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silent-era-of-cinema · 4 years

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Ida Estelle Taylor (May 20, 1894 – April 15, 1958) was an American actress, singer, model, and animal rights activist. With "dark-brown, almost black hair and brown eyes," she was regarded as one of the most beautiful silent film stars of the 1920s.

After her stage debut in 1919, Taylor began appearing in small roles in World and Vitagraph films. She achieved her first notable success with While New York Sleeps (1920), in which she played three different roles, including a "vamp." She was a contract player of Fox Film Corporation and, later, Paramount Pictures, but for the majority of her career she freelanced. She became famous and was commended by critics for her portrayals of historical women in important films: Miriam in The Ten Commandments (1923), Mary, Queen of Scots in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924), and Lucrezia Borgia in Don Juan (1926).

Although she made a successful transition to sound films, she retired from film acting in 1932 and decided to focus entirely on her singing career. She was also active in animal welfare before her death from cancer in 1958. She was posthumously honored in 1960 with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in the motion pictures category.

Ida Estelle Taylor was born on May 20, 1894 in Wilmington, Delaware. Her father, Harry D. Taylor (born 1871), was born in Harrington, Delaware. Her mother, Ida LaBertha "Bertha" Barrett (November 29, 1874 – August 25, 1965), was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and later worked as a freelance makeup artist. The Taylors had another daughter, Helen (May 19, 1898 – December 22, 1990), who also became an actress. According to the 1900 census, the family lived in a rented house at 805 Washington Street in Wilmington. In 1903, Ida LaBertha was granted a divorce from Harry on the ground of nonsupport; the following year, she married a cooper named Fred T. Krech.[9] Ida LaBertha's third husband was Harry J. Boylan, a vaudevillian.

Taylor was raised by her maternal grandparents, Charles Christopher Barrett and Ida Lauber Barrett. Charles Barrett ran a piano store in Wilmington, and Taylor studied piano. Her childhood ambition was to become a stage actress, but her grandparents initially disapproved of her theatrical aspirations. When she was ten years old she sang the role of "Buttercup" in a benefit performance of the opera H.M.S. Pinafore in Wilmington. She attended high school but dropped out because she refused to apologize after a troublesome classmate caused her to spill ink from her inkwell on the floor. In 1911, she married bank cashier Kenneth M. Peacock. The couple remained together for five years until Taylor decided to become an actress. She soon found work as an artists' model, posing for Howard Pyle, Harvey Dunn, Leslie Thrasher, and other painters and illustrators.

In April 1918, Taylor moved to New York City to study acting at the Sargent Dramatic School. She worked as a hat model for a wholesale millinery store to earn money for her tuition and living expenses. At Sargent Dramatic School, she wrote and performed one-act plays, studied voice inflection and diction, and was noticed by a singing teacher named Mr. Samoiloff who thought her voice was suitable for opera. Samoiloff gave Taylor singing lessons on a contingent basis and, within several months, recommended her to theatrical manager Henry Wilson Savage for a part in the musical Lady Billy. She auditioned for Savage and he offered her work as an understudy to the actress who had the second role in the musical. At the same time, playwright George V. Hobart offered her a role as a "comedy vamp" in his play Come-On, Charlie, and Taylor, who had no experience in stage musicals, preferred the non-musical role and accepted Hobart's offer.

Taylor made her Broadway stage début in George V. Hobart's Come-On, Charlie, which opened on April 8, 1919 at 48th Street Theatre in New York City. The story was about a shoe clerk who has a dream in which he inherits one million dollars and must make another million within six months. It was not a great success and closed after sixteen weeks. Taylor, the only person in the play who wore red beads, was praised by a New York City critic who wrote, "The only point of interest in the show was the girl with the red beads." During the play's run, producer Adolph Klauber saw Taylor's performance and said to the play's leading actress Aimee Lee Dennis: "You know, I think Miss Taylor should go into motion pictures. That's where her greatest future lies. Her dark eyes would screen excellently." Dennis told Taylor what Klauber said, and Taylor began looking for work in films. With the help of J. Gordon Edwards, she got a small role in the film A Broadway Saint (1919). She was hired by the Vitagraph Company for a role with Corinne Griffith in The Tower of Jewels (1920), and also played William Farnum's leading lady in The Adventurer (1920) for the Fox Film Corporation.

One of Taylor's early successes was in 1920 in Fox's While New York Sleeps with Marc McDermott. Charles Brabin directed the film, and Taylor and McDermott play three sets of characters in different time periods. This film was lost for decades, but has been recently discovered and screened at a film festival in Los Angeles. Her next film for Fox, Blind Wives (1920), was based on Edward Knoblock's play My Lady's Dress and reteamed her with director Brabin and co-star McDermott. William Fox then sent her to Fox Film's Hollywood studios to play a supporting role in a Tom Mix film. Just before she boarded the train for Hollywood, Brabin gave her some advice: "Don't think of supporting Mix in that play. Don't play in program pictures. Never play anything but specials. Mr. Fox is about to put on Monte Cristo. You should play the part of Mercedes. Concentrate on that role and when you get to Los Angeles, see that you play it."

Taylor traveled with her mother, her canary bird, and her bull terrier, Winkle. She was excited about playing Mercedes and reread Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo on the train. When she arrived in Hollywood, she reported to Fox Studios and introduced herself to director Emmett J. Flynn, who gave her a copy of the script, but warned her that he already had another actress in mind for the role. Flynn offered her another part in the film, but she insisted on playing Mercedes and after much conversation was cast in the role. John Gilbert played Edmond Dantès in the film, which was eventually titled Monte Cristo (1922). Taylor later said that she, "saw then that he [Gilbert] had every requisite of a splendid actor." The New York Herald critic wrote, "Miss Taylor was as effective in the revenge section of the film as she was in the first or love part of the screened play. Here is a class of face that can stand a close-up without becoming a mere speechless automaton."

Fox also cast her as Gilda Fontaine, a "vamp", in the 1922 remake of the 1915 Fox production A Fool There Was, the film that made Theda Bara a star. Robert E. Sherwood of Life magazine gave it a mixed review and observed: "Times and movies have changed materially since then [1915]. The vamp gave way to the baby vamp some years back, and the latter has now been superseded by the flapper. It was therefore a questionable move on Mr. Fox's part to produce a revised version of A Fool There Was in this advanced age." She played a Russian princess in the film Bavu (1923), a Universal Pictures production with Wallace Beery as the villain and Forrest Stanley as her leading ma

One of her most memorable roles is that of Miriam, the sister of Moses (portrayed by Theodore Roberts), in the biblical prologue of Cecil B. DeMille's The Ten Commandments (1923), one of the most successful films of the silent era. Her performance in the DeMille film was considered a great acting achievement. Taylor's younger sister, Helen, was hired by Sid Grauman to play Miriam in the Egyptian Theatre's onstage prologue to the film.

Despite being ill with arthritis, she won the supporting role of Mary, Queen of Scots in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924), starring Mary Pickford. "I've since wondered if my long illness did not, in some measure at least, make for realism in registering the suffering of the unhappy and tormented Scotch queen," she told a reporter in 1926.

She played Lucrezia Borgia in Don Juan (1926), Warner Bros.' first feature-length film with synchronized Vitaphone sound effects and musical soundtrack. The film also starred John Barrymore, Mary Astor and Warner Oland. Variety praised her characterization of Lucrezia: "The complete surprise is the performance of Estelle Taylor as Lucretia [sic] Borgia. Her Lucretia is a fine piece of work. She makes it sardonic in treatment, conveying precisely the woman Lucretia is presumed to have been."

She was to have co-starred in a film with Rudolph Valentino, but he died just before production was to begin. One of her last silent films was New York (1927), featuring Ricardo Cortez and Lois Wilson.

In 1928, she and husband Dempsey starred in a Broadway play titled The Big Fight, loosely based around Dempsey's boxing popularity, which ran for 31 performances at the Majestic Theatre.

She made a successful transition to sound films or "talkies." Her first sound film was the comical sketch Pusher in the Face (1929).

Notable sound films in which she appeared include Street Scene (1931), with Sylvia Sidney; the Academy Award for Best Picture-winning Cimarron (1931), with Richard Dix and Irene Dunne; and Call Her Savage (1932), with Clara Bow.

Taylor returned to films in 1944 with a small part in the Jean Renoir drama The Southerner (released in 1945), playing what journalist Erskine Johnson described as "a bar fly with a roving eye. There's a big brawl and she starts throwing beer bottles." Johnson was delighted with Taylor's reappearance in the film industry: "[Interviewing] Estelle was a pleasant surprise. The lady is as beautiful and as vivacious as ever, with the curves still in the right places." The Southerner was her last film.

Taylor married three times, but never had children. In 1911 at aged 17, she married a bank cashier named Kenneth Malcolm Peacock, the son of a prominent Wilmington businessman. They lived together for five years and then separated so she could pursue her acting career in New York. Taylor later claimed the marriage was annulled. In August 1924, the press mentioned Taylor's engagement to boxer and world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey. In September, Peacock announced he would sue Taylor for divorce on the ground of desertion. He denied he would name Dempsey as co-respondent, saying "If she wants to marry Dempsey, it is all right with me." Taylor was granted a divorce from Peacock on January 9, 1925.

Taylor and Dempsey were married on February 7, 1925 at First Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. They lived in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Her marriage to Dempsey ended in divorce in 1931.

Her third husband was theatrical producer Paul Small. Of her last husband and their marriage, she said: "We have been friends and Paul has managed my stage career for five years, so it seemed logical that marriage should work out for us, but I'm afraid I'll have to say that the reason it has not worked out is incompatibility."

In her later years, Taylor devoted her free time to her pets and was known for her work as an animal rights activist. "Whenever the subject of compulsory rabies inoculation or vivisection came up," wrote the United Press, "Miss Taylor was always in the fore to lead the battle against the measure." She was the president and founder of the California Pet Owners' Protective League, an organization that focused on finding homes for pets to prevent them from going to local animal shelters. In 1953, Taylor was appointed to the Los Angeles City Animal Regulation Commission, which she served as vice president.

Taylor died of cancer at her home in Los Angeles on April 15, 1958, at the age of 63. The Los Angeles City Council adjourned that same day "out of respect to her memory." Ex-husband Jack Dempsey said, "I'm very sorry to hear of her death. I didn't know she was that ill. We hadn't seen each other for about 10 years. She was a wonderful person." Her funeral was held on April 17 in Pierce Bros. Hollywood Chapel. She was interred at Hollywood Forever Cemetery, then known as Hollywood Memorial Park Cemetery.

She was survived by her mother, Ida "Bertha" Barrett Boylan; her sister, Helen Taylor Clark; and a niece, Frances Iblings. She left an estate of more than $10,000, most of it to her family and $200 for the care and maintenance of her three dogs, which she left to her friend Ella Mae Abrams.

Taylor was known for her dark features and for the sensuality she brought to the films in which she appeared. Journalist Erskine Johnson considered her "the screen's No. 1 oomph girl of the 20s." For her contribution to the motion picture industry, Estelle Taylor was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame at 1620 Vine Street in Hollywood, California.

#estelle taylor #silent era #silent hollywood #silent movie stars #golden age of hollywood #classic movie stars #1920s hollywood #1930s hollywood #1940s hollywood

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princesssarisa · 4 years

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Fictional character ask: King Lear.

Favorite thing about them: The compassion for others he develops after his power is stripped away. It’s emphasized less than the general humility he learns, but it’s his most admirable quality.

Least favorite thing about them: His treatment of his daughters. Not just Cordelia, although his rejection of her at the beginning is appalling, but Goneril and Regan too. Yes, they’re villains and they treat him terribly, but they’re still his daughters, whom he raised: I would sympathize with him more if he acknowledged his own role in driving them to evil, instead of just spewing curses and venom at them and only blaming himself for begetting them in the first place. If there’s one thing about Shakespeare’s plays that depresses me, it’s how quickly and easily the parent characters in them, especially the fathers, can switch from blind love to blind hate (and sometimes back again, but not always) toward their own children.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I'm a passionate person.

*I have a temper, though I try to control it.

*I'm neurodivergent. (though autism ≠ mental illness)

Three things I don't have in common with them:

*I'm not royalty.

*I'm not elderly.

*I'm not a parent.

Favorite line: His speech on the heath about the suffering of the poor and homeless:

Poor naked wretches, whereso'er you are, That bide the pelting of this pitiless storm, How shall your houseless heads and unfed sides, Your loop'd and window'd raggedness, defend you From seasons such as these? O, I have ta'en Too little care of this! Take physic, pomp; Expose thyself to feel what wretches feel, That thou mayst shake the superflux to them, And show the heavens more just.

brOTP: With the Fool and Kent.

OTP: None.

nOTP: With any of his daughters.

Random headcanon: I’m afraid this isn’t my own original one, it’s Ian McKellen’s, but I like it: He was married twice and widowed twice. His first marriage, to Goneril and Regan’s mother, was a loveless political match, while his second, to Cordelia’s mother, was a true love match. This is why Cordelia is his favorite daughter and it also gave Goneril and Regan a miserable childhood that shaped them into who they are.

Unpopular Opinion: I don’t think his ending is so unbearably sad and cruel. I know this is spiteful of me because his treatment of his daughters viscerally upsets me, but I don’t root for him to live happily ever after in Cordelia’s care. All the suffering, bloodshed and tragedy in the play are the result of his own actions and he needs to pay the ultimate price for them by losing Cordelia and then dying himself.

Song I associate with them: None to speak of.

Favorite picture of them:

Laurence Olivier, 1983.

Derek Jacobi, 2010.

And especially for @cinefantastiquemitho, Ian Holm, 1998.

#fictional character ask #king lear #shakespeare #fictional characters #william shakespeare #character ask #ask game

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bollywoodirect · 5 years

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"The first time I won a Medal in school, which was in 3rd grade. I came home running to show it to my mother. I was very excited. Very sad, she wasn't there. The first time I'm getting an award, a major award in film industry... And she's still not here. So this one goes out to her. This one's for you mom." It was an actor's winning speech after he won his very first award in Bollywood. The name of that actor is - Shah Rukh Khan.. This name has more than 800 million of world-wide fan following behind it. I've seen madness for him even in America's theatres. There are many actors. We have Aamir Khan contemporary with him. He chooses scripts wisely. Every piece of his work is chosen after considering many things. We can see his movies being successful in most of the cases. Shah Rukh isn't like that. He himself said-- "I have never done anything in life thinking about the result. When I get succeeded I remember it, and forget the failure. I follow whatever my mind says, whatever it asks me to do. There is nothing to claim as only my own. My life is like an open book. I'm a see through person." The biggest proof of the phrase- "self-made" is Shah Rukh. Perhaps that's the reason to be fond of him the most. He walked into industry after getting married to Gauri and we've not heard any rumor or scandal about him, and probably we will never. In cricket- Tendulkar, and in Bollywood- SRK - same feeling we get. Who would have thought that the kid who used to chew nuts in front of Mumbai’s Jubilee Cinema Hall would become The Shah Rukh Khan some day? He sold his Pentax camera for ten thousand rupee to come to Mumbai from Delhi in search of Gauri after falling for her. He walked on the roads of Mumbai to find her, slept on the park-benches. At his young age, he worked as a spot boy in one of Pankaj Udas's concert only for 50 rupee as payment. That was his first income. He spent that money to buy train ticket to visit the Tajmahal. His payment for the movie "Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa" was only 6000 rupee. That same Shah Rukh has some sort of six or seven hundred million dollar as his bank balance now. He Started playing antagonist roles in movies like 'Darr' & 'Baazigar'. From being a spine-shivering villain to play a romantic character like Raj in 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge' and making the character immortal - he established himself. Since the release of the movie it has been showed for more than 20 years at Maratha Mandir Theatre. Can anyone ever forget the scene where Raj pulls Simran on the running train in their first meeting? According to TIME magazine, at present Shah Rukh is the biggest superstar on earth; excelling names like Leonardo, Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise, Robert Downey Junior from Hollywood. Teaching people how to love is the toughest thing to do. Shah Rukh has done it with ease in each one of his movies. He has taught the youngsters anew the definition of love. We show him box-office figures when he goes for movies with stronger scripts. On the contrary, when his movies shake the box-office, like hypocrites we talk about scripts and acting. He smokes two packets of cigarettes each day. Everyone has complaints about it. Shah Rukh has said in this regard, "When I go through stressful situations, I smoke cigarettes. This life is my own. I think I need cigarettes to live." He has a mind of child still now. He has done amazing job as a responsible husband and father. He has bought the Kolkata Knight Riders only because his son likes cricket. Despite losing many times this team used to make profit most. He used to come to watch the matches. We've seen him crying and wiping his tears off when his team would lose. His emotions are authentic, and translucent. Everyday thousand of his fans gather in front of his house 'Mannat'. Everyday after waking up he waves at his fans at first. Whatever happens, Shah Rukh's poster will still be there on the wall of every nineties born romantic boy's or girl's room who has watched 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai' after falling in love. That won't be replaced by anyone ever. His trademark pose spreading both arms, and his pit-like-dimples will keep making fans crazy.. for decade after decade. Watching over the sunglass after stopping motorcycle in 'Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge', the first scene with Rani in the opening of 'Kuch Kuch Hota Hai', spreading arms in the song 'Suraj Hua Maddham', reading the letter of prisoner number 786 standing in the court in 'Veer Zara', waiting in front of Rani's house for hours in 'Chalte Chalte', the 'Sattar minutes' speech from 'Chak de! India', the scene where he's reading out from the empty pages for Preity in 'Kal Ho Naa Ho', the entry of Raj by pulling his pant a bit down from waist in 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi', staring blankly at the door of Paru's palace and waiting for death in the last scene of 'Devdas', the dialogue - "Kabhi kabhi kuch jeetne ke liye kuch haarna bhi padta hai. Aur haar kar jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain." from 'Baazigar' --- all of these still give me goosebumps. I've been fascinated by Kevin Spacey, Tom Hanks, Edward Norton, Brad Pitt many times. Have lost interest from Bollywood after school years, but the emotions have remained the same only for my childhood superstar. In the end, I just want to say one thing, if you’re not a die-hard fan you can't comprehend the obsession. Never. Ask a blind 'Fan' what does his superstar mean to him. Ask, how does it feel to have obsession about someone as a fan. Just ask! Gratitude, for making me learn to love by spreading your arms, for turning me into an 'emotional fool'. Thanks for making my boyhood wonderful. Some day I'll be present in front of 'Mannat' for sure, holding placard in hands saying, "Happy Birthday Shah Rukh Khan!" artwork genius: Anik dhar words written by: Arif Moynuddin

#shahrukh khan #shah rukh khan #srk #king khan #bollywood #bollywoodirect

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melodiouswhite · 5 years

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Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde rewritten - Ch. 24

24. A rendezvous with a mad scientist

Jekyll could have danced all the way home.

Which was stupid, but he couldn't help himself.

After days of consideration, inner struggle and Hyde yelling at him to “JUST POP THE QUESTION ALREADY!!!”, he had finally worked up the courage to ask Utterson on a date. Just a trip to the theatre, nothing special, then dinner maybe.

And the lawyer had said yes!!!

Oh, the Doctor felt like he was walking on air!

Of course dancing in the middle of the street in broad daylight was ungentlemanly and he had a reputation to uphold. But he was just way too happy to keep it all in.

A flower girl profited from his good mood, when he bought all of her flowers.

He laughed at the way she gaped at the ten Pounds in her hand, as if they were the most magnificent thing she had seen in her entire life. Although, they probably were.

“For yer wife, Sir?”, the girl asked curiously, after a few seconds.

Jekyll smiled and shook his head. “No, I'm not married. These are to beautify my home.”

The flower girl grinned toothily. Her teeth were quite yellow, but there was life in her grin. That was the grin of someone who lived in misery, but still had hopes and dreams.

“Oh, but yer in love, right? I can tell!”, she laughed.

He chuckled and gave in. “Well, women have an eye for these things, don't they?”

The doctor took the flowers he had just purchased and cradled them in his arms.

“But don't tell anyone, young lady”, he added good-humouredly, “It's unbecoming for a gentleman at my age to-”

“One is never too old for love!”, the flower girl laughed merrily, “God bless you, Sir! And lots of luck to you!”

“Good luck to you too”, Jekyll replied and continued his way home.

“I can't believe you spent ten Pounds on an armful of roses!”, Hyde complained as soon as Jekyll was in his private rooms. “Ten Pounds! And look at these things! They're all together worth a few Shillings at best!”

Jekyll's mouth twitched upward. “My dear Edward, if I remember correctly, a certain mishap on your part cost me a hundred Pounds. So don't complain, if I use my money for something good. Besides, my home could use some decoration, don't you agree?”

Hyde groaned: “Are you rubbing this in my face again? I thought we agreed to never speak of this again!”

“And I thought we agreed to never speak of my personal spendings, Edward Hyde. You're in no position to complain to me about it, young man, you live on my wealth”, Jekyll retorted and sat behind his desk. There was work to do.

Hyde grumbled something under his breath.

Jekyll looked up to the mirror next to him. “Now, there is no need for that kind of language.”

“Yes, there is”, the brunette in the mirror grumbled, “It makes me feel better.”

“What's agitating you anyways? And don't tell me it's the flowers and the money I spent on them, you've been like this all week.”

“Well, if you have to know!”, Hyde cried in frustration and exited the mirror to sit on his creator's desk. “First I was frustrated at how fucking long it took you to ask him out! Secondly, I really hate your lovey-dovey behaviour! I mean look at you! Swooning over your lawyer like a fifteen-year-old girl! If you have to be in love, can't you be a little less corny?!”

The blond put his pen down and frowned at the younger man. “As a matter of fact, no. Hyde, what is your real problem? My love for Gabriel never bothered you before.”

Hyde just huffed and looked away.

But it wasn't quick enough for Jekyll not to notice the look in his eyes.

The blond knew his alter ego – just like Hyde knew him – and he would have recognised that expression anywhere.

“What's so funny?”, Hyde snapped, when Jekyll chuckled quietly.

The doctor smiled at him. “I just find it amusing how you pretend not to give a damn, despite how obvious your jealousy is. You're such a brat.”

He put as much fondness in his words as possible, to get his point across.

When Hyde turned back to him, his bilious green eyes full of mirth, it was clear that he had.

“And you're a hypocritical, sentimental, old fool”, the young man retorted.

Jekyll laughed merrily: “Yes, I can't deny that I am.”

Utterson was nervous.

He had arrived at their meeting point early and the longer he was waiting, the more antsy he became. It was still another two minutes and the lawyer prayed desperately, that Jekyll wouldn't be late. The blond wasn't the type of man to be late, but Lanyon had told him about all the times Jekyll had been late to their dates or forgot them entirely. Mostly because he had been experimenting.

Oh my god, what if Henry forgot that we were supposed to-?

Before he could end that thought, the subject of his concerns came around the corner.

Oh thank God!

Jekyll looked around, saw him and approached him with hurried steps.

“Hello, Utterson”, he greeted him breathlessly, “I'm sorry for being late, I-”

“You're not late”, Utterson informed him, “You're on time. And hello to you too, Jekyll. Looking dashing, old chap.”

How he hated saying 'old chap', but they were in public and had to keep up appearances.

The Doctor was wearing a black tailor-fit fur coat with a blueish hue, a purple silk scarf, black leather gloves, his best top hat and winter boots.

Jekyll blushed lightly. “You think so? I didn't even know I still had that coat and scarf. But I found them again and since this is a special occasion I thought I might as well try them on again. You're looking quite dashing yourself, if I may say so.”

The lawyer laughed. “You're jesting!”

“No, I'm serious!”

The black-haired man was wearing a black wool coat and top hat. To that a lavender scarf and white velvet gloves.

“You look handsome”, Jekyll whispered, before saying more loudly: “Let's go. They're performing Shakespeare's 'The Tempest' tonight and I remember that this is one of your favourites! I reserved us one of the boxes, so we will have a bit of privacy, while having a good view at the same time.”

Utterson beamed at the other.

The performance was perfect.

The actors did an amazing job, the atmosphere was splendid and the effects were stunning.

And of course it helped that they had an entire box for themselves.

Jekyll couldn't help but tear his attention away from the play from time to time. Watching Utterson watch the play was almost equally interesting.

The usually aloof lawyer got completely caught up in the atmosphere. He laughed during the funny scenes, discreetly expressed his antipathy towards the villainous characters and on occasion told Jekyll what would happen next.

Which wasn't necessary.

But the Doctor suspected, that this was just how it was, when someone liked a story very much. He took it with a fond smile and pretended that he didn't already know the play as well as his love did.

Utterson was so enraptured by the performance, that Jekyll didn't bother to try to begin a conversation (which was why he had reserved a box for them in the first place).

But it was okay. At least he could look (stare) at the black-haired man without anyone noticing.

He's too handsome for his own good …

“Seriously?”, Hyde's voice piped up, “There is nothing physically remarkable about him! Well, except for his eyes, when he smiles – maybe.”

Oh shut up, Jekyll scoffed mentally, I distinctly remember, that his eyes captivated you enough that you decided, that their colour is your favourite one.

“Just do me a favour and watch the play!”, Hyde grumbled, “I can't assume my shadowy form here, so I need to see through your eyes! And because you're staring at him all the time, I'm currently bored as hell!”

Jekyll grinned, but complied. After all, Hyde had never been to the theatre in his existence and he had behaved nicely as of late. Well, nicely by Hyde's standards.

In the darkness of the theatre, Utterson hadn't been able to make out, what Jekyll was wearing under his coat. But here in the restaurant, it was light enough for him to see that he was wearing an adorned, indigo waistcoat over a white shirt and-

“Don't. Say. A word”, Jekyll warned, when he noticed the lawyer smirking at his bow tie. It was the purple one Lanyon had given him for Christmas.

But Utterson couldn't help but remark: “Lanyon will be so delighted.”

“Not if he doesn't find out”, the blond grumbled, making the black-haired man laugh.

Oh, I will definitely tell him!, he thought gleefully.

He himself was wearing a lavender waistcoat and tie to a white shirt and blushed, when the blond complimented his attire again.

The restaurant was fancy, but not too much, which Utterson was grateful for. Jekyll had chosen well, here he didn't feel as underdressed as in the clubs where Jekyll liked to dine.

The Doctor was much richer than he himself was, as was Lanyon. Not to mention how insanely wealthy Lady Summers was. Sometimes the lawyer couldn't help but feel like he was the odd one out. Like a lowly commoner among bourgeoisie and aristocracy. It was a good thing that the three weren't as arrogant as most people of their class.

“Gabriel.”

Utterson blinked. “Yes?”

Jekyll was frowning at him. “You're moping again. Thinking about how you're so inferior to me, Lanyon and Lady Summers, because we're much richer, aren't you?”

The lawyer blushed awkwardly.

“I take that as a yes. Well, stop it. It's not true and you know it. I resent that classist thinking and I wish you wouldn't feel that way. You have no idea just how much of a gift you are.”

He blushed harder. “Oh hush, Henry.”

“Nay.”

Jekyll looked around to see if anyone could hear them.

Then he continued, more quietly: “Do you think I would love you, if I looked down on you? I'm pretty certain I wouldn't. Because in that case I would be blind to what a wonderful person you really are.”

“Sh-shut up!”, Utterson begged. If the other went on, he would die from embarrassment!

The Doctor chuckled. “Don't worry, I've said my say now. I won't embarrass you any further. I just meant to make a point.”

Utterson smiled weakly.

Now that they knew each other's secrets and feelings, Jekyll was smothering him with affection. It was almost too much to handle for the reserved lawyer. And it made him concerned. The Doctor was intensive and careless in the way he loved.

So how would Hyde – Jekyll's flaws and desires incarnate – act, if he grew attracted to him? His backhanded compliments and underhand remarks were creepy enough already. Utterson really didn't want to imagine, what that madman's definition of courting would be.

Enough, the lawyer admonished himself. Today is for Jekyll. I can continue to worry about Hyde tomorrow.

They finished their dinner, paid and left the restaurant.

Utterson accompanied Jekyll back home, much to the latter's delight.

Jekyll chose to enter his house from the backyard, where Hyde usually came and went. He was hoping that Utterson would come inside with him. But he was disappointed quickly, when the lawyer refused.

“It was a wonderful day and the offer is tempting. But I'm tired, Harry”, the black-haired man told him quietly. And he did look exhausted.

For a second, Jekyll considered offering him to stay the night.

But then he remembered, what Lady Summers had said about pushing things to the next level already. He needed to give the lawyer more time.

And so he just smiled and relented. “Of course. Good night, my dear fellow. I hope you will sleep well.”

“Likewise”, Utterson replied.

The clouds drifted away and the moonlight fell into the backyard. It illuminated Utterson's face, making it look like snow in contrast to his black hair.

He looked so gorgeous.

Oh, how badly he wanted to kiss him!

“Then do it!”, Hyde piped up, “Stop with that disgusting pining and just kiss him already, you old fool! You've wanted it for decades, so why don't you?! What holds you back? It's late and dark in here, no one will see it!”

Maybe, but has it ever occurred to you, that perhaps I have a modicum of respect for him?, Jekyll thought sarcastically.

“Sure!”, Hyde snorted, “That's why I'm such a respectful person! Because you have so much of it!”

Edward Hyde, I warn you-

“Arguing with yourself again?”, Utterson spoke up.

Jekyll blushed, caught red-handed.

“I can tell by now”, the lawyer explained, “For someone who always keeps his face in public, you have the worst poker-face. Has anyone ever told you that?”

“No, but I'm definitely going to work on it”, Jekyll muttered.

Utterson frowned. “Fine, if you insist. But not to me, Henry.”

He took his hand, making his face flush deeper. “I want you to be honest and open to me. No more secrets. Promise?”

Jekyll smiled and kissed the other's hand.

“I promise”, he said sweetly and added: “I love you. So much.”

Utterson's face flushed just as hard as his own (much to his satisfaction).

“I-I know”, he stuttered. “A-and thank you. F-for the day, I mean. It was wonderful.”

Then he squeezed the blond's hand once more, whispered good night and ran off.

Jekyll looked after him, before breaking into a huge grin and went inside.

This had been the most wonderful day and not even Hyde's frustrated nagging could ruin it now.

Utterson practically flew all the way back home, still flushed with embarrassment.

As soon as he was there, he threw himself onto his bed, grinned and sighed blessedly.

For a brief moment he wondered, if that was how youngsters felt, if the object of their affection requited their love.

Either way, the black-haired man couldn't recall, if he had ever been happier than he was now. Happiness wasn't even the word. Bliss was closer to it.

Whether his feelings were a sin or not, he thanked the Lord anyway.

What a magical day …

#The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde #Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde #Dr. Jekyll #henry jekyll #Mr. Hyde #edward hyde #Mr Utterson #Gabriel John Utterson #utterson #jekyllxutterson #shameless fluff #sorry not sorry

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gritsandbrits · 5 years

Text

Shrek OC Bio

General Info

Name: Rhodanthe

Age: 20

DOB: Unknown

Fairytale/Legend: Swan Lake

Occupation: caretaker and forager, heroine, Queen of Far Far Away (future)

Ethnicity: Romani

Physical description

- Black hair

- Light brown eyes

- Light brown skin

- Faded gray and pink dress with a brown outer corset (commoner)

- Royal Blue dress (special gown)

- Black feather gown (Princess Dress)

- Shoes (assorted)

Voice Actress: TBD (originally Jessica Biel but I might change it to an actress with Romani ancestry to make the role more authentic as well as rep)

Relationships

Family

- Parents (whereabouts unknown)

- Merlin (adopted father and guardian)

- Shrek and Fiona (parental figures and cousin in laws in the future)

- Artie (future husband)

- Mordred (future brother in law)

- Charming (future brother in law)

- Uther Pendragon (future father in law)

- King Harold (uncle in law, deceased)

- The Queen Mother Lillian (aunt in law)

Friends

- Shrek and Fiona

- Donkey

- Puss

- Merlin

- Artie

- The Princesses

- Lady Nimue (OC)

- The Green Knight (OC)

- The Black Knight (OC)

- Knights of the Round

- Other fairytale creatures (The pigs, blind mice, Wolf, Gingy, Pinocchio)

Enemies

- Uther Pendragon (major threat, finally defeated in Shrek 5)

- Charming (formerly, redeemed himself by realizing Uther's true plans and refusing to take part of them)

- Fairytale Villains (formerly)

- Rumplestiltskin (caused alternate timeline through a deal made with Uther, defeated in Shrek 4Ever After)

- Rothbart (responsible for her curse and parents's disappearance, defeated in Shrek 6)

- Mordred (intended to use her to get at Artie, defeated in Shrek 6)

Love Interest(s)

-King Arthur/Artie

- Charming (part of a ploy to trick Rothbart and Mordred, other than that there's no romance at all)

- Mordred (Artie's romantic rival, part obsessed with her and part using her as leverage against the King)

Powers and Abilities

Cursed Form: Transforming into a swan by night

Swan Maiden: After her curse was broken she gained the ability to turn into a swan at will, regardless of time. She's also granted immunity to dark magic

Personality

- Clever

- Passionate

- Sarcastic

- Empathetic

- Bit of a prankster

- Mix of tomboy and girly girl

- Even after breaking her curse she still has a taste for "swan's meal"

- Enjoys dancing, magic spells, and flying

- Dislikes strict rules, being rushed into doing things, and canines (foxes tried to eat her during her nights as a swan)

Background

When Rhodanthe was only six years old she was cursed by a jealous wizard named Rothbart reasons remaining vague to this day. Several years later she was left in Merlin's care to hide her from Lord Ffarquad (I think that's how you spell his name). For a time she struggled to adapt to being forced into a swan form every night, using developing senses to forage for food, improve her swimming skills, and communicating with other swans.

Shrek the Third

Rho js shocked she she sees Shrek showing up at her cottage with Artie asking for Merlin's help. Rho offer to help Artie learn how to be a real hero if they help her break her curseby searching for the Lady of the Lake, the one person that could help her break her curse. Together the quintet travel to three locations: barren wasteland, a giant date tree in the middle of the desert, and a mountainous region. Throughout their journey they are pursued by fairytale villains who try to attack them at every turn. The first attack happens in the barren wasteland where they are saved by the Black Knight.

Who then proceeds to chase them off.

The next location sees them trudging through the desert. That's when they see the giant date tree and climb it, eventually showing up at the giant's house and discover that the Holy Grail is hidden among his many goblets. The giant warns them that drinking water out of the wrong Grail will poison them. Artie manages to pick the right one by chosing the plainest looking cup and drinking out of it, coming away unharmed.

The third trial occurs in an abandoned mine that they discover are filled with crystal geodes. While walking around inside, they are greeted by illusions of their deepest desires: Shrek for his swamp, Donkey for his horse form, Puss for his treasures, Artie for his father's respect, and Rho for her human form. After much internal conflict all five reject the illusions, this passing this test.

Walking deeper into the mine, they find Nimue's place at the end of the cave. Nimue was Merlin's ex lover who left him before he and Rho met, and they present her with the Grail. Suddenly the Black and Green Knights show up before Nimure reveals them to be her brother and sister-in-law, who had been staying with her to avoid Lord Ffarquad's laws, something Rho knows all too well.

Nimue expresses her gratitude but tells them that Artie needs to pass one more test in order to prove himself worthy of being king. She sends them back to Far Far Away and that's where they find out what to st Charming had been doing. In an added twist Charming reveals that he had met his father for the first time and that he had been helping him take over the kingdom.

Shrek gives himself up to save the human teenagers and they escape. Donkey and Puss gets thrown in jail with Fiona and the other princesses and Rho hides out while Artie decides to just leave, feeling that he is still unworthy of taking arms against his rival.

The night of the play (Shrek's execution) the heroes plan on barging in to free him. Donkey and Puss persuade Artie to come back to help them. He and Rho makes up and decide to do a little research on how to beat the villains. By then Rho is back into a swan and she is assigned aerial patrol in case something goes wrong.

The play starts, Charming gloats about his killing of Shrek, until he gets ambushed by the freed heroes. Before long chaos erupts and though the heroes put up a good fight they are overwhelmed by the amount of villains and monsters. Just then Artie arrives and manages to talk the villains down. Charming tries to discredit him only for the younger man to ask if his father was so concerned for him, how come he was never there in his life before, or even when Charming's mother died.

Everyone is shocked by his question and Charming asks his father what was Artie talking about. Realizing that he couldn't hdie behind his lies anymore, Charming's dad reveals himself to be is none other than Uther Pendragon (Artie's real dad). He confesses that he was using Charming to get the throne having been seething in hate for years that he was passed over for a frog (Harold). He also admits to have been the one responsible for Fiona's, seeing her as an obstacle in his crusade to take the throne. Uther made up a cover story about a witch and ran off, eventually meeting Artie's mother and staying with her a few years before dumping her too. Godmother was not in on the plan as Uther had stolen one of her potions to get back at her; she had wanted for Charming and Fiona to marry naturally but Uther's actions put a wrench in her plans that she ended up spending years trying to remedy. By then Rho arrives and hides herself among the large wooden boards on the ceiling watching the confrontation with worry and interest.

Charming denies this by saying that Uther cared about him enough to support his acting career, only for him to laugh and say that he only stuck around to see if Charming inherited his mother's powers. Seeing that he didn't he tells him that he was nothing but a weak fool, easy to manipulate ans that he will be doomed to be just that: a weak-minded baby. Disheartened by his father's true intentions and words, Charming decides to finally act his age for once and tries to hand the crown back to Artie - the rightful ruler - but suddenly Uther snatches it out his hands and places it over his head. He then tries to persuade his younger to join him.

Artie rejects his father, pointing out that Shrek had been more of a father to him in a week than Uther had his whole life. Furious at the sheer audacity Uther grabs Charming's sword and tries to kill Artie. Afraid of seeing him get hurt, Rho swoops in and defends Artie from his own dad, but in the scuffle she is stabbed. Angered at such a sight, Shrek takes the sword away from Uther and corners him near the wooden tower on stage. Dragon knocks it down with her tail hoping to crush the evil former heir apparent but luckily the window goes over him and he lives, albeit shaken up and he is taken into custody.

Desperate to save his friend, Artie rushes to to the royal fountain (the same place where Harold and Lillian first met) and places her in the water. Because of her sacrifice, as well as Artie's heroic actions during the journey and the play, she is revived and reunited with her new friends.

Artie decides to stay and be king. Rho goes to Camelot to complete her classes as a mage like Merlin. After the Camelot seniors graduate, Artie inductd the Hero's Journey as a special course to see who will be a part of his new initiative: The Round Table

After his brief stint in jail Charming is pardoned and he takes over his mother's company and turns it into a beauty emporium. He used his mom's final spell to cure Rapunzel's baldness. Uther is sent to jail but while he awaits his trial he meets Rumple and they make a deal. This leads to the fourth movie, which happens differently

Shrek Forever After

Three years pass and Artie has settled into his new role as king. It is now time for the triplets' third birthday and Shrek is all but stressed between being a parent and people who just wouldn't leave him alone about his past.

Artie is pressured to get married and Rho is his first choice. But his advisors don't want him marrying a commoner, partly out of fear of having a repeat of the Harold & Uther feud. Rho meanwhile is uncomfortable with the idea of marriage and royalty, and confides in Fiona that while she does love Artie, she doesn't want to rush into a union just yet.

At the party the Roar incident happens and Shrek storms off. Rho goes to comfort him and they encounter Rumple, who try to sucker them into making a deal but they firmly say no. Undeterred by their response Rumple grins and says that it doesn't matter if they say no because somebody else already made the choice for them. Before neither of them could react Rumple casts the spell, sending the entire world upside down.

Waking up to find the timelines completely altered, Rho and Shrek found out that Uther had taken over the kingdom. They have to find their lost friends and family to stop Rumple and restore the timeline. But first they have to evade King Uther's top enforcer Black Knight (who is far more deadlier than the Black Knight from rhe main universe)

Notes

I probably wrote too much about Rho, so I'm going to leave it at that. I'll be making separate pictures for what she looks like in the fourth and fifth Shrek movies. The events of the movies occur differently because they were mediocre and needed a lot more spice to flavor them up . I added tbe three trialz to give Artie stronger characterization as well as giving Shrek, Donkey and Puss some development.

Rho is his love interest but they aren't going to get together that quickly, which makes them different than Shrek and Fiona as they got married at the end of rhe first movie. Charming survives in this AU because looking back on it, there really was no need for him to be a villain, and I was sad that he died. Considering how his father was never mentioned and how Artie's father was often brought up, you'd think they pull a twist like they're half siblings or something (which would have been an awesome if obvious twist given that they look alike). There's also won't be a love triangle, because Rho is aware that the Artie/Guinevere thing is poppycock, and that her eventual ploy with Charming is just to get the obsessive Mordred off her back.

Future

In Shrek 5 Rho and Artie are openly dating with talks of a royal wedding. Uther escapes and meets up with Rothbart (the guy who cursed Rho as a kid) and they try to ruin the young couple's future. Meanwhile there's this weird prophecy about Guinevere and Artie being soulmates but it's clear neither of them like each other in that way and Lancelot is the guy Guinevere truly loves. Lancelot gets development going from an arrogant man to someone more humble and wise.

Shrek 6 would be when Rho and Artie tie the knot, which will be the end of the "King Arthur" trilogy. I haven't yet decided on a villain, but it would probably be Mordred. Mordred has eyes for Rho but she only sees him as a friend, so yeah, Mordred will be the Hal Stewart/Titan/Tighten of the film that Rho hopes her magic will be enough to stop him! Charming being her "love interest" is just a later ploy to trick Mordred into thinking she's marrying Charming, but in reality she's with Artie and Charming, being an actor, would be playing along. She did this to get the obsessive Mordred off her back and to low key protect the kingdom while Artie is away on his adventure. I picked Mordred as the final villain because in Arthurian Legend King Arthur's story usually ends with him and Mordred fighting to the death (don't worry Artie doesn't die).

I really want to see more serious Shrek fanart and OCs beyond parody Sues and memes, which was why I spent hours and days working on Rho's backstory.

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joyofcrime-elinorhigh · 5 years

Text

Dragon Ball Super: Future Trunks Arc REVIEW:

(Warning: This review contains spoilers.)

Far from now, in a distant time.** I, Zamasu, immortal lord of the Kai’s, UNLEASHED AN UNSPEAKABLE EVIL! But a foolish Saiyan warrior, wielding a giant sword, step forth to oppose me. Before the final blow was struck he tore open a portal in time, and ran away from the future, where my evil was LAW! Now the fool seeks to return to the past, and undo the future that is Zamasu!

Gotta get back. Back to the past, stop Goku Black. Wa-Watch Out!~

Hello everybody, my name is JoyofCrimeArt, and it’s been…a while since I talked about Dragon Ball Super. Long enough that my plan to review the arcs as the English dub comes out are pretty much dead. But I’m here now, and ready to review the next chapter in the Dragon Ball saga, the “Future Trunks” arc. Which honestly, is a stupid name cause we already had a “Future Trunks” arc. It was called the Android and Cell saga. Why didn’t they just call it the “Goku Black” arc? But whatever. With each arc in Super surpassing that previous one up to this point, will this arc be able to continue the trend? That’s what I’m here find out. Also, given that this arc is a bit longer than the previous ones, I’m going to skim over or abbrev certain things for the sake of time. (Trust me, when we get to the Universe Survival Arc you’ll be glad I’m doing this.) But with all that said, let’s dive in.

The arc begins in Future Trunk’s timeline years after he defeated the androids. And…things are somehow even worse. That’s right, there world has had TWO apocalypses in the span of about thirty years or so. The few remnants of humanity have been forced into hiding as a small resistant stands to fight against this new threat. This resistance, consisting of Future Trunks, Future Bulma, and a future version of Mai of all characters, has one mission in mind. Rebuild the time machine and travel back in time to get help from the past, to help them stop this new enemy. And who is this new enemy? It’s none other than Goku. Or at least, an evil villain impersonating Goku, known as Goku Black. A name that probably sounds a lot better in Japan than it does in a country that has with a sizable black minority, like America.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GDYJO-1IhN8

…Big oof.

But let’s talk about Goku Black for a minute. Now, the idea of making a character that’s designed to be an evil Goku isn’t really anything new. (I mean look at Turles.) However what makes Goku Black, and this whole arc in general, really stand out is the mystery aspect. The whole first half of this arc is all about figuring out who, or what, Goku Black really is and where he came from? And they’re are clues hidden thought that hint towards a larger picture. While Goku Black sounds like Goku, even being played by Sean Schemmel, his cadence is nothing like Goku. His speech is more polite and flowery. Also he refers to Trunks as “mortal” and even “Saiyan” at several points, implying that he is none of those things. It opens questions and allows the audience to speculate. And speaking of voice, Sean Schemmel does an amazing job voicing Black in the dub. Managing to make it sound like Goku while also making it feel distinctly it’s own thing. It’s a really great performance.

Just as Trunks, Mai, and Bulma are about to finish the time machine, Black shows up and attacks. He kills Bulma and injures Mai, but Trunks is just barley able to escape. And while all of this is going on we keep cutting back to wacky hijinks in the present timeline. Things like the Pilaf Gang in school and Goku and Piccolo harvesting lettuces…which really clashes with the incredibly dower tone of what’s going on in Trunk’s timeline. Regardless, Trunk’s time machine arrives in Bulma’s yard. However, they’re not in the clear yet as Goku Black was able to follow them back, briefly, using a magical object known as a time ring.

Goku goes and battles Black. The fight is pretty one sided with Goku holding back, not going beyond Super Saiyan so he can gauge Black’s power and have a good fight. I want you all to remember this, as everything bad that happens in the rest of this arc wouldn’t have happened if Goku had just gone all out on Black from the beginning. After a bit of a brawl Black’s time ring flings him back to the future. But not before he’s able to damage the time machine. Whis notes that the time ring gives the wearers ability to travel between timelines, and are only meant to be worn by Supreme Kais. Not only that but Black’s energy feels remarkably similar to a Supreme Kai in training that exist in universe ten. So with this lead Goku, Whis, and Beerus head off to universe ten, leaving Trunks to explore the present.

When this arc was first announced, I have to admit I wasn’t really looking forward to it. It felt like it was just going to be a rehash of the Android and Cell arcs, with Trunks going back in time to stop another apocalypse. personally, I was fine with the idea of never seeing Future Trunks again, as it felt like his story was over. However, what kinda turned me around on this is all of these neat little interactions that we get to see, which we could only get by having Trunks travel to the “Super” era of the Dragon Ball timeline.

One of these great interactions is between Trunks and Kid Trunks. Kid Trunks forms this almost sibling-esq rivalry with his future self, which is honestly pretty fun to see. And we get the most elaborate two person love triangle ever devised. You see Kid Trunks has a crush on Mai, who’s actually a forty year old woman trapped in a child’s body. (But Kid Trunks doesn’t know this.) Mai, being an adult mentally, has a crush on Future Trunks. Meanwhile, Future Trunks has a thing for Future Mai, who’s is actually a middle aged woman trapped in a young adult body. So…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6SC-KleaUBc

We also get to see interactions like Trunks learning that Krillin married Android 18. As well as Trunks getting to meet adult Gohan. Now keep in mind, the last time Trunks saw Gohan he just unlocked Super Saiyan Two and had just completely decimated Cell. And this is what he sees when he meets him here.

Let me explain why this image is the best scene ever. We got Trunks on the left, representing all the Gohan fans out there. We got Videl being all like _“MAI BAE!” _And then we have Mr. Satan who just looks like he’s completely high on Quaaludes and is just here for the ride.

Meanwhile, Goku arrives in universe ten they meet the universes Supreme Kai, Gowasu, along with his apprentice Zamasu. Zamasu was the former North Kai of universe ten, and is now being trained to take up the role of Supreme Kai when Gowasu eventually dies. Whis senses that Zamasu’s energy feels very similar to Black’s, but they don’t wanna tip there hand just yet. So Goku challenges Zamasu to a friendly fight to see if they’re fighting styles are similar, without telling him about Black. Zamasu is hesitant to battle a mere mortal, but he complies.

Now let’s talk about Zamasu. I’ll be honest, one of the main reasons for me doing these Dragon Ball Super retrospects in the first place was just so I could have an excuse to talk about/make fun of Zamasu. Zamasu is great, and let me tell you why. Zamasu is very different from other Kai’s in a multitude of ways. Unlike the generally peaceful Kais, Zamasu has a massive disdain for mortals. He believing that they are sinful by nature, and only cause destruction. As such. he also believes that the Kai’s should take on a more hands on approach to running the universe. When you really look at it, He’s not wrong in his assumptions. The Kai’s are pretty useless in general, and it seems like SOMETHING’S always putting the universe in danger every other week or so. So his way of thinking comes from a fairly rational place.

That being said though, it’s pretty clear from the beginning that something isn’t right with Zamasu. While he doesn’t seem outright evil, he definitely doesn’t seem nice either. And given the fact that he is the only suspect in the Goku Black mystery (and the fact that he is featured so prominently in the arcs theme song.) It’s pretty clear that he is involved in one way or whatever. Usually something like this would ruin the mystery, but it actually works here. We know Zamasu is somehow tied in with Goku Black and is probably up to no good, but we don’t know exactly how. The mystery is less about finding out WHO the culprit is is as it is figuring out HOW the culprit is committing the crime, and finding proof. It’s also a refreshing change of paste to have a villain with somewhat noble intentions, at least at the start. Most antagonist in this franchise are just evil from the start for no real reason, but it’s nice seeing a characters decent into darkness. But it’s not the motivation or the mystery that makes me love Zamasu as a character. _I LOVE HIM BECAUSE HE’S SUCH A FRICKIN’ EDGE LORD! AND THE SHOW ACKNOWLEDGES IT! _Zamasu is that emo kid who thinks he knows everything about the world and believes that he is above it all. “Cause he isn’t blinded like the other idiotic mass! He’s deep man!” And it’s just to great!

Zamasu is voiced by James Marster. At first I didn’t really like the voice, as it sounded a lot older than what I was expecting. But it really grew on me as time went on. James Marster has been a massive Dragon Ball fan for much of his life. Even agreeing to play Piccolo in the Dragon Ball Evolution movie. So to see him get a chance to finally be in a piece of Dragon Ball medium that’s actually…good. He does a really stellar job, capturing the pompousness and the insanity of the character really well. His performance is one of the arcs highlights.

Zamasu fights Goku and Goku is able to beat him in his Super Saiyan 2 form. Zamasu is disgusted that he was beaten by a mortal, and silently swears revenge on Goku for besting him. However, Goku isn’t able to make any firm connections between him and Goku Black. So he, Beerus and Whis head back to Earth.

With Trunk’s time machine was destroyed Bulma and the Pilaf gang began working on repairing Cell’s old time machine from all the way back in the Cell saga, which Bulma had kept in capsule form for all these years. As they wait for the time machine to be prepared it allows Trunks and Vegeta to do some good old father-son bonding.

_See everybody, Vegeta’s great at helping people as long as he can do it by punching and threatening them!

_ While all that’s going on Beerus and Whis get a message from none other than the Omni-King himself. And for some reason, he wants to see Goku. The two are obviously worried as Zeno is capable of whipping out entire universe in an instant and Goku…is Goku. But with no real option Goku, Whis, and the Supreme Kai head off to Zeno’s palace to see what he wants. They are greeted by Zeno’s Grand Priest, who Whis confirms is one of the five strongest people in the multiverse. He leads them down to Zeno’s throne room where Zeno tells Goku what he wants. He wants a friend.

The gods are shocked, but really it makes sense. Zeno is just a little kid, and it must get lonely at the top. All the other deities fear the Omni-King due to the sheer amount of destructive power that he possesses. But Goku is the only one who’s ever treated Zeno like an actual person, due to just how kind and thick headed he is. This lack of hesitation has earned him the Omni-Kings respect. Goku tells Zeno that he can’t play with him right now, since he’s a bit preoccupied at the moment. But he says that when he’s done, he’ll find Zeno a friend that’s even better than he is. Zeno agrees and gives Goku a button that can summon him directly once Goku finds this friend. Goku puts this very obvious Checkov’s gun in his pocket for latter and arrives on Earth just as Bulma is finishing the time machine.

Now that it is fixed, Goku, Vegeta, and Trunks hop in the machine to face Black head on. They arrive and find they’re way to the resistance HQ, where Trunks is reunited with the Future Mai. But it doesn’t take long for them to encounter Goku Black, who through a combination of zenkai boost, and getting a better handle on Goku’s body, is much stronger than he was during his first encounter with Goku. He’s even able to transform into his own twisted version of Super Saiyan Blue known as Super Saiyan Rose.

Vegeta, ready to beat up anyone who looks like Goku, attacks Black. And as we know, every time Vegeta fights the arc’s main antagonist, it-it usually goes really well for him, so we shouldn’t have anything to worry about-

_VEGETA! You’re suppose to learn from your past mistakes! _

And if all that wasn’t bad enough, a time portal opens up in the sky revealing Zamasu. Or at least, a future version of Zamasu with potara and a time ring. That’s right, Zamasu isn’t Black, he’s working with Black. (Or so it seems at least.) The three try to battle the duo in a really well done fight scene, but they notice something about this version of Zamasu. No matter how much damage they inflict on him, he just heals from it seconds after. He’s somehow invincible. This, coupled with Goku Black’s new power, is simply to much for our heroes to handle. Luckily, they’re able to just barley about the escape in the time machine in the nick of time due to Mai distracting Zamasu and Black.

Meanwhile, the present version of Zamasu is becoming more and more fascinated with Goku. Gowasu is as well, and even does some research on him on Godtube. The actual thing that actually exist in this universe and is an important plot point. That’s right, apparently the entire Universe Six tournament was actually live streamed this entire time!. Though I can’t speak to the validity of Godtube as a platform. Heard they’re copyright system is pretty bad.

Dang it, Toei!

Zamasu see’s Super Saiyan Blue Goku’s fight with Hit and is furious that a mortal like Goku is able to achieve such Godly powers. And it’s at this point that you realize that Zamasu is really just the Frank Grimes of the Dragon Ball franchise. And Goku is _Homer. And I’m okay with that…

_But this is where Zamasu learns about the Super Dragon Balls. He goes to Zuno (The all knowing alien from the last arc.) and demands information from him. And this is where Zamasu comes up with his plan. He’ll use the Super Dragon Balls to swap bodies with Goku, than use the time rings to travel to a different timeline, and team up with a parallel version of himself. Then THAT Zamasu will use the Super Dragon Balls in order to wish for immortality. Than they will begin they’re plan to whip out all mortal life from the multiverse. Convoluted enough? But hey, at least unlike other villains he plans on wishing for immortality BEFORE engaging our heroes.

But before he can do this, he needs to kill Gowasu first. As only a Supreme Kai can use the time rings. Goku, Whis, and Beerus begin to figure out this plan. (They figure parts of it out later, but I’m abbreviating this for the sake on length.) They travel to the tenth universe and catch Zamasu in the act of murdering Gowasu, but Whis uses his time rewind powers to save him. It’s honestly a clever and unexpected twist. Seeing the ability again here makes it feel less like it was something only invented to get our heroes out of a jam in the Resurrection ‘F’ arc. Even if it still most likely was.

Beerus, being sick of having nothing to do this arc, destroys Zamasu. They return to Earth to tell Trunks about the good news. Trunks tries to explain that time travel doesn’t work that way in this universe, but Beerus just wants this arc to be over with and buggers off. Trunks, Goku, Vegeta, and even Bulma decide to go to the future and see if everything’s all right. Now, I know what your probably thinking. Shouldn’t they have some kinda plan to fight Zamasu and Black just in case they are still in the future? Or at the very least, do some training first? But, y'know, they’ll probably just cross that bridge when they get to it.

_GOKU! You’re suppose to learn from your past mistakes!

_ Things come to a head when Black and Zamasu point out that all of this has been a self fulfilling paradox. If Trunks never went back in time in the first place, Goku would of never met Zamasu, Zamasu wouldn’t have become Black, and the future wouldn’t of been destroyed. And since I didn’t know where else to point this out, I just wanna praise that that fact that everything that has happened in this art does follow the rules of time traveling that the story established. Given how losey goosey Dragon Ball can be with it’s own lore and consistency, I was sure there would be some kind of plot hole regarding something as elaborate as time travel. But, surprisingly, they went through the effort to keep everything consistent. They forgot what color hair Trunks was suppose to have, but they got this right. So kudos.

Trunks is furious when Zamasu and Black point out that, in a way, this is all his doing. He has a breaking point as the two mock him. And in his anger, he develops a new transformation. Super Saiyan…they never name it in the series proper. I know that it’s called Super Saiyan Anger or Rage or whatever the translation is, but they never name it in the series or explain what exactly it is beyond a form that is formed via anger. _AKA: ALL THE NON GODLY SAIYAN FORMS, CAUSE THEY’RE ALL FUELED BY ANGER! _

That being said though, despite the lack of real explanation on how it works and the fact that it doesn’t really add much to the plot, I have to say it’s one of the coolest looking forms in the series. Like Super Saiyan Blue Kai-o-Ken it has two aura’s, as well as incorporating elements from Buff Super Saiyan form used in the Cell saga. I wish they elaborated on it more, cause this design feel way too cool to be this quote unquote generic.

Trunks holds Black and Zamasu off while the rest of the group travel back in time on more time in order to find a way to actually STOP Zamasu and Black for good. Goku goes to Roshi in order to learn how to do the Evil Containment Wave, in hopes of being about to seal away Zamasu rather than kill him. Meanwhile Vegeta goes to train for twelve hours in the hyperbolic time chamber. They return to the future to have they’re final rematch with Black and Zamasu.

While this is going on Beerus realizes that he’s failed to kill Zamasu and actually feels bad. Not bad enough to go and help, but bad enough to send Gowasu and Shin to help in his place.

They arrive in the time machine, which Black immediately destroys, also damaging the jar they were planning on sealing Zamasu in. See, unlike other villains, Zamasu and Black are actually proactive. I like that. It’s up to Trunks, Mai, and Bulma to fix both the time machine and the jar. Fighting ensues as Vegeta just wails on Black. Black realizes that anger can result in him getting more strength, so he channels that anger into…a scythe…that he uses to open a portal in space time, that creates clones of himself….being angry did this. Ah, whatever, the arc’s almost over. Who cares?

_So, could Vegeta and Goku do this too? I can’t think of any logical reason why they shouldn’t be able to.

_ While Goku and Vegeta are busy with the clones of Black, Zamasu heads for Trunks. The only hope is for Trunks to preform the Evil Containment Wave. Luckily Bulma has a video of it on her phone for Trunks to use as a reference. Bulma goes out to buy him some time by trying to seduce Zamasu in one of the greatest scenes ever put to television, and Trunks is able to successfully preform the move, trapping Zamasu in the jar forever…

Or at least he would of if Goku hadn’t forgot the seal! _TWICE! TWICE GOKU FU*K UP IN STOPPING THE VILLAINS! _Since Zamasu’s free, he realizes that it’s time to take these mortals seriously. So using the potara earrings he fuses with Black, becoming FUSED ZAMASU! Who manages to somehow be even more of an edgelord than he was before!

_AND THIS…IS TO GO…EVEN FURTHER…BEYOND! IT’S SUPER SAIYAN EDGE!

_The three of them simply aren’t strong enough to stop Zamasu in this state. They’re only hope is to use the potara themselves and fuse into Vegeto! Which is retconned into only being permanent with Kais. Cause fusions are popular and they’re going to milk it for all it’s worth. Even though they could of had them return to normal without the need for a retcon cause it’s been established that the dragon balls can undo a fusion…but who cares? Now they only stay fused for an hour, but the more energy they use, the shorter amount of time they can be fused. They fuse and go Super Saiyan Blue and we get one of the best fights we’ve had in the series thus far, despite it only being about two minutes. The fluidity of the animation is done in a way that Dragon Ball has never really done up until this point, and resembles a fight from _One Punch Man _more than Dragon Ball.

It’s during this fight that they discover how to beat Zamasu. While Zamasu was immortal Goku Black wasn’t. When Zamasu took Goku’s body he also inherited many of his Saiyan traits, including lust for battle and his desire to have a proper challenge. As such he never wanted immortality and now that he and Zamasu are fused together, he isn’t wholly immortal anymore, and his body begins going into flux. Unfortunately they burn up they’re energy to quickly and defuse before they’re able to kill Zamasu. Unable to even transform anymore due to how depleted they are, it’s up to Trunks to stop him. All the resistance members cheer Trunks on, and they’re hope and belief in him forms into a mini spirit bomb that he channels through his sword. He uses this energy to defeat Zamasu by slicing him in half. Dick first no less.

This ending seemed to be a bit divisive when it first came out, with many people saying it was a Deus ex Machina. And I have to say that I kinda agreed with a lot of the criticism when I first saw it. Trunks learning the Evil Containment Wave so fast via just one video he saw was one thing, but the spirit bomb is literally a move that he never learned. Nor even really had an opportunity to learn. However, while it doesn’t make sense logically, this ending does work really well in a thematic sense. It ties in to the arcs, and even all of Super in general, theme of mortals rising up to reach a power beyond the Gods. It shows that, when all of humanity works together for a common ideal, they is no limit to there power. Cause in the end, humans where able to do what the Gods couldn’t. Beerus’s plan to kill Zamasu failed. Shin and Gowasu’s plan with the potara’s failed. Even Goku and Vegeta’s plan of using God Ki failed. In the end it was all of humanity, giving they’re power to Trunks, they’re one hope, that was able to defeat Zamasu once and for all. And it shows that Trunks was able to save his own future, without needing to rely on Goku and Vegeta or Gohan or anyone else. Zamasu and Black where his problem, and he had to be the one to stop them.

So that was my review of Dragon Ball Super: Future Trunks arc. So what are my final thought…and wait. What do you mean they’re one more episode left?…

…Oh no…

So Zamasu, being truly immortal, isn’t killed by his body being destroyed. He simply transforms into an ethereal state, in honestly one of the most horrifying things Dragon Ball has ever done. He turns into Gygas from Earthbound and in one attack levels the Earth and whips out all of humanity minus our heroes. Without a body there’s nothing for our heroes to fight, and all hope seems loss. Until Goku remembers Zeno’s button and calls him for help. This summons the Future Zeno, which is weird cause you’d think God would be like beyond the confines of space and time, but apparently he isn’t. Zeno see’s all the damage Zamasu has done and decides to deal with this by destroying the timeline completely. The gang escape in they’re time machine before being erased too. You know, I was joking around with the Samurai Jack comparisons at the beginning, but that’s basically what ends up happening. Goku returns to the void that was once Trunks timeline and grabs the Future Zeno and brings him to the present. He goes to present Zeno and tells him that he’s found his new friend. We also learn that the Grand Priest is Whis’s dad.

After returning to Earth, our heroes discuss what to do now. Whis mentions that when Beerus killed the present Zamaus it created a new time ring, and that Trunks and Mai could use that to travel to a new future. One that never had Zamasu in it. That’s right, they’re taking the Rick and Morty approach. “Close enough, right?” They fly off in the time machine together and then the arc ends.

Now, I will say this. Having the guts to have an arc like this end on such a bittersweet note is definitely a ballsy move. In a world where so many problems can be solved by just collecting the Dragon Balls, I like the idea of their actually being serious consequences that can’t be fixed. But because this all happens in the last episode of the arc, there’s no time to let this sink in. And the ending is just to depressing. The arc basically ends on-

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ufmrn7BCuA

Everyone in Trunks timeline is dead. Not just dead but erased from existence completely. Trunks failed to save his future, making not just this whole arc pointless, but the Android and Cell saga pointless too! Why even go to a new timeline at all? Why not stay in the present timeline? At least you know these people! Everything Trunks said about the power of humanity working together was wrong. Humans couldn’t stop Zamasu. They needed the power of a God to save them. And the entire DESTRUCTION of an entire timeline could of been avoided if Goku hadn’t summoned Zeno. Or if he had just brought the dang seal. Or, you know, if he defeated Black in their first fight!

So yeah, in conclusion, I feel very mixed on this arc. There are a lot of pros. Zamasu and Black are both fantastic villains who in my opinion deserve more recognition. Also it’s refreshing just to have a new Dragon Ball villain, as appose to all the other arc antagonist who are rivals or…Frieza again. I appreciate the darker tone and the feeling of actual stakes, which is something the last two arcs felt particularly lacking in. And I also enjoy all the fun moments we get seeing Trunks interact with the older Z fighters. But man, does the ending kill a lot of what the arc had going for it. Also the arc drags a bit in parts, as personally I feel you could cut out at least one of the trips to the future. Overall, I think I’d say the arc is still the best arc the series has had so far, but it’s defiantly a case of higher highs and lower lows. But at least we don’t have any evil Goku’s to worry about.

Cause the one we have is enough trouble as it is.

So that was my review of the “Future Trunks” arc of Dragon Ball Super. What did you think? Feel free to leave any thoughts you have in the comments down bellow. I’d love to hear them. Fav, follow, and like the review if you’d enjoy and have a great day.

(I do not own any of the images or videos in this review. All credit goes to there original owners.)

https://www.deviantart.com/joyofcrimeart/journal/Dragon-Ball-Super-Future-Trunks-Arc-REVIEW-793870861 DA Link

#Dragon Ball Super #Dragon Ball #Future Trunks #Review #Zamasu

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leoofredkeep · 5 years

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Rooting for Cersei

From the outset, the story has disguised its villains as the good guys and the other way around. The author claims he writes "grey" characters with both qualities and flaws but a closer look shows that the "nice guys" or those who claim to be "rightful" are consciously causing the most horrendous things while the "selfish villains" are doing minor direct damage when they are not merely defending themselves. The audience is consistently misled into accepting "heroes" whose decisions unleash the most evil activities like war, human sacrifice or foreign invasion, all under seemingly "honest" or justified pretexts, hiding a blatant disregard for life or freedom of choice.

Ned Stark is the first of these disguised villains. Presented with a genetic secret of no consequence, he decides to reveal it to the world in full understanding of the war it is about to start. He says "there is no other choice", denying himself and the world any freedom in the matter, not showing a second thought about the cost in utterly innocent lives and the disruption it is bound to represent. By the time this happens, it has become obvious that Joffrey is a dubious candidate for the throne but so was Robert before him and the realm was peaceful and prosperous. Ned will never take this into consideration anyway, Joffrey's personality plays no role in his decision. Ned Stark values principles more than the people they are meant to benefit. He has the cart before the horse and the result is a war no one needs. "Winter is coming", we'll hear the fool mumble a few times, but righting a petty wrong is more important to him than preparing for it.

Learning his father was arrested, Robb reacts by "calling the banners". The Starks are implicitly presented as good people and good rulers but the son reacts just as his father would and immediately calls the armies of the whole North to serve his personal family matters. He doesn't question his father nor does he attempts at negotiating anything. He marches south with battle plans and his first one involves sacrificing 2000 of his own men in a decoy move. Conscious of the price, he will prepare the rest for more and consciously send terms he knows are unacceptable. He will tell his mother once he only means to apply pressure to get his sisters back but will never act on this.

When he meets a nurse on the battlefield, his only plan is to kill Joffrey and he needs her to open his eyes on the misery he causes. Robb wil remain blind to danger and common sense, though. His last plan will be to get help from the man to whom he made a false promise in order to attack a psychological objective. "Show them how it feels to lose what they love" will be his mother's words and he'll go for it.

Stannis thinks of himself as "the rightful king". He doesn't really want the position but thinks he has to take it because he dislikes choices. His ideal world is one of regulated certainties in which people do what they must, not what they want. He will deal "justice" rigidly, without compromises, will not ally with anyone not fitting his views. He will bend them by force instead, fighting the world if he has to and sacrifice his own daughter for a purpose which is not his or anyone's, really. Stannis values nothing more than his own concept of order. As Ned Stark, he fails to see it as a means to an end and will always prefer the rules to the ruled.

Renly does not like his brothers, does not think they should be king. He thinks he should be because he is a nicer person, because he is more popular. As nice as it is for people to like their rulers, it is a serious stretch to present war as a justifiable price for them. Renly does this, however, and abuses his popularity to start a war of his own. He will be king because he can, because his lover's family is rich enough to provide him with a large army and sustain the war effort. There is no telling how he will rule, this is not part of his program. His only promise is to offer a nicer smile than the fat drunk before him. We see him reproach Robert his taste for war then start his own. Renly is a certified hypocrite.

Margaery is Renly's queen and all about business. After he dies, she'll want to be Joffrey's queen, even though her former husband wanted Joffrey's head. At this point, it is safe to say she will do whatever it takes to get where she wants. Cersei married Robert after he became king and their union helped keep the realm at peace. Margaery married a pretender in order to better fuel his private war effort. But Margaery smiles at people and pretends to care for them so people like her more. She knows how to use people's desires or beliefs and will do so whenever she gets a chance. That doesn't make her a villain, after all she is not the one initiating aggression. She willingly sides with it without much scruple, whether it is Renly's war or Joffrey's urges. Of the various potential rulers this story proposes, and Margaery is one in that she attempts at taking over to some extent, she remains one of the most acceptable.

Starting off as sold, abused and kind, Daenerys takes her brother's role when he dies and turns into the epitome of power seen as personal property. What once belonged to her mad father, she will take back whatever the cost, even if it means bringing savage hordes and weapons of mass destruction to the place she calls "home" but really considers as nothing else but her private backyard. "I will take what is mine. With fire and blood!" This is what Daenerys really is about and she only stops on her way to practise the skills she knows she will need, abandoning the people of Meereen to the hands of a sellsword without scruples once she thinks she's done. Like Stannis, she is all about getting people to "bend the knee" to her but where he felt he was following some universal rule, she does it out of pure sense of entitlement. Trying to listen to advice at first she later admits she never wanted to. She is "the Dragon" and will take what dragons take, the way they do: by burning it down first. Realising her "property" is about to be invaded by some undead army, she turns to defend it as anyone else would. Daenerys is the classical tyrant: someone who decides to take power unasked and wield it entirely based on personal judgement.

Jon Snow is a good guy. He is even a conciliator, one who finds reasons to unite opposites rather than choosing sides but he is tragically incompetent. He was surprised by Craster, captured by wildlings, failed to convince anyone but Maester Aemon or those he saved from something. Elected Commander, he was such a terrible leader he was assassinated by his own men. Warned of Ramsay's personality, he ran head on into is trap. Finally, his last blunder gave the Night King a dragon and the means to bring down the Wall. Without it, White Walkers and their army of dead men would have remained confined to the empty spaces north of the Wall as some weird tourist attraction.

So seriously, who would want to root for the man who always makes a mess of everything?

Cersei is not a nice person. She is not loveable, she does not care for others and will occasionally over-react to threats, like direwolves around her children or manipulation attempts on her sons. Yet, she never actively tried to take advantage of people, advised her son against going to war against the North and objected to Jaime giving the Dornish cause for conflict. She is utterly reactive, married the king to become queen after rebellion had ended and put up with him for 17 long unhappy years for the sake of peace. She is not a conqueror taking armies of slaves and savages to a place she calls hers together with tyrannical demands. Threatened of denunciation by Ned Stark, she still found the nerve to offer him a way out twice, again for the sake of stability in the realm. She has made a few mistakes on the way, of which she has learned, and remains the most realistic ruler at hand. Of all the proposed "solutions" to the question of power, she is by far the least problematic choice.

#Game of Thrones #Cersei Lannister #Daenerys Targaryen #Ned Stark #Robb Stark #Stannis Baratheon #Jon Snow #Renly Baratheon #Margaery Tyrell

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nemainofthewater · 2 months

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Best character surnamed: Xiang

Come and vote for the best characters with the same surname!*

What does best mean? It's up to you! Whether you love them, are intrigued by their characters, love to hate them, or they're your '2 second blorbos whose personality you made up wholesale', these are all reasons for you to vote for your favs!

*note, the surnames are not exactly the same in all the cases, as often there will be a different character. I am, however, grouping them all together otherwise things got more complicated.

Propaganda is very welcome! If I’ve forgotten anyone, let me know in the notes.

This is part of a larger series of ‘best character with X surname’ polls’. The overview with ongoing polls, winners, and future polls can be found here

#poll #lost you forever #after playing the fool and marrying the blind villain #the bond #royal feast #the myth

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everydayisanotherstory · 3 years

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02/15/2021

Dear Diary,

I’m not gonna be writing about my day today. Instead, this entry will be a rant about my sister. I know this seems really immature, but I really need to get everything off my chest and write it all down, even if nobody sees it.

Let’s start from the very beginning.

The furthest back I can remember is 11 years ago, back when I was a little four year old girl. I don’t have many memories from back then, and the few I do have are quite hazy. However, when I do think back on them, I can clearly remember there being a blonde two year old in the majority of them. My sister. In most of my memories of her, she was chasing me around in circles trying to bite me.

There were other memories of her, happier ones too, where the both of us were sitting on the kitchen floor eating leftover birthday cake, pretending to get married, and more. So, although we did have a few rough times, the majority of our time together was positive.

As we got older, however, our relationship started worsening. I didn’t pay much mind to it, thinking that it was simply the start of sibling rivalry and non consequential bickering. I was dead wrong. Over the years, her OCD worsened and she became dangerously reactive when things didn’t go how she planned. If I ate one of her cupcakes, she would throw a fit and start screaming and crying, threatening to kill me if I did it again. If I put a decoration in the wrong spot, she would become violently abusive, and start hitting me. And if I ever went in her room, even if it were only for a mere second, she would lash out at me verbally and start hitting me and throwing objects at me. She became controlling and demanding, and I had to succumb to her whims, lest I wish to be harassed. Eventually, even my parents started to dance to her tune, not wishing to deal with the calamity that came when she was upset.

I believe that I was in grade 7 when things really started to take a turn for the worse, and I started to change. That was the year my sister started hanging out with all of my friends. At first, it was only a minor inconvenience. I was jealous, yeah, but I recognized that there was no harm in her expanding her friend group and hanging out with my friends as long as she let me have my alone time with them as well. But over the course of a few weeks, she started seeing them more frequently and I began to feel left out. By that point, my friends were hanging out with her more than they were with me. I tried to talk to my parents about it, but they only scorned me and said I was being “overly clingy”. A few months later, my sister has finally stolen my friends away for good; whenever I walked by them in the halls, they ignored me and all my attempts to reconcile with them were shut down. Due to this, I started to develop a grudge against my sister, as I resented her for stealing away the people I cared most about. I became clingy and controlling, and my friends often called me out on it. Subconsciously, I knew what I was doing was wrong, but I was so terrified of losing my friends to my sister, that I ignored the little voice in my head that told me what I was doing was unethical.

Afterwards, I was no longer the same person. I had become more shrewd, cunning, and calculation. I twisted my words around and manipulated people like puppets on strings. I wasn’t trying to harm anyone, I just wanted to secure myself a position of power so I could better defend myself from the monster I called my sister.

A year later, in grade 8, my depression and anxiety skyrocketed. I started fighting with my family more often, having more mental breakdowns, and taking more medication (none of which helped). My sister became even more abusive (both mentally and physically). I tried to call her out on what she was doing, but everyone (my friends, teachers, parents, etc) took her side and somehow managed to shift the blame to me. That year, I learned a hard lesson: the only difference between a hero and a villain is whether or not society believes him. I have seen many a misunderstood “villain” with the noblest intentions and purest heart, who was called a monster by society. And I’ve seen “heroes”, praised by society and loved by all, who were cruel and manipulative bastards.

Grade 9 was an unusual year. It was weird, in a sense, as there were so many positives and negatives that each had unexpected consequences. In some ways, it was one of the best years of my life, and in others, it was literal hell. Once I adjusted to high school life, the year was pretty chill for the first few months. In winter, though, it became chaotic. My friend’s boyfriend choked me which caused a whole lot of drama that really just made my life even more stressful. After that, I started avoiding my old friends, which made my school life really dull. My life at home was, unfortunately, not any better. My parents were constantly nagging me about homework, projects, and grades which was really stressful. And my sister kept taunting me, making fun of my grades and criticizing my appearance. At dinner time, she would try to aggravate me and start a fight. I would usually ignore her for the first few minutes, until she hit a sensitive topic, and then all hell would break loose. Afterwards, she’d play the victim and somehow manage to pin the blame on me. She’d do this over and over, time and time again, and somehow neither of my parents ever caught on. Eventually, she started provoking my parents as well and starting fights with them. She’d openly taunt them at the dinner table and start criticizing them until they eventually snapped. My parents would tell her that she was pushing buttons and being an attention seeker and get mad at her. But then, the next day, they’d forget all about it. If I tried to bring it to their attention, they’d deny it ever happened. It was infuriating... how could they excuse her horrible behaviour when it was starting to slowly rip our family apart?

On the bright side of things, I made a lot of new friends and got to do some really fun activities!

And the best part of the year was in April, a few weeks after self quarantine began. I got my dream pony! I was soooo happy! Due to that, I was luckily able to continue riding, even during the shutdown, and spend lots of time outdoors.

However, there were a few unfortunate drawbacks to this arrangement. I had to share my pony with my sister. Now, some of you might not think that’s a big deal, but to me it it. My pony is EXTREMELY important to me. I’d say she’s of equal importance to me as my parents are. She’s been my best friend for seven years, and I don’t know what I’d do without her. She has brought me joy when I was feeling down, taken care of me when I was hurt, and listened to me without judging. I am so, so thankful for her, and she means the world to me. So, as you can probably imagine, I was very hesitant to let my monstrous sister anywhere near her. I’m not gonna lie; there were a lot of fights caused by my unwillingness to share, in fear my sister would either harm or steal away the one person who had always been there for me.

This year, I am in grade 10. It hasn’t been the greatest year so far. My sister has been especially abusive to me lately and she’s been reaching out to my friends, despite my attempts to stop her. So far, she’s managed to steal four of my friends away from me, which really sucks.

Right now, I’m really upset. I just had another big fight with my family. Lately, I have been doing really well in school, and as a reward, my mother decided to arrange a second weekly riding lesson for me. I was really happy about that because I have been riding for about seven years, and in all that time I’ve only gotten one lesson a week. I had tried, (without success, might I add) to convince my parents to let me have a second lesson, but they had always denied my requests. Until now. However, today I found out that they’re allowing my sister to also get a second lesson as well. And that made me really angry. For seven fucking years, I had been asking for a second lesson, and each time my parents had said no, until today. But my sister? She’s only been riding for a year and a few months and she’s given one on a silver platter without having to even lift a finger, whereas I had to work my ass off for months to improve my grades so my parents would think I was deserving of a reward. It’s not fair, everything that I have work hard for and/or wait a long time for, my sister is given immediately without having to do anything. It’s not just this, it’s literally everything! For my school ski trips, my dad would always bring my sister along, but for my sister’s ski trips, he’d leave me behind at home. And the same applies for pets! I had to write an entire essay and save up $300 to convince my parents to allow me to have a pet snake. A few months after I got my snake, my sister decided she wanted one and my parents bought her one the next day. IT’S NOT FUCKING FAIR!!!

How do my parents not realize that they aren’t treating us equally? Do they seriously believe everything is fine? They are fools, blinded by their own stupidity, disgraces to humanity.

Today my mother accused me of being a sociopath.

And y’know what?

Maybe I am.

But it’s because of h e r that I became so broken that I had to turn into a monster to save myself.

Yours truly,

Anonymous

#dear diary #broken #abuse

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hotcocosharing · 6 years

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No Means No (Disclaimer: Rape Culture)

Fandom: Kissed By The Baddest Bidders Category: Character: Baba / Ota / Mamoru Notes: NO, I don’t think any Voltage canons are rapists but rape culture is literally everywhere.

Even my fav boys- Jensen and Jared from SPN made a freaking rape joke last month! They meant to mock Bill Cosby but that kind of joke was still contributing to rape culture.

Also it’s the ATTITUDE towards women, a general underlying belief about our place / value in society. Same scenario plays out in sex, like in many others things, except in the case of sex its rape / assault / abuse.

So NO MEANS NO- whether it’s men or women, we should all respect that. Trust me, no Mr. Nice Guy or Nice Girl would ever IGNORE your no and do something against your wishes. NOT EVER! PERIOD!

Again, these are just examples- I am not implying our voltage men as villains, the point here isn’t them if that’s not obvious.

♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡ ♡

The Mr. Nice kind of prince charming

Finger tapping on the glass table, you ask yourself again just why on earth have you agreed to a freaking blind date. You aren’t desperate and you are happy with where you’re at. Single, available and free. Going wherever and doing whatever without rules or reporting to a so called boyfriend.

Being single isn’t so bad, you never feel the negativity or down sides even after a list of breakdown from your girl friends. You are certain they mean well, society has somehow taught us that being single at the age of 29 is fearful. Soon getting too old to be married, to have kids, to build a life with a significant other because the man who supposedly spends the rest of his life with you isn’t going to lay eyes on you if you are over certain age?!

Letting out an exhausted sigh, a gentle chuckle comes from behind. “You’re not thinking of bailing, are you my lady?”

It takes every ounce of energy in your body not to roll your eyes at his words, the man in red takes his fedora off and lifts your hand up. “Mitsunari Baba, it’s lovely to meet you, princess.” Testing your limits, your date of the night plants a soft kiss on the back of your hand.

“Just call me _______ is fine. Let’s skip the princess thing.” You almost say through clenched teeth, praying for the night to be over soon.

Small talks aren’t as bad as you imagine, he’s funny and easy going though you couldn’t shake the feeling of him not revealing his true self but then again who shows people that on the first date anyway. Dinner has gone well with all things considered till he pulls your chair and walks you home. He has toned down with the whole name callings but a huge question mark is hanging over the man’s head. You don’t feel like explaining though, a topic that could easily lead to a thesis.

After saying goodbye politely, Mr. Baba opens his arms and offers a goodbye hug. “It’s okay, I really don’t feel like a hug.” One look at him and you are internally screaming with endless nos, wishing that he wouldn’t ruin the good impressions.

But no, the man closes the gap between you. “Come on, it’s just a hug.”

“No, I don’t want a hug.”

His arms are wrapped around your back and you feel your blood boiling.

“See, you’re okay. It’s just a harmless little hug.”

For the sake of your friends and neighbors, you haven’t caused a scene. You rush upstairs and text your friends to leave your dating life alone.

“But why? He’s such a nice guy.”

You groan, banging your head on the wall. Typing furiously on the phone but never press the send button, a text your friends would never receive or frankly, comprehend.

“No, he is not a nice guy! I said no and he ignored me anyway! That’s fucking rape culture 101!!! I said no! And he had the gut to tell me it’s no big deal, it’s just a hug! I don’t care if it was a handshake, no means no! Any guy who fails to take no for an answer is not a nice guy!”

A joke is a joke

You’ve looked forward to this night, just beer and friends in a familiar bar. After months after months of stressful nights at work, you’d finally have your life back.

Everything’s fine until a guy who tags along starts joking about how “men pretend not to hear girl’s preferences in sex” and when you tell him that consent issue is no joking matter, the pretty blonde immediately gets defensive.

“Girls always say the opposite, their nos actually mean yes.”

“How is that not rape?” Some of the girls join the conversation.

“Because when I ask if they like being fucked like that they say yes!”

With your arms crossed and head shaking, you glare at the young man.

“According to your logic, then their yes actually mean no!”

The smirk on his face quickly disappears as he insists that it’s all a joke and everyone should chill.

“Well, Ota. None of us sitting at this table find any of it funny, disrespecting women isn’t funny. Sexual preference is one thing but ignoring it is another.”

Drowning your drinking in one go, you leave a 20 dollars note and head home. There’s no other place you would rather be in, home- where it’s safe and asshole free.

Are you sure?

It isn’t easy, you’ve thought about it for weeks. Pacing like a maniac every time you walk by but you’re sick and tired of feeling the shame. You are the victim, this shouldn’t be how you feel.

Once you set foot inside, few pairs of eyes are set on you and soon be seated in a private room.

“Are you sure?”

Your mind goes blank, unsure of what it truly means. Why wouldn’t you be sure? How does one ever mistaken something like that?

“What were you wearing?”

You chew your lips, hard. You shouldn’t have come, they must think you are a fool or pulling some sort of prank because the rest of the questions only get crazier.

“What time was it?”

“Did you drink?”

“But how was it possible?”

“Do you understand what you’re accusing of?”

Yes, yes, yes- the same word is on repeat but the tone of your voice escalates from your uncontrollable anger. The stinking room begins to suffocate you and the shock just keeps coming.

“Real men can’t get raped, Mr. Sato. She’s a woman, how’d she rape you?”

Eyes widen with your clenched fists banging on the desk, you snap. “It’s fucking possible, Detective Kishi! She drugged me, tied me up and did it against my will. I said no, she ignored it. How was that not rape? If a woman comes telling you the same thing, would you believe her?”

You’re on fire, yelling from the top of your lungs, taking it out on the cop. “It didn’t matter what we wear or what time it was or whether one drinks or not. No means no! Both men and women can be raped, people like you who blame and doubt the victims, making rape jokes like no big deal, you are just as guilty!”

No one EVER deserved it, no one EVER asked for it. Respect each other and let us remind ourselves that (men and) women are not sex object, we are human beings.

#rape culture #end rape culture #empowering women #no means no #say no #feminism #respect is such basic that this shouldn't even be a thing #stop victim blaming #no one asks for it #stand up #let women be heard #let our voices be heard #eqality #rape is a crime #drinking isn't

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brilliantorinsane · 6 years

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Sherlock Holmes, 1899: Detective 2.0 (Part 1)

Note: As always, please let me know if you want to be tagged or untagged :)

… Look, I said I wasn’t going to write about this one. And I know that it hardly counts as an. ‘obscure’ adaptation, although to be fair it doesn’t appear often in tumblr discussions. But Sherlock Holmes by William Gillette is the first ever licensed Holmes adaptation, so of course I had to read it, and then I had thoughts and—well, here we are.

This is the fourth installment of my series on obscure Sherlock Holmes adaptations. For a master-list of previous write-ups, see this post.

Production and Reception

William Gillette’s Sherlock Holmes exists in two primary iterations. The first is a play released in 1899 (you can read the script here), and the second is a 1916 silent-film starring several of the stage actors, including Gillette as Holmes. This post will discuss the play only; I will review the film in part 2.

The original script for Sherlock Holmes was written by Doyle, but his script was rejected and heavily reworked by William Gillette. Gillette’s script showcases an original plot, although it features Moriarty and Alice Falukner, a loose Irene Adler analogue. Disappointingly, the parallel between Alice and Irene is purely circumstantial: Alice has much of Irene’s courage but none of her active cleverness, and is reduced to a paper-thin damsel-in-distress. This is even more unfortunate given that—contrary to Doyle’s wishes—Gillette makes her Holmes’s love interest, thus initiating the hellish proliferation of Adler/Holmes storylines. So … thanks for that one, Gillette.

The play was wildly successful, and Alan Barns asserts that it has been “crucial to the development of Sherlock Holmes on film … [i]ts impact cannot be overestimated.” Even Doyle appears to have softened towards the play after seeing it performed, and is quoted by Vincent Starrett as saying: “I was charmed both with the play, the acting, and the pecuniary result." Whether Doyle was more pleased by the art or the currency is perhaps unclear.

For myself, insofar as it is the first Holmes adaptation I find this play fascinating; but insofar as it is just one of many retellings, my feelings are mixed. I confess I kept comparing it to Doyle’s stage adaptation of The Speckled Band (you can read the script here and my analysis here), and Gillette’s play seldom looked better for it. I found Doyle’s plot more compelling, his villain more threatening, and his characters more vibrant. All the same I was not bored reading Gillette’s play, got a few laughs, appreciated Gillette’s Watson and was intrigued—if not wholly pleased—by his Holmes.

But I hope you don’t think me terribly petty if I confess that I struggle to entirely forgive Gillette for launching the legacy of Holmes adaptations with a ‘straight’ Holmes.

William Gillette as Sherlock Holmes

There are things I quite like about Gillette’s Holmes. He is deeply composed, but fully capable of action and self-defense. He has plenty of snark, is openly affectionate with his Watson, yet is deeply troubled—he cannot be accused of being without feeling.

Nevertheless, I suspect that he played a large role in establishing the stereotype of the hard-boiled detective, the DFP, the detached and cold-hearted reasoning machine. Gillette consistently leans into Holmes darker and more reserved qualities: his Holmes is almost always composed and never excited—although he is often quietly amused—and there is little sense of his love for an audience. The extremity of his cocaine habit is emphasized, to the point that he is clearly suicidal—an aspect that is belabored rather frequently.

But the thing that really irks me is the case. The case is loosely based on A Scandal in Bohemia, in which Holmes is working for a prince in an attempt to gain incriminating letters/pictures from a woman. Scandal is an anomaly in the canon insofar as Holmes is not strictly on the side of justice—either in the audience’s eyes or his own—and yet goes through with it (x). This is distinctly unusual for a man who ordinarily allows nothing, including the law, to sway him from what he sees as true justice. And yet it is this dark deviation that Gillette chooses as the framework for presenting Holmes to a new and wider audience.

And look—there’s nothing wrong with exploring Holmes’s darker side. But I still struggle with the characterization on two levels:

I’m not saying the persistence of this darker Holmes in public imagination was Gillette’s fault; he’s hardly responsible for all adaptations that followed his. I just … I just would have liked the legacy of Holmes adaptations not to begin with a straight, hard(er)-hearted Holmes.

Frankly, I find the ‘borderline-cruel straight white guy is redeemed because a pretty young girl saw his secret golden heart’ plot infinitely more tired and less compelling than the complex, transgressive, damaged, but deeply kind character Doyle created.

Edward Fielding as John Watson

If Gillette perpetuated some of my least favorite Holmes stereotypes, on the whole the same cannot be said of his portrayal of Watson. Yes, Watson is sidelined to make room for Alice, and like the other characters in the script I found him a bit … flat. But he is never portrayed as a fool, his role was somewhat larger than I expected, his connection to Holmes is palpable, and if I had a checklist of characteristics a good Watson ought to posses, he would do a surprisingly good job checking them off.

The first thing we know of Watson is Holmes’s affection for him. The second is Watson’s protectiveness of Holmes as he expresses his distress over Holmes’s cocaine habit and the danger posed by Moriarty. We also get a sense of Watson’s attraction to danger when he observes, “this is becoming interesting,” as matters become tense.

My favorite moment, however, comes near the end when Watson is alone and two false patients come in, attempting to set a trap for Holmes. Watson not only catches on to their facades immediately, he also notices that the blind had been raised when he briefly stepped out of the room. So thanks to Gillette’s script, we get to see Watson be clever, observant, and a great doctor all at once—a rare occurrence in early adaptations.

As much as I enjoy this scene, however, it also gets at my one major disappointment with Gillette’s Watson: although he is entirely capable, he is never given anything to do. In this instance, when Watson realizes his ‘patients’ are setting a trap he begins to act; but then Holmes appears and takes charge. Later Watson blocks the window and closes the blinds to avoid a signal being sent out to Moriarty—but only at Holmes’s instructions. And this, sadly, is the consistent pattern of the play.

In the end, I was left with a confusing dual sense that on the one hand Gillette seems to have a fairly good grasp of Watson and his capabilities, but on the other doesn’t really seem to know what to do with him. He seems to know that Watson is important, but not how he is important.

So … What About Johnlock?

After everything I’ve said, that’s clearly a hard ‘no,’ right? Well, sort of—they certainly aren’t riding off into the sunset together, but I still find myself with rather too much to say on this topic. To my mind, there are four categories worth touching on: a). The relative strength of the Holmes/Alice relationship vs the Holmes/Watson relationship, b). subtext carried over from Doyle’s stories, c). queer elements of the Holmes/Alice relationship, and d). assorted moments.

a). Holmes/Alice vs Holmes/Watson

Here’s the thing: my complaints about the Holmes/Alice romance aren’t just because Holmes is gay and in love with Watson. They are also because Gillette couldn’t have written more of a dime-a-dozen (+vaguely sexist) hetero romance if he tried. Here is a point-by-point summary of their ‘relationship’:

Holmes is on the point of further stripping agency away from a helpless girl who has been physically and psychologically abused for months.

Alice cries.

Holmes doesn’t do the cruel thing (he’s still planning to do it, but Alice doesn’t know).

They are now in love.

I’m not exaggerating here: in terms of length the above scene is hardly a blip in the play, and yet next time they see each other Alice is saying that if Holmes dies she wants to die too. Yep.

On the other hand, the relationship between Sherlock and Watson is established and their care for one another is palpable. Watson first appears immediately after Holmes refuses to see Mrs. Hudson, clearly wishing to be alone. But then his boy Billy comes up, and this exchange follows:

BILLY: It's Doctor Watson, sir. You told me as I could always show 'im up. HOLMES: Well! I should think so. (Rises and meets WATSON.) BILLY: Yes, sir, thank you, sir. Dr. Watson, sir!

(Enter DR. WATSON. BILLY, grinning with pleasure as he passes in, goes out at once.)

HOLMES (extending left hand to WATSON): Ah, Watson, dear fellow. WATSON (going to HOLMES and taking his hand): How are you, Holmes? HOLMES: I'm delighted to see you, my dear fellow, perfectly delighted, upon my word.

The affection, intimacy, eagerness for one another’s company, and trust evident in these first lines remains throughout the script, and puts Holmes and Alice’s hurried and stilted relationship to shame.

Ultimately Holmes marries Alice and Watson is sidelined, but the relationship between him and Watson remains the more palpable and affecting.

b). Subtext carried over from Doyle’s stories

There are at least two threads that are strongly reminiscent of subtextual cornerstones in Doyle’s canon. Perhaps they are intentional, or perhaps Gillette borrowed them from the stories/Doyle’s original script without reading them the way we do, but they exist nonetheless.

The first is Holmes’s cocaine use. In the canon Holmes occasionally claims that he uses drugs to escape the crushing boredom of inactivity between cases, but The Sign of Four in particular makes it clear that he also uses them for emotional comfort—specifically to cope with loosing Watson to Mary. A similar pattern is evident in Gillette’s play: his Holmes claims that the threat of Moriarty “saves me any number of doses of those deadly drugs,” and yet Watson points out that Holmes has been using the drugs “in ever-increasing doses” despite the fact that he has been engaged in his most all-consuming case—fighting Moriarty—for fourteen months. But the cause of Holmes’s increasing drug use and attendant suicidal depression is far less clear in here than it is in the canon.

Hollow as his semi-frequent ‘because I’m bored’ explanations ring in light of Moriarty, I am inclined to think Holmes is most honest near the end when describing his distress over his treatment of Alice:

HOLMES (turning suddenly to WATSON): Watson—she trusted me! She—clung to me! … and I was playing a game! … a dangerous game – but I was playing it! It will be the same to-night! She'll be there —I'll be here! She'll listen—she'll believe—and she'll trust me—and I'll—be playing—a game. No more – I've had enough! It's my last case!

To me this clearly reads as an ongoing distress which was brought to a head by Holmes’s association with Alice rather than originating with it—“I’ve had enough! It’s my last case” indicates that the dilemma is linked to Holmes’s work as a whole, not the affair with Alice particularly. The surface (and likely intended) reading of this is that the work was a decent antidote for boredom for a time, but was ultimately too empty of real connection to be fulfilling in the long term, resulting in Holmes’s ultimate spiral into depression.

However, it also works surprisingly well for a queer reading: Holmes’s prior life was in some way a facade, “a dangerous game” perhaps involving the ongoing deception of someone he cared about. Interesting ...

A queer reading of his deterioration is further supported by the fact that Watson is married in this story. While we don’t now how long he has been married, one wonders whether his absence might coincide with the increase in Holmes’s drug habits—it seems possible that Gillette recognized the link between cocaine and Watson’s marriage in the cannon and intended committed fans to likewise make the connection in the play.

Another interesting moment comes when Holmes is lamenting ‘the good old days,’ and in theory he is complaining about the un-originality of criminals. But although he begins by speaking of what “I” used to do, later he slips into “we.” Is he really missing the old days of criminal creativity, or is he missing the time when he had a constant companion to share them with?

In short, although Gillette is likely appropriating the cocaine and never-quite-explained melancholy of the canon merely to portray Holmes having a mid-life crisis, it works surprisingly well—and in my opinion more compellingly—to read it as the fallout from the loss of his companion for whom he had socially inadmissible feelings which kept him playing a duplicitous game. (Unfortunately the side-effect of this reading might be that the solution is for Holmes to step out of the ‘dangerous game,’ leaving his old life in Baker Street in literal ashes, and into the clear light of a heterosexual relationship, which is, uh … Wrong).

One other brief matter of note: to my great amusement this play also joins canon in playing the game of the vanishing wife. Watson has scarcely entered the story before Holmes comments on Mary’s (timely as ever) absence on “a little visit,” and near the end we discover that Holmes and Watson have planned a trip to the continent (!). How long is the trip? Is Mary coming? Does she have other plans? How does she feel about her husband gallivanting off to another country with a man pursued by a master criminal??? Meh. Who knows.

Miss Plot Device does, however, appear briefly and silently offstage when Watson wants Holmes to peek in at her for a quick lesson on domesticity.

c). Queer elements of the Holmes/Alice relationship

We’ve established that their relationship is as dime-a-dozen and cringey as literary relationships come. However, in the final scenes Holmes has admitted his affection for her to Watson but believes he must set them aside for the following reasons:

HOLMES: That girl!—young—exquisite—just beginning her sweet life—I—seared, drugged, poisoned, almost at an end! No! no! I must cure her! I must stop it, now—while there's time!

And again, when Alice has confessed her love for him:

HOLMES: no such person as I should ever dream of being a part of your sweet life! It would be a crime for me to think of such a thing! There is every reason why I should say good-bye and farewell! There is every reason—

So essentially, he sees his love for almost as some sort of disease, even a crime, something that would endanger the one he loves, that he ought to resist for their sake; only he is quite wrong and that love is in fact the way to happiness for them both … Hmm. Well then.

d). Assorted

There were a few moments in the script which do not fit within a wider thematic arc, but which I couldn’t go without mentioning.

1. Upon Watson’s first appearance, Holmes greets him and then says:

HOLMES: I'm delighted to see you, my dear fellow, perfectly delighted, upon my word—but—I'm sorry to observe that your wife has left you in this way.

Okay, so Mary has only left for a visit and is back the next day, but is it just me or did Holmes make it sound like she’d left Watson for good?? Because if that was intentional, that a first-class Petty Gay antic.

2. The cocaine scene near the beginning ends with these line:

WATSON (going near HOLMES—putting hand on HOLMES' shoulder) Ah Holmes—I am trying to save you. HOLMES (earnest at once—places right hand on WATSON'S arm): You can't do it, old fellow—so don't waste your time.

Partly I’m just struck by the tenderness of the moment, which is heightened by the stage directions. But I also wonder—why couldn’t Watson save Holmes when Alice presumably can? Apparently Holmes needs romantic affection to move forward. If he believed that Watson was capable of offering him that, would Gillette’s Holmes accept it?

3. In a confrontation with the criminals, one of them reveals that they struck Watson at an earlier stage of the conflict. Holmes’s response?

HOLMES (to ALICE without turning—intense, rapid): Ah!

(CRAIGIN stops dead.)

HOLMES: Don't forget that face. (Pointing to CRAIGIN.) In three days I shall ask you to identify it in the prisoner's dock.

Its not necessarily romantic, but I can’t pass over protective!Holmes, especially given its slight Garridebs vibe. I also can’t resist mentioning that this bit all but interrupts the first clearly romantic moment between Holmes and Alice.

4. Near the end, when Moriarty is captured and spewing threats of revenge, he declares that Holmes will encounter his retribution during his planned trip to the continent with Watson. Ever the optimist, Watson suggests that they cancel the trip, but Holmes replies:

It would be quite the same. What matters it here or there—if it must come.

There is nothing strange in the moment; what is curious is that, for all Holmes’s fears about the damage a relationship with Alice might do her, the very real threat of Moriarty is never mentioned. Realistically this is likely a bit of sloppy writing, and yet the resultant image of an omnipotent web (and yes, the spider’s web metaphor is used for Moriarty in the play) which will inescapably pursue Holmes and Watson wherever they flee and yet leaves the appropriately heterosexual Holmes at Alice alone is, um, Really Something.

5. Finally, as I wrap up I cannot resist calling your attention to a number of lines and stage directions which are (almost definitely) meaningless in context, but out of context are too delightfully gay to ignore. Here they are, presented entirely without context for your viewing pleasure:

HOLMES: Mrs. Watson! Home! Love! Life! Ah, Watson!

HOLMES: I must have that. (Turns away towards WATSON.) I must have that.

HOLMES: (Saunters over to above WATSON'S desk.)

HOLMES: Why, this is terrible! (Turns back to WATSON. Stands looking in his face.)

… I’ll just leave those there.

After everything, the question of whether Gillette might have seen or suspected a romance between Holmes and Watson is unresolved. For myself, I vacillate regularly on how likely I think it is. This excellent post gets into why it is quite likely that Gillette may at the least have seen Holmes and Watson's relationship as a homoerotic (but strictly sexless and ultimately woman-mediated) friendship. Thus at minimum he could have intended to hint at the pain of moving away from such a deeply bonded friendship. From there it is not difficult to imagine the that he could have speculated the possibility that something in their relationship or desires moved beyond what was acceptable in Victorian society. Even if he did there remain two very distinct possibilities: a). That he was secretly supportive and despite protecting himself with a socially acceptable paring tried to hint at the pain of a forbidden love and even queer-coded the heterosexual resolution, or b). That he saw himself as ‘saving’ Holmes from ‘self-destructive game’ of his old love, redeeming him through the all-healing power of heterosexuality (ugh).

On the other hand, there is also a highly eminent possibility that I’m just looking too hard, and nothing I thought I might see was intended to mean anything in that way.

Ultimately, at this stage my only conclusion is that the evidence is inconclusive. But I will say this: regardless of intention, the relationship between Holmes and Watson remains the strongest and most poignant in the play, and faithfulness to elements of the cannon results in moments that sure do make it look like something is up. If nothing else, that made me smile.

Conclusion: Should You Read It?

Well, it depends on what you’re looking for. If you’re looking for a particularly compelling/unique/vibrant take on Sherlock Holmes, or even just a story with a thrilling plot, intriguing concepts, and living characters, this isn’t a bad choice—but you could do better. (This is where I remind you that Doyle’s play, The Adventure of the Speckle Band, is genuinely excellent). But if you’re looking for an entertaining play which also happens to be the first Sherlock Holmes adaptation in existence and which had an enormous impact on every adaptation that came after—then yeah. Go read it. It’s right here! Have fun! And if you post about it, whoever you are, I would deeply appreciate a tag :)

@devoursjohnlock @thespiritualmultinerd @a-candle-for-sherlock @ellinorosterberg @cuttydarke @inevitably-johnlocked @alemizu @astronbookfilms @battledress @disregardedletters @materialof1being @sarahthecoat @spenglernot @authordrawingmusic @hewascharming @infodumpingground @rsfcommonplace @the-elephant-is-pink @johnhedgehogwatson @lokis-warrior-queen @sonnet59 @sherlocks-final-resolve-is-love @artemisastarte @tjlcisthenewsexy @nottoolateforthegame

#william gillette #sherlock holmes 1899 #sherlock film meta #sherlock holmes adaptations #johnlock #sherlock holmes #John watson #Arthur conan doyle

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silent-era-of-cinema · 4 years

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After her stage debut in 1919, Taylor began appearing in small roles in World and Vitagraph films. She achieved her first notable success with While New York Sleeps (1920), in which she played three different roles, including a "vamp." She was a contract player of Fox Film Corporation and, later, Paramount Pictures, but for the most part of her career she freelanced. She became famous and was commended by critics for her portrayals of historical women in important films: Miriam in The Ten Commandments (1923), Mary, Queen of Scots in Dorothy Vernon of Haddon Hall (1924), and Lucrezia Borgia in Don Juan (1926).

Ida Estelle Taylor was born on May 20, 1894 in Wilmington, Delaware. Her father, Harry D. Taylor (born 1871), was born in Harrington, Delaware.[8] Her mother, Ida LaBertha "Bertha" Barrett (November 29, 1874 – August 25, 1965), was born in Easton, Pennsylvania, and later worked as a freelance makeup artist. The Taylors had another daughter, Helen (May 19, 1898 – December 22, 1990), who also became an actress. According to the 1900 census, the family lived in a rented house at 805 Washington Street in Wilmington In 1903, Ida LaBertha was granted a divorce from Harry on the ground of nonsupport; the following year, she married a cooper named Fred T. Krech. Ida LaBertha's third husband was Harry J. Boylan, a vaudevillian.

Taylor was raised by her maternal grandparents, Charles Christopher Barrett and Ida Lauber Barrett. Charles Barrett ran a piano store in Wilmington, and Taylor studied piano. Her childhood ambition was to become a stage actress, but her grandparents initially disapproved of her theatrical aspirations. When she was ten years old she sang the role of "Buttercup" in a benefit performance of the opera H.M.S. Pinafore in Wilmington. She attended high school[6] but dropped out because she refused to apologize after a troublesome classmate caused her to spill ink from her inkwell on the floor. In 1911, she married bank cashier Kenneth M. Peacock. The couple remained together for five years until Taylor decided to become an actress. She soon found work as an artists' model, posing for Howard Pyle, Harvey Dunn, Leslie Thrasher, and other painters and illustrators.

Taylor made her Broadway stage début in George V. Hobart's Come-On, Charlie, which opened on April 8, 1919 at 48th Street Theatre in New York City. The story was about a shoe clerk who has a dream in which he inherits one million dollars and must make another million within six months. It was not a great success and closed after sixteen weeks. Taylor, the only person in the play who wore red beads, was praised by a New York City critic who wrote, "The only point of interest in the show was the girl with the red beads." During the play's run, producer Adolph Klauber saw Taylor's performance and said to the play's leading actress Aimee Lee Dennis: "You know, I think Miss Taylor should go into motion pictures. That's where her greatest future lies. Her dark eyes would screen excellently." Dennis told Taylor what Klauber said, and Taylor began looking for work in films. With the help of J. Gordon Edwards, she got a small role in the film A Broadway Saint (1919).nShe was hired by the Vitagraph Company for a role with Corinne Griffith in The Tower of Jewels (1920), and also played William Farnum's leading lady in The Adventurer (1920) for the Fox Film Corporation.

Taylor traveled with her mother, her canary bird, and her bull terrier, Winkle. She was excited about playing Mercedes and reread Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo on the train. When she arrived in Hollywood, she reported to the Fox studios and introduced herself to director Emmett J. Flynn, who gave her a copy of the script but warned her that he already had another actress in mind for the role. Flynn offered her another part in the film, but she insisted on playing Mercedes and after much conversation was cast in the role. John Gilbert played Edmond Dantès in the film, which was eventually titled Monte Cristo (1922). Taylor later said that she "saw then that he [Gilbert] had every requisite of a splendid actor." The New York Herald critic wrote "Miss Taylor was as effective in the revenge section of the film as she was in the first or love part of the screened play. Here is a class of face that can stand a close-up without becoming a mere speechless automaton."

In 1928, she and husband Dempsey starred in a Broadway play titled The Big Fight, loosely based around Dempsey's boxing popularity, which ran for 31 performances at the Majestic Theatre.

She made a successful transition to sound films or "talkies." Her first sound film was the comical sketch Pusher in the Face (1929).

Taylor married three times, but never had children. In 1911 at aged 17, she married a bank cashier named Kenneth Malcolm Peacock, the son of a prominent Wilmington businessman. They lived together for five years and then separated so she could pursue her acting career in New York. Taylor later claimed the marriage was annulled. In August 1924, the press mentioned Taylor's engagement to boxer and world heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey.[36] In September, Peacock announced he would sue Taylor for divorce on the ground of desertion. He denied he would name Dempsey as co-respondent, saying "If she wants to marry Dempsey, it is all right with me." Taylor was granted a divorce from Peacock on January 9, 1925.

Taylor and Dempsey were married on February 7, 1925 at First Presbyterian Church in San Diego, California. They lived in Los Feliz, Los Angeles. Her marriage to Dempsey ended in divorce in 1931.

#estelle taylor #silent movie stars #silent era #silent hollywood #golden age of hollywood #classic movie stars #classic hollywood #silent cinema

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menagerie-rpg · 6 years

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「 ZAHARA KALPAR 」

STRATUM: Three AGE: Twenty-six OCCUPATION: Tightrope SUGGESTED FCS: Shanina Shaik

CREATURE FORM.

KELPIE is a solitary sea creature described as a powerful black horse, historically attacking any human that nears the river the Kelpie inhabits. They can change their size or give themselves gills and fins in water.

ABOUT.

You’ve always been used to being alone, placed on a pedestal far above anyone’s reach. Be a god, admirable yet untouchable, your father always crooned. But not only do you resent the notion of blue blood — you’ve got a gun for a mouth and a heart of steel. Soft and restrained, they expect you to be. Yet, these are the very shoes you fail to fill in. You do have a gentle side, you know this. But how can you exemplify kindness, when you have to bare your teeth at an early marriage forced upon you? How does one become a dainty flower, when their environment has them growing thorns to survive?

BIOGRAPHY.

All under the cut.

The world has heard too many stories about cruel monsters and rebellious princesses trapped in gilded cages of their parents. They cannot listen again. She’s a vile creature, violent and unpredictable, ready to destroy all those who find themselves on her path. Or is that just another story? A false myth created to scare disobedient children?

There is a famous saying that you should never judge a book by its covers, but whoever said it probably forgot to mention one important thing. If you truly want to know someone’s secrets and desires, don’t focus on false rumors and gossips. Instead, you have to turn all the pages to the very beginning.

Her birth was a pure miracle - she only lived in her mother’s womb for seven short and unpredictable months. So how did she survive? No one truly knows, but it doesn’t even matter now. She was the girl who battled oblivion and won. Chances of survival were practically zero to none, but she, oh she was always ready for a fight - it’s no wonder she left bloody trails on her mother’s thighs, preventing her from ever having children again.

She came out of the hospital wrapped in the finest silk blanket, decorated with golden roses and red strings - for good luck. Her parents named her Zahara and it’s a name that oftentimes tickled the roof of her mouth but a name that always tasted so sweetly on her tongue; almost like a mixture of honey and vanilla. She remembers each time when she struggled to pronounce it, battling with her own tongue and front milk teeth.

The wealth of her family practically knew no limits - they were the perfect aristocratic family, beautiful descendants of kings and queens that bled only in the shades of navy blue. Enormous portraits of unfamiliar people decorated the walls of their spacious villa, hauntingly beautiful marble statues always stood in their lavishing gardens and of course, even their staircases were decorated with gold - now those were the true signs of great riches. They lived in absolute splendor, playing their little games and enjoying in their own golden cocoons, hidden from all the prying eyes and curious strangers.

( She lived in those wonderful gardens, a pretty little jasmine growing strong with each new day, waiting to be plucked one day by a man that her parents deemed appropriate ).

‘’You’re the most special flower in the world, Zahara - a desert flower. You’ll always be above everybody else, never forget that. You live on the new Olympus.’’

No, wait! She didn’t live. She was trapped. And always so alone. Only the cold statues in those gardens were her friends. Don’t you know those musical boxes that when you open them, a pretty little ballerina appears and starts dancing? Well, don’t you know that the ballerina dreams of an escape? That she’s tired of being on display and dancing each and every time? No, you don’t know.

You should have seen Zahara’s mother with stark white pearls around her long neck and diamonds on her wrists - a true queen. It’s a shame that Zahara was the complete opposite of her parents. Even as a child, she simply didn’t fit into their perfect puzzle. Maybe a piece of her was chipped away, somewhere and somehow forever lost. On the other hand, simplicity attracted her.

There was nothing wrong with having scrapped knees or playing in mud after rain. She just wished to be like the rest of the world, but her controlling parents didn’t even want to hear of it. Perhaps it’s because she had no brothers of sisters and being an only child is always a curse - you’re not allowed to disappoint, make mistakes or even die. You have to perfect, no matter what.

She loathed it all - from fancy dresses to acting like a fair maiden that only knew how to say ‘please’ and ‘thank you’. Thankfully, god or another mighty force had blessed her with a sharp tongue and with the right words she knew how to cut people, piercing their flesh ever so slowly.

‘’It’s a dinner party, Zahara. You must attend! I will not allow you to make a fool of me again by not showing up. You did that the last and i won’t let you do it again.’’

‘‘What’s the point, mother? Is father making you say all these things? I’m sure you can win this game of chess without your precious rook.’‘

‘‘Zahara, if i have to, i’ll drag you there.’‘

‘‘Come on, mother. We both know you don’t have it in you. I’m just surprised that i still haven’t seen bruises on your face. Father hates disobedience, right? ‘‘

Then, another form of trouble and worry knocked on her door - this time, her parents wanted to find a suitable husband for their precious and wild flower. Only eighteen, but they were already ready to sell her to some man, like a cow whose only duty was to produce more offsprings. But instead of weeping like a child or praying for a higher power to rescue her, she decided to take matters into her own hands.

Each suitor came with a pretty smile and big promises, but Zahara always managed to get on their nerves and make them leave her house in a rush. The things she did to them were almost funny but truth be told, those were just clever attempts of a poor girl to rescue herself from chains of marriage.

She didn’t want to belong to a man. A girl like her wasn’t born to wear a veil on her head and obediently listen to every order. Just because someone had a sword between their legs didn’t give them the right to control her life.

‘’…but i can make you happy! I can show you all the wonders of the world and a married life.’’

‘‘You must truly be desperate to say such things or maybe you think i’m just that foolish. You don’t care about me. You’ve only known me for one day. Even in fairy tales, they wait a bit longer to fall in love and live happily ever after. You just want my father to be your father-in-law. A part of me understands it. You can’t help yourself. It’s stronger than you. But women mostly marry because they’re desperate of foolish. Men marry because they want to have a trophy or earn a lot of money. It’s a superficial world we live in and i’m not blind. Do you really think that i don’t see the way you smile around my father? The way each and every suitor smiles around my father? He’s a powerful man, but power is a dangerous thing. I don’t want to be involved in all this mess, but i have no choice. I have to sit here and watch your hideous face for hours. Life is cruel, isn’t it?’‘

However, her parents weren’t planning on giving up and it didn’t take them long to find a man that simply didn’t care about her insults or snarky comments. A self-centered and pompous gentlemen, with big hands and even a bigger ego, he was a true nightmare for Zahara.

So she still had to fight for herself ( clearly, no one else wanted to do it ) and on the night of her special engagement, she ran away from home. All the pretty and lavishing baldachins had to be saved for another time, but she didn’t make it too far. She stopped near a saltwater creek, drawn by glimmering water and soft moonlight. It almost seemed like the water was calling her.

‘’Come home…’’ Faintly and unknown whispers swirled around her.

‘’I’m home. I’m home.’’ She answered.

And finally, her heart was at piece. She had never felt so calm and happy in her life. It was a shame that she had been trapped all of her life in her father’s prison with gilded bars. Too bad an opportunity had never presented itself to her to visit this place. Ancient Greeks called it river Zara, but this was her home.

The water however did strange things to her body, almost immediately turning her into another creature, most similar to a horse but with gills as well. Petrified and worried, she got out of the water almost instantly, rushing home and hoping that her legs wouldn’t betray her.

But when she explained the strange incidence to her parents, they looked perfectly calm. Not even slightly disturbed by the fact that their only daughter transformed into some horrendous creature.

‘‘It runs in our family – it’s time for your the hear the tale of cryptids and how your life will never be the same again… ‘‘Their explanation was fairly short and simple, but it hurt more than anything else she had ever experienced in her life.

‘‘You knew? You knew of this? And you never bothered to tell me? So many years, so many lies? For what? Why didn’t you tell? I had the right to know! I had the –’‘

‘‘That’s why we wanted to find you a suitable husband as quickly as possible. We can’t protect others from you forever. We have to find someone else to do it instead of us.’‘ All this time she had thought that they were trying to protect her from the world, but instead she was the main villain in the story, the monster. The big bad wolf. No, the big bad horse.

That was the final straw for Zahara. Not wasting a single second, she ran away once again, this time never looking back. But trouble followed her every move and staying undercover in such a dangerous world was the hardest task for Zahara. She wasn’t used to being alone, taking caring of herself and being careful - the gilded walls of her home took her independence away.

And on one fateful night someone actually captured her - unfortunately for her she wasn’t being careful at all. She just wanted to swim and enjoy in the warm water, and then she suddenly found herself in a cage. Apparently, the man was desperate for some money and so instead of killing her and making the world just a little purer, he sold her to menagerie ( another word that was twisted her tongue ).

She found herself on a new path but this time – she actually had to behave properly and play by the rules if she wanted to leave her cage. She had once been placed on a pedestal high above the rest, but now she’s chained to one. Such a dazzling star; brought so low.

#*jasmine bio #Shanina Shaik fc #taken

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