#September is pretty empty except for one storyline

[royalhouseofcarrington]

Royals Visit New Exhibit!

Earlier this afternoon, the Queen, joined by the Crown Princess and the Duchess of Asbury, who recently announced that she and the Duke are expecting their fourth child, visited the Landfarm Park Museum and Gallery to get a preview on their newest exhibition of Royal Wedding dresses through the years. 

Featured in the gallery is Queen Elissa’s reception dress (as her wedding dress just finished a tour of it’s own), the Duchess of Asbury’s wedding dress (the first time it’s gone on tour since her own wedding to the Duke of Asbury), as well as the dresses of Queen Eliza, and the late Queen Helena and Queen Theresa-Marie. At the request of the family, the wedding dresses of the Duchess of Carlisle and the late Princess Isabel were not featured. 

Much to the surprise of everyone, the Crown Princess, who has been dating her boyfriend, actor Hisirdoux Caspersen for close to 3 years, joined her mother and aunt, sparking rumors of an engagement. The Duchess of Bilchester gently shut down the rumors stating that, “If he had proposed, I’d imagine that you’d all know by now because I wouldn’t be able to shut up about it.” 

Once inside the exhibit, cameras caught the Queen and Duchess of Asbury gazing fondly at their wedding dresses, lost deep in the happy memories of that day. The Crown Princess meanwhile, floated between the dresses of her grandmother, her great-grandmother and her great-great grandmother, the first Queen Regnant of Carrington. At one point, overlookers could hear the Queen whisper something to the Duchess of Asbury, which causing both women to giggle lightly. 

The exhibit is set to run through the end of next month. 

[kiss-my-freckle]

Red is Liz’s parent. 

I posted a little bit about this in my previous gif set, then decided I’d gather some dialogues along with some quotes from JB & JE and throw this post together.

I'm gonna start by explaining the mother - father issue as well as the problem of perception. Our Red is not Liz's father. Her biological father died the night of the fire. Sam Milhoan is Elizabeth Keen's father, the one who raised her since she was four-years-old. This was confirmed by our Red, stated as much before killing him. "You will always be her father, Sam." On the other hand, our Red is not Liz's mother. Biologically, yes, but not according to Red's own perception. He sees himself as the mother who died of weakness and shame. A traitor to two countries, on the run in 1990, choosing Raymond Reddington as a disguise to protect her child. In doing so, removing the victim of her daughter's sin, the shooting of her father.  Our Red is no longer Katarina. She hasn't been Katarina for 30 years. Respectfully and for their continued safety, her loved ones refer to her as Raymond. People like Kate, Dembe, and Dom. What hasn't changed, is the core. Red can't remove those maternal instincts, he can only disconnect from them to a certain degree. As he did, and you can see that he did when he hired Kate as Raymond Reddington. Referring to his daughter as "the child" and "the girl." This being the reason Kate said, "Your freedom, your life, a child." It's that continued safety measure, not speaking the truth "out loud." This being the reason for his whisper to Kirk in an empty parking lot, and his own former self telling him to "say it out loud" in Cape May. He was able to disconnect by speaking in third person view. "A woman" and "her child." Saying it out loud is then possible, even in an empty beach house ... like that empty parking lot ... and that empty acre where he shot Kaplan. They further this with non-gender specific wording. Using "parent" instead of mother or father, man or woman. Such was the case when Red spoke to Dom. "I wish I’d been the person you wanted me to be." And again, when Red spoke to Jennifer. "In 1990, the KGB and the CIA had almost nothing in common except the mutual determination to hunt down one individual." They also choose gender-specific words when they're needed to fuel it. "This woman" or "that man." Every character in the show does it. "His or her" when Red spoke of the danger to Agnes in 3x17. Because children are born male or female, thus becoming mothers or fathers. The apple theme is huge in this show. Gender neutrality. Sexuality. Kaplan being gay. The Djinn being gay. Margot being gay. Luli, who hates men. Red is also referred to as strange, weird, and odd. The picture of Liz’s mother in his weird little apartment. 

Onto the interview bits and dialogues.

"I think he’s right. Ultimately, the love story is between Red and Liz, and Tom’s death will have the largest effect on that relationship pretty much since Red turned himself in." - JE

A parental relationship can be and has been considered a love story. Carrie and Me: A Mother-Daughter Love Story by Carol Burnett. Saving Each Other: A Mother-Daughter Love Story by Victoria Jackson. Darling Daisy: A Father-Daughter Love Story by Melissa Boerger, Jonathan Boerger.

Liz isn’t gonna fall into bed with her daddy look-a-like. I know that’s what people want, but it’s not gonna happen. Agnes isn’t Red’s biological daughter, sperm is required for that, so I laugh at Agnesgate. “Mothers and daughters are closest when daughters become mothers.”  And there’s nothing “twisted” about a May-September romance. They’re actually quite common. 

“Since Red turned himself in.” Tom’s character has had the largest effect on the Red & Liz relationship. That’s what JE basically said here, and he’s right. Tom’s death will definitely continue to affect their relationship as it has since the pilot. How has he affected their relationship? Tom was the very reason Red turned himself in. Kaplan’s response confirmed this in their Requiem scene. “This isn’t about Tom Keen. It’s about your need for control.” Then look at Tom as a character. A man who put Liz and Red at war against each other. Handing Liz truths that Red refused to, though conveniently timed for Tom’s sake, to benefit his own agenda. 

"Ultimately in the end the short answer is that, when the series ends, whenever it ends, it’s ultimately a parent-child story and Tom was the most important person in Liz, ‘the child’s’ life." - JE

This speaks to endgame. That “twisted” endgame people keep talking about. “Twisted” paternal feelings. Twisted paternal feelings make sense if those paternal feelings are actually maternal feelings. This entire sentence speaks to Red’s Requiem statement. Because it’s about two people entering Liz’s life. Two casting their shadows, both drawn to the light of Elizabeth Keen. Polaris and Southern Cross: Katarina and Tom. 

“As I feared would happen, elements from Katarina’s past are circling Elizabeth like a pack of wolves in the night. I put Tom Keen in her life to keep an eye on her, and he married her.”

Women are more likely to sit at the piano, watch an entire ballet performance, take an epsom salt bath. Men are more likely to shower. Women are more likely to be comfortable in the company of other women. I also think it more likely Red is a bisexual woman rather than a Don Juan DeMarco, considering how many women he appears to please. Their specifying sexual acts. Pleasing others is the key to pleasing oneself ... insert deep throat and the g-spot. Oh, and “Fire in the Hole.” Not charming, seductive - like Katarina with the Russian milonga. A grown man isn’t likely to scratch his balls in public, ask another man to scratch them for him, speak to another man about having an erection while closing a deal, or be so concerned about another man’s penis that he asks whether steroids made him shrink. Men should have no problem understanding other men, yet Red states in Barnes’ episode, “that’s a man I understand” as if understanding men is an issue for him. There are several Red bits that sound like they come from a woman. “Because of your father” sounds like something a mother would say. “A man made it clear that I would never see her” as Katarina sadly gazes out the window in Cape May. “Men like Tom don’t change” as if he’s experienced this truth himself.  

You can’t refer to it as a “parent-child story” if a parent isn’t actually part of the story. The real Raymond Reddington is dead, but they’ve yet to reveal the true fate of Katarina, which leaves Rederina on the table. Tom was the most important person in the child’s life, making our Red the parent. Notice how both bits use the term “ultimately.” In a nutshell, it’s a parent-child love story. 

"They have to confront the idea that Liz is his daughter, and within her DNA is the possibility to do some incredibly dark things. That terrifies Reddington, and as much as he can see 10 minutes in the future, he’s genuinely concerned about what she might do." - JB

This bit takes us to the warrior gene storyline in Dr. Creel’s episode.

“I understand what it’s like to be drawn to something that is unhealthy, to a part of yourself that you are afraid of.” - Red

“I’ve cautioned you that in your pursuit of Tom’s killer, you need to restrain your darker impulses.” - Red

As well as several statements made throughout the series. Why would our Red be terrified of Liz being like him? DNA, good vs bad. Nature vs nurture. The ripe apple falls, the apple doesn’t fall far. 

“Be good, little one. It wasn’t your fault. He was a bad man.” - Katarina

"With little to none of my presence or influence through the years, she has grown up to be Special Agent Elizabeth Keen.” - Red

A mother wanting her child to be good, with  none of her presence or influence (as America’s most wanted), Liz becomes a good person - chooses a career in the FBI. But their paths were bound to cross. She studied him at Quantico. His crimes, his profile. She’s FBI, so he’s on her Most Wanted list. She’d be hunting him as she hunts any other criminal. 

Spoken like a parent -

Liz: You’re my sin eater. Red: Tried to be. But I failed. I never wanted you to be - Liz: What? Red: Like me. 

"But deeper than that, the bigger question is: Who is Elizabeth Keen?" - JB Elizabeth Keen is Masha Rostova, daughter of Raymond Reddington and Katarina Rostova. 

Quite literally, both are parental statements -

Red: The ripe apple falls. Doesn’t know what else to do.

Red: Yes, Elizabeth is my daughter. 

Red has all rights as a parent. More rights than Liz’s own adoptive father, stepmother, and grandfather. And he had every right to raise her until the night of the fire. “Myself” being the key word here. 

Red:  Looking back, I'm not sure I shouldn't have raised you myself. 

Red was speaking pre-fire in response to the gun and the shooting. He’s basically saying he should’ve raised Liz as a single parent, as Sam ultimately raised her.     

[sleemo]

16 Fascinating Revelations About the Making of Star Wars: The Last Jedi

— io9 | Dec 19, 2017

The Art of Star Wars: The Last Jedi is much more than a bunch of pretty pictures. Buried in Phil Szostak’s 256-page book are some fascinating insights into the production of the film. And while we highly recommend you flip through yourself, we picked out our favorites.

1) One of the earliest pieces of art for The Last Jedi was actually supposed to be in The Force Awakens. Designer Doug Chiang painted an image of Luke’s X-wing underwater in February 2013, but it got cut from that movie, and was used in TLJ instead.

2) A storyboarded version of the opening shot would have panned down from the crawl to reveal what at first looks like a huge planet, but was actually going to be the top of the tank Finn is recovering in.

3) The opening battle scene of the film wasn’t always directly after The Force Awakens above D’Qar. But choosing the location informed the design of the First Order’s Dreadnaught. The top was always flat, to allow for Poe’s heroics, but guns were added on its bottom, in order to fire at the planet below.

4) The Resistance bombers were a very early idea and a nod to how George Lucas was influenced by the planes of World War II. Also, while you may not be able to see it in the movie, some of the bombs have messages on them like “Hi Snoke” and “Han Says Hi.”

5) An early draft of The Last Jedi had Finn as the pilot of the bomber with Paige Tico, until writer-director Rian Johnson struck it down. “If Finn witnessed Paige’s death and didn’t know she was Rose’s sister that meant there would have to be a big scene after he found out,” Johnson says in the book. “If he did know Paige was Rose’s sister, there would either have to be a big ‘I saw your sister die’ scene, which I didn’t want to write and the movie would have come to a full stop to do, or he would be an asshole because he would never tell her. So ultimately it felt really right as a set-up but I realized there was no wood to burn in terms of a pay-off.”

6) There was a piece of concept art that would have had Rey abandon the Millennium Falcon in the waters of Ahch-To because she couldn’t find a place to land.

7) For Rey’s costume change after Han’s death, an early design had her directly influenced by the smuggler, with a short blue jacket and brown pants with red marks down the side.

8) The character of Rose came about because Johnson originally had Poe traveling with Finn to Canto Bight, “and it was so boring,” he says. “It was just these two dudes on an adventure... I realized I had to come up with something else. Finn needing somebody else to go with who would actually challenge him and push him and contrast with him was where Rose came from.”

9) The codebreaker storyline on Canto Bight was also much more complex in early drafts and designs. Originally, Finn and Rose were going to find him playing keyboards accompany a lounge singer. He was there “casing an insectoid warlord known as the Butcher of Brix” from whom he planned to steal “the blood jewels that finance his murderous regime.” The three would go on a journey to find a backpack with thieving tools, only to get caught on the roof and Finn and Rose put into prison.

10) Late in the design process, Lucasfilm president Kathleen Kennedy said that the design of Canto Bight didn’t feel “Star Wars” enough to her. So the team scrapped everything and ultimately drew inspiration from early Ralph McQuarrie drawing’s of Jabba’s Palace.

11) The whole Canto Bight scene originally started with Rose and Finn breaking into a clothing shop to put on fancy clothes to blend in. However, Finn would’ve put his tuxedo on backwards, and everyone was going to laugh at him.

12) There was a bathhouse sequence on Canto Bight that was designed and shot but not used in the movie. It’s not entirely clear how it would have played into the film, or why it was cut, but it seems like it may have been another elaborate, lavish location for the fathiers to smash through. It was a steamy place complete with aliens in all manner of dress, lounging around and sweating.

13) Before DJ was in the movie, Finn, Rose, and BB-8's arrival on Snoke’s ship started with several different gags. One was them following a trail of lint into a laundry room. Another was an homage to Han and Chewie running into a mass of Stormtroopers on the Death Star, except this time, all the suits would be empty.

14) At one point, there was a line in the movie where Snoke mentioned his gold slippers.

15) The three flashbacks in the film, which are an homage to Rashomon by Akira Kurosawa, were one of the final things to go into the script before shooting. Johnson saw them as a way to give Rey more emotional impact when leaving Ahch-To, by having Luke initially lie about what happened between him and Ben Solo.

16) The Art of lists the various dates of the movie’s production, allowing us to put together a fascinating timeline of how it got made—and how early work began on it;

• January 9, 2013 - The first visual meeting about new Star Wars movies • May 16, 2014 - The Force Awakens begins filming • May 27, 2014 - Rogue One director Gareth Edwards’ first day at Lucasfilm • July 2, 2014 - Rian Johnson’s first day at Lucasfilm • August 2014 - The basic story for The Last Jedi is in place • November 12, 2014 - A production office for The Last Jedi opens in Burbank, CA • March 4, 2015 - The first draft of The Last Jedi is completed. • April 20, 2015 - Rian Johnson and his team present the film and early work to Disney executives. • July 29, 2015 - The second draft of The Last Jedi is submitted. • August 3, 2015 - Rogue One starts filming. • September 15-17, 2015 - Johnson and his crew capture the first footage for The Last Jedi on Skellig Michael in Ireland. This “preshoot” was to get outdoor shots before the weather changed. • December 11, 2015 - A third draft of The Last Jedi is complete. • December 18, 2015 - The Force Awakens opens in theaters. • February 1, 2016 - The first draft of the shooting script for The Last Jedi is completed. • February 11, 2016 - The Last Jedi begins principal photography. • July 29, 2016 - The Last Jedi finishes filming.

Honestly, we can’t recommend this book enough.

— io9

[puclpodcast]

The Fluff: Autumn Is Coming (a.k.a. My Top 6 Gen II Pokémon

Hello, my dear PUCLonians, and welcome once again to The Fluff. In September we’ll finally be able to use the Time Capsule again in a meaningful manner, by which I mean, without having our Pokémon stuck forever in old games. Gold and Silver are coming out on Virtual Console, and while I deeply feel the lack of an immediate Crystal release, I remain optimistic for a future one.

Gen II is kind of my unfinished Generation: due to various circumstances, I never finished my Silver game way back when, and in my SoulSilver, I could not bring myself to grind my sub-par team up to a level that would allow me to challenge Red. So in my mind he’s still sitting there, waiting for me to come find him. Will I ever? I hope so, and when I do, there’s a good chance I’ll bring some of these to the match: my Top 6 Gen II Pokémon!

Number 6: Chikorita and Hoppip

These Pokémon round out my rankings together, although for different reasons. The first time I played Silver, remembering how much of a good idea it had been to pick a Fire-type starter in Gen I, I chose Cyndaquil to begin my journey. But as my love for Grass types consolidated, Chikorita became my only choice. (Hint: it wasn’t a very good one, to be honest, as it’s by far the most difficult Starter for the Johto games).

When I got Pokémon Super Mistery Dungeon, the personality test said I was a Chikorita, and I was like, yeah, OK, that sounds plausible enough. And then every single person I know, from my PUCL friends to my Mom to my boyfriend, looking at a list of the possible starters for that game, pointed, umprompted, to the Chikorita as the best possible match for me. (My boyfriend called it “that zucchini thing”, but that’s besides the point.) So, apparently, I’m not a Whimsicott, but a Chikorita.

Well, I wasn’t a possible starter, which is absolutely preposterous, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that.

I don’t know, Whimsicott… it definitely left a mark. Hence Chikorita’s presence here.

So it’s a vanity thing?

… I suppose.

As for Hoppip, I’ve told this story countless times: Hoppip was the one Pokémon I remember coming across in a patch of tall grass, knowing absolutely nothing about it and never having seen it before, and it filled my heart with wonder and joy. (My heart was a bit disappointed when I caught it and realized it knew no useful moves, but that’s another story.)

With all the other generations after being pretty much completely spoiled by Japan having them in advance or by Game Freak being dumb, I’ve never again felt that wondrous feeling. And I miss it. Hopefully the spoilers for Gen 8 are handled in a better fashion… or I can devise a strategy to stay in PUCL without seeing absolutely all of them.

Number 5: Furret

Furret is one of those Pokémon that hovers around the top of my huge, ever-changing list of favorite Pokémon. But it is not a Pokémon that represents Gen II to me, so it’s a bit low on this list.

Furret is as useless as it is freaking adorable, and somehow learning it is as long as a man is tall does not take away from it.

… wait, what- Oh dear Arceus. This thing is 5’11”?

Yup. You’re used to my Furret plushie being tinier than you, but the real deal is huuuge. I’ve seen people make life-sized Furret plushes online, but so far none have been sufficiently fluffy in my opinion. If an appropriate one was made, you can bet I’d empty my wallet out for it in a heartbeat.

It would essentially be a body pillow.

Yes! The cutest one ever! Furret is definitely a Pokémon I’d choose to have in real life, for its perfect cuddling potential. And its pink shiny is delightful, although the color has lost a lot in the later Generations.

Number 4: Mareep

I guess it’s pretty clear that I love fluffy, sheep-shaped Pokémon.

And rightly so.

So Mareep was on the fast track to being on my team as soon as I met one in Pokémon Silver. While the loss of fluff upon evolving was a bit disheartening, I loved my Flaaffy and my Ampharos dearly, and years and years later, my love was rewarded with a super-fluffy Mega Evolution!

Thoreal the Ampharos sits in a box, waiting for me to find a way to use him properly in OU (I have a good set, just not a good team to go with it), which hopefully will be soon. I hope he and Tapu Cocoa, my Koko, can become fast friends.

I can take care of Ground types for them!

That’s sweet, Whimsicott, thank you. I’ll consider it. Anyway, after a first Generation in which the only Electric type I liked was Raichu, the Mareep line came in and strengthened my appreciation for this type, which, given my fondness for Grass types and their hatred of anything with wings and a beak, is a good, good thing.

Number 3: Celebi

Between my Mew and Jirachi 20th Anniversary plushes sits a Celebi from the same line. It has adorable glittery pink wings, and it has so far refused to let me go back in time to tell myself to buy Google stocks.

Gee, I wonder why.

Much like Mew in Gen I, Celebi was the unattainable dream of Gen II for me, because, much like with Mew in Gen I, Italy was pretty much the only country where Pokémon games were localized and sold in giant heaps, but no distribution events were held. My first Celebi came in Gen IV, in 2011, but the memory of its mystique never really left, and Celebi is pretty much the only onion I love (since I can’t eat most of them).

It’s kind of a bummer that it already had two non-Normal types and it couldn’t become a Fairy type along with me. I’d have been kind of OK with Celebi as my twin.

Really? I always thought you loved the exclusivity.

I do, but for a Mythical Pokémon, I might have made an exception. Now, sure, Tapu Bulu is a strong Legendary, but it has ZERO fashion sense. Unacceptable.

Yeah, Bulu is a good, bro, but… well. Let’s go back to Celebi, shall we? Despite its slightly awkward looong arms, it’s really cute and huggable. Also, we need a billion more time-travel plots, stat. They’re my favorite and I can’t get enough.

Number 2: Suicune

Speaking of time travel plots in Pokémon, Celebi’s mate in that movie I will, absolutely, watch some day (when the warnings about its awfulness from my PUCL peeps have faded enough from my ears) is the majestic Suicune.

Maestrale, my Suicune, was only used in a few VGC matches in a PFTT two years ago. Now I’m gathering Bottle Caps to give it a chance to shine in Gen 7.

Wait, Maestrale isn’t shiny.

No, darling, I was being metaphorical. Suicune is utterly beautiful, with its physics-defying ribbon tails, its flowing mane, its lovely blue shade… ah, it’s so pretty!

I mean, it was on a team with a shiny Whimsicott, so my eyes were elsewhere, but I guess it does look pretty nice, yes.

My love for Suicune is the main reason I resent Crystal not coming out this Autumn. This Pokémon deserves the extra storyline it got in Crystal and in the remakes, and I can’t wait to chase after it again, following the Northern wind.

Number 1: Bellossom

As I’ve mentioned before, I fell in love with Bellossom during its dance in the short that came with Pokémon The Movie 2000. I’ve always loved the Oddish line, and Bellossom was a fantastic addition to it. It is constantly on my list of “Pokémon I wish were more viable in battle”, and as much as Thatch tried during that one episode, I haven’t been able to find a set that satisfies me yet.

Maybe your expectations are too high.

Maybe they are. But when I do find that set, you can bet I’ll be breeding enough Oddish to plant a freaking forest of them, because Bellossom currently has the best shiny in the game. I do have a shiny Oddish already, but her Nature is not ideal, so my little green friend needs a little brother or sister. By the way, there is, out there in the world, one absolutely perfect shiny Bellossom plush. It was made on commission, so it’s not commercially available, but I want to share this awesomeness with you all:

By Sugarstitch on DeviantArt

Isn’t that amazing?

Not as good as a Whimsicott plush, but yes, cute!

With that, I suppose I’m done with Gen II until September. My dear PUCLonians, what are your favorite Gen II Pokémon? What are your fondest memories from that time? Let me know in the comments, and also let me know, if you managed to convince your Celebi to let you travel in time, how the heck you did it. Mine is apparently a real stickler for the rules.

It’s also made of fabric, which I’m sure doesn’t help, but keep dreaming, sister.

Until next time,

The Fluffiest Whimsicott

from The Fluff: Autumn Is Coming (a.k.a. My Top 6 Gen II Pokémon