweater. Him turning to protect his family and fight for Hogwarts at the last minute. All gone. Which involves being forgiven by the Weasley Twins not an hour before Fred dies.

- The connection of the Black sisters. Specifically Adromeda - mother of Tonks. Who is Sirius cousin. Who married Remus Lupin. Tonks and Remus the parents of Teddy.

- Dean Thomas is pretty much gone.

- Rita Skeeter. Illegal Animagus. Hermione kept her in a jar.

- The movies didn’t allow Radcliffe to be sassy and sarcastic enough. Harry Potter is one of the sassiest boys to ever walk through the halls of Hogwarts!

- Harry didn’t fix his wand in the last movie.

- The history of the Marauders.

- The history explaining why Snape could never be comfortable around and trust Remus Lupin.

[simpingforthehunt]

In the Belly of the Whale

So I was going to do this scene by scene but that got way too long in my notes. Either way, it's good that I'm writing down my thoughts that way because it definitely helps me organize everything, as well as allow me to have the contents of the show on a document. The episodes will have a slightly different format with different characters appearing based on the episode, and some sections will be added or removed. This will include some personal annecdotes, as I can relate to moments within the show.

Masterlist

Warnings: Antisemitism (obviously), Spoilers for the show

General notes for the overall show

I really love how well-researched the time period was because the set and costumes were spot on

The soundtrack is INCREDIBLE

Whoever the DOP is I want to thank them because the transitions and general camera work is both satisfying and fun to watch

The repetition in the dialogue was an interesting creative choice, and there are moments I hate it but overall it's was a really cool decision

Characters

Jonah: Portrayed by Logan Lerman.

Jonah's an interesting character because Logan Lerman plays him in a way that seems similar to the way he acted as Percy Jackson in the movies. In the Riordan series, we see Percy get pushed further into the darkness as time goes on because of all the trauma he's experienced growing up. We see that in the ten episodes of Hunters with Jonah's journey. There are moments in the show where I think "that's a lot like Percy" and for this episode specifically, it's honestly just the way Logan acts. There are better examples later on.

Jonah begins as this innocent teen that had just lost his grandmother and is grieving. His grief often comes out as anger, and he takes it out on others without realizing it. He start his descend into darkness when Meyer enters his life.

Ruth - Portrayed by Jeannie Berlin.

Ruth is the Bubbe I've always wanted. My grandmother on the Jewish side of my family passed away when I was three so I never knew her. her name was Ruth. Because of that, I have a connection to both Ruth and Jonah. Definitely made her death harder to watch.

Cheeks - Portrayed by Henry Hunter Hall.

Cheeks is an interesting character. He is one of Jonah's best friends, and clearly cares for him. I can't say much now, but I really hope he's a more frequent character in season 2.

Booty - Portrayed by Caleb Emery.

I really love Booty, and I wish he was a more significant character. More thoughts on him later.

Carol - Portrayed by Ebony Obsidian.

I love/hate Carol. She seems to run into the arms of white boys, and I know she's hinted to be Jonah's love interest but I'm glad they didn't actively pursue that relationship. Again, more on that later.

Meyer - Portrayed by Al Pacino.

Dude reminds me of Dumbledore. At first glance he seems like a savior and a mentor, but as time goes on his manipulative tactics are clearer and he only does what benefits him. I had a weird feeling about him from the start, tbh. He never lied to Jonah, but he stretched the truth enough that the audience believed him to be Meyer.

Millie - Portrayed by Jerrika Hinton.

Millie gives no fucks and takes no shit from anyone. She is the perfect example of a Ravenclaw, and is the only character that isn't a complete idiot. She pieces things together quickly, and I love her a lot.

Detective Sommers - Portrayed by Tramell Tillman.

I like his character a lot and sincerely hope we see more of him in season 2.

Travis - Portrayed by Greg Austin.

Dude's really creepy and I hate the fact that I like his costuming. There were so many moments in the episode that made me really uncomfy and hate him with a burning passion, but the actor is doing a great job with his character.

Biff - Portrayed by Dylan Baker.

The actor that plays Biff is SO talented! The quick switches between accents is a hard thing to do, and he's done a great job. Biff is a selfish asshole, but Dyland Baker portrays him so well.

What I liked:

Honestly, pretty much anything that isn’t mentioned in the below section is what I liked, but there’s one specific scene that stood out to me.

At the beginning, when the trio is coming out from watching Star Wars and talking about it.

NOW

I’m not a fan of Star Wars so most of it confused me, however the conversation foreshadowed Jonah’s fate by the end of it. I just thought that was really cool, and a fantastic creative choice.

What I didn’t like:

The human chess board.

Now, okay. On a creative standpoint, as a writer/director myself, I understand what David Weil was trying to portray with this scene. I understand that he wanted to show the horrors of the Holocaust and show the extent of how bad it had gotten.

HOWEVER

As a Jew, it made me uncomfortable. Just like the Auschwitz Memorial stated, it enourages Holocaust Denial. It is more than possible to show the horrors of the Holocaust in a fictional show, by telling the truths and the facts. A great example of a fictional piece about the Holocaust is the book Daniel’s Story, which follows the experiences of the children during the war.

So yeah... not a fan of it.

Reform Jewish Confusion:

So what’s up with the menorah’s in the funeral home??? That’s just a Hanukkah thing??? What???

Also when it comes to sitting Shiva, in Reform Judaism it is common for more than just immediate family to sit Shiva. Is this different in Orthodox or Conservative Judaism?? Also, if it’s immediately family only why are like,,, most of the people there?

Explaining specific things the best I can:

Baruch HaShem means thank G-d.

Mitzvah means duty, which is why Meyer views The Hunt as Mitzvah rather than murder. Like it’s a commandment from G-d.