#a character who in early childhood was only treated well by women and poorly by men

[zincbot]

ugh the transphobia in one piece is such a fucking frustrating ruinous thing

[queenofcats17]

The Line In The Sand

@randomwriteronline wrote this awesome thing and I wanted to write something with my own Joey.

I need to flesh out his character more. Please tell me if there’s anything I should change. 

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Investors learned quickly not to mention their thoughts on Judaism in front of Joey Drew. 

Normally, he wasn’t one to express anger toward his investors. Even when they made disparaging comments about some of his staff, he never lost his temper. 

They called Norman the usual slurs and suggested Joey was a fool for trusting him with the projection equipment. 

They chided Joey for hiring Irishmen, most notably Wally and Shawn, citing how lazy and shiftless ‘their types’ could be. 

They expressed distaste and disgust that he’d put a woman in charge of the animation department, calling Ms. Lambert some rather unsavory names and insinuating she was trying to be a man. There was the usual, ‘she’ll never find a husband if she keeps on like this’ as well, although that one applied to most of the women employed at the studio. 

(Nothing was said about Lacie Benton since she was under Bertram’s employ, and he had likely shut down any attempts to disparage her.)

Through all this, Joey never attempted to correct them. Never bothered to defend his workers. His investors could throw around all the slurs they wanted and he wouldn’t bat an eye. 

“What’s the harm in hiring them?” He’d say with a shrug. “As long as they do good work, I don’t see any reason why I shouldn’t hire them. Besides,” he’d add with one of his showman smiles. “No matter how poorly I treat them, they won’t leave me. Who else would hire them?”

This always got a round of laughter from the investors. None of them noticed Joey’s smile never reached his eyes. None of them noticed the hatred that burned in his eyes when he looked at them. The contempt that lurked behind his amiable smile. Oh, how he’d changed from when he was young. 

He just told the investors what they wanted to hear, proved that he could play their game. And that was enough for the greedy bastards. They never thought to probe any deeper than what was on the surface. After all, he was young and handsome, he dressed the right way and said the right things. He was one of them, as far as they were concerned. 

But when they brought up the Jewish people in his employ...That was when they saw a side to Joseph Drew that he kept closely guarded. The first time one of the investors made an off-color joke on the subject, Joey got very quiet. His smile vanished, replaced by a stony mask.

The ‘joke’ had been about Grant. One of the investors had said that Joey’s studio was probably losing money because Grant was stealing it. He hadn’t called Grant by name, of course, referring to him in a less than flattering manner. 

“Mr. Drew, is something wrong?” One asked, pausing in his uproarious laughter when he noticed Joey’s expression.

The mood in the office had changed the moment the ‘joke’ had been made. The air suddenly felt...heavier. An intense aura radiated off of Joey and all of them could tell it meant he was not pleased.

“Fine,” Joey spat, his lip curling up in a snarl. “I’m afraid I’ll have to cut this meeting short. I’m suddenly feeling rather ill.” He stood up with fluid grace, holding the edge of his desk so hard his knuckles were turning white. 

“Is this because of what I said?” The instigator asked with a smug smirk. “Come now, don’t tell me you can’t take a joke!”

Joey turned very slowly to the instigator, his snarl turning into a smile. It was a wide smile. Almost unnatural in how wide it was. It made everyone present feel rather ill at ease.

“I’m just feeling ill, that’s all,” he replied with an eerie degree of calm. The intense aura had become even stronger, causing a few of the men to pull nervously at their collars.

“I have a weak constitution, I’m afraid,” Joey continued, gliding out from behind his desk and opened the door. “I wouldn’t want to lose consciousness in the middle of a meeting. So why don’t you all leave for the moment? We can continue our conversation at our next meeting.” Although his voice was calm and jovial, there was an underlying edge that left little room for argument.

Admittedly, any one of them could likely have taken him down. Joey Drew was a small man, short and slight. But the terrifying presence he possessed tended to discourage others from enacting physical violence against him. Nowadays, at least. So, the investors left.

Joey waited until he could no longer hear their footsteps anymore, turned, and screamed at the top of his lungs. His secretary didn’t even bat an eye. Sighing, she got up and went into his office to make sure he didn’t break anything. 

It happened more than once, as well. Every time an investor said something disparaging or made a joke about the Jewish people in Joey’s employ, or Jewish people in general, Joey immediately shut down the meeting and made them leave. His outbursts of anger after their departure became more and more frequent.

The latest instance was the worst of them. The curses that she heard were worse than any Joey had used in the past. It almost sounded as though he was crying as well. Despite her better judgment, she went to see what was going on. When she entered the office, she found Joey holding onto the back of his chair and muttering darkly to himself. His expression was positively demonic and she could see tear tracks running down his cheeks. She was a bit surprised to see he’d been crying.

“You know, if you hate meeting with them so much, maybe you should stop,” she said. 

“What a lovely idea, Gloria!” Joey growled through gritted. “I hadn’t thought of that!”

“Don’t get snippy. It was just a suggestion.” Gloria sat down in one of the chairs in front of his desk. As far as the studio was concerned, she had the patience of a saint. In reality, though, she was one of the few people who was willing to call out Joey’s bullshit. For some reason, Joey didn’t object to this either.

Her incredulous look made Joey pause and take a few deep breaths to calm himself. 

“As much as I would like to cut all contact with those overgrown bullies,” he said, making a concerted effort not to yell. “It’s extremely difficult to find ways to raise money for this sort of thing. Placating those fat pigs is my best option for securing a reliable source of funding.”

“If that’s really how you feel, I’m surprised you actually draw a line on the bull you let them spew,” Gloria remarked, her lip curling up a bit in distaste.

The things she’d heard those investors say made her blood boil. And yet Joey had never protested against any of it. What made this topic different from the others?

“It’s...complicated,” Joey said slowly, avoiding her gaze. He quickly shook his head and sat down in his chair. “In any case, I have work I need to do.”

Gloria raised an eyebrow but left without another word. 

Left alone, Joey stared down at the stack of expense reports on his desk. It was amazing how all the expenses added up. Math had been his worst subject in school. It was a miracle he’d managed to keep the studio running before he’d hired Grant. That man was a lifesaver. 

Thinking of Grant made his mind drift back to the comments to investors had made. He gritted his teeth, almost snapping his pen in half as his fist clenched in rage. He despised them. Despised having to grovel to them to get the money he needed. When he looked at them, he saw the schoolyard bullies who had made his childhood years a living nightmare.

Listening to them insult his workers was maddening, but he could keep his distaste under wraps because the slurs they used had never been applied to him. When he heard the slurs about Jewish people, though, he was transported back to the schoolyard. That time when he’d been small and weak and helpless and no one had lifted a finger to help him. He was unable to control his anger then.

.

One thing people learned very quickly was that Joey was incredibly protective of his workers. While he’d (barely) tolerate slander from the investors, no one else was allowed to speak ill of his workers. If anyone was actively harassing an employee of his he never hesitated to protect them. No one could prove that the misfortune that befell the harassers was due to Joey, but everyone knew. 

Because of this, many of the employees weren’t entirely sure how to feel about their boss. 

On one hand, he could be manipulative and callous toward them. If you were no longer useful to him, he wouldn’t hesitate to throw you out on your ass. He treated them more fairly than other employers, but those who knew him best knew that they meant very little to him in the long run. 

On the other hand, he was indeed fiercely protective of them. They actually mattered to him, even if it was only because he cared about what they could do for him. His showman act fooled many people as well. So much so that many of the younger employees genuinely believed he cared about them. 

Not to mention, there were strange moments when he was actually...kind. Normally, he didn’t give paid vacations or time off, and he certainly didn’t let people leave early. When these requests were put in he’d reject them. But early in the history of the studio, Grant had come to Joey to ask if he could leave early. The workday normally ended at 6, but the lighting of the menorah for Hanukkah was usually done between 5:30 and 6, and Grant didn’t want to miss it. 

He’d fully expected Joey to tell him no. He’d fully expected to be yelled at. 

Instead, Joey had gotten a strange look in his eyes. Something tender and almost wistful. Grant was a bit taken aback. He’d never seen such an expression on Joey’s face. 

“Alright,” Joey said after a moment, his voice quiet. “You have my permission to leave early when you need it.”

“Thank you, sir.” Grant nodded and left quickly, lest Joey change his mind. 

Joey didn’t change his mind, though. Every time Grant asked for time off or to leave early, Joey granted it. Grant wasn’t an exception either. When other Jewish employees made similar requests, he granted them too. He had a fondness for his Jewish employees that no one understood. 

No one felt brave enough to ask about this, but Grant had some idea. Not that he’d ever share that idea, though. No, he knew how to keep his mouth shut. And so, Joey’s surprising compassion toward Jewish people remained a mystery to his employees.

This was why his reaction to that lawyer Mrs. Klein was so surprising. He reacted to her with such vitriol. He’d always been respectful toward other Jewish people who had come to the studio. He’d never responded with such hatred before. It was almost as if they knew each other or something.

[whiteharboreda]

the  courts  offer  bread  and  salt  to  ALYSSANE  MANDERLY  née  CERWYN  of  HOUSE MANDERLY.  many  say  that  the  TWENTY - SEVEN  year  old  RULING  LADY / REGENT  of WHITE  HARBOR  is  known  to  be  SHREWD  and  CHARISMATIC ,  though  ill  tongues whisper that  she  is  CALCULATING  and  OBSTINATE .  when  her  name  is  uttered  ,  one  is reminded  of  bitterly  cold  breezes  tousling  dark  curls  ,   the   glint  of  silver  catching  the light & footprints  in  the  snow  straying  from  a  well - trodden  path .

content mentions : relationship age gap / possible murder / forced marriage / death

         she was born the eldest child of a great fool . while he garnered northern respect , harald cerwyn was a northern fool - -  with a typically foolish northern pride . perhaps , equally , he was a fool for allowing his daughter access to an unfiltered world , one that would see her discontented for the rest of her days as she began to understand her place in it . he was a fool for allowing her not to be a fool.

lady alyssane was educated in the fashion of a little lord. much to her mother’s dismay , dancing & sewing came secondary to the very minutia of ruling a house & commanding a crowd. she learned sums , history , & policy. in his daughter , harald saw a brilliant mind , a silver tongue , and a keen ability to solve problems before problems arose. what choice did he have but to cultivate such a girl ? particularly when it seemed as though she would one day rule castle cerwyn , with no male heir to contend with. to placate his wife , alyssane was subjected to the ‘education’ of a proper lady. a cunning mind was veiled with pretty smiles & elegant courtesies. she became just enough of a northern beauty that she was no apparent threat to suitors that might one day court her. 

house cerwyn itself was not the force it had been centuries prior. never quite recovering from the financial & personal tolls of the northern rebellion , and then struggling once again during the ironborn skirmishes , the house stood on its name & reputation alone. as alyssane grew older , she assisted her father with the thankless task of fortifying the coffers of her family to the limited degree that they could. 

the freedom which governed her childhood turned a headstrong girl into an emboldened young lady. no sooner could a lord arrive at the castle gates on business with her father , than alyssane would find a critical flaw in their character & engage in a verbal sparring match to prove to them that she was smarter - that she was better. she was her father’s right hand  - she would restore castle cerwyn one day. she had nothing to fear. 

alyssane’s fifteenth year saw the introduction of the biggest competition for both her father’s time & affection. an unexpected infant brother now dominated the discussion , and replaced her as heir. while she doted on the child , she could not help the resentment she felt for being so swiftly unseated. 

at nineteen , tragedy changed alyssane’s life permanently when a seemingly incurable fever took her father from her. she had mourned no more than three months before her mother informed her of her fate : marriage.  the aging lord manderly , taken by her beauty and blissfully unaware of her nature , offered the widowed lady cerwyn a financial security she could not ignore , not for herself nor for her family. alysanne would be well taken care of in the new castle , her mother reasoned. there was no need for her to remain at home. 

while the white harbor invigorated alyssane’s senses , her marriage stifled every portion of her spirit. her husband , apart from being nearly thrice her age , was demanding & unkind. he overspent the profits earned on his behalf & managed his finances poorly.  he cared very little for his wife and sought only to control a woman who deemed very early on that she would not be controlled. 

alysanne’s wifely duties soon saw her withchild. dread filled every day of her pregnancy as she imagined her husband raising a son in his own image , or treating a daughter with the same contempt & disregard that she had suffered for the better part of two years. whatever her child was , they would be the heir. her husband’s brother had fought & died protecting the port against the ironborn 22 years prior, alongside his son & heir. 

nearly two weeks before the birth of his child , after a night of heavily indulging his cups , the lord manderly was found dead in his bed. many attributed his sudden passing to his age & lifestyle , while others imagined his young wife slipping him poison, or smothering him in his sleep. alyssane did little to dissuade the rumors , knowing that they would exist regardless of her involvement. no sooner was he buried than a daughter , lysa , was born to his widow,

alysanne made no show of mourning. she wore black as she was bid , but engaged fiercely in her duties as a new ( and entirely devoted ) mother & regent.

 immediately , she took over the books of her husband , and sought out areas where revenue could increase , and spending decrease. she became a woman of the people , doing everything a lady of repute should have avoided, and frequently venturing into white harbor to converse with commonfolk about their business & the import and exports of the city. she used  personal funds to buy up brothels , converting them into more hospitable environments for both workers & patrons. she began to heavily invest in the port city , and soon reaped its rewards. within the span of a few years  , she had transformed the city & the house alike . 

all the while , gossip surrounded her. she paid little mind to the criticism & outrage. she was , for once , entirely herself.  she flaunted her wealth in the means of furs & silks & jewels , fueling the fires of conversation even further. those who did not support her, she reasoned, at least needed something to talk about.

as a result of her keen financial & political sense , alyssane secured a position as the northern kingdom’s mistress of coin. she is the first woman in the northern kingdom to hold the title .

despite all of her successes , she is very lonely . creating a reputation for herself has created more controversy than it has born new friends & allies. men are typically intimidated by her unapologetic nature , and women are scandalized by her very presence. 

for this reason , alyssane has set aside any foolish notions of romantic love , knowing that she will never marry , as she refuses to allow her independence to be taken from her , and will protect the security of her daughter’s future until her last breath. 

PERSONALITY , SUMMARY , & OTHER TIDBITS

     this is where i switch off my  ‘formal’ writing mode to give you the nitty gritty.

while alyssane is a pretty unapologetic ‘bad bitch,’ she’s far from heartless and unkind. much of her sentiment was covered with a layer of ice when she married , but she is a woman of great feeling. she cares very deeply for others , and does everything in her power to better their lives utilizing her own methods. she’s very kind in her own sort of way. almost everything she does & feels is hidden under the veils of the image that she’s created for herself. if you manage to crack the veener , you begin to see glimpses of who she might have been , and maybe still is , before life altered her so dramatically. 

she literally will not take shit from a man ( or anyone for that matter ). while she’s wildly charismatic , and has an extreme gift for speech , she does not hold any punches when she feels threatened or questioned. 

she’s also wildly wealthy , but i feel the need to clarify that that was largely of her own making in the last five or so years. nothing has been handed to her , and she’s taken great pains to create a legacy for herself & her daughter.

speaking of her daughter , she loves lysa more than she will ever love another living soul. that girl is her whole heart. 

she’s so ?? lonely ?? on a variety of different levels , but will never admit to it , because she refuses to be vulnerable.

she literally does not give ONE SHIT ( at least externally ) about what other people think about her. she uses her wealth and its ostentatious display as armor. the fact that she is very frequently entering and inspecting the books of northern brothels & interacting with folk well below her station in a professional capacity has largely made her a laughing stock to most ( at least npc’s -- i know that many of the characters here are going to be way more welcoming than i’ve characterized for her and for that i thank you ). she very much acts as though it doesn’t phase her in the slightest.do at this point , the fact that she very-well-could-have-murdered-her-husband is a pretty open secret among polite company. at this point , her wealth and the expertise she brings the northern kingdom , as well as the fact that she play the part of a lady exceedingly well is what saves her among other nobility. 

other stuff TBA as i think of it. 

she’s not as mean as she seems okay ? i love her with my whole heart pls. ..  . love her & plot with me.

[atamascolily]

lily liveblogs “terminator 2: judgement day” for the first time

Nothing says "Christmas season" like watching bloody action movies! Well, there is "Die Hard," but I'm watching Terminator 2: Judgement Day, aka "James Cameron Was Mad He Didn't Put Those Ten Minutes of Subplot He Filmed Into the Theatrical Cut of the First Terminator, So He Made An Entire Movie About It Instead Because He Could”.

Ok, so I have the "Extreme Edition", whatever that means. The menu options for the DVD include "Sensory Control" (for subtitle options) and "Jump Into Timeline". Every now and then a super-creepy T-2 metallic head drops into frame to remind you to press play. I'm loving this.  

Cars in L.A. traffic. Children laughing on a playground in the '90s. Cut to the Apocalyptic Nightmare Future with the busted cars and skeletons for drivers. Everything's STILL IN PLACE the way it was when Judgement Day happened. Oooh, yeah, just cut to the wrecked playground with a pile of human skulls, in case we didn't get the memo.

(for the record, I'm pretty sure nuclear winter would actually NOT WORK LIKE THIS, but it looks cool, and James Cameron seems to be really good at this kind of parallels between present and future, so I'm rolling with it.)

Sarah Connor narrates the introductory spiel, and we're treated to basically the same opening as T1, except much higher budget everything. Lots of laser beams and explosions and fireballs, plus scary metal Terminators roaming around that the last movie did NOT have the budget for. (plus the audiences have already seen that in T1, so it's okay to show them in the intro, since I assume an EVEN SCARIER TERMINATOR FINAL FORM is coming).

We're only 3 minutes into the movie and the filmmakers have already spent like a tenth of their total budget on SFX and twice the total costs of the first movie. 

It occurs to me as Sarah is narrating, who is she narrating to? Just us, or some other characters? I strongly suspect we'll see some other characters when this film finally cuts to her.

How does Sarah know about a second strike? Didn't we establish in the last movie that there was only one Terminator that went through the portal before the humans got to it?? Are they retconning that now?

Instead of '80s synth and logo during the credits, we get a more symphonic treatment of the main theme, plus THE PLAYGROUND ON FIRE because SYMBOLISM for the destruction of CHILDHOOD INNOCENCE, amirite?? And then we cut to the SCARY METALLIC RED-EYED TERMINATOR SKELETON IN FLAMES because THAT is the defining image of this francise, the one that James Cameron had NIGHTMARES about that he decided to give to EVERYBODY ELSE by making these films.

I just realized how much the Terminator head in that shot looks like a human skull, THAT'S SO INTENTIONAL AAAAAH.

Cut to a truck driving off without its cargo, trash on the ground. Sparks fly, a wind picks up, it's night, we've been here before... This time the budget is higher, so we actually get to SEE the sphere instead of people just kind of appearing... and it carves a hole in one of the trucks. This ALSO didn't happen in T1. Nudity is still mandatory, though. It's still Arnold. You can tell it's an upgraded model Terminator based on his computer system menus. He still beats up tattooed punks to steal their clothes, only instead of stoned punks, these are long-haired motorcycle dudes in some sort of pool bar.

Oh, wow, there are a lot of people in this bar. A woman with a cigarette and a nose ring is checking the Terminator out. This is going to go well. Country music blares on the soundtrack.

He's looking for the dude with the best motorcycle. Tells him to give him his stuff. This is just like the first movie, but different. The dude is unimpressed, though why I'm not sure, because the Terminator is super-intense, and super-buff.

But the motorcycle dude blows smoke in his face--the T2 model scan says "carcinogen vapors", which is a) hilarious, and b) SO DIFFERENT FROM THE "EVERYBODY IS ALWAYS SMOKING EVERYWHERE" vibe of 1984--a sign of the evolving social norms. Then the motorcycle dude grinds his cigar into the Terminator's bare skin... and of course there's no reaction.

One dude goes through a window onto the front window of what may well be his car(?). The original dude goes flying into the kitchen and lands on a stove, which is horrific, but also karmic payback. Another gets stabbed with his own knife. I SEE WHAT YOU DID THERE, CAMERON. Burned guy tries to pull a gun on the Terminator, but surrenders his keys and his clothes without a fight. Terminator goes outside in record time, because the dude he tossed on the car window is still there.

The bartender comes out with a gun, fires a shot into the air, and tells the Terminator to get off the bike. This is going to end poorly for him, especially since "Bad to the Bone" is playing in the background. Terminator takes both the gun and the guy's shades while the dude just watches, incredulously. YOU GOT LUCKY YOU'RE NOT HIS TARGET/MISSION, pal.

(also: this movie is such an obvious social commentary about how being armed really doesn't help you against a real threat, American fantasies to the contrary)

Cut to more blowing trash, more buildings, more trucks, a police car, electricity. The future is calling! (Oh good, this person's either going to be chased by the police OR Take their stuff.)

Dramatic hole in the fence from the future sphere thing. Yeah, this definitely wasn't a thing in the first movie, but it does look cool in this shot! Yep, there goes the policeman!

New dude's first order of business is to look up John Connor's name in the computer in the police car. Apparently, John Connor has a criminal record - trespassing, shoplifting, disturbing the peace, vandalism. He doesn't live with Sarah... he's got a guardian, and the address is in the computer.

Cut to the suburbs. It's wholesome, white-bread America. His foster mother yells at him. John is a teenage motorcycle punk, but in a clean, wholesome way. His friend has very '90s hair, though.

John's friend thinks that his foster mom is a "dick," but frankly, I see no evidence why we should hate her thus far. Her husband comes out to tell John to clean his room, but he and his little friend are already zipping away on their motorcycle, and the little friend is holding a miniature boombox, and it's so '90s, I have to pause so I can laugh for a while. Also, this rebelliousness is what's going to save his life when the Terminator comes for him. I guess the foster parents are framed as nagging assholes so we don't care so much when they die??

(also, what do you want to bet Sarah taught John to ride a motorcycle??)

John Connor is a little dick who thinks he's so clever, and he doesn't have to do anything because these aren't his real parents. His foster dad smokes, and doesn't say anything, probably because he's already made it clear to his wife that room cleaning is not high on his priority list. Fuck him.

Sarah's doing pull-ups in her cell. THOSE ARM MUSCLES, OH MY GOD. She's 29 years old. SUCH A CHANGE from the waitress with the '80s hair from the first film. Everything's so white, it's a state psychiatric ward for women. Men in suits discussing Sarah's case.

THIS IS WHAT WOULD HAVE HAPPENED TO KYLE IF THE TERMINATOR HADN'T BUSTED THE POLICE STATION. *sob*

Is Silbermann - the psychiatrist who examined Kyle in T1 still around? He left the police station right before the Terminator's attack, so I assume he lived... what does he make of Sarah's case? Does he ever follow up? I wonder what's going through his head.

I like how we don't see Sarah's face until she turns to face the doctors. I like how wild and unhinged she looks, how feral. She's changed so much in what, ten years? Thirteen? I think it's 1997, just before Judgement Day, but idk if that's been confirmed yet. Thirteen looks about right for John Connor, so I'm going with that.

Oh, god IT IS DR. SILBERMANN, THAT ASSHOLE!!! How does he explain how both Sarah AND Kyle have schizophrenia, when Sarah was perfectly normal before? And he *know* someone was murdering other Sarah Connors and seemed to be gunning for her, so why...? Was he really that much of an asshole not to suspect that *something* was going on, and Sarah wasn't crazy??

Also, I love "How's the knee?" because she totally hurt him, and I love her. I love how calm she sounds, like she's the one in control not them, because she can hurt them more than they can hurt her.

Sarah stares at the female doctors, and I realize now that Silbermann is doing a tour of the facility LIKE IT'S A ZOO, and... yeah, wow, he really is an asshole. He's the one with delusions, who can't see outside his own sheltered bubble...

I wonder what would happen if Sarah could talk to one of the female doctors? If they could make a connection? Maybe they would believe her. God knows Silbermann isn't going to listen to anyone who doesn't already agree with him.

God, the orderlies are sadist assholes. I fucking hate them. That shot of Sarah lying crumpled on the floor is so beautiful because everything is angelic pristine white and sunny, and so horrifying.

The police dude shows up at John's foster parents' house. We're supposed to think he's good because he's not Arnold, but this person has no facial expressions and he's too calm - compare with Kyle's frantic fumblings. This is not somebody from the human resistance of T1, at least not without some serious retconning. He's too poised and professional, too adept at the 1990s, whereas Kyle Reese had the social skills of a feral racoon and wore pants he stole from a homeless man. Totally different vibe going here.

The knock on the door sequence is so parallel to the original Terminator going to the first Sarah Connor's house in T1... same suburban paradise... and you can get anything when you're a clean-shaven, short-haired white cop, can't you??

Cut to: '90s tech. John and his little friend hacking an ATM. God. Their clothes, their hair, the ATM... everything is peak early '90s, and I can't handle it. We learn that Sarah Connor taught her son how to hack, because of course she does.

John keeps the photo of Sarah in his backpack, awwww. John is so not impressed by his mother, calls her crazy because she took the war to Cyberdyne and WENT BACK AND TRIED TO BLOW UP THE COMPUTER FACTORY AGAIN AFTER KYLE DIED!! (and her son was born)

Q: what did she do with John while she did that? Was he outside waiting for her somewhere? How did the police find him??

It doesn't matter who your parents are, EVERY teenager thinks their parents are "total losers". John has a chip on his shoulder a mile wide. His little punk friend thinks Sarah is so cool, and he doesn't know any of this, so I guess they're not THAT good friends??? Since it's John's motorcycle, John's driving, and John's stolen money, I guess the little unnamed punk friend is only hanging out with John because John is so much cooler than him, and needs someone to exposit to??

That shot of a drugged Sarah slumped over her knees on her bed in the shaft of sunlight, with her hair combed is SO BEAUTIFUL, too bad she's a drugged shadow of her usual self...

OH MY GOD, MICHAEL BIEHN IS IN THIS MOVIE, AND HE COMES TO HER, AND HE'S WEARING HIS TRENCH COAT AND TELLING HER SHE HAS TO WAKE UP OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG MY SHIPPER HEART asfhgfkgkfdgjkfdlgf *incoherent screaming* I need a thousand GIF sets of this scene PRONTO.

Kyle: "Where's our son???"

god, Sarah's EYES when she says they took him from her

Kyle is so earnest, so desperate, so much less bedraggled than he ever was in T1... god, he's even wearing that stupid gown under his trench coat that he got in the police station in T1, that detail wrecks me, oh my god, oh my god, this scene is so beautiful, I just want an entire movie of THIS, oh my god...

Sarah is begging Kyle for help, and he grabs her shoulders and tells her she's strong, stronger than she ever thought she could be, LIKE HE'S ALWAYS DONE, OH MY GOD, beautiful cinnamon roll, too good for this world, I love him.

AHHHHHHHHHHH, and then he says "On your feet, soldier!" which is what she said to HIM right before he DIED, and he forces her UP and they EMBRACE and she's sobbing into his shoulder and he hells her he loves her and he always will, and HKGKSFJALFNDBJNJN

I am a melting pile of shipper goo right now, this shot of them in the sunlight is so fucking beautiful, James Cameron HOW DARE YOU THIS IS EVERYTHING I WANTED IN A MOVIE EXCEPT THAT KYLE IS STILL DEAD, DAMN IT, YOU DIDN'T RETCON THAT.

He says he'll always be with her... and he is, because he's a voice in her head, a memory.... ahhhhhhhh my heart...

And he tells her "The future is not set. There is no fate but what we make for ourselves," which is what SHE SAID TO HIM, oh my GODDDDDDDD.

And they hug and kiss and I could watch a whole movie about this, and then she slumps back and she's alone in her cell in a shaft of sunlight and I just want to cry. whhhhhyyyyy do you have to hurt me this way, why, why why why why whyyyyyy?

Oh wait, he's at the door to the cell, and it's open, telling her there's not much time... and walking away, and she goes out to follow him as he's walking down the hall and everything's so eerily perfect white and shiny and beautiful and SURREAL, fuck, I am so HERE FOR THIS!

God, this is all beautifully shot as she chases after him - and we get a good view of her amazing forearm muscles without objectifying her. The nightgown she's wearing is NOT standard institutional outfit - it looks more like lingerie than State Mental Hospital Standard Issue - but it's not especially revealing, either.

She opens the doors and she's outside and there's that playground again with all the children playing... SYMBOLISM AGAIN.... Sarah is locked out, away from the children, yelling to save them... and then fire.

And she wakes up in her cell and her hair is a mess again, so this time we know it's real -- and her outfit's changed, too, back to the tank top she was originally wearing, so I guess her outfit was part of the dream, too.

(ngl, I wasn't expecting even THIS MUCH of Michael Biehn in this movie, so I will happily take it, but stilllllllll... I WANT MORE, GODDAMN IT!!!)

(this got long, so I’m breaking it up into parts)

[smoulderingocean]

jane the virgin!

Awesomesauce! Sorry it took so long to answer, the formatting was being a pain. 

-My all-time ultimate fave character: Michael, easily! He’s sweet, considerate, passionate, romantic, and dorky. He’s almost everything I’d want in a partner/boyfriend/future husband. 

-A character I didn’t used to like but now do: Hmm… Petra perhaps. 

-A character I used to like but now don’t: Another difficult one to answer, but I guess Rafael? I didn’t really like him much ever, but I don’t like him at all anymore. 

-A character I’m indifferent about: Luisa I suppose. She’s had so little development and is by far the largest caricature on the show. I’d had hope that her moment with Rogelio would cause her to develop, but that never happened. Even though I don’t care for Rafael, he at least had the interesting co-parenting and blended family dynamic with Jane and Michael, and Petra. 

-A character who deserved better: Before Michael died, I would have said Luisa, but considering he was killed off for no real reason, Michael deserves way better (and by extension, Jane and the rest of their family)

-Aship I’ve never been able to get into: Jane/Rafael, easily. I didn’t like them at the beginning and I sure as shit don’t like them now. 

-A ship I’ve never been able to get over: Michael and Jane! They deserved their content life together; a big, happy, close knit family that travels to the mountains every year, adopts cats from animals shelters, grows together as they face normal difficulties, and is filled with deep love, long after Jane and Michael pass away. Of course now that Michael is dead, we’re never going to get that big beautiful blended family that spends vacations in the snow and cuddles with cute kitties and adapts to life challenges as they grow old together. Damnit, I just want Jane’s little fantasy to mostly come true! (Obviously I want some things to be different, like unexpected twins meaning they have four children instead of three and one of their jobs taking them further from extended family than they’d like so they have to carefully plan those important visits, and other normal stuff like that that shows life doesn’t always go as planned). 

-Acute, low-key ship: Luisa/Susanna when Susanna appeared to be a real person who was healthy and treated Luisa well. 

-An unpopular ship but I still enjoyed it: Jane and Michael always seemed to be fairly unpopular, so I’ll say them. 

-Aship that was totally wrong and never should have happened: Luisa/Rose. So, so, so abusive. There’s just so much wrong with this that I don’t know where to begin. I just wish that after Michael was shot by Rose after she lied to Luisa about being Susanna, that Luisa grew a spine and worked to bring Rose down. 

-My favourite storyline/moment: A tie between the kiss in the snow and Jane and Michael’s wedding! As for storyline, I did actually like the idea of Jane being accidentally artificially inseminated and having to navigate things, even if there were times where the execution suffered. Of course Jane and Michael growing back together and falling more in love was another favourite storyline of mine. 

-A storyline that never should have been written: Michael dying, obviously. It’s already being poorly handled from what I can tell. It was just so unnecessary and the writer’s explanation for it pissed me off! Just because his death was planned early on in the show doesn’t mean that things didn’t change; that the plots developed and that characters grew in such a way that this would still make sense. Why couldn’t loving her until his very last breath mean that Michael died at a very old age, having lived a long and happy life with his soulmate? By killing him off, the show destroyed a blended family. This could have had many very interesting plots in it that would result in beautiful character development as well as a healthy number of funny moments. The show walked away from all of that because of an idea they had many seasons ago. It makes me sad and mad. 

-My first thoughts on the show: This looks really interesting and funny. I was particularly pleased with the fact that there was a character who was a virgin in her early mid-twenties and was ok with it, as was her non-virgin partner. While I’m not waiting for marriage, I feel as if the right time and person hasn’t happened yet and as such, I’m still waiting for that time and person. The initial premise of the show made me feel ok about it. Not the jokes about the character’s status, but the presence of a fully fleshed out character that happens to be a virgin. The cast being women-heavy and centric also drew me in, as I grew up an only child with a single mother like Jane. I also really did like idea of co-parenting being shown on the show, as that’s what my (and many other people’s) childhood looked like. I was also feeling down and depressed and anxious, and this show was bright and funny with the right amount of drama to help soothe me a little. 

-My thoughts now: I refuse to watch. Seeing as Michael really has died and this isn’t some massive telenovela twist, there’s not much of a point to me watching. My favourite character is dead and most of my favourite parts of the show (the growing co-parenting dynamic and blended family, Jane and Michael’s healthy relationship with it’s beautiful communication, Michael and Rogelio’s adorable and funny father-son/best friend relationship, the crime plot) have been blown to bits by Michael’s death. The only thing left that I enjoy is the matriarchal family development and bond with Jane, Xo, and Alba. I’m just really sad and angry that Michael is gone. I keep checking the tag in the hopes that he’s not really dead; that it’s an elaborate hoax that Michael did to protect his family and bring down Rose for once and for all, or, some evil plot of Rose’s, but that hasn’t happened. 

[thefeynatics-blog]

Growing Up Fey

Alex Kuchnicki

     Character traits are developed through experience, and the things we experience in our youth tend to shape our characters greatly. Growing up, or overall maturing, occurs at all stages of our lives. From childhood we are constantly learning about the world as we find ourselves in wide varieties of situations. Of course, this journey is not always smooth, and lessons are learned along the way that help us to become better people. This topic is brought up by comedian Tina Fey across several of her works, including her memoir Bossypants and her movie Mean Girls. Bossypants, as implied by the title, is about being a female boss in a male-run world, specifically in her experiences in the comedic field, but contains some stories about the early years of her life and career, while Mean Girls follows Cady Heron through high school, in which she learns the consequences of conforming to society’s expectations. Fey, through her portrayal and discussion of the awkwardness of growing up, stresses how important it is to be yourself- to be your own boss.

     One of society’s flaws that Fey reveals is the inevitable “power pyramid” that forms (Bossypants, 71). In Mean Girls, Fey recognizes a hierarchy among all of the students, with the nerds and losers at the bottom and the plastics (led by Regina George) at the top. This cinematic representation of the power pyramid is mirrored by her real life experiences described in Bossypants. Throughout her miserable time working at a Young Men’s Christian Association, she came to see class distinctions among the people there. At the bottom were the childlike residents, followed by the women who did all the work, with all topped off by “two or three of the least-useful men you ever met” (Bossypants, 71). Fey is meaning to emphasize the fact that this pyramid can be found not only in high school and the workplace but everywhere. It seems to simply be in human nature for it to form based on conflicting personalities. There are always going to be the Regina Georges of the world who feel like they look down on the entire world because they have money or a reputation, but it is important to be able to be assertive, a Cady Heron. Most people in the middle and lower classes struggle with interactions with the upper class, tending to be uncomfortably one-sided, when they should be much more confident in themselves. At the end of the day, everyone is a human being. In a Time article, the author Mary Pols examines how Tina Fey has achieved so much success: “In a flourish of her own fierce brand of feminism, Fey has decided to claim that dismissive, girly label before anyone else gives it to her” (Time, paragraph 6). Taking control of the position that you are in leads to self-assurance and does a lot more than letting other people walk all over you. Using her own experiences and the dramatized events in Mean Girls to depict the power pyramid, Fey proves how assertiveness is the way to success in the world.

     Tina Fey further discusses awkwardness along the path of maturity through learning about the importance of looks. In her personal experiences described in Bossypants as well as the setting created in Mean Girls, she portrays situations in which girls were naive about looks before being exposed to the world. In the chapter “All Girls Must Be Everything”, a young Tina Fey learns from her older cousins about society’s expectations of women when it comes to physical appearance. She writes out extremely long lists of all of the things that are considered to be unattractive before later listing out what is considered ideal- “Caucasian blue eyes, full spanish lips, a classic button nose….” (Bossypants, 23). The latter list consisted of impossibly high standards, and some of which even contradicted each other. Fey learned that there is an infinite number of things that could be wrong with one’s body, yet if you do not meet those standards, you should work to try to attain them. What she means to convey is the message that it does not matter what you look like, and that you should own your body, as she has learned to do over time. She illustrates this point in Mean Girls by showing how looks impact social standing. The Plastics are at the top of the power pyramid, due to their gift of good looks. When Cady first began high school, she had the same naivety that Fey had before being educated by her cousins. She did not know what clothes or personalities were attractive, but as she began to become plastic, she changed both of these things, becoming very unlikeable at the same time due to the way she treated others.

     Fey aligns attractiveness with this negative change in personality to put conforming to society in a bad light. Between this and her description of her youth experiences, she reveals that it is more important to simply be yourself instead of focusing on the physical expectations that society puts in place. Fey also broadens her perspective on this idea of conforming to society’s physical expectations to include the negative consequences of changing one’s morals and personality as a whole. In the chapter “Climbing Old Rag Mountain”, she talks about how she stooped in college when she was desperate for a relationship. She describes an experience with a “Handsome Robert Wuhl”, which ended up being a mistake- “Should it have been a red flag to me that these incidents would only take place under cover of night…? Absolutely… But I finally had my hands on a thin-lipped white boy” (Bossypants, 55). Despite having no true connection with him, Fey fell into a trap that many young people fall into as well. Although she knew that her relationship with him was something insubstantial, she lowered her expectations and forced herself to be ignorant to the fact that it was not a healthy relationship. Eventually, she woke up and realized she was only being used, but not before she climbed a mountain for no reason. In Mean Girls, Cady changed aspects of her life intentionally in order to provide opportunities to get with her crush, Aaron. She purposely failed math, and changed the way she acted, spoke, and dressed, becoming “plastic”- becoming a fake. When Aaron discovered Cady had failed math to have an excuse to be tutored and saw how she changed for the worse, he was angered and told her she should have just been herself. In both Fey’s real life and the reality she created in her movie, the girl’s choice to lower her personal standards for love, and in both cases, the situation ended badly.

    A review about Mean Girls from The Guardian by Priya Elan that discusses plot and themes states “This battle for ‘social acceptance by any means necessary’ is something that continues to be played out in real life” (paragraph 5). The power pyramid that forms in high schools is reflected out in the world. The physical characteristics that are determined as attractive by society that youth are exposed to from older siblings and the media help to create the power pyramid, as they establish looks as a determining factor of social standing. The changing of morals due to a certain situation can be found not only in high school and college but also in the adult world, in which people may maintain a false persona to appear more attractive (not only physically) to others. These topics that Tina Fey addresses in regard to the awkward journey of maturing are things that not only young people struggle with. They are problems that can be seen in the rest of the world as well. Yet her message remains the same- it is important to be yourself and to be wary of how society shapes you, because in her experiences and those of Cady Heron, conforming to society ended poorly.

Sources:

Mean Girls

Bossypants

Mean Girls Article:  Elan, Priya. “Why Tina Fey's Mean Girls is a movie classic.” The Guardian, Guardian News and Media, 29 Jan. 2013, www.theguardian.com/film/shortcuts/2013/jan/29/tina-feys-mean-girls-movie-classic.

Bossypants Article:  Pols, Mary. “You're Not the Boss of Her: Tina Fey's New Memoir.” Time, Time Inc., 4 Apr. 2011, content.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2063866,00.html.

[andreizanescu]

I’ve been buzzing about Wonder Woman since Thursday’s showing and after being asked by a few of you to talk about it, I’ve decided to write an opinion piece. First off though, I’m not the voice that really matters on this. There are a number of incredibly moving reactions like Alicia Lutes’ review for Nerdist, or Susana Polo’s Polygon review of where Wonder Woman stands in the genre, or even Tasha Robinson’s more industry oriented analysis. I’d also give a particularly close read to Emily Gaudette’s piece on body image in the film, written for Inverse Entertainment. There are so many reviews and opinions coming out, written by the film’s intended public and that’s who we should listen to first and foremost.

For reference: http://nerdist.com/wonder-woman-no-mans-land-scene/ https://www.polygon.com/2017/5/30/15675084/wonder-woman-review https://www.theverge.com/2017/6/2/15728630/wonder-woman-review-gal-gadot-dc-extended-universe-patty-jenkins https://www.inverse.com/article/32457-wonder-woman-amazon-army-themyscira-comics If you’re still reading this after checking out those pieces, then awesome! Prepare for a spoiler-laden discussion. Seriously, I’m recommending you go see the movie before reading anything else. Go see it because it’s an amazing movie. Go see it because it supports the inclusion of women in the industry’s leadership and production roles. Go see it because we need more movies like it. Go see it. Everything hereafter is a risky read.

                            ---Production Spoilers---

If I had to describe Wonder Woman in one word, it would be “triumphant”. The film’s tone is one that meshes together an active and infectious optimism, with the courage to open yourself up to suffering and empathy. It is at its heart a movie about understanding the conflicts around us for what they really are, and to begin dismantling the systems of thought that produce them. I suppose though, I should give a quick rundown of more production related aspects.In terms of directing, Patty Jenkins hit a home run. Every single scene is crisp, well shot, well cut and laden with color. Even the dreary grays and browns of London and the Belgium front are incredibly deep. Each locations feels choked by pollution and industry or caked in mud and rain in the Western Front. The feeling of misery and hopelessness is conveyed without even needing to tell you what’s happening. As for Themyscira, the island is the complete opposite. Portrayed as an ageless paradise, the island is lush with greenery, beaches, ancient marble temples and magical pools of water. Jenkins’ selections of what to portray and in what way preemptively sets the tone for the entire film and prepares the viewers.

The casting also works on so many levels. Gadot’s portrayal of Wonder Woman is the rock that the film gravitates around and never falters. With standout supporting performances by Robin Wright as Antiope (as one of the most badass characters I’ve ever seen) and Connie Nielsen as the stern but wise Queen Hippolyta. Danny Huston and David Thewlis as military characters also portray mirror images of each other, as though both characters are one decision from each other’s positions, emphasizing the arbitrary nature of war. Elena Anaya as Isabel Maru and Lucy Davis as Etta Candy ground the movie by filling out the stellar cast. Chris Pine’s casting as Steve Trevor also does wonders for the movie. By casting a strong actor as the supporting role to Wonder Woman, the entire classic structure of lead and support is discussed. I’d argue that although Pine is clearly the secondary character, the way his character is portrayed brings to light how poorly women have traditionally been treated in their supporting roles. This in turn gives storytellers new ideas about how to portray these roles in the future, in much more sensitive and respectful ways.

We should also take a moment to talk about Rupert Gregson-Williams soundtrack, which is nothing short of a masterpiece. In twelve years, since Batman Begins’ release, not one film has managed to create a unique sound for its character. Gregson-Williams takes the core theme created by Zimmer and Junkie XL for Batman v. Superman and refines it by a number of degrees. The theme is deconstructed and recomposed across the album. From No Man’s Land, to Wonder Woman’s Wrath and finally to Action Reaction the theme grows and changes along with the character, while always remaining recognizable. If anything, this is the theme I’d peg for long term longevity in the genre. The soundtrack doesn’t always hit hard though, and some of the softer tracks inflect a haunting sensation or a lingering nostalgia for more innocent moments in the film. I’ve been listening to the album ever since going to the screening and every time it brings to mind specific moments and almost gets me immediately back in that theater seat. There is no higher praise for a film soundtrack.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WL1wfOnvM8s

                                 ---Story Spoilers--- The only way I can talk about the story is through my own perspective and that is very much note the perspective of the intended audience. The story of the movie speaks to me as a lover of Greek mythology, period pieces about the Great War and an avid superhero fan. This film, it feels to me like, speaks directly to women and to minorities, but also to all people who are trapped living in world where one’s own optimism and desire for harmony is constantly assailed by systems of thought that seem needlessly cruel and arbitrary. Diana’s journey felt harrowing to me. Having already seen her in Batman v. Superman, we knew her as a jaded heroine who had retreated for the modern world, disappointed at the recurrence of war and misery. In a sense, the viewer met a character who felt that she had failed her quest to save the world. This film presents Diana from her early childhood to her first days as a superhero. The film skews bittersweet because in many ways, the viewer knows where the story ends. What I was not prepared for was the extent to which the journey would be a touching and hopeful tale about fallibility and failure. Diana is a naive and hopeful crusader for justice. Bent on ending the war with what seems like an implausible method, she sets off with Trevor in tow. What follows is a series of conflicts in which the audience can’t help but cheer for Wonder Woman’s choices. The No Man’s Land scene is an incredibly touching scene that will remain with me for a long while. 

As someone whose family served in the Great War (my great-grandfather), I’ve heard stories about the despair and helplessness of soldiers and civilians alike. When confronted with that helplessness though, Diana does what we wish as the audience that we could do in real life: Act. There is a beautiful simplicity in the vulnerable act of resistance. For each one of those scenes in the film, I found myself cheering and wishing that she would win, no matter how impossible or naive. What I found was that it wasn’t Diana who was naive as a character, but Trevor (whom I greatly relate to) who was cynical. Diana was not being heroic for the sake of a cause or an ideal. She was heroic simply because she is good, because human suffering is repulsive to her that she would do anything to see it stop.

In contrast, Steve Trevor’s story spoke a great deal to me. His origin point is as a spy, a tried and tested soldier who believes that war should be stopped, but is hampered by real world considerations. Trevor’s journey was first to understand that long term victories matter, but so do all the small instances of human kindness. Saving a few villagers becomes as important as defeating the god of war, or ensuring the armistice. His second arc is also coming to a point where he understand that everyone is responsible for the misery around us, as they are responsible for compassion. His realizations run counter to the patronizing reality that armistice debased and forced certain peoples to bear the weight of the war, while the victors washed their hands of the acts they had committed in the quest for peace. Trevor’s journey to understanding that the allies are not necessarily any better than the Central Powers. 

In Ares we see perhaps the most striking figure of evil and callousness. In fact, in many movies Ares wouldn’t even qualify as a villain. His choices are pragmatic. Offer choice and the path to power, and then watch humanity kill itself. His point of view is that humanity has the potential for destruction and therefore that destruction is a foregone conclusion. This is the rhetoric of many political leaders today and should come as no surprise to viewers. Ares appears as a war profiteer professing to be the god of truth and that the truth is that humanity is ugly, selfish, and violent and embodies a boundless death drive. As Diana’s foil, Ares allows us to understand the importance of optimism and compassion in the face of horrors that occur across the globe.

Wonder Woman is a heartening tale of the power of understanding, empathy and courage in the face of systems of oppression and profiteering. It’s a movie about the need to fight callousness which oftentimes feels like a needed shell in the face of injustice and helplessness. It is a tale about vulnerability and failure that left me cheering. Every act of resistance and every moment of shock that Diana displays is what I wish we engaged in every day for the people who aren’t able to do so. Films like Wonder Woman are important and they are timely. Don’t take my word for it though. Go see the film and read what’s been written by those that the movie champions.