#been knew about this adaptation being in the works but we finally have a full-fledged trailer and OMG

[agxsos]

❝ sometimes we just want to be seen for something brighter ❞

𝐛𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐜𝐬: name: ambrose myrrdin nicknames: merlin, asshole, dearest rose, the entity pronouns: he/him dob: december 19 / sagittarius species: original witch ( Hildegrimm bloodline ) - magically imprisoned by Le Fey occupation: king’s advisor ( formerly ) / librarian of The Archives ( currently )

𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐲: positive traits: passionate, nurturing, earnest, reliable, dedicated, observant negative traits: manipulative, controlling, single-minded, blunt, workaholic

𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐞𝐬: typical witch abilities, combat proficiency, learned survivalist skills, expert level specialization in medicinal potions / poisons and knowledge of the wilderness, has magic but hides it due to his preference to talk things through first

𝐪𝐮𝐢𝐜𝐤 𝐟𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐬:

ambrose was the eldest of his family and the lone witch of his family. it always struck him as odd. why wouldn’t his many sisters have powers of their own if the local priest was to be believed? either way it was the quickest way to earn his mother’s scorn for little more than being born. who wanted a boy supposedly sired by a demon? and the lady asheborn was always keen to remind him that of all the children she had brought into the world his presence was a constant reminder of a night of wavering faith. it didn’t bother him much, he had little interest with court or kingly things. his mind was set for the wilderness, the trees, the creatures within the dark places that called to him. they welcomed him, whispered to him, and in the dark he found his name; myrrdin. ‘ambrose’ would be a moniker adapted in the later centuries when his dearest friend insisted upon being proper about it. so much time has passed, he can no longer remember if he had a name before only that which came after.

he never knew where he was born or why he was so quickly ostracized but he was raised alongside knights in a centuries old compound. for his fifteenth birthday he was given the name of his birth father by his mentor per the customs of the hildegrimm coven. ambrose was always questioning of his teachings, ever since the first day he could use his magic. now though, he could have answers and be acknowledged as a full fledged witch if he could summon and trap the man with name alone. finally ambrose could have answers as to why he was spurned so quickly and thoughtlessly, nothing more than a bargaining chip by the asheborn nobility with the hildegrimm coven. the resulting summoning only resulted in more questions with no answers in sight and in his ire his magic grew wild and unstable. his father, a creature known only as nieros, was seemingly encased in ice and three of his coven killed in the resulting blast. ambrose did not feel remorseful persay, only frustrated that his life’s goal had slipped between his fingers; his father again had eluded him. burying his closest friends, ambrose left the hildegrimm coven in search of answers to the questions steadily driving him to madness.

ambrose never intended to betray his coven because of love. but in the wake of a woman such as morgana he had been utterly helpless. he betrayed his dearest love andras, forgoing years of companionship to follow le fey into gods knew what. she promised him answers and some part of ambrose knew she was merely using him. he didn’t realize the extent of her magic until it was far far far too late. his adopted son aethelwulf was among the first casualties and the illusion was so thick, so convincing, for years he believed that the knights of arthur, his closest and dearest friend, were responsible for the death. so in private he worked with morgana, falling deeper into her web believing he was working to bring about his son’s resurrection. in truth he was laying the foundation for arthur’s undoing and his eventual imprisonment. the final winning play in le fey’s plan was to take from ambrose the only thing he still possessed on the eve of the battle of camlann; his love. morgana disguised herself as andras to lure him deep underground with the promise of sanctuary for them both. too late did he recognize the leylines before the stone closed around him and he was left with nothing but the darkness and one last glimpse of andras’ sneering face calling him a fool. an unwilling sacrifice in le fey’s spell, it did not claim his life but rather twisted him, festering the very heart of him. and in the dark, he waited. and then one day someone let in the light and he woke up. parts of him were able to seep out, feel things, growing further mad as he dreamt of his coven’s fall to madness at the hands of le fey’s curse. all because of him. all because he had chosen love over duty. so set in motion a centuries long ritual to free himself and find revenge. and yet - due to the choices of those drawn into his spell he finds himself devoid of that dark ravenous hungering rage. instead of long desire revenge, for the first time in centuries ambrose wants to try and make amends.

he is extremely easy to approach in the wake of his resurrection albeit fairly wary, but rarely will ambrose voice any kind of discomfort choosing instead to say things merely for the sake of wondering what will happen. before, while under the influence of the curse he would let it run it’s course no matter how terrible the fallout. but now he will readily intervene though from a distance so the person will believe it was their choice all along. naturally ambrose is wary of other mages given his history and it takes time for him to open up even on a friendly platonic level with them now he has learnt of what happened to his coven at his own hands. it's easier to recover when he holds the world at arm’s length. ambrose will readily deflect at any mention of the entity, still not yet reconciled with the fact that a curse could twist him into something so destructive as to ruin the only home and family he’d grown to care for and begin to trust. but to all of los santos he is just a friendly face willing to lend aid in the dangerous labyrinth of the archives. nothing more, nothing less.

ambrose could be described as quiet and soft spoken. his day job doesn’t leave him with much opportunity to socialize and after being isolated by himself for so long it’s taking time to acclimate and remember social cues. he isn’t sure how long it will take but finding the populace of the city predominantly supernatural gives him some small measure of hope. a brave new world as he likes to say to the rare few given the privilege of accessing the archives. although freed from his imprisonment within the archives, ambrose equally is uncertain of the world outside and reluctant to get close to anyone. to his knowledge, his love was the reason he was locked away where time lost reason and the world moved on without him. but he is partial to those willing to learn and chase after knowledge, finding himself reminded of his son before his untimely death. the sentiment is one ambrose is certain he’ll never be able to shake or rid himself of no matter how hard he attempts it.

‘work’ and his exploration of the city keeps him busy for most of his free time and ambrose can often be found wandering at all odd hours of the night having long since lost all concept of time. he spends most of his free time split either at the underground marketplace people watching or getting a cup of coffee or walking through the art museum admiring works from years gone by. most often he ends up staying indoors, either at his little apartment he’s acquired in greenhaven or sitting up at all hours of the night talking to the archives. if you manage to find him, you might be lucky enough to coax a word or two out of him but you’ll never know if he’s lying or earnest. with a history as mired as his, ambrose’s mood can change at the blink of an eye all with a single misplaced word.

[chibimyumi]

Cast Talk - Tango on the Campania - Part 1/4

Now three years have passed, and I finally bring you the cast talk in the official pamphlet of the musical!

Part 1 - The Two who Returned

Terayama: Alright! Behold the continuation of the cast talk of the “Luxury Liner Arc”!

All: You’re quite energetic (laughs).

Terayama: Though a bit sudden, let’s welcome the two who have returned to us, Takkun (Uehara) and Hide-kun (Sasaki), and do tell us about how you feel about it.

Furukawa: I guess it is more accurate to ask what it feels like having had to skip out once. I mean, you have been part [of Kuromyu] all this time, right?

Sasaki: I really wanted to join, of course! When I came to as a spectator and the show started with AberHanks I went: “eh? They’re starting here?” Besides for “Lycoris” I was constantly performing alongside AberHanks, so for a moment I thought why I wasn’t standing beside them. Even if it’s just for the opening, let me do at least one song!

Izumi: One song huh? So you’re not giving us some [circus] stunts? (laughs).

Sasaki: As I was watching as an outsider again, I thought “Black Butler” really stands out from 2.5D with its ridiculously high quality, so I was thirsting for making a return.

Uehara: I went to see “Circus Myu” on its opening day, and I must say mysteriously enough I didn’t feel weird. It just felt like I went to watch a show. I expected myself to feel weirder about it.

Terayama: It’s like watching your family perform, right? Mr. Izumi, what is it like to welcome these two back?

Izumi: It felt like “I’ve been waiting for you”, and when we were reading through the script, the way they performed was so amazing I was really shocked. It hadn’t been that long since we received the script, right?

Sasaki: That’s right.

Uehara: It arrived just in time.

Izumi: This sure gave them a good prodding, huh.

All: (Laughter).

Izumi: Honestly, most people come in more elegantly, like “awiiii” . Not like your “BAM!!!” Not necessarily because you had to skip one time, but because of your feelings for this franchise. I mean, your fire of passion even infected me.

Terayama: That’s probably because they knew they’d have to give it their all. What about you, Reo?

Uchikawa: I went to see “Lycoris”, and I was really looking forward to working with them, but last time that was not possible. That’s why I’m all the more happy now.

Terayama: What does it feel like now that’s being realised?

Uchikawa: Even more than I imagined I would at the time just watching, I feel like “wow~!” I’m so hyped.

Uehara: I really think you’re doing wonderfully.

Uchikawa: Yay!

Terayama: I think he’s doing even more wonderfully than last time now.

Uehara: The experience gained from last time really shows, I am shocked.

Furukawa: (To Uchikawa) But also, our bonds are even closer than last time right?

Uchikawa: YES!

Terayama: That really shows.

Uehara: Indeed.

Terayama: Now this makes a pretty good segue for the next question, namely “how do you all view the relationship between Sebas and Ciel, and their respective growth”?

Furukawa: [They/we] are much closer and have a much better tie.

Terayama: Recently during the script run-through, judging from the way you did it, it felt like it was your first time reading the script.

Furukawa: That’s true, you’re right. It was the first time we read the script.

Terayama: So you didn’t for the rehearsal of last time?

Furukawa: I don’t think we did. Last time we had the time, so as we rehearsed we went through it together, but this time we have surprisingly little time.

Uchikawa: That’s right.

Uehara: This morning Reo was holding a small cup of coffee, and just when I was thinking: “ah he drinks coffee huh”, he said “Mr. Furukawa bought this for me”.

Furukawa: (To Uchikawa): It was good right, that drink?

Uchikawa: Yup.

Furukawa: It was actually sweetened hot milk, but I thought you’d definitely love it.

All: (Laughs).

Terayama: You two are so close.

Izumi: “You’d definitely love it,” he says, you really came to know him well huh.

Terayama: And you also grew so much. Your face also got more masculine. You also got so much more eloquent.

Sasaki: What do you mean?

Izumi: Last time it was still mostly things like “uwu…(blush)” or “aw, I’m so happy” coming out of his mouth.

All: (Laughs).

Sasaki: Oh I see (laughs). Last time little Reo came to see our performance, and I received a present with the message “for your refreshment”, I was over the moon! He really prepared the gift so well.

Furukawa: When Ms. Kodama (Director) wonders out loud “what should I do with this [scene]?” Reo would also properly give suggestions saying: “may I propose this?” When I saw that I went: “wow!”

Terayama: The two of you really are working together, now both as full-fledged actors of your own now.

Furukawa: That’s right.

Uchikawa: Yes.

 To be continued in

Part 2: “This time’s number one is Undertaker”

Part 3: “Stage Adaptation “Black Butler” - The Trail of 10 Years.”

Part 4: “I love you, we all do.”

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars: Best Darth Maul Moments from The Clone Wars and Beyond

https://ift.tt/2KQr8Q0

This Star Wars article contains spoilers.

Since his debut in The Phantom Menace, Darth Maul has demanded the attention of Star Wars fans everywhere. In 1999, Maul looked unlike any villain that had come before in the saga, and the movie’s high-energy lightsaber duel is still one of the most memorable parts of the Prequel Trilogy. It’s unfortunate, then, that Maul was originally created by George Lucas as a one-off character, present only to re-establish the threat of the Sith. 

But you can’t keep a good character down. Maul returned in The Clone Wars season 4 to introduce even more chaos to the galaxy. Infamously unkillable, his obsession with killing Obi-Wan Kenobi and reuniting with Palpatine kept him going for much of the galactic conflict and well after the rise of the Empire.

Maul has been a Sith apprentice, a ranting hermit, and a powerful crime lord throughout his strange and storied life. Maul failed to become a Sith Master, as Palpatine tossed him to the side once his role in Anakin Skywalker’s story was over, but Maul never stopped trying to clamber to the top. As you’ll see in The Clone Wars season 7 and the Rebels animated series, Maul will fight until the very end to get what he wants.

Stream your Star Wars favorites on Disney+ with a FREE TRIAL, on us!

As we say goodbye once again to one of Star Wars‘ greatest villains, let’s take a look back at the former Sith’s best moments from The Clone Wars, Rebels, the comics, and beyond.

Duel of the Fates

The Phantom Menace is not a perfect movie, but the two-on-one lightsaber duel in the third act is a great example of the kind of action and physical storytelling that makes Star Wars such an effective and enduring movie franchise. Maul is a nearly voiceless demon dogging the heels of the good guys for most of the film, his powers obscured until he finally reveals himself on Naboo. For the audience watching this duel on the big screen, this was the first chance to see a full-fledged Jedi of legend dueling a Sith Lord.

Actor Ray Park was hired primarily for his ability to do the stunts and fight work. Choreographed by Nick Gillard, the lightsaber fight was acrobatic and wide-ranging, mixing in more melee than had been possible in the Original Trilogy. The climactic duel also introduced the double-bladed lightsaber to the Star Wars galaxy. The weapon and the character would be inseparable in fans’ minds for years to come.

Maul’s Return

How do you revive a character who has been cut in half? Just as in the world of comic books, Star Wars offers plenty of options. Since the Original Trilogy, Star Wars has made it common practice to rebuild mortally wounded and horribly mutilated villains, shaping them into a whole new threat. In 2012, The Clone Wars confirmed that there was more to Maul’s story than The Phantom Menace. Season 4 episode “Brothers” opens with the horror movie atmosphere of the scrapyard on planet Lotho Minor, where Maul has been living since his defeat on Naboo.

He fashions himself a new, arachnid-like body out of trash, and it fits the frightening philosophy of the Sith as well as Maul’s gruesome fate. Spider legs twitch and stab, allowing Maul to climb around his trash-filled cave. Maul has become a hybrid of person and machine, human and animal. He doesn’t keep the spider legs for long, only for a few episodes, but it’s one of the most dramatic changes to his look, and a frightening new possibility when it comes to what cyborgs in Star Wars can become. Spider Maul will haunt your dreams.

Rematch with Obi-Wan 

Obi-Wan Kenobi is skeptical when he hears Maul is back from the dead. But their confrontation is certainly real. After his surprise return in “Brothers,” Maul beelines for Obi-Wan in the next episode, suitably titled “Revenge.” This is the first chance to see the Sith’s rebuilt legs in action. It also shows Maul’s ruthlessness, as he destroys an innocent settlement just to draw Obi-Wan to his location. With the help of Savage Opress, his newfound brother, Maul captures Obi-Wan and kicks off a couple of action-heavy episodes that re-establishes Maul as a force to be reckoned with.

The Shadow Collective

Try as he might, Maul can’t get back into Sidious’ good graces, so he throws the Star Wars villain version of a tantrum: he forms a gang. With the help of the Mandalorians, he goes on a killing spree in season 5 to take out rival criminal organizations in the name of his new Shadow Collective. It’s a sequence of slaughters where there are no good guys.

Maul uses his Force powers, intimidation, and overwhelming force to destroy or intimidate the Black Sun gang, the Pyke gang, and the Hutts, including Jabba himself, into joining him. Maul is back on top.

Taking Over Mandalore  

After recruiting a group of rogue Mandalorian warriors known as Death Watch to his side, Maul has bigger ambitions: to take over the entire planet of Mandalore. In season 5’s “The Lawless,” he slaughters the planet’s reigning leader, Duchess Satine Kryze, as well as the leader of Death Watch, and claims the symbolic weapon of Mandalore, the Darksaber, for himself.

It’s a visually striking episode, with much of the action set inside the Mandalorian throne room. The Darksaber is also the perfect example of silly Star Wars lore taken to the extreme. It also, somehow, works, even when it returns in live-action in The Mandalorian. 

Duel Against Darth Sidious 

Much of Maul’s story in The Clone Wars is about a student who wants to return to the teacher who discarded him. But Sidious isn’t going to accept him back so easily. “The Lawless” also features a duel between three dark side users: Maul, Darth Sidious, and Savage. This is a three-way clash of red lightsabers, ranging up and down the edifices of Mandalore. It’s one of many examples of The Clone Wars‘ elevated Star Wars action, and it’s one of the series’ most exciting sequences.

There are no good guys here, but someone has to win: Sidious kills Savage and defeats Maul, sparing his former apprentice so that he may feel the sting of rejection for the rest of his life. This is the reunion Star Wars fans had been waiting for since Maul’s return and it goes about how you’d expect.

Facing Grievous 

The Son of Dathomir comic was adapted from unproduced episodes of The Clone Wars, so it’s closely linked to the events on Mandalore. It also features the entire rogues’ gallery of Prequel era villains, pitting Maul, Sidious, Count Dooku, General Grievous, and Mother Talzin against one another. The fight between Maul and Grievous, in particular, is the stuff of fantasy “What If” scenarios and it’s a visual delight, even if it happens off-screen. 

Read more

Games

Star Wars: 10 Darth Maul Facts You Might Not Know

By Megan Crouse

TV

Star Wars: The Clone Wars Quinlan Vos and Asajj Ventress Story You Never Saw

By Megan Crouse

The Siege of Mandalore

One of the most hotly-anticipated conflicts of The Clone Wars did not disappoint. The Siege of Mandalore, which shows how the Republic took the Mandalorian homeworld back from Maul, features a lightsaber duel between the former Sith and ex-Jedi Ahsoka Tano. Though both have left their old orders behind, they bring all the acrobatics and Force powers one could want from a Star Wars fight.

This duel in Mandalore’s throne room and high above its capital city is an amazing use of setting, as Maul and Ahsoka climb up the rafters of one of Mandalore’s domed cities and balance themselves on thin beams. The fight also feels mythic, the two characters’ viewpoints clashing as much as their lightsabers. 

The episode “The Phantom Apprentice,” in particular, shows that, despite being banished from the Sith, Maul is still one step ahead of the Jedi in terms of Palpatine’s grand plan. In fact, Maul instigates the Republic invasion in order to lure Anakin to the planet and stop him from becoming Sidious’ new apprentice — something he’s already seen in a vision before the Jedi even begin to suspect that Palpatine might be an agent of the dark side.

Maul’s Solo Cameo

Solo: A Star Wars Story spends plenty of time with the galaxy’s underworld. Throughout the movie, Han Solo and Qi’Ra tangle with rogues, thieves, smugglers, con men, and drifters, all leading to a big standoff with Dryden Vos, the leader of criminal organization Crimson Dawn. But Vos isn’t the true villain pulling the strings of the movie.

A big reveal is left for the end: Maul has been in charge of the criminal syndicate Crimson Dawn all this time, manipulating others the way Palpatine manipulated him. Maul doesn’t do a lot in Solo, appearing just for a few minutes to make Qi’Ra his new lieutenant, but he does ignite his lightsaber, showing he’s a step above most of the enemies the group has faced so far by virtue of his Sith legacy. 

Maul’s Epic Death

Even though it seemed like he could survive anything, Maul had to die eventually. Luckily, the team behind Star Wars Rebels knew how to make Maul’s ending something truly amazing.

Maul has spent decades seeking revenge against his old Jedi enemy, while Obi-Wan has gone into hiding to protect Luke Skywalker, finding peace and coming to terms with the tragedy in his own life. The episode “Twin Suns” shows the final confrontation between Maul and Obi-Wan.

Although not a true adaptation, “Twin Suns” is loosely inspired by “Old Wounds,” a non-canon comic from the speculative comic series Visionaries. That comic, which was written and drawn by Aaron McBride, is also a great Maul moment unto itself, with a vivid lightsaber battle and the threat of Maul possibly discovering a very young Luke Skywalker. It gets to the heart of why Maul works as a frightening villain: a demonic-looking Sith with the drive to keep hunting you, even if you cut him in half. 

“Twin Suns” chooses to go a more contemplative route than “Old Wounds.” While the basic setup is the same (Maul finds an older Obi-Wan on Tatooine), the lightsaber duel isn’t the focus in “Twin Suns.” Instead, one of the best Maul moments is actually an Obi-Wan moment. Their lightsaber duel is just one move, both of them considering their options but it’s Obi-Wan who actually finds the inner strength to carry it out.

In the end, Obi-Wan kills Maul, but also shows him pity, telling a truth that comforts both of them: Luke Skywalker, the one to bring balance to the Force, is still alive. Obi-Wan has escaped the cycle of revenge and ambition Maul has been stuck in his entire life, and he’s closer to the Force for it. It’s also a stunning farewell fit for a fan-favorite character like Maul.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post Star Wars: Best Darth Maul Moments from The Clone Wars and Beyond appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Comics – Den of Geek https://ift.tt/3d1zHU2

[forlornmelody]

Double The Trouble Chapter 9 -- Justified

Rating: Explicit (other chapters are NSFW)

Ship: FemShep x Femshep Clone // Shenko, eventual OT3

AO3 Links: Chapter 1 // This Chapter

Summary: Shep had planned to spend another night alone. Instead she has a surprise visitor–one she had never expected to see again.Unapologetic consensual clone smut.

Note: This is a sequel to Spare Parts, but obviously you can read this without reading the other fic.

This chapter, and all future chapters are in present tense. No reason other than I fell in love with writing this way while working on the prequel, and now I can’t stop.

Jane Shepard eyes her therapist critically. Kaidan’s words at breakfast have been weighing on her mind all morning. “You’re not like...some neo-Cerberus spy, are you?”

Her therapist quirks her head in that way that tends to rankle Shepard, at least in this room full of acid-trip paintings, fake plants, mood lighting, and plush pillows. It all screams at her Shouldn’t you be happy? “You worried I’ll tell sensitive information, Shepard? I would be a terrible therapist if broke your confidence.”

You’re a terrible therapist already, Susan, Shepard thinks to herself, but doesn’t dare say it out loud. She wants her damn biotic amp back, so she needs to behave. That, and Susan never seems to take her seriously. So Shepard says nothing, eyeing the window, skimming the book titles on the shelf, and the patterns of Susan’s blouse while she gathers her thoughts.

 “Hey, Shepard.” Shepard always knows how Kadian’s feeling by the way he says “hey.” This time he’s on edge, and Shepard reaches over the table and their pancake breakfast to grab his shoulder.

“What’s up?”

“Sorry I didn’t tell you sooner, but there’s something I want to talk to you about.”

Shepard pulls her hand back. In hindsight, they went straight to sleep last night. She didn’t think much of it, then--too exhausted for a romp after dinner. Setting her fork down, Shepard replies “Out with it.”

Kaidan takes a deep breath like he’s about to go under. “Jane wants to see Maya.”

“Oh.” Shepard sits back. She should have seen this coming, with their conversation last week.

“She said you told her I knew where she was.”

Shepard rubs her face, taking a big gulp of coffee. “Sorry. I was kind of distracted when she brought it up.”

Kaidan raises an eyebrow.

“Not that.” Shepard rolls her eyes. “It’s when we were arguing at the Reds’ headquarters.”

Both his eyes went wide. “You went to the Red’s territory?”

“She wasn’t returning my calls!”

“I’m not mad. I mean. Are you okay?” He says it carefully, as if he’s walking in zero gravity.

Shepard nearly says she’s fine but she bites her lip instead. “It sucked. I’m not going to lie. But I’m still here, aren’t I?”

Kaidan squeezes her hand. “Of course. I’m just surprised you didn’t tell me.”

“Are you?” Shepard takes a gulp, ignoring her half-eaten pancakes.

“So what are we going to do about Maya?”

“And you’re still not sure?”

Shepard hasn’t told Susan about the nature of her relationship with Jane. She already feels like she’s under a lot of scrutiny. Susan is an Alliance-appointed therapist, after all. Honestly, she probably shouldn’t even tell her about this situation. If something goes wrong, Shepard will go straight to court martial, and no reaper invasion will save her this time. “I’m not going to do anything rash.”

“But what are you going to do?”

“What’s the harm of letting them visit? If we’re really worried, we can always take her amp away.” Oops. She probably shouldn’t have brought it up like that.

Susan eyes her. “Is this about your clone, or about you?”

Shepard breathes in through her nose and out through her mouth. She can’t afford to lose her temper right now. “I’m getting sensation back in my left arm. Pins and needles--that sort of thing.”

“And this relates to your amp how?”

To make things easier, Shepard tries imagining Udina in Susan’s place, but that just makes her blood boil more. Tevos? Christ. Her chest tightens up. No, no, no. 

“What are you thinking right now?”

Tears spring in her eyes before she can stop them. “I hate having to fucking justify myself to you. To anyone.” She hates how she’s making a scene. She hates that she can’t breathe.

Susan taps away on her Haptic Adaptive Interface. “And why do you feel the need to justify yourself to me?”

Shepard puts her head in her hands, squeezing her hair until it pulls at her scalp. 

“You just don’t get it.” Shepard glares at her blurry shape, breathing in sharply. “I feel twice as paralyzed without it.”

Susan nods slowly. Fuck. Can she even move without looking down her nose at her? “Does it remind you of a time before?”

Talking about it hurts too much. “Yeah,” she manages to say.

“Mm. I see. Shepard, if you’re feeling up to it, I would like to try something new with you.”

Shepard rubs her eyes, blinking at her. “Will I get my amp back if I say yes?”

“I want to see how you do with it first.” Typical. “What are you feeling in your body right now?”

“Not much. That’s kind of the problem, Susan.”

Susan shakes her head ever so slightly. “Close your eyes first. Of what you do feel, how would you describe it?”

Shepard takes a breath. She must behave. She must work with her. Or she really will lose her mind. “Like someone dropped concrete on my chest. Filled my lungs with it too. And my shoulder hurts like hell.”

Susan asks, “And when have you felt like that before?”

Another breath. “Horizon.”

“The first or the second time?”

“The first.” Shepard sniffs, wiping her nose.

Susan hands her a box of tissues. “And is the pain the same, or has it moved?”

“It’s in my, fists too.”

“And before that?”

“When I updated the Council on Saren...and asked to go to Illos.”

They repeat the cycle a few more times, until they get to one memory Shepard really doesn’t want to talk about. “When I was with the Reds.”

“Ah. I wondered when we would get here.” Susan hands Shepard two buzzers. “Are you familiar with EMDR?”

“Yeah.” Shepard swallows. She remembers doing it before. She remembers it not being pleasant.

“I want you to describe this memory. And while you describe this memory and what happened, and how it made you feel, I’m going to activate the buzzers like this.” She flips a switch, and each buzzer vibrates in turn. It’s an odd, if not distracting sensation, but it doesn’t hurt.

Shepard remembers the moment vividly, but when she tries to describe it, no words come.

“Shepard. Feel your feet on the floor, and your thighs and back touching your chair. Note any tension in your body and release it. If it helps, imagine a green light touching those parts of you and healing your body.”

It sounds cooky, but Shepard complies, and when her therapist says nothing, she continues onto her memory.

She ducks inside the door, soaked from the rain. Just as she removes her coat, she hears Ice’s voice behind her.

“You’re home late.”

She spins around blurting the excuse she rehearsed the whole way back to headquarters. “Some narc was tailing me. Had to lose them.”

It’s then she realizes Ice and her aren’t alone. All the other enforcers of 10th Street, named ones--Greenie, Finch, and Caine--and the other Johns and Janes who’ve yet to make their first kill. This is bad. Really bad. She looks across and makes eye contact with her girlfriend, Jane--who’s rattling like a leaf in the fall. If she doesn’t cool it, she’s going to get them both in trouble.

“Wouldn’t be the first time a narc has seen you, right, Jane?” Ice stares at her with steel eyes, and she shivers despite the heat of their house.

“I don’t talk to narcs!” She snaps. She knows better. Her girlfriend, though?

Ice pats her shoulder. “I know you wouldn’t rat out your family, Jane.” Then Ice squeezes her shoulder so hard it hurts. “Just tell me who got Ace arrested and we’re good.”

Greenie shoves her girlfriend into the middle of the circle that has formed around them. Shit. They already know Jane told the cops. A cold feeling settles in her stomach. Damnit. Why couldn’t Jane keep her fucking mouth shut?

“Cat got your tongue?” Ice smiles. “Maybe you'd rather show me.” She presses a pistol into her hands. “Go ahead. Take care of it and we can all move on.” Squeezing her shoulder, Ice whispers into her ear. “You can finally get your name.”

She raises her gun, wanting to run. Her girlfriend sobs hysterically, begging her not to do it. If she doesn’t---

“You can be one of us.”

It’s what she’s wanted for years--to be a full-fledged member of the Tenth Street Reds with her own name and rep. It’s what she wanted until she fell in love with another Jane--a Jane who found a way out. The narc promised them a new life: witness protection--everything. They were so close.

“No, please! It won’t happen again.”

“One of us! One of us!” The other enforcers start chanting. Her hands are slippery with sweat. She feels the static on her skin and smells the tang of eezo in the air and she tries to shove it down. Freaks never stick around the Reds for long.

Ice laughs. “You’re right. It won’t. Do it, Jane.”

Hesitating with her finger sliding on the trigger, she shakes her head and lowers it. “No.”

The gun shot leaves her ear ringing, and her girlfriend’s blood splatters across her face before her body falls to the floor.

“I’m disappointed in you, Jane.”

“Breathe, Shepard. Breathe.”

Shepard’s eyes snap open, and she feels the tears on her cheeks. How long had she been crying? She gasps for air, trying desperately not to think of dying and how it feels like she’s dying again above a frozen planet beneath an exploding ship. Her therapist counts her breaths for her until the hyperventilating stops.

“I think that’s enough for today.” Susan looks at her placidly, turning the buzzers off.

“Do I get my amp back?” Shepard hands her the buzzers, feeling like she’s outside her skin.

“I’ll let you know.” Susan opens the door to let her out. “See you Friday.”

Typical. Shepard shuts the door behind her.

[altonajitzu]

Superflowers Ch.1: Nayeon

“It’s the sea!” Jihyo exclaimed with gusto. She grinned widely, taking in a lungful of salty fresh air. Around her, the members of TWICE were also showing their own version of delight.

Their work schedule had been jampacked as of late, and one by one, the member exhibited different signs of exhaustion. Mina was hardly seen out of her room whenever they were at the dorm, Tzuyu became more irritable, and Jihyo found herself using her eye drops a lot more than usual lately. Her eyes got incredibly itchy at times, and she attributed this to the make-up that might have gotten into her eyes during their countless photoshoots and recordings.

Ever the observant producer, JYP granted them a two-day, one-night trip to Jeju Island. Admittedly, it was no full-fledged vacation on an exotic site- far from it actually, but they couldn’t have asked for anything better. The girls let out delighted shrieks upon hearing the news, overjoyed at their rare chance to let off steam and just let loose.

On the arrival at Jeju Island, they were greeted with a lavish dinner in a seaside restaurant.

“Your turn to order Jihyo.” Jeongyeon said, passing the menu to her leader.

“Alright! Let’s get some specialty in our stomach!” She exclaimed enthusiastically. Everything looked and sounded really palatable, so she picked one at random. “I’ll have some Galchi Jorim. Wait never mind, I don’t want that. One serving of Okdom Gui for me please.” The waiter nodded and proceeded to the next member.

“What’s wrong with Galchi Jorim though?” Dahyun, who was choosing next, asked curiously.

“Nothing Dahyunie, I just wanted something else.”

“Have you tried Galchi Jorim before?”

“No I haven’t.” She didn’t know herself why she changed her choice, but something told her she wouldn’t like the dish, so she chose another one without giving it another thought. Jihyo now felt foolish, seeing as she had never tried it before.

“Huh, that’s weird.” The rapper shrugged, dropping the topic.

Jihyo looked around the table. Everyone was excited, either chatting animatedly or taking selfies with the others. But then she noticed Nayeon, who was seated on her left, staring at nothing in particular with a distracted look.

“Nayeon-unnie?” She called out, catching Nayeon’s attention. The girl snapped back to reality.

“Yeah?”

“Is something wrong? You look… bored.” She asked with genuine concern. Of course the vacation was meant for them to have fun, but it was her obligation to see everyone

“I’m fine Jihyo, just a bit tired.” Came Nayeon’s reply.

“Let me cheer you up then. Say, if you're Russian when you go to the toilet, and Finnish when you go out, what are you when you're in the toilet?"

“… What?”

“European!”

The look on Nayeon’s face then was something Jihyo would take to the grave.

“Gosh, shut it you.” Nayeon pushed her away, but her lovely smile finally returned. Jihyo gleefully noted, directing her focus back to the newly-arrived food.

That night, she dreamt of having fun in the sea. Unlike other dreams, this particular one was so real, Jihyo actually felt exhausted when she woke up.

_____

The following morning, as expected, was a blast. They were given free reign at an exclusive resort site, reserved by JYP himself for his artists. Thanks to constant upkeep, this part of the beach was thankfully kept in almost pristine condition. The sea spread out limitlessly to the horizon, painting Jihyo’s vision with its deep azure sheen. There was no one here but themselves, save for their managers who had thoughtfully left TWICE alone- but never out of their sight.

TWICE spent the entire morning in the sea, enjoying each other’s company as they frolicked around without a care in the world.

After a few hours, Jihyo decided she was tired enough to stop.

Stepping back onto the white sand, Jihyo winced as her foot landed on something pointy.

“Ouch. What is…” She never finished her question. Suddenly hit by a wave of nausea, Jihyo clutched her head. Here it was again, the extreme sense of deja vu. She had been feeling this for the umpteenth time today, and it was no longer fun.

Looking around warily, Jihyo saw the scene with different eyes. Everyone was acting perfectly normal, yet it felt strangely familiar, as if she had seen this a lot before. While this was true, it shouldn’t have affected her so much as it was at the moment.

Her gaze drifted to a bench nearby, where a lone figure sat. Nayeon had stopped swimming some time earlier, and now she was hanging out on the beach, completely focused on playing the guitar.

Wait… guitar?

Jihyo was, after all, not an omnipresent god; there could be a lot of mysteries going on for her members that she never discovered, but there was one thing Jihyo knew for sure- Nayeon had never played the guitar before.

It did not take long for Jihyo to put two and two together.

“Nayeon-unnie.” She muttered under her breath. The person in their group with the ability to manipulate time at will, she must have had something to do with this. The evidence kept piling up, each and every of them pointing towards the involvement of TWICE’s oldest member. Determined to find out the truth, Jihyo walked out of the water and towards her unnie.

Nayeon looked up from her guitar and smiled fondly at the approaching leader. She couldn’t have enough of seeing Jihyo in her swimwear. Even at this private site of the island the threat of paparazzi was prominent, so any sort of revealing attire was sadly out of the question. As it stood, they had to do with full body swimsuits only. Still, it did not make Jihyo seem any less attractive; the skintight sportswear clung nicely to her well-proportioned figure and glistened with water, giving her an incredibly sensual aura.

“Hey.” The leader greeted. Shaking her head from the reverie, Nayeon replied smoothly.

“Hey Jihyo, having fun?”

“I am, Nayeon-unnie, thanks for asking. I’m having too much fun right now, it’s almost too good to be true.” With this she shot a pointed look at the older girl.

If Nayeon was at all fazed from the meaningful stare she did not show it. Rather, she merely nodded and returned to fiddling with the guitar strings. Her next song, which was her own impromptu adaptation of Likey, revealed anything but a relaxed state. Nayeon stopped on second too long after the intro, fumbled one time too many on the chorus, and- Jihyo noticed upon closer inspection- her chord hand was showing the slightest of trembles. She was nervous, and Jihyo knew it.

She put her hand on Nayeon’s, forcing the older to stop playing and divert her eyes upwards to meet her leader’s.

“You have something to do with this, don’t you, Nayeon-unnie?” Jihyo inquired, seeking the verbal confirmation of what she already knew. “You’re turning back time, and we’re having this vacation over and over.”

Nayeon did not answer, and she looked away. Despite the lack of response, Jihyo could see clearly the resigned guilt and overwhelming boredom in Nayeon’s slumped posture.

“How do you tell?” She asked with a quiet, dejected voice of someone who was caught red-handed. “It shouldn’t be any more than a slight deja vu. There’s no way you could find out you’re stuck in a time loop!”

“Nayeon-unnie… I’ve known you for almost a decade now, and never once did I see you with a guitar. People can’t just up and cover a song like that you know, that takes a lot of practice.” Nayeon stared at the guitar in her hands with disdain. Never once did she think it would be her undoing.

“… I gave myself away there, didn’t I?” Jihyo nodded sympathetically. Nayeon heaved a sigh, realizing her blunder one second too late.

“But why are you doing this? I told you, overusing your powers is not good for your health!”

“Well, when we were about to head home that evening, you told me how you wished for the vacation to last forever, so I thought…”

Jihyo’s eyes widened to the size of a golfball. That was the last thing she ever expected. Of course, since her unnie had rewound the time, she could not have remembered this particular instance, but she could very well imagine herself getting sad and saying something along the line of ‘I wish this vacation would last forever’.

“Oh my lord Nayeon-unnie… I don’t even know what to say…”

“But you need this vacation, don’t you! You’ve been working tirelessly these last few weeks, and it hurts to see you stress yourself out like that.” Nayeon desperately tried to justify her action, something she realized had been nothing but a colossal mistake.

Jihyo did not reply. She stared at the time manipulator, her mind blank with shock.

Before long, Nayeon decided she had had enough of this.

“Just, forget I said anything. It was really a stupid idea, you don’t remember what happened anyway. I won’t do it again.” Nayeon huffed and stood up, intent on getting away from her leader. She knew, deep inside, that what she did didn’t really make much sense if one thought about it, but seeing Jihyo’s incredulous reaction proved was too much. She did not really hope for any kind of appreciation, but still…

“Wait, Nayeonie.” Jihyo suddenly spoke up, using the rarely used nickname. Nayeon turned back and raised an eyebrow; being the oldest among the girls, no one really called her that but herself, so the mention of the nickname redirected her attention right away.

Jihyo stood up as well and wrapped the dumbfounded Nayeon in a tight hug.

“I’m sorry, I don’t mean it to come out like that. I’m just so shocked that you’d do something like that for my sake.”

“Well it’s not really your sake alone, but others too, you know…” Nayeon trailed off when she saw Jihyo’s amused look. “Alright, I mostly think of you only when I do it. Happy?”

“Very. Look, Nayeon-unnie, I can’t thank you enough for your consideration, but please, think about yourself too. You’re bored out of your mind, and I can’t live with myself if I’m the cause for that.”

Nayeon looked at her quizzically. “That’s all? You’re not mad?”

“How could I be? That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever done for me. Admittedly I did not expect you’d take my words at face value, but it has been awesome. I just wish I could remember all the time I spent here, but sadly I only do for this repeat.” Jihyo playfully pouted, and was delighted that the smile she loved finally returned to Nayeon’s pretty face.

“… Really?”

“Really.”

“In that case, reward me.” Nayeon said slyly, puckering her lips out. It was clear what she was expecting.

“I’m not kissing you Nayeon-unnie…” Came Jihyo’s refusal. Still, she planted an appreciative kiss on Nayeon’s cheek. “… yet.”

“Dammit Jihyo, you’re such a tease. This will come back to bite you in the ass one day, I swear.”

“How can I not be? I live with a bunch of girls that are trying to steal kisses on my lips everyday. I have to retaliate somehow, no?” The light-hearted banter continued as they walked back towards the others.

“Last question. How long has this been going on, Nayeon-unnie?” Asked Jihyo curiously as they sat back down on the bench, almost afraid of the answer. After all, her unnie had managed to be quite proficient on the guitar, and taking into account the fact that she’d never touched one prior, the loop was likely to have been going on for quite a long while.

Nayeon looked down, her long hair obscuring whatever expression she had, and mumbled the answer.

“What was that? I didn’t quite catch you.”

“… 19 weeks.”

Jihyo promptly fell out of her seat.

____

Sitting in the van heading home from the airport, betwixt her rowdy bandmates, Nayeon rested her head on Jihyo’s shoulder and mused.

“You know Jihyo, in that time loop, I saw a lot of interesting things.”

Jihyo turned to look at Nayeon curiously.

“What are you talking about Nayeon-unnie?”

“I watched you guys doing your thing at the beach every day, then it suddenly occurred to me that I should note down what you guys did each repeat.” Nayeon fumbled with her back pocket, taking out a small notebook.

“Check this. Tzuyu was too afraid to even touch the water at first, but she gradually edged closer and closer thanks to your help… and the last day, she was frolicking in the water like it’s the most natural thing in the world.” This ilicited a laugh from Jihyo. She had been trying to get the maknae out of her fear for so long, and ironically, she did not even remember when she finally succeeded.

“Awww Nayeon-unnie, that was such an achievement, yet now I have no memory of that.” She playfully slapped Nayeon’s leg, making her pout.

“Well, what matters is that you finally did it, no?”

“… I guess you’re right.” Conceded Jihyo. “What else do you have?”

“Let’s see… Most of the others did more or less the same thing over and over, like Sana. She never gets tired of swimming it seems. Every time she challenged someone to a swimming contest, and she managed to lost each and every of them.” The duo shared a small laughter. “Or Mina and her passion for building sand castles, and our rappers for underwater wrestling.” She turned to the first place of the notebook, then continued.

“But you, Jihyo… you did something different every single time. You sat with me the day I started out on the guitar. You tried to swim as far as possible, making everyone worried. You got us all to play a game of beach volleyball. Once you even did scuba diving with a borrowed suit and equipments.”

Jihyo did not expect this newfound info. “I did all of that?”

“You did. I should have noticed this before, but this was the sign that you remembered, at least, your body did. Unconsciously you want to try something new and unprecedented, even if you didn’t know it yourself.”

The leader took one moment to absorb the observation. “I… reckon it’s true. Today, at least I think it’s today, I had a dream that I played in the sea so much I got tired even I awoke, so I felt like relaxing and taking a walk on the beach instead.”

“I see. Well, trust me when I tell you, you can now do pretty much every activity one can possible do at the beach like a veteran, and you can claim you’ve never done this before.”

“This has been an amazing experience Nayeon-unnie, I’m sure it is, even if I remember nothing.”

“Jihyo… This goes to show that even among us extraordinaires, you’re still special. Don’t let anyone tell you otherwise.” Nayeon concluded, landing a light peck on Jihyo’s flushed cheek.

“… Thank you, Nayeon-unnie. For everything.” They sat in a companionable silence, until Nayeon whispered again.

“… Hey.”

“Yeah?”

“Can I… try something new and unprecedented too?” This got Jihyo’s attention.

“What do you have in mind, Nayeon-unnie?”

“… I want to fast forward the time. See if we can get home sooner, even if it’s just a few minutes.” Jihyo detected a hint of anxiety in Nayeon’s unusually meek voice. Nayeon was always confident- whether it was about her looks, her singing, or her charisma, she had absolute trust in herself. Even though the other members, Jihyo herself included, often acted annoyed to her self-centered, borderline narcissistic behavior, they were secretly appreciative of it- whenever they were up against something arduous, Nayeon served as their source of self-assurance. One look at the cheerful bunny girl and they felt whatever they were facing did not seem nearly as intimidating as before.

Only when it came to unfamiliar grounds did the eldest of TWICE show any sign of insecurity.

However, Jihyo would not have that. She had been there when Nayeon took up guitar- at least, that was according to Nayeon herself, and she would be there for her when she tried to raise her powers to the next level.

“Don’t worry Nayeon-unnie, just try your best and don’t push your limits. I’m sure you can do it, no problem at all.” She said in her best soothing voice.

“… What if I can’t and we get stuck somewhere in the void? What if I brought us too far forward and we all became old and wrinkly? What if…” Nayeon was stopped as Jihyo put a finger on her lips. It was warm and reassuring.

“No matter what happens unnie, I know you can fix it. I trust you completely.” In an attempt to appease Nayeon’s disquiet spirit, Jihyo planted an affectionate kiss on the hand she was holding in hers, her eyes never leaving Nayeon’s.

The older girl found herself tear up almost immediately. This alone was the reason why she had been able to withstand all the pain of being an outcast. It had been durable, always up a bold and cocky facade and striving on forwards, only because she could return to this helping hand when things were too much to handle.

“… Thank you, Jihyo-ah. Thank you.”

With that, Jihyo closed her eyes. Their intertwined hands, held firmly between their bodies, never parted even as Nayeon once again twisted the fabric of space and time.

[tokupedia]

SPECIAL SAIKOU!: Superhero Showcase: Gatchaman Pt. 1: Introduction

“Sometimes we are one...sometimes we are five....the white shadow that slips through unseen ! Science Ninja Team GATCHAMAN!”

Tatsuo Yoshida had loved the concept of superheroes from the very beginning. As a young boy after the US occupied Japan at the end of WWII, he and his two brothers often interacted with American GIs. Some of them were polite and respectful to young Japanese kids and gave away their old comics they weren’t reading anymore to them so they would have something to enjoy.

While none of the Yoshida boys could understand the English text, there was a resonance of appreciation that transcended language in the artwork of the comics. Then again, seeing mighty beings with powers and abilities far beyond mortal man or skilled costumed athletes showing the best of humanity’s good nature resonates with humanity no matter what side of the map you are on. Their favorite of course was Superman, though given the design of the superheroes we are going to talk about, it wouldn’t surprise me if they had a love for the other half of the World’s Finest as well.

These costumes were bright and colorful, so the boys started drawing them and eventually became very good at it.

Superman is the one hero who inspires other ideas in many people, especially since he helped bring the superhero concept to the mainstream masses. This would follow Tatuso as he would again intertwine with the hero of his youth.

In 1959 or 1960 Tasuo was working in a manga studio and was asked to do a manga on Superman!

Yes, this was more or less a manga made to capitalize on the 1957 George Reeves TV show, which had been brought over to Japan in 1958.

While a few Japanese citizens saw US superheroes and scoffed them as propaganda, Tatsuo looked past that. He saw the very core of what made superheroes great, that they are willing to do the right thing and selflessly help others.

In 1962, after a good career in the manga industry, Tatsuo opened Tatsunoko Productions with the help of his brothers. After the first series about modern super spy ninjas and an Astro Boy clone called Space Ace in 1965 (no relation to the Don Bluth animated video game), Tatsunoko hit the really big time on TV in 1967. Debuting a high octane action show that would eventually make waves around the world....Mach GoGoGo! 

The series made it to American airwaves in the fall of that year as Speed Racer, which was one of several old school anime would set off a slow chain reaction that would later explode into our modern western otaku culture.

Then came one of the pillars that held it in place....

In 1969, its codemane was Production 21 and later it went by many names: Science Ninja Squad 5 and even Birdman until Tatsunoko presumably found out there was a Hanna-Barbera character with that name. Finally, the advertisers chose a name...Gatchaman, which premiered on October 1, 1972. The series was partially influenced not only by Shotaro Ishinomori’s Henshin Hero Boom from the popularity of Kamen Rider, but also the spark of love Tatsuo had for heroes like Superman.

The reason so many in the comics industry love Gatchaman such as Alex Ross is because out of all Japanese superheroes, this one takes the rawest form of its rooted American concept. One can simply observe the look of the original  costumes and see aspects of Adams, Giordano, Swan and many other Silver and Bronze Age artists in the aesthetic. The same can be said for the evolving costumes later on as they borrow elements of popular western media and comics of the specific period.

Now you have to be asking, what the heck is a “Gatcha”?

Gatcha, at least in one translation, is the Japanese onomatopoeia sound of machinery such as a loom. This is more or less a reference to the fact this superteam uses machines to stop evil in its tracks.

If you wanna know more on the process of this series coming to be, check out this page:

http://www.battleoftheplanets.info/whatwas.html

Overview

The Original Series (1972-1974)

The International Science Organization and the world are under attack by a terrorist organization known as Galactor, overseen by the evil Sosai X, who want to control Earth’s resources for themselves. Dr. Kōzaburō Nambu, who knew of Galactor’s schemes, deploys a special task force to deal with them: The Science Ninja Team...Gatchaman!

The Sequels (1978-1980)

Gatchaman II (1978-1979)

After the destruction of his army, Sosai X tried yet again to attack the Earth with the help of an abducted child mutated into an adult Commander named Gel Sadora. The Science Ninja Team head out again with new weapons, vehicles and a revived comrade to do battle with Galactor yet again!

Gatchaman Fighter aka Gatchaman F (1979-1980)

After seemingly being destroyed by the Gatchaman, Sosai X’s remains mutate and he revives into the more devious Sosai Z. He recruits the cruel European dictator Count Erun Egobossler to make his Galactor organization even deadlier than ever before. Their first attack completely obliterates the Gatchaman’s gear and ship from the last season and defeats them. The team manage to get rescued before they are killed by an engineer, who shows Dr. Nambu’s latest mechas and gear for the team. This season gets darker than previous one towards the end and features the death of Dr. Nambu.

If the energy charged sword called the Gatchafencer and the Gatchaspartan ship weren’t dead giveaways, this was when Star Wars was a pop culture cult phenomenon in Japan. Every studio tried to duplicate the George Lucas magic in one way or another or at least ride its coattails.

The OVAs (1994)

In the 90s, Tatsunoko tried to revive their old heroes with polished new looks and retooled the characters for a modern audience. The story for the most part is derived from various episodes of the first series, but mostly the first episode and a few plots from others.

Gatchaman ‘98 (Unmade)

Tatsunoko was going to revive their characters again full time in a new set of TV shows, including Gatchaman.

However, one of the main problems that prevented this was their poor choice of a starting show: A Mach GoGoGo reboot. While the classic show celebrated its 30th anniversary in 1997, times had changed in the anime landscape. A guy with a cool gadget-laden car racing around a track was a bit pedestrian in a realm of Kamehamehas, Dragon Slaves and Moon Healing Escalations. Going big and loud for spectacle or subliminally selling tons of toys/video games/merchandise was the norm in the 90s for anime.

The Mach GoGoGo show cost a lot to make as it used CGI in parts of its animation and it was cancelled over halfway through due to low ratings. Another roadblock (no pun intended) for Gatchaman reviving in the late 90s was no sponsor wanted to back it despite the shows legendary status in pop culture (Possibly due to the debacle investment in the new Mach GoGoGo.)

NTT (2000)

http://gatchaman.wikia.com/wiki/NTT_Gatchaman

The Gatchaman Team vanished for 3 years until NTT East approached Tatsunoko with a proposal for a set of internet service provider commercials starring SMAP and brand new animation and costumes of the science ninjas in action. 

The Imagi Disaster (2011 aborted animated film)

Already talked about this one:

http://tokupedia.tumblr.com/post/147082771026/special-saikou-examples-of-toku-projects-that

Live action film (2013)

This is the film that, at the very least, made the older, traditional version of the superheroes limp on life support. This movie did what many revisionists do to any beloved superhero, find faults in ideas where there are none and make beloved aspects disappear and be replaced by something near unrecognizable.

Gone were the bird motifs and chest emblems, no mecha aside from the God Phoenix, no Sosai X and no Galactor (unless you count the in-name only reference). What was added was unnecessary, the Gatchaman all had superpowers and weapons given by shiny McGuffin stones and something about a virus that creates energy shields.

They didn’t even get to be ninjas too much in this movie. The saddest part is the complete waste of Tori Matsuzaka and this could have worked as a tokusatsu given the show’s legacy in the form of Super Sentai.

Gatchaman Crowds (2013-2015)

Sometimes derided by a few older purists as “Gatchaman for Millennials” or “Facebook: The Anime”, this reboot series departed from capes and costumes for neon Tony Stark armor by way of Akihabara, new characters and notebook souls. Lots of newcomers gravitated towards this season and it was considered as the sleeper hit of 2013 and 2015. So despite critics, it acted as its own entity. Crowds was also was the first new, full fledged Gatchaman TV show in over 30 years.

The show’s core philosophical focus was to examine how the internet and social media have affected society in both positive and negative ways and in rare cases, the relevancy of superheroes in the digital age. The second season insight focused on how hive mentality and politics associated with it on the internet could have very bad consequences or be distorted even in cases where the intentions are originally noble. 

A creative sort of re-imagining, this series examined how our future could be shaped for good or for ill by digital media before finally taking a neutral perspective as that is the choice we humans will have to make for ourselves.

Good Morning Ninja Team Gatchaman

There was a morning comedy Flash animation series of shorts featuring the original Gatchaman, but it is not worth the time examining as its is just gag sketches with no action.

Battle of the Planets/G-Force/Eagle Riders (1978, 1986, 1996)

The various edited dubs of the original trio of shows, which served as a gateway series to about 2 or 3 generations worth of future anime fans in the west. The content in some cases was heavily edited or censored as most anime were known for doing at the time.

Due to the various companies who hold the rights to these adaptations, it is impossible at the moment for the original Japanese Gatchaman Trilogy to be completely on DVD or Blu-Ray. But Sandy Frank Productions did relinquish their rights to the first series to Funimation for a release..so there’s that.

Up next....The leader of the ninja flock!

[cipdassignment-blog]

Beyond the Human Resource Function: What Lies Ahead?

An increasingly common theme in Human Resource (HR) literature in the 1990's concerns how the HR Department can make a greater contribution to the success of the business it serves. To do so, we must first change our view of the Human Resource role as being only executable within a traditional "Department." We must view HR more as a "function," or "a set of activities," than as a department. While HR services may not be delivered in the future via what we know as a Department, they must be delivered in some way. This article is about the realm of possibilities.

The HR Function Today

Today the HR Department is in a transitional phase. Some organizations have long ago realized that the HR Department can make a greater difference. Others need convincing. A positive trend seems to be developing, as evidenced in publications of the Human Resource professional's accrediting organization, the Society for Human Resource Management, (e.g. see HR Magazine, 11/98). Chief Executive Officers are increasingly viewing the HR function as an actual or potential "strategic business partner." This is encouraging, for as recently as the early 1990's the notion of the HR function as a strategic partner would have been quite novel.

To understand where the HR function is going, it is helpful to briefly review its past.

WHERE HR CAME FROM

In the first half of the 20th century, the Human Resource function grew out of the Payroll function. The remnants of this can be seen in companies that retain the responsibility for payroll processing within the HR Department. Today, the payroll function can often be found in the Controller's functional area.

This new entity then became known as the "Personnel Department." It was responsible for those duties that, quite frankly, didn't seem to fit anywhere else, such as overseeing the employment process. Unlike later iterations, the Personnel Department was not concerned with strategic recruiting and selection. Its goal was simply to hire people to fill "jobs," a 20th century creation. This emphasis explains how, even today, many people think of the Personnel Department as simply "the Department that hires people." So engrained is this idea that, even in surveys of HR practitioners that we conduct today, many of them still define the main purpose of the HR Department as being "the employment of people." Of course, it is true that in many of their companies, hiring people still is their main focus and purpose.

Since its inception, the HR Department has gone through a number of transformations, as depicted in Figure 1. During the 1970's and 1980's as it sought a new identity. These changes attempted to reposition the function as the guardian of employee relations and a provider of services.

The Evolution of the Human Resource Department:

- Payroll - Payroll/Personnel Department - Personnel Department - Employee Services Department - Human Relations Department - Employee and/or Labor Relations Department - Personnel Relations Department - Human Resource Department - Human Assets Department - Human Capital Department - Human Systems Department

In terms of the evolution of Management, this change had its origins in the "Human Relations" and "Human Resource" Movements of prior decades. The core notion of these movements was that organizations should proactively establish closer links with its employees to create the perception of, if not an actual concern for, employees, because of the employees' potential to disrupt organizations when "relations" became unstable.

This era was also the beginning of the "employee involvement" movement and strategy. Employees became more increasingly engaged in decisionmaking that affected them. Progressive companies increasingly realized that employees who did the work, knew the work best. To gain greater acceptance of change, it was best to involve employees whose lives would be affected by the change. Human Resource professionals became "Employee Relations Counselors" and had the responsibility of bridging, establishing and maintaining a stable relationship between the employer and its employees.

Eventually, the notions of the HR function as the Personnel Department and the Employee Relations Department gave way to a new notion: the idea of employees as organizational "resources" to be valued. Thus was born the "Human Resource Department."

Structurally, the Department did not change very much. The various sub-functions of Employment, Compensation, Training, and others remained. But the connotation of employees as "resources" permitted the HR Department to be viewed as something more than just a hiring function or as a mere provider of counseling and other services to employees. It suggested that the HR function recognized that humans as resources could be valued, served, recognized and "invested in," in ways which could increase their value to the company.

It was the start of what would later emerge as "Human Capital" theory. This theory holds that, through training and education, an investment in people will provide a "return" to the company in the form of greater innovation and/or productivity. We see this final transition represented in Figure 1 by several newly conceptualized titles, including "Human Systems" and "Human Assets" Departments. Human Systems, for example, refers to the potential involvement of the HR practitioner in any human system within the company, be it a pay system, a sociotechnical system, a team-based systems or others requiring the internal consultation of the HR professional. Their contribution is tied more closely to the strategic nature of the business and the impact can therefore be even greater than that which was possible within the traditional HR Department.

WHERE IS HR TODAY?

Where is the HR function today? In an increasing number of companies, HR services are being delivered in new ways. In others, the HR Department resembles the same function and structure used in the 1960's.

Fortunately, we are seeing long overdue change. The change is prompted by how organizations of the 1990's need to be or demand to be serviced. For some, this means being a full-fledged strategic partner in the business. For others, it simply means being utilized as something more than a mere hiring or administrative function.

Change is also affecting the name of the emerging HR function. As depicted in Figure 1, the HR function in some companies is becoming the "Human Capital," "Human Systems" or "Human Asset" Department. These names suggest the need to invest in human capital or human assets, as well as to evaluate how people are integrated in various organizational systems. Being new, these names may be better thought of as part of HR's future.

The Effect of Cross-Functionalization

Specifically, how are HR services being delivered today? Certainly, functional structures are still in use, with their traditionally separate specialty areas such as Employment, Compensation, Training, and others. However, as "team-based," "lateral," "cross-functional," or "matrix" organizations (choose a name) proliferate, the HR function has adapted. It is increasingly common to see a cross-functional HR representative assigned to other functional areas to provide general, ongoing HR services to that area, team, or group.

A more radical approach for the delivery of HR services is one in which it is understood that the HR representative is more strongly aligned with the assigned functional area than to the traditional HR Department. The difference is one of emphasis. While this is happening now, this structure could be considered more of a model for the future.

Unfortunately, this structure sometimes creates a split allegiance for the HR professional. Internal conflict increases under this model both within and across the HR functional representatives because the HR representative can become more emotionally tied to the assigned function than to the central HR function.

The Trend Toward Generalists

The trend toward the use of more HR generalists and fewer specialists also continues. This is an outgrowth of downsized organizations and the "do more with less" philosophy of the 1990's. Thus, the makeup of HR Departments reflects this demand, increasing the use of generalists who can "do it all." Some companies complement this approach with specialists, such as Compensation Specialists, for example, who are called upon as needed to serve the entire company in an internal consulting capacity. Company size also impacts the ratio of generalists to specialists. The larger the company, the more likely it is that it will create specialist positions.

Shared Services Model

Another current model gaining increased attention is the delivery of HR services via a "shared services" model. This is a centralized model in which HR specialists and generalists deliver services to the entire company on an as-needed basis, charged to the functional area served.

The central HR function also can perform normal or expected services such as administrative services (somebody has to do it!) on behalf of the company. These may be free to specific functions or the costs may be distributed over all functions.

The shared services model creates a more positive image for the HR Department as an internal consulting function rather than an administrative function, or in the other, less attractive ways the function has been traditionally viewed. A disadvantage of this approach can be the reluctance of other functions to utilize services for which they will be charged. An HR function operating in this environment would be wise to internally market its services to, or "partner" with, other functions.

WHERE IS HR GOING?

The future will be an interesting time for the Human Resource function. As one HR consultant observed (ACA Journal, Spring 1997), a review of the debates in the national business media might lead one to conclude that the future HR Department will be "a fraction of its size, with the remaining activities pushed up (to the CEO), down (to line management), out (to vendors and consultants) and in (to technology)."

Will it continue to exist, but as a smaller entity? Will it become functionally stronger, gaining greater acceptance, meaning and value in organizations where it serves? Or will its duties remain but be delivered in other forms?

Here are some of the more radical possibilities.

The Devolution of the HR Department

One scenario has the HR function being "devoluted" (i.e. de-evolved), with its tasks being redistributed or incorporated into other functional areas. Thus, managers in what once were the "customer" areas served by HR take on HR functions such as employment, compensation, counseling, and many more.

This envisioned future is disconcerting to HR professionals. A common reaction is that the supervisors and managers of other functional areas do not possess the HR professional's knowledge, gained over a long period of time about matters such as discrimination law, dispute resolution, pay strategy, administrative requirements, designing and presenting training programs, and many other responsibilities resident within HR Departments. A major concern is that this lack of knowledge on the part of the receiving function about compliance law will result in financial damage to the company, in the form of fines and penalties.

In fact, the belief that the HR function can be devoluted can be a serious misconception. From the general HR literature, it appears that non-HR professionals, including Executives, sometimes minimize the value of the HR function. Consequently, they conclude that absorbing its responsibilities will be relatively easy. This is a very dangerous assumption. One reason why an absorption of duties does not work is the time demands placed upon the absorbing functions and individuals. Whether the HR role is one capable of absorption or not, time constraints prohibit its successful and timely execution.

Thus, the thinking about the HR function's role and importance comes full circle. It is a unique function with unique preparatory requirements. In another irony of perspective concerning the absorption of the HR function, it is interesting to observe how commonly companies assign the HR function to the Financial function, but never the converse! In fact, both functions should be viewed as different, unique and, above all, separate.

Human Systems Management

Another scenario for the HR function's future is a movement toward "Human Systems Management." As briefly defined earlier, this is the management of human systems, or any organizational system in which the role, impact and reaction of the human element is of primary importance.

Human Systems Management encompasses much of what Human Resource Management has become, and more. In it, the HR function is re-creating, redefining, and essentially retuning for the Post-Modern and Information Ages. The system may be exclusively human (e.g. the process of team building) or sociotechnical (i.e. the interaction of people and technology). It may involve the redesign of work or the design of new pay systems to improve employee satisfaction and organizational performance. The key element is the human element. The desired outcome is twofold: improved individual and organizational performance.

In this HR future, we move away from the view of HR as a functional area and redefine it in terms of its internal consulting capabilities. Yet it still permits the HR function to fulfill a role we have come to expect, namely, to provide services which do not fit neatly into the roles of other functions. It is that "crossover" activity, in which the business' operations must be understood and combined with the special expertise that HR professionals possess, including knowledge of organizational behavior, organizational theory, organizational development, and human resource management. Human Systems Management thinking recognizes that the HR professional has a unique view of the organization, and serves to capitalize upon it.

Shared Services Model

The Shared Services Model has become an increasingly popular model of HR Department design, and, as previously described, could be considered as a current design. What makes it more of a future model at this time, however, is its relative lack of implementation. Practitioners are still working out the organizational issues it creates, and discovering its usefulness.

In this model the HR Department acts as a kind of "central consulting organization" and, sometimes, even becomes a "profit center,."" charging its services to other departments as its services are retained by them. While the traditional HR Department can provide consulting services out of its historically common structure, the consulting relationship is more formal in the shared services model. It is not the "old" HR Department redefining itself as internal consultants. Rather, it is a formal re-introduction of HR into the company as a functional area with a newly defined mission. This mission is to provide HR consulting services as requested for a fee.

While it may not actually be profitable as a profit center, it is an intriguing way to assess the organization's need for HR services. If one believes that the HR function can act like a strategic partner, how often are we afforded the opportunity to prove it? Do others see HR as being a mutually useful and beneficial partner in order to achieve their business objectives? Being organized in a Shared Services Model will give you the answer quickly.

Outsourcing

An increasingly popular model today is outsourcing, which permits the HR function to rid itself of activities that can often be performed by others more effectively or economically. In other cases, outsourcing simply permits the HR function to turn its attention to other, more important matters.

It would be easy to view the use of outsourcing as a current phenomenon, not as something that will occur in the future. However, a growing change in the outsourcing strategies of companies is to move beyond the simple outsourcing of administrative tasks and into the realm of professional services like compensation program management and maintenance activities. For example, third parties may be used to maintain a company's job descriptions. This is important and useful because this activity is normally a time-consuming responsibility that is often avoided internally. Third parties/consultants also can design and implement training and development programs, as well as conduct audits (e.g. pay program audits, retention audits, skill audits, etc.).

We have always outsourced a number of HR activities. These include contingent/retained recruiters, benefits administration, and training and development programs to some extent. What has changed? Specifically, it is the expansion of the activities that we are willing to outsource, spurred by the new rationale for outsourcing more HR activities: namely, that we are recognizing that the HR role can be performed much more effectively in other ways. We are moving away from the "administrative, service and control" HR model and toward the "strategic partner" HR model, and extensions of it. When we can lighten the load of HR functions in order to address more meaningful challenges, we are increasing our worth and value to our organizations. Outsourcing helps us to achieve this.

Environmental Scanning

This is, perhaps, the most unusual possible course of action for HR Department design in the future. Scanning refers to the monitoring of activities in the company's external environment. Scanning activities have been part of the HR Department's role for quite some time. For example, Compensation Departments are responsible for conducting pay surveys to gather external marketplace data. The HR Department also scans governmental activity to monitor changes in laws which affect the management of people. Employment Managers monitor demographic changes in the workforce to establish recruitment strategies.

The suggestion, therefore, is that the HR Department become the entity which is responsible for those and other scanning activities, some of which may now be performed by other functional areas, such as Marketing which is responsible for market research, or for outsourcing tasks (once again, to the "outside" of the company).

The possibilities are endless but require very different thinking about the tasks of different departments and a willingness to centralize them under the new entity. Like any other cross-functional redesign effort, a "natural work group" of tasks (i.e. a combined task group that makes sense) would need to be assembled to make this vision a reality. Not all external scanning possibilities would make sense for grouping in a department that, in the end, may have a name other than the Human Resource Department. It could be called the "Environmental Monitoring" Department, as one of many possibilities. Whatever its name, the core concept is that what happens on the outside of our companies is important and worth researching, or simply, good "strategic management."

[daegurp-blog]

WELCOME TO DAEGU !!

loading dossier on YEONG JOOSEOK —— please be sure to take a look at the checklist before venturing around town.

BASIC STUFF.

FACECLAIM: kim mingyu MUSE’S NAME: yeong jooseok PRONOUNS: he/him. GENDER: cis-male. AGE: twenty-two

PERSONALITY.

POSITIVE TRAITS: resourceful, alluring, strategic, adaptable, headstrong. NEGATIVE TRAITS: amoral, arrogant, cunning. MUSE AESTHETICS: all black tight fitting outfits, tattoos covering every bit of skin, hand pistols, the smell of spiced rum, sighs of pleasure in low lit rooms. QUOTE: ’ but perhaps the monsters needed to look out for each other every now and then…’.

BACKGROUND.

• jooseok is the son of a well established crime family to the parents yeong dami and yeong joohyuk. his mother runs the underground empire and is considered to be in charge, he holds a lot of respect for her and that has influenced him in having plenty of respect for women in general. she encouraged this thinking with the strength she showed as he grew up. he’s always thus thought women are stronger and better at survival than men are after learning from his mom and living vicariously through her.

• because of this, he was raised in a gang, his family was a mafia sort of group. when he reached the appropriate age of sixteen, he took on a more full time role within the gang and started doing bigger, more serious jobs for them. therefore he had to drop out of college after the first two years of studying there. for this reason, his education was limited however he was homeschooled for a while before he became an adult and got too busy for it with the gang responsibilities. also being raised to believe he knew enough about the world just from observing the good and ugly within it in the criminal lifestyle.

• joo does have a younger sister too who he absolutely adores and considers his entire world, if you fuck with her he genuinely will threaten your life. he also has a brother who is around the same age as him and though they don’t agree on most things, they wouldn’t hesitate to lay their lives down for each other despite how much they bicker and give each other shit. both his siblings aren’t involved in the criminal life, his brother renouncing it and the family other than jooseok and now only having contact with him in secret and keeping a pretty low profile. for his sister, joo begged for her to be kept out of it and he’d do twice the work to make up for her removal. it amazingly worked and she was only trained in self defense and weaponry for her safety.

• his main roles within the gang are as a double agent and infiltrator. currently he works within the police force undercover as a detective, which he couldn’t be happier with since his life revolves around understanding crime and criminals. he’s always been interested in crime thrillers, documentaries, fiction and murder mysteries. on a surface level, he’s just a nerd for it regardless of criminal upbringing. he’s also in charge of strategy within his gang and is best known for his   skills as the youngest and his ability to rise to such status and tasks so fast.

• however, jooseok harbors a secret, the male has always wanted to be a real and legitimate criminal detective since he was young. he genuinely wants to work within the police force but due to his limited education this isn’t possible and that aside he was told that due to the famous gang being a family business he had no choice but to undertake more responsibilities and there would be severe consequences for him neglecting this duty.

• jooseok is undergoing secret tutoring and night lessons at university once again now to further his education so he can access the opportunity to become a criminal for real and get away from the crime life and gang, at university he’s considered to be a jock but one of the more charming and helpful, good hearted ones. despite his broodiness, dark humor and slight fuckboy like behavior, he’s a lover and protector as much as he is a fighter and he’s good to all those he cares about genuinely.

INTERVIEW.

1. what do you do for a living?? e.g. student, full time work, part time, etc.

"i guess you could say i’m a student. although i don’t know if i quite cut the mold for that…i work full time for the police force as a detective. it’s pretty full on but i still manage to make the time for my education. i think they understand with me being a younger officer it’s kind of necessary for me to progress anywhere anyway. and then… there’s the other side of things, as a gang member. that work keeps me busy the most"

2. how and where do you see yourself being in 5 years?? e.g. career wise, financially, relationship and connections wise.

"shit..well i mean, i hope that i’m finally a fully fledged and legitimate detective and that i’m not…lying in some gutter after being taken down by the gang for being a traitor. and financially if that were the case the money would be pretty sweet, but if i’m dead and gone then that’s that, ya know? it’s not like i’m important to anyone anyway. they’d get over it eventually, i’m sure. relationship wise? i’d like to be happy, to be good to someone. i think i could love someone with all of me, since i have a lot repressed to give anyway and it’s got nowhere else to go. but then… i wouldn’t wanna fuck anyone up either"

3. where do you fall on daegu’s societal hierarchy spectrum?? e.g. are you one of the upper class wealthy types or the lower class ‘underground’ type and how has this affected your attitude towards the hierarchy of the town??

"lower class, definitely underground. i mean… the town isn’t a half bad place. the crime levels are actually pretty low..for now. granted they probably don’t know half the shit that goes on with the way the gang run shit. i know the ins and outs better than anyone. but then who can be trusted? even the higher ups get shit wrong, hold their own secrets for their own gain. most people, are good and honest, but there are the few who you can see a survival of the fittest mindset in and usually they have the most power in how things run”

4. how do you feel about where you personally fit in the social hierarchy of the town and what are your intentions because of this?? e.g. do you aim to create a more equal, modern system for all citizens or are you quite happy with how the situation stands between the wealthy and the lesser off??

“it’s not the greatest. i’m either considered a dirty cop to some who have suspicions and enemies or i’m a lowlife gang member. but that ain’t exactly anyone in particular’s fault either. sure my intentions could be to run shit ragged, i could just say fuck you to everyone and be the bad guy they think i am in the story. but for myself, i wanna be more equal and for people to have more free will in what they do, no matter how they were raised. i mean, we aren’t our fuckin’ parents at the end of the day…"

5. what are your goals and aspirations for the future??

“i’m always gonna be the bad guy in someone’s story and i’ve got to live with that but regardless my goal is to become a genuine police detective and do some honest work. help people who don’t belong locked up and have been wrongly accused get justice just as much as serving it to the assholes who do need to go down. be a better man in general? i guess i’ve seen too much shit to really get to be a kid again but i’d like to feel more like a normal student, have a normal relationship, live a long and laidback life…"

[allthingsjaneausten]

Once upon a time, Pride and Prejudice was only set in England. 200 years later it is set pretty much everywhere. What could be special about this version (besides its very exotic location)? Well, I bring you the author herself to talk about her and her book. Dear readers,

This blog tagline is “Ramblings of a Jane Austen Addict” because that is all I claim to be. I am not a critic or even a reader that likes to write reviews (even though everyone should write a review on Amazon and/or Goodreads so other readers can find more amazing reads). What I really love is sharing and connecting like-minded people, even or maybe especially, if they live in different countries. That gives me a sense of accomplishment and the feeling that I can someday travel to those destinations. I would never imagine that Jane Austen would make me travel so far (literally and figuratively speaking), sometimes even without leaving my cozy couch. But she sure did. I have made many friends all over the world and met some in person already, thanks to the internet highway and the universal love for Jane, her novels and her beloved characters. Even the ones we love to hate! LOL!

This preamble is just to explain why I invited Soniah Kamal to stop by my blog and answer some questions instead of rambling on and bore everyone like Lady Catherine sitting on her “throne”. If you want a thorough review just follow the link below where Ilana Masad does a great job for npr.org book reviews (National Public Radio).

NPR Book Review

Q & A with Soniah Kamal

 Tell us a little bit about yourself.

 I was born in Karachi Pakistan, a city I have never lived in. At six months of age, my family moved to England where, I’m told, i guzzled down my first full bottle of milk. At nine years of age, we moved to Saudi Arabia where I attended an International School with a library which would make all the difference in my life. At sixteen, back to Pakistan for five years of patriarchal delight, but where I also first read Pride and Prejudice and decided that one day, if i could, i was going to reset the novel in Pakistan. A few years on, I attended college in the U.S., met a lovely man my final year, proposed to him, we married, and two decades later we are still here.

 How was your first encounter with Jane? Was it a movie or a book?

When I was fourteen, My Aunt Helen gave me a gorgeous red and gold hardback copy of Pride and Prejudice (1977 edition, Purcell) with ‘color plate’ illustrations. It’s sits in my bookshelf to this day, surrounded by Austen’s works and books on her.

 What’s your favorite novel? If it p&p what is your second?

Mansfield Park! It is Austen’s grimmest as she completely shreds all notions of functional families. Mrs. Norris may be a good Aunt to Maria Bertram but she is despicable to Fanny— so will the real Mrs. Norris please stand up? Also, though many readers find Fanny insipid, I think she’s a very brave and headstrong girl. She spurns Henry Crawford’s proposal and does not allow even the imposing Sir Thomas Bertram to dissuade her. The opening sentence of Unmarriageable is a nod to Mansfield Park. In fact, Unmarriageable contains nods to all six of Austen’s completed novels.

  Darcy forever or you have another favorite hero?

 Mr. Knightley. I respect him for not letting Emma get away with being rude to Ms. Bates, his friendship with Robert Martin, his kindness to Harriet by asking her to dance, his general decency. I’m not really a huge Darcy fan, though polluting the shades of Pemberley is very tempting.

 How did you have the idea for Unmarriageable?

The moment I finished reading Pride and Prejudice for the first time at age sixteen, I knew I wanted to set it in Pakistan. I didn’t know then that what I was thinking of doing was called a parallel retelling (or that there were also variations and continuations). I was schooled in English in Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and the books I grew up on were novels by Enid Blyton, Judy Blume, S.E.Hinton etc. I wanted to read something where my own culture was reflected. However there were no stories set in Pakistan in English for kids that I was aware of and so it became second nature for me to convert what I was reading into ‘Pakistan’. So scones became samosas, ginger beer became mango juice, and boarding schools like Blyton’s St. Clares or Malory Towers relocated to the Murree Hills. Thus reading Pride and Prejudice and wanting to reset it in Pakistan was quite normal for me. I made myriad attempts over the years to write it but kept getting intimidated until, finally, I wrote the entire novel in a two month frenzy.

 Colin or Matthew as Darcy? Colin Firth every single day forever and ever and ever.

  Favorite adaptation, 1995 or 2005? 1995. It is sheer perfection— Mr. Collins’s creepy wave, Lady Catherine de Bourgh’s beaky nose, Mrs. Reynold’s no nonsense adoration of a young Darcy; there is not a single thing I wish were different except that would it have been double the time. I am, however, waiting to see if any remake, as enjoyable as they may be, can ever top 1995.

  Tell us what your book is about. A story about five sisters, their friends, frenemies and enemies and too many marriage obsessed mothers, set in contemporary Pakistan where drinking chai seems the national pass time and eating good food a full fledged sport.

 What’s the coolest thing that has happened to you since you started this Austen adventure?

Without a doubt narrating Unmarriageable for the audio version (sample). It will be, by far, one of the highlights of my life! When the audio rights first sold, I refused. Then, a year and a half later, Linda Korn, the executive producer at Penguin Random House Audio, asked me. She’d listened to my TEDx talk about being forbidden to pursue acting and my regrets at not rebelling, and she said that narrating the novel would be like coming full circle: acting and writing. I really appreciated this connection and decided to give it a go.

Soniah Kamal’s debut novel, An Isolated Incident, was a finalist for the Townsend Prize for Fiction and the Karachi Literature Festival-Embassy of France Prize. Her TEDx Talk is about regrets and second chances. Unmarriageable is her new book by Ballantine Books , an imprint by Random House, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, New York.

www.soniahkamal.com

Soniah on Twitter

GIVEAWAY

One hard copy of Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal – USA addresses only

Please leave a comment at the end of this post to say why you want to win Unmarriageable.

Share this post on social media (and let us know where)

Send an e-mail to allthingsja@gmail.com so we can get in touch if you are the winner*

*ONLY THOSE WHO SEND AN E-MAIL WILL BE PARTICIPATING THE GIVEAWAY!

I would like to thank Soniah Kamal for her time and candid answers. It is such a pleasure  and an honor having her here in my blog.

If you have not clicked on the TEDx Talk link above check out Soniah’s talk at Georgia State University below and learn more about her amazing journey.

  Gook luck and best regards,

Yours,

Rita L. Watts

  Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal (GIVEAWAY) Once upon a time, Pride and Prejudice was only set in England. 200 years later it is set pretty much everywhere.

[petelanemoviereviews-blog1]

The Titan (2018) Review

“Pioneering isn’t without its risks.”

With a better director, this actually could have been something. It does have moments where it shines though.

Premise: In 2048, Earth is becoming uninhabitable. Scientists have chosen one of Saturn’s moons; Titan as the new home for humanity. But this world is impossible for normal humans to survive on. An experiment known as The Titan Program is initiated. It aims to forcefully evolve humans so they can live on the moon. A group of war veterans who have shown amazing abilities are the test subjects. Rick Janssen, his wife Abi, and their son move to a top-secret research base to begin his transformation. Problems with the program arise, putting the fate of all humanity into jeopardy.

The Titan is yet another one of those movies dumped on Netflix after the studios realized it would be a flop if released in theaters. And rightfully so. This is a film that had so much going for it, but somehow ended up being a mess. It evokes and is a combination of so many other movies; Avatar, Species, etc. But mostly David Cronenberg’s version of The Fly.

The concept is very interesting and with a director who actually knew what they were doing and a few more script revisions, this might have been a great movie. At the same time, it feels like it was based on an amazing book that was poorly adapted to screen. There are so many neat ideas that are brought up but never explored. The way the film is shot and paced is so by-the-book and run-of-the-mill that from the moment it starts, you know exactly how it’ll go. It never takes any risks. There are no surprises. If you’ve seen the trailer, you’ve seen the movie. I’m not trying to spoil anything, but I’ve always hated when the last scene is shown in the trailer.

The film tries to give some of the other tests subjects personalities but there’s not enough to care about them when they die. The same goes for their families. Game of Thrones’ Natalie Emmanuel plays a test subject that sort of bonds with Worthington’s character, but this sadly never goes anywhere. This bond is slightly referenced in a few scenes but really should have played a bigger part of the story. They’re both going through the same thing, relating to each other, while her husband and his wife are cast aside. A better script would have gone deeper into this and given the film more drama. I wish the son had been given more depth as well. Yeah, there are a few scenes where he reacts to his father’s transformation, but it still isn’t enough as there’s really no depth to said scenes.

The script is full of exposition. Exposition is certainly needed in movies but when it goes overboard, it becomes ridiculous. The first half of this movie is literally characters explaining stuff. The ‘Show, don’t tell’ rule is totally ignored. In a novel, most of this would have worked. At times the dialogue is hilariously bad. I mean the kind of stuff you’d expect to see in one of those Mystery Science Theater 3000 movies.

I actually found it to be a decent movie with some issues until the halfway mark. At this point, it totally falls apart. There are a lot of things that seem very forced when they shouldn’t have been and could have been cut out of the film altogether.

Worthington seems like he got bored waiting for the new Avatar movies to start production, so he did this movie. You could literally switch the characters Jake Sully and Rick Janssen, and nothing would change.

Taylor Schilling, who plays Abi; Rick’s wife is the stand-out star of this film as she gives a solid performance and that her character is given the most depth. She’s losing the man she loves. Abi does have moments of pure stupidity and absence of common sense though. These moments are also due to the poor script. We know from the get-go what’s really going on, but when Abi finally figures it out, it’s treated as a huge reveal. There’s one scene where she finds out that there are cameras in the house and that they’re being watched. Lady, you’re on a top-secret research base with your husband slowly changing. Why WOULDN’T they monitor you?

Tom Wilkinson plays the antagonist. This isn’t a spoiler as the moment he steps on screen, he could have shout; “I’m mad scientist bad guy!” and it wouldn’t have made any differences. Like the other four or five big-name actors, he does great despite being given so little to work with.

The film switches from a sci-fi/drama to a full-fledged horror movie during the last 30 minutes, but you’ll have seen this coming long before it reaches that point. Again, I can’t stress how agonizingly predictable this movie is. I said the film falls apart at the halfway mark, but here it totally explodes. It’s all over the place and feels extremely rushed. Add the fact that it’s even more poorly written and directed than the rest of the movie. It returns to being a somewhat decent film in the final two minutes, so there’s that.

The Titan design and look is actually kind of creepy. Still, Worthington in the makeup does look like the lovechild of the Silver Surfer and Kryten from Red Dwarf, but I liked it anyway. I also will say I enjoyed the build-up in the first and part of the second act. Again, I really enjoyed the concept and the basic story. It also does have a few intense moments and a good action scene or two. There’s even a great emotional scene towards the end.

In conclusion, this story would have worked great as a novel. It would have given all the cool ideas presented in the film time to really develop. It’s not a ‘so bad, don’t watch it’ kind of movie. It is entertaining at times, but you probably will come away disappointed. It’s a missed opportunity, to say the least. Final score: 4.3/10

[carolinaxgomez-blog]

Movie binge.

This weekend was very interesting.

I’ve been watching a lot of movies. I have to confess that what brought on the movie binge was not good. I saw Phil DeFranco report on Salma Hayek coming out with her own Harvey Weinstein horror story regarding the movie Frida. I had once began watching this movie but abandoned it not even halfway through because I started watching Downton Abbey (which is now one of my favorite series ever). I began to feel an itch at my fingertips and when I let it loose I found myself searching for Frida again on Netflix. It was a really good movie. It was. What I love about it is that it paints a very vivid image of what Mexico was like during Frida Kahlo’s lifetime. Well, Coyoacán at the very least. The soundtrack was one of my favorite parts. I never imagined I would see Chavela Vargas give such a raw performance of La llorona. It was amazing.

I have to admit that watching the scene Salma Hayek spoke up about, I felt uncomfortable and sad for her, and nothing less could be expected when you see the protagonist of the movie, not as a character but as a human being, be so disrespected and striped of their power. It sparks up a conflict in my mind: should I enjoy a movie even when things like these happen? I guess the obvious answer is no, but it’s hard to come to terms with that resolution when you also wonder if art should be consumed individually or have it tied to the artists and everyone behind it. It’s a question that still troubles me very much. The movie watching continued. Next up was Griffin Dunne’s documentary Joan Didion: The center will not hold. It’s a very personal look at the life of the literary legend Joan Didion and, even though I had not read any of her work, I decided to watch it. If I’m being honest I didn’t enjoy the documentary as much as I wanted to. I just felt very disconnected to the historical events that affected her life and not because they don’t seem relevant to me or worthy of my empathy but because I knew hardly anything about them. I literally forced myself to watch the last ten minutes of the documentary. I will definitely re-visit this once I’m a bit more familiar not only with her work but also with California in that period of history.

Next came It. I never saw the 90’s miniseries, though I pretended I had whenever anyone asked as I had to keep up the “I’m a cool 90’s kid” facade. Earlier this year, when the new movie adaptation came to theatres I was tempted to go see it, but for one reason or the other I never went. Holy shit I’m so glad I didn’t see it in theatres. It was terrifying. I am always the one to take pride in being unresponsive to jump scares and horror movies in general, but damn that was a good movie. I enjoyed it from start to finish. I cared for the characters immediately. I thought the friendship that we saw flourish on screen between Ben and Beverly through New Kids on the Block references was absolutely adorable, but I have to admit that my favorite kid was definitely Richie. He was the perfect comic relief for me, I couldn’t help but burst out in laughter at his comments. “Do you need to be a virgin to see this fucking clown?” was definitely his best line. A true gem.

Full-fledged movie binge on course I scoured the internet for the next movie I should watch, since my Netflix watchlist didn’t seem to offer anything appropriate for the moment. I was tempted to jump back into Room, another movie I never finished watching, or to just go the safe route and watch season two of Stranger Things (looooong overdue, I must say), but instead 20th Century Women came to mind and I began to watch that. I realized one of my favorite movie genres is coming-of-age stories. I don’t typically enjoy movies that emphasize more on character development than plot, but 20th Century Women was just fantastic. Watching characters interact so intimately with each other made me feel guilty, like I was spying on them. I feel like I still haven’t finished processing this movie and definitely need to watch it a couple of times more to truly appreciate all the depth it conveyed. As dialogue was definitely my favorite part of this movie I will leave some of my favorite quotes here: “How did you get to be this person that you are?”

“You get to see him out in the world, as a person. I never will.”

“Don’t pretend for a minute, as you look at me, that I am not as alive as you are.”

I also want to recommend this cool article I found: https://www.thecut.com/2017/01/mike-mills-20th-century-women-artifacts.html?mid=twitter_nymag

“I will try to explain to him what she was like but it will be impossible.”

Last and, in this case, least, was Blue is the warmest color. Countless times I had seem GIFs or stills from this movie on Tumblr and had always wanted to see it. Well, I finally did and was pretty let down. I won’t lie: the lesbian sex parts were very awesome, and Adèle Exarchopoulos is one of the most attractive actresses I have ever laid eyes on, but I found myself uninterested from the first scene. It’s a movie that focuses heavily in raw emotion and portrays it through how day-to-day life is affected by these emotions. Although I can definitely see how others would find this way of storytelling appealing, It’s just not my cup of tea.

And that was pretty much it. Considering how fucked up my attention span is from consuming way too many 5-10 minute Youtube videos almost every day for some years now , I consider this movie binge to be a success and I’m definitely looking forward to the new movies that this winter break leisure time will bring.

[malkakugel-blog]

Halacha Vs. Morality

 When Morality clashes with Halacha; Not Quite Morality

The Torah shows us how to live our lives. But what about dying? Is there a Jewish way to die? Is there a Jewish way to let die? The world of medicine has rapidly developed in recent years, keeping us healthier and better aware of our bodies, but also bringing up many Halachic versus ethical controversies. Life is a gift that G-d gives to us on loan, taking it back from us at the right time. We are unaware of His master plan. It has always been that way and the beauty of it is that it always will be. The Torah commands us not to kill לֹ֥֖א תִּֿרְצָ֖ח  (Exodus, 20,13). Unplugging life support, euthanasia, abortion, they all fall under the category of killing.  

Unfortunately, many Jewish people are faced with medical and Halachic controversies daily. Families are challenged to decide whether to put their loved one on life support to begin with, to resuscitate or not, to undergo dangerous procedures for someone dying anyway etc.  “…the doctors became more persistent about our moral and ethical obligation to “relieve” his and our suffering. This moral dilemma became one of the foremost sources of pain and uncertainty. We were haunted by the thought that we may be somehow acting cruelly by allowing our baby to live, and perhaps suffer needlessly. Yet on the other hand, to “play God” and decree an end to our child’s life was too heavy to handle.” (Luxenberg, 2001). Just a few short months ago, my great grandmother passed away. She was ninety six years old. Bubby Jean lived to see her great-great grandchildren. Her life was full of happiness, love and laughter. However, the last few years of her life was unfortunately very uncomfortable for her. My siblings and I would visit her from time to time and sometimes get worried for her emotional state. Although it speaking this way can be frowned upon, my grandmother claimed was ready to die five years ago! This would have saved her so many surgeries, medical procedures, anxiety, memory loss etc. The night she died, my grandparents (who live in Philadelphia) were staying at our house for Simchat Torah. We were getting ready to make Havdalah when suddenly my grandmother got a phone call from her sister who had been staying with Bubby Jean so My grandmother could come to us. Bubby Jean had been in and out of the hospital for several weeks by now and we all silently knew her time may have come. Tante Libby called my grandmother frantically, saying that their mother had stopped breathing, the paramedics needed to know if the family wanted to resuscitate her. This put my grandmother in a crazy position. Will she choose life? And technically be putting her mother through more pain and fear, or raise her hands in  surrender, and let her mother finally join her husband in the world to come. Thankfully, my grandfather is a Rav and on the spot, ruled that if the rest of the family members agreed, she could be left alone. What would you do in this situation? To make a long story short, my grandmother was laid to rest beside her deceased husband on Isru Chag. (side point to ponder; Moral and ethical points aside for a moment, is medicine making us live longer or die slower?)

Issues like these come up as well in pregnancy cases. If a girl is raped and is pregnant with her oppressor’s child, is she allowed to slaughter the baby?  Is the fetus considered a life yet? These questions stand in every Jewish person’s hospital room decision. The fetus is considered a human life. ‘…A fetus is a potential life, so we are not allowed to kill a fetus. However, if the fetus is endangering the mother’s life and the only way to protect the mother is by taking the life of the fetus, then we must do so. However, this is all only if the fetus is a life-in-potential. Once the baby’s head has emerged from the birth canal, she has become a full-fledged human being of the same status as the mother. Even though the mother has a family to take care of and has proven herself viable and valuable, we consider this a matter of one life versus another. At that point, we can’t give precedent to either life.” (Freeman) the Halacha rules that if the fetus is in any way endangering the life of a mother, than it is put under the category of a ‘rodef’. To put it graphically, a rodef is someone or something figuratively running after you with a knife. Killing it would be self-defence. So in the example of the raped adolescent, she may see the baby as a threat, it may bring back trauma, this puts her in a state of danger for her emotional health.  These scenarios, of course, are completely relative to the situation at hand. A Rabbi should be present in these decisions.

Which one wins? Will it be morality or Halacha? The truth is, its clear that moralities shift over time. Only a few years ago it was absolutely unheard of for one to publicize his or her sexuality. It wasn’t only unheard o, it was known to be immoral. Wrapping womens feet in China years ago, physical torture, was the norm. slaves, apartheid, women’s inequalities, communism, Arianism. All these things were once not only thought to be moral, but they were the norm. in fact, very often violent protests that go on for equal rights are what violence was used for in the opposite sense. Morals change with time, you could even say that morality trends in and out of society, masking itself as the current morality.

Halacha doesn’t change. It doesn’t even adapt. We adapt our lives to Halacha. So, what’s it going to be, will we choose the fate of our loved ones’ lives per trends or Halachas Consistency mandated by the one above Himself.

The bottom line is, who is in charge here, and who runs the world? The answer is right in front of our face, it is our choice, however, to believe in it or not. So, deciding between life and death, will you take that upon yourself? Do you trust yourself over G-d and His Master Plan? We are each sent down to this world with a mission. Our missions’ communal goal is to make this world a better, more Godly place. When life and death become choices for us, it’s pretty much like saying that my mission comes second to the conveniences of my life.

“The Talmud says that there are four people who even while alive are as if they are dead, one of whom is the metzora. Because of his condition he is forced to live apart from society and bereft of the opportunity to give to others. It is our ability to give to others that allows to truly live. So even the parshah itself goes from life to death.

There is a very important message in this. A person who comes into this world has the opportunity of life, but whether he “lives” or not is not only dependent upon the proper working of all his vital organs, but also a function of his will and how he uses his life. Hence the Talmud says that righteous people even after they are dead are considered to be living, whereas evil people even while alive are considered dead.” (Winston, 2014 (5774))

We must take our time on this earth in our own hands and be as productive as we possibly can be. We each have that special light inside of us that is waiting to spread to the dark places of the world. Politics and insecurities must never get in our way, and it won’t, with the help of the Halacha and Mesora.

Bibliography  

Exodus.  (20,13). Yisro.

Freeman, T.  (n.d.). What is the Torah’s View on Abortion? Chabad.org.

Luxenberg, M. (  2001). Pulling the Plug. Aish.com.

Winston, R. P. (  2014 (5774)). Choose Life. Torah.org.

  By Malka Kugel ttps://mail.g��8�f�

[aion-rsa]

Hannibal: Did Author Thomas Harris Try to Destroy Dr. Lecter?

https://ift.tt/3h4huHT

It’s appeared for a while now that Dr. Hannibal Lecter–the forensic psychiatrist, cannibalistic serial killer, and pop culture icon featured in four novels, five movies, and a TV show–has been unstoppable. Several of those projects were highly acclaimed by critics and tremendous hits with audiences. And Anthony Hopkins even earned an Oscar for playing the doctor The Silence of the Lambs, which itself went on to sweep the Academy Awards.

So why did it seem like Thomas Harris, the reclusive author who created Dr. Lecter and wrote the novels, tried his best to kill off the public interest in Hannibal–if not Hannibal himself–at the height of the character’s fame? Because that appears to be almost exactly what Harris attempted to do with Hannibal, the third book featuring the erudite monster, which was published in 1999. Less than two years later, the film version arrived in theaters (20 years ago this week, in fact) and received just as polarizing a response as Harris’ book.

Two decades later, Hannibal, a top shelf, A-list Hollywood production directed by Ridley Scott and featuring Hopkins in his second portrayal of Lecter, remains a bizarre, flawed artifact. Mostly faithful to the equally weird and at times repugnant book, it’s a borderline insane movie that turns the murderous Lecter into ostensibly a hero and, while not going quite off the deep end as the novel, features one of the most gruesomely bonkers climactic scenes ever filmed for a mainstream motion picture. Why?!

Well…

The Road to Hannibal

Harris, now 80 years old and a former journalist for the Associated Press, published his second novel, Red Dragon, in 1981. That story introduced Hannibal Lecter fto the world for the first time. When the book begins, Lecter is already imprisoned for his ghastly crimes, having been caught by the haunted FBI profiler Will Graham. When Graham is called out of retirement to catch another killer, he consults with Dr. Lecter on the case despite the serial killer’s ability to manipulate Graham psychologically. Lecter is very much a supporting character in Red Dragon, which was also reflected in the first film made from the book, Michael Mann’s Manhunter.

Released in 1986, the movie starred William Petersen (CSI: Crime Scene Investigation) as Graham and Scottish actor Brian Cox (Succession) as Lecter (spelled “Lektor” in the movie). Cox is only in a handful of scenes, but makes a strong impression in his few minutes of screen time; both his performance and the film–which was not a success with either critics or audiences in its initial release- have grown in popular stature over the years.

Two years later, in 1988, Harris published his third novel, The Silence of the Lambs. Dr. Lecter is a much larger figure here, as he’s called upon to advise on a new serial killer case by Clarice Starling, an FBI agent in training whose innate decency and compassion stirs respect and even admiration in the otherwise psychopathic doctor. The parallel storylines, the introduction of a superb character in Clarice, and the further development of Lecter, plus the macabre aspects of the narrative made the book an instant classic and one of the great psychological horror novels of its time.

The Silence of the Lambs was a runaway bestseller, but this time the book’s success was equaled by that of its screen adaptation. Jonathan Demme directed the 1991 film based on Harris’ novel, in which Anthony Hopkins played Lecter for the first time, earning for himself both full-fledged movie stardom and an Oscar for Best Actor. Jodie Foster played Clarice, also landing an Oscar for her work; and the movie was just the third in history to sweep all five major awards by also picking up Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Adapted Screenplay.

With the film version of The Silence of the Lambs a box office success, and Lecter entering the pop culture zeitgeist (along with catchphrases like “A nice Chianti…”) as a monster with intelligence, wit and taste, the movie’s producers and the public began to clamor for a sequel.

Hannibal Emerges from His Slumber

It was 11 years before we heard from Thomas Harris and Hannibal Lecter again on the page, with Harris in no rush to deliver a new adventure for the doctor. In his book Making Murder: The Fiction of Thomas Harris, author Philip L. Simpson quotes Harris as saying, “I can’t write it until I believe it.” But in 1999, he finally delivered Hannibal, his longest book to date (484 pages in first edition hardback), and the first in which Lecter is clearly, and perhaps ill-advisedly, the central character.

Taking place seven years after The Silence of the Lambs, the story finds Clarice facing a career crisis when she is blamed for a botched drug raid. But when a letter from Dr. Lecter to Clarice shows up, the FBI puts Clarice back on the doctor’s trail. Meanwhile Lecter is living in Florence under a different identity but is pursued by an Italian detective named Pazzi. The latter aims to collect a huge bounty placed on Lecter’s head by Mason Verger, an incredibly wealthy pedophile who wants revenge on Lecter for disfiguring him during a drug-fueled therapy session years earlier.

To Harris’ credit, Hannibal does not simply retread the same ground as the classic novel that preceded it. According to a new introduction he wrote for Red Dragon, Harris reportedly “dreaded doing Hannibal… dreaded the choices I would have to watch, feared for Starling.” The book is nothing if not filled with dread, and its main theme is that every single human being is capable of corruption, evil, and depravity–a bleak assessment of the species, even for this book series.

Harris expounded upon his theme by making Hannibal his grisliest novel. Lecter murders Pazzi by disemboweling him and hanging him from Florence’s famed Palazzo Vecchio while the hideous-looking Verger, his face and body all but destroyed, plans to enact his vengeance on Lecter by feeding him alive to wild boars. Verger himself meets his end at the hands of his sister, who chokes Verger to death with his pet moray eel–and after violently extracting some of his sperm so she can have a baby with her lesbian partner.

The book ends on its most controversial and polarizing note: Lecter rescues himself and an injured Starling from Verger’s plan, then captures Starling’s nemesis at the Justice Department, Paul Krendler, and prepares a dinner in which he and Starling eat a portion of Krendler’s brain before Lecter kills him. Lecter then digs up the bones of Starling’s father and uses hypnosis to allow her to “see” her father and say goodbye to him, after which Lecter and Starling become lovers and vanish to Buenos Aires.

In the book’s logic, Starling finally accepts the love of the one man in her adult life who has treated her with respect.

What Was Thomas Harris Thinking?

Hannibal, the book, was the second biggest pop culture phenomenon of the summer of 1999 after the release of Star Wars – Episode I: The Phantom Menace. Some 1.5 million copies of the novel were shipped to bookstores. Other publishers, like movie studios getting out of the way of an Avengers flick, shifted their big titles away from June of that year. An advance review from no less an authority than Stephen King called it “one of the two most frightening popular novels of our time,” placing it alongside The Exorcist, in his New York Times review.

Then more critics got to read and review it. So did the public.

The novel, and especially its shockingly subversive ending, scrambled the brains of everyone who read it. An analysis of the book by the influential Kirkus Reviews had positive things to say about Harris’ “baroque new approach” to the serial killer genre and his “audacious epilogue,” but directly compared the Dr. Lecter saga to Star Wars in the sense that both had become a brand.

It was true: in the years since the release of The Silence of the Lambs, Lecter had transformed into a tangible intellectual property, becoming the subject of jokes and parodies, and a meme before we even knew what those were. The terrifying monster of Red Dragon and Silence had become the murderer everyone loved and laughed over–a transition which even Anthony Hopkins reportedly found unfortunate and disturbing.

Read more

Movies

Why Gladiator Continues to Echo Through Eternity

By David Crow

Movies

Best Serial Killer Movies of the ’90s Ranked

By David Crow

Yet it’s worth wondering then if that is the point in Hannibal. Harris is an intensely private person who did not care for the public spotlight. He told the New York Times in 2019, in his only interview in decades, that he found fame to be “more of a nuisance than anything else.” It is easy to imagine he might’ve viewed Hannibal as a way to short-circuit both the overhyped expectations of the public and the evolution of Lecter into some kind of weird fictional celebrity. And perhaps he saw his book as a way of moving past Lecter himself and freeing himself to write new stories?

“I like to think Harris at least partly ups-the-grotesque-ante in Hannibal to rub our collective noses in our collective love for a serial killer,” wrote Patrick J. Sauer in 2019–the book’s 20th anniversary–at Crimereads. “Maybe Harris knew another straight-forward thriller wouldn’t cut it, so he had no choice but to go Grand Guignol on his readers.”

Professor Mark Jancovich of the University of East Anglia (UK), mused in the same article that Harris had other ambitions. “I think Harris might just have wanted to finish Lecter off like Arthur Conan Doyle tried with Sherlock Holmes,” he said. “But there’s also the sense he might have been under huge pressure by the publishers. It’s not really clear what the impetus for the book is, other than the obvious commercial one.”

Whatever Harris tried to do with Hannibal, it doesn’t really work. While the book is gripping and the prose precise, making Dr. Lecter the ostensible protagonist is a mistake. We learn more about his background for one thing, including the unspeakable death of his younger sister during World War II, but that robs him of being the unknowable, terrifying force of nature that he is in the first two novels.

Meanwhile the once-formidable Starling is reduced to an almost passive supporting role, buffeted around without agency until she just essentially gives up and is saved by Lecter. Maybe Harris really did want to turn off his public so that he would never have to write about Hannibal Lecter again.

Hannibal Now Playing at a Theater Near You

The film rights to Hannibal were snapped up in record time for $10 million by Italian producer Dino de Laurentiis, who had produced Manhunter yet passed on Silence. But there was a problem: Director Jonathan Demme, star Jodie Foster, and screenwriter Ted Tally–all major components of the success of Silence, along with Hopkins–had no interest in coming back after reading the book.

Demme was reportedly disappointed by the novel’s copious gore and skewing of Starling’s character, with Foster also dismayed by the latter. Although she said at the time that she was committed to another project, she later came clean and told Total Film, “Clarice meant so much to Jonathan and I, she really did, and I know it sounds kind of strange to say but there was no way that either of us could really trample on her.”

Hopkins did return, however, and the role of Clarice was recast with Julianne Moore taking the part. According to the “making-of” feature on the DVD, Angelina Jolie, Hilary Swank, and Cate Blanchett were all considered as well. However, Hopkins personally lobbied for Moore after working with her in Surviving Picasso.

“In instances like this, the comparisons are inevitable and of course there’s some apprehension about it, because Jodie was really, really fantastic… I mean, she’s a great actress,” said Moore on the DVD. “But it’s a different movie, so that’s the way I have to approach it.”

An unbilled, unrecognizable Gary Oldman played the disfigured, malevolent Verger, while Ray Liotta took the role of Krendler. Inheriting the director’s chair was Ridley Scott, of Blade Runner, Thelma and Louise and Gladiator fame, while the script was handled initially by David Mamet (Glengarry Glen Ross) and then again by a major Steven Zaillian (Schindler’s List) rewrite. With all that talent, the budget was said to exceed $100 million.

But there was a problem: that ending. While Scott found a certain baroque tone that echoed Harris’ book in some ways, and was perfectly happy to retain the gutting of Detective Pazzi (played by Giancarlo Giannini), the wild boars, and even the cooking of Krendler’s brains by Lecter–a scene which ranks high on the all-time insane list–there was no way the filmmakers were going to alienate audiences by having Clarice Starling eat those brains and then make love to the doctor. Not a chance.

“I couldn’t take that quantum leap emotionally on behalf of Starling,” Ridley Scott told the Guardian at the time. “Certainly, on behalf of Hannibal–I’m sure that’s been in the back of his mind for a number of years. But for Starling, no. I think one of the attractions about Starling to Hannibal is what a straight arrow she is.”

In the film, Clarice does not dine with Lecter and does not fall into the drug-induced hypnosis of the book. With the law closing in on them, Lecter finally professes his love for Starling, and when she manages to handcuff the two of them together so that he cannot escape, he sacrifices either his own hand or at least a finger (it’s never made clear) to slip out of the cuffs and escape into the night.

When we last see him, he’s on a plane to a destination unknown and he’s feeding a slice of leftover Krendler to a young boy seated next to him. Starling remains behind, her future also unknown.

Hannibal, the movie, was released nearly 10 years to the day that The Silence of the Lambs arrived in theaters. The R-rated movie scored $58 million in its opening weekend, the highest opening for a film with that rating until The Passion of the Christ came out in 2004. The movie ended up earning $165 million in the U.S. and a total of $351 million worldwide, good enough for 10th highest gross of that year.

Critics were less kind than audiences, with the film scoring just 39 percent at Rotten Tomatoes. The reviews were split along the same lines as those for the book. While some critics praised the film’s style and audacity, others bemoaned the lack of great character interaction and thematic resonance that made The Silence of the Lambs a masterpiece.

And it was true: Hannibal, as both a movie and a book, exhibits the same strengths and suffers from the same problems. The projects are stylish, exquisitely written/produced, and possessed of a fair amount of black humor and boldness. But putting Lecter front and center, while robbing Starling of her agency and motivation, creates a box from which the story cannot escape. Both characters are offscreen (so to speak) for long stretches while the Verger and Pazzi stories play out, and the story is so damning of essentially all of humanity that it’s hard to get a handle on anybody.

Yet both the book and the movie were monster hits, so if Harris really did intend to stop Lecter in his tracks with that bizarre ending, he failed.

The Aftermath of Hannibal

Producer Dino de Laurentiis insisted on making more Lecter movies. First he ramped up a faithful remake of Red Dragon, this time under its original title and with Hopkins once again in the role of Lecter, joined by Edward Norton as Will Graham and Ralph Fiennes as killer Francis Dolarhyde. Directed by Brett Ratner, the film grossed $93 million in the U.S. and $209 million worldwide, with critics again giving it mixed reviews but actually rating it higher (68 percent) than Hannibal.

De Laurentiis demanded more, and told Harris he’d move forward without him if the author did not wish to be involved. So Harris wrote a novel and a screenplay at the same time: Hannibal Rising, which explored–in excruciating detail–Hannibal’s entire early life, robbing him once and for all of any mystery he might have clung to. The film also didn’t really work, with French actor Gaspard Ulliel playing the young cannibal. He ultimately became the George Lazenby of the franchise. The movie was a dud all around, grossing just a paltry $82 million worldwide.

That seemed to be the end of the meal for Lecter, until he was resurrected again in the form of Mads Mikkelsen in the NBC-TV series Hannibal. The series, which ran for three years and featured elements of Red Dragon and the book Hannibal in addition to original material, was acclaimed for its macabre tone and painterly production values. Yet it never became more than a cult favorite, with ratings unable to sustain it past three seasons (although talk persists of a revival). Yet another TV series, Clarice, entered on special agent Starling in the years between Silence and Hannibal, also just premiered on CBS All Access to mixed reviews.

Even if Thomas Harris wanted to strip Hannibal Lecter of his popular veneer and make him a monster again with Hannibal, it didn’t really work. He left us instead with his most bizarre book to date and a movie that has its own depraved charms, yet ultimately pales next to its predecessors. And in the end, Harris may not quite be done with his most famous creation yet. While discussing Cari Mora, his latest novel, and the first in 38 years not involving Lecter, Harris teased the Times that “the Hannibal character still occurs to me, and I wonder sometimes what it’s up to.”

Perhaps creator and creation will once again sit down to dinner. Someday.

cnx.cmd.push(function() { cnx({ playerId: "106e33c0-3911-473c-b599-b1426db57530", }).render("0270c398a82f44f49c23c16122516796"); });

The post Hannibal: Did Author Thomas Harris Try to Destroy Dr. Lecter? appeared first on Den of Geek.

from Den of Geek https://ift.tt/2Zb9ZaB