#but for now I enjoy the questionable aspects of this happy end for alan and alice

[velvetjune]

technically alan wake 2 final draft (spoilers ahead) is a Happy ending for the characters, but the spiral writers room video calling his enlightened self a possible demiurge or demon unsettled me far more than the original ending. that version, by his nature, already existing and overlapping with past loops, influencing and manipulating things without known reasons (to us and the Alan we play). it really makes that Alan out to be something else entirely through ascension and that this is inevitable. this could partially be because I kept seeing people say that the final draft was the happy end with a happy resolution for everyone, but I can’t stop thinking about what this means for Alan—and Alice!—going forward. That, along with the direct parallels to Yötön Yö playing out. It’s SO much to unpack

[transhoverfish]

OK SO IM LATE BUT. MORE SUB3 NEWS!!!

so a few days ago, krafton (their publisher), apparently had this like presentation of their plans over the next like 2 years. and during that they talked a bit about sub 3!

and this obviously creates a LOT of questions. not to worry, though, because unknown worlds added on to this:

im honestly not surprised by this. iirc, when below zero released they said it would be a WHILE before the next game, and they only announced this back in like... january? now, the first game's release was in january, and bz was in may, so it's definitely possible early access with be in spring of 2025. those games did not have multiplayer aspections tho! its possible we'll wait until mid 2025, and full release will likely not be until 2026. but who knows? the first game took like ten to be fully finished!!

and honestly. THANK GOD. i can't imagine any subnautica game having BATTLE PASSES or LOOT BOXES. i would have just straight up ignored this game 😭

i do wonder what these updates will entail! "many years to come" is definitely something interesting to me, because other than bug fixes... i dont remember sub or bz getting many updates post full release. is this referring to bug fixes, or is it implying that it will be in a state of early access for much longer? are they going to just keep adding new things (like the building update for sub1) and taking fandom suggestions? very interested!!

maybe this is an unpopular opinion, but i actually,,,, dont want multiplayer. now i do like bz, and these games arent really intended to be horror games, but also bz is very noticeablely less scary than sub1. and some of it i think definitely has to do with all the extra characters and dialogue. its hard to feel isolated when you know al-an and marg are nearby. so im very happy that it's optional, bc i know i will probably enjoy single player a lot more enjoyable!!

so now... SPECULATION.

so the first thing im curious about that the development team didnt mention:

"uncover the mysteries on an entirely new alien planet"

apprently we are NOT returning to 4546b. which im kind of sad about!! ik the story is very obviously done there, but it feels weird that its going to be some other planet this time around. THERE WONT BE PEEPERS!!!! (well there could be but it would be weird if some other random planet had the exact same lifeforms)

now my next immediate thought is: is this a direct continuation of below zero? my opinion is: no. probably not.

mostly because it mentions up to four players, and robin and alan are, if you look very closely, only two people. now they COULD just create two new characters to go alongside them (my fanfic brain loves the au idea of marg and ryley 🥺) but im just going to assume that with the addition of a new planet, we're going to drop the old storylines. which means no more degasi, sunbeam, aurora, or ayou sisters. we might move away from architects/precursors altogether! (my basis on this is absolutely nothing and i could be wrong, this is 100% just theorizing)

also, i imagine that it would be difficult to keep the plot the exact same with two established characters and then two new ones, depending on how this multiplayer aspect works. if its another crash, it would be a lot easier to just have the extra players die/survive, then try to work in a balancing act of one guy playing al-an.

(also i like keeping the ending of bz vauge. if they show up again, they would have to mention what happened to the rest of the architects, and i think it's much more fun if thats a mystery!)

((also also, im gonna drop a bomb on u all for a second. i actually,,, dont like al-an. i have a deeper connection to probably every single other character in bz. i think they really fumbled al's character and story and he is so incredibly bland to me. it feels like they go nowhere with how he was responsible for the kharra outbreak because the game ends immediately after he confesses! it would be nice to give him another chance, sure, but i personally dread the idea of even more al-an. sorry everyone for this horrible news))

HERE'S A CONCEPT IMAGE

i hope they bring back some cut content creatures for this!! i noticed this new area looks VERY similar to the safe shallows, and several of the fish seem to be variations of ones we've already seen (im already seeing bladderfish and hoopfish color pallettes, and the shark resmbles some early concept art for the shadow leviathan, but with the ice worm's colors...)

will there be more land areas?? is it going to entirely underwater?? more kharra?? NO DISEASE AT ALL?? AAAAAA!!!!

[shrapnelstars]

Ending spoilers below. Random thoughts.

🖋️ One subtle thing about the game that is kind of heartwarming in retrospect, is that Alan basically prayed for the Norse god of storytelling to come save him.

🖋️ I was a bit confused about why Scratch possessed Casey in the moment, but it hit me towards the end: Casey is one of Alan's characters. Different aspects of yourself will bleed into your writing, whether you realize it or not. Scratch is the dark parts of Alan, and those dark parts can show up in his writing if he doesn't fully address them.

In the end, Casey was purged of Scratch when Alan basically embraced and owned his darker aspects, and like Mirra in Max Payne said, once you own up to the fact that all that darkness is still you, "Welcome to the next level". That's the moment when Alan became aware of the spiral, and the fact that he is indeed making progress.

🖋️ This is the best Silent Hill sequel in eons.

🖋️ Scratch's complete overhaul makes sense. Alan was trapped for 13 years going feral and trying to survive, with a single-minded focus on getting out, no matter what it takes. His darker side would have evolved to be a reflection of that shift.

Now that Alan has had a breath of fresh air, both literally and from Saga and Alice guiding him in the right direction, and from finally embracing the darkness inside him, I'm sure Scratch will evolve again, if he shows up again. I'm theorizing that he'll go back to being more refined, though not completely the same as in American Nightmare.

🖋️ I'm looking forward to Darling in NG+. I want all the Spiderman pointing memes. I hope there's a one-off comment where Alan says "That guy sounds familiar."

🖋️ Two of my favorite streamers said "Oh hell no, there's no question about it. I WILL be streaming NG+". One of them notoriously doesn't give a shit about any game's lore, but enjoyed the story of AW2 so much that he really wants to see the extra stuff in NG+. That makes me so unbelievably happy.

[jinx-on-mars-19xx]

I'm gonna do it... I'm finally going to watch The Whale 🥺😬 Should I do thoughts as I go or review after?

Maybe I'll edit as I go?

Spoilers 🖤

-That's one way to open a movie. They let you know it's going to be rough automatically

-Maybe I'm too desensitized? I'm eating a Mcdouble while watching this. But I don't actually enjoy much so... 🤷🏼‍♂️

-I honestly don't think this could have been as sympathetic with another actor. There's something special about Brendan. I understand why people are upset but he's got heart that most people don't

-Normally A24 movies are supposed to scare me but I feel like this is just going to make me sad. Are they branching out? Or is there a thriller aspect later? Is it just supposed to disturb? If you can't tell, I didn't look up anything before hand. I just know Brendan is in it and that's enough for me

-I wonder if they'll say how the husband died

-well the daughter has issues. Understandable but ouch

-WHAT?? She did not just leave after that! He probably broke ribs 🥺

Putting the rest behind a cut so it doesn't spoil big things unless you want it to

-I'm starting to think the disturbing part is just making us realize how we think about people. That's the horror. As a disabled person who has trouble even bathing most of the time it doesn't disturb me as much as it might others. The horror for me with this movie is how I relate to him. But I'm not very far in yet

-Yeah I relate too much. I apologize for everything and am terrified of going out but scared for my health. I suppose that's a fascinating thing about this movie, it can be a horror in two ways. Some people relate and are disturbed and some people are just disturbed thinking of getting that bad

-I like the daughter's view of religion 😂

-"You're a fetus!" At least there's a vaguely funny scene amidst all this. But what's in the locked room? The room he used to share with his partner?

-This poor missionary 🤣

-Oh no. Poor Charlie and Liz. Poor Alan. The religious aspect is very familiar and sad

-Biggest question is how he still has a working box TV...

-Yikes... The daughter is a bit worrisome. I feel bad for her though

-and now she's taking hostages and knocking him out. Wtf 👀

-woah okay... so who IS he??

-I have trouble sympathizing with overly religious people at times but I feel bad for that kid

-Shiiiit. This isn't horrific at all A24, I'm just sad. Stop ganging up on him 🥺

-"that positivity. It's annoying" Yeah... 🤦🏼‍♂️I'm relating to him too much. Positivity in the face of everything being awful

-this mom is icky

-okay I still am concerned about how she thinks about her daughter but omg how incredibly emotional was the scene between Mary and Charlie? 😭

-is Dan sweet or bad?

-fuck some of this is brutal

-I think the positivity is about to end. Is he gonna kill this boy? 👀

-GET THE HOMOPHOBIC BOY WITH YOUR BEAUTIFUL STORY

-oh 😭 poor Charlie. Stop apologizing

-all those students. I hate this. I don't expect a happy ending but can someone be nice please?

-Liz please be sweet. He doesn't have long

-well... that ending hurt. It was beautiful and painful all at once. I appreciate the message. "Do you ever think that people just can't not care?" I often think that way but like him a lot of humanity has proven the opposite. I still hope though. I try to stay positive like him. I'm not sure yet what I will take from the very last scene... I need time to think on it. It was a very moving film though. I'm not sure I would suggest it if you're already in a somewhat sad mood. I'm left feeling melancholic. As Charlie though I try to stay positive 🖤

[cutekittenlady]

Cutekittenlady's Hamefura Fic Masterpost!

To celebrate the beginning of Season 2 I've decided to highlight many of the Hamefura Fics I wrote and began before Season 2 here in this Masterpost for old and new fans of the series to enjoy. I will be sharing these mostly in order that they appear on my Ao3 page, oldests to newest, with my ongoing fic Series listed at the bottom.

Who's Taller? Ship: none. Gen fic. Thanks to Keith's prodding, Alan and Geordo's sibling rivalry is rekindled to answer a burning question.

Apple Bunny ship: hints of Alan/Katarina and Geordo/Katarina but mostly a gen fic With a young Prince Alan sick in bed, his brother reluctantly makes arrangements for a visit.

Cold Ship: Alan/Mary Midwinter surrounded by freshly fallen snow. A perfect time for a peaceful horseback ride through the winter landscape. Such a romantic image... yet the footing is treacherous.

Heavy is the Head that Wears the Crown Ship: None. Prequel fic. A noble lady from a faraway land and a special gift is married away to a Prince of a foreign land. Unknowing of the challenges that lie there, or of her future.

Little Dewdrop co-written with @sapphireshineauthor Ship: mixed, but mostly gen. After opening a strange book in the library, Alan gets turned into a 5yr old with only memories from then and before. Now the crew needs to keep him taken care of and hidden from the school until they can reverse the process. However, who is that man lurking on the outskirts?MNow for my ongoing Series collections!

Now for my ongoing Series collections!

Getting to Know You cowritten with @sapphireshineauthor A collection series detailing the developing course of Alan and Geordos relationship as they slowly learn to be a family.

Fears Irritated with the frequency that a certain incident keeps coming up between him and his brother Alan, Prince Geordo decides it's only fair that he investigates just what his twin brother is afraid of. However he may be biting off more than he can chew...

Music Sheets Three weeks have passed since Geordo learned of Alan’s fear of thunder. Despite his little fear hunt ending and the two of them having reconnected, Geordo still feels like he needs to make things up to his little brother A small present should do the trick…

Magic Magic is wonderful. Magic is powerful. Magic is rare. Magic, a rare but beautiful and dangerous power, flows through Sorcier's nobility. Geordo and Alan were both rare individuals. Being born with opposing magical powers. Despite their tutelage, they are not fully aware of how powerful and dangerous that magic can be.

Hamefura Pair Up Challenge An ongoing attempt to write a series of oneshot fics that focus on two members of Katarinas inner cirlce at a time and the relationships between them via many Au's, headcanons, and wacky nonsensical antics.

Another Job Mary is a dancer. Alan is a gunner. Both of them are experienced adventurers. However, things dont always go smoothly. Even if this is just another job.

Demon in the Tower Nicol summons his first demon and gets a very clumsy but incredibly endearing Katarina.

Dancing Maria is happy to get help with her dancing lessons from Sophia, but theres one aspect of it that she's a little confused about.

Bunk Once more Geordos plans go awry.

Shogi Duel Geordo discovers yet another of his fiances many unique and unexpected talents.

Ugly Sweater Alan takes part in the student councils private secret santa gift exchange and gets a very... interesting gift.

Pranking Sophia has begun to be the victim of some harmless, though still annoying, pranks and wonders who could be the perpetrator.

The Princes of Rock Keith makes the short-sighted decisions to sign up for the next music competitions. His partner? Nicol.

The Obligatory Elevator Fic Mary and Katarina get stuck in an elevator on "accident"

[calliecat93]

Callie’s Disney Princess Retrospective: Beauty and the Beast

(Snow White) (Cinderella) (Sleeping Beauty) (The Little Mermaid)

The Little Mermaid was a huge success for Disney. It was such a big success that it began the Renaissance Era of Disney Animation and returned Disney to the top animation studio. While many people such as John Musker, Ron Clements, and Glen Keane can be credited for the film's success, the biggest player by far was lyricist Howard Ashman. He put his heart and soul into the film, and not just with song lyrics. He wanted the characters to connect to the audience. He wanted to play a part in the story. He wanted this film to be something special, and he succeeded. But he was also frustrated, could be argumentative when others didn't like his vision, and unknown to everyone, he was dying. After winning two Oscars for The Little Mermaid's music, Howard revealed to composer Alan Menken that he had AIDS, and he didn't have much longer to live.

However, Ashman wasn't going down before completing one more film. Though he had been writing music for Aladdin, he ultimately ended up as the lyricist of another film. A film that had been through many different iterations and was handed off to newbie directors. Little did anyone know just how impactful this film would be for Disney, and for the industry as a whole. Well, except for Ashman himself. The film that we are discussing today is the first animated film to ever, ever be nominated for Best Feature. That film is 1991''s Beauty and the Beast.

Overview

Belle is a beautiful young woman, but is seen as an oddity in her village due to her love of books and her utter disinterest in local heartthrob Gaston. When her father, an inventor named Maurice, leaves for a science fair, he ends up taking refuge in an old, abandoned castle. But the castle is actually enchanted and acts as the home to dozens of talking inanimate objects... and a fearsome beast. When Belle goes looking for her father, she offers to take his place as the Beast’s prisoner. But during her time in the castle, Belle discovers that this Beast may not be as much of a monster as he appears, and this may lead to both discovering true love...

Review

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I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that this is by far one of Disney’s most beloved films. It got praise form both critics and movie-goers when it came out, and it’s only become more beloved in the nearly 20 years since. Belle is praised as a feminist's icon and the film for it’s themes of toxic masculinity, judging a book by it’s cover, and some of the darker aspects of society like those we blindly praise. I... like the film, but I never loved it to the extent as others. Not because it’s bad, that is a ridiculous notion. I just liked other films more and Belle just didn’t interest me as others like Cinderella or Mulan or Ariel. But seeing it again as an adult who has seen the darker aspects of society since I was a kid, it REALLY rings more deeply than it did back then.

One aspect that no one can argue about is the animation. The film is beautiful. It has some of Disney’s best animators at the time such as Glen Keene, Mark Henn, Andreas Deja, and so much more. There was so much life put into the film and it is a true visual spectacle.I meant hey managed to take inaminate objects, and bring them to life. Sure they have faces to help humanize them, but to make us believe that these are talking, moving objects that were once human is still a VERY difficult task. But they have so much personality like the suave, passionate candlesick Lumiere or the stuffy, orderly Cogsworth. The backgrounds andf settings are also great fromt he Sleepy Hollow-esque village to the gothic castle of The Beast, to the creedy woods that look even more terrifying when it snows. There’s so much color and lighting that is used so well, especially with the castle eminating so much mystery and intrigue compared tot he plain village that Belle is from.

But the setting we all remember most of all is the ballroom. While Disney has been using CGI some before, such as Big Ben in The Great Mouse Detective (yes,t hat WHOLE setting was computer graphics), this is probably the biggest use to date. The ballroom is a gorgeous golden color and looks so big and vast. It takes you’re breath away. There’s a reason why this is the most well-remembered part of the film. The animaiton for this film was very straining, especially due to conditios to accomodate Ashman that we’ll get to later. It was stressful, but they absoluteley put their all into it. When you watcht he ballroom sequence, added to the dance and Angela Lansbury’s lovely vocals, you forget that you’re even watching a movie. It feels like... well, love. It’s by far one of Disney’s best looking features.

As I said in the intro, the film ultimately fell into the laps of two relatively rookie animators; Kirk Wise and Gary Trousdale. This was after several various attempts to adapt the film, with none successful. Wise and Trousdale’s biggest claim to fame at the time was doing animaiton for EPCOT’s now defunct Cranium Command attraction (look up Who Stole Buzzy, boy is THAT a story) and while they had worked on other features, they had never been in the director seats. To make it more difficult, due to Ashman’s health continuing to gradually decline, Katzenburg decided to move produciton over to New York to spare him from having to travel. Which is a VERY noble effort and it’s sweet that they were willing to do so to keep working with Ashman, but as you can imagine this was quite a strain on the production team and as before, they would sometimes clash with Ashman and his vision. Still, they along with Menken returning as composer and writer Linda Woolverton, they reworked the then-script into something that they were happy with.

The setting is very reminiscent of another Disney work, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. One of two segments from the Package Film Era feature The Adventure of Ichabod and Mr. Toad. We all know the story of Ichabod and his infamous ride where he encountered the Headless Horseman. Here we have a similar quaint village where people seem rather simple-minded. Like in Sleepy Hollow where everyone took notice tot he rather strange looking Ichabod Crane, we see a similar notice of Belle who is an anomaly to them. Though unlike Ichabod, who had pretty much everyone under his thumb and is kind of a gold diging jerk, Belle is ostracized and is a FAR better person. Gaston bears a striking resemblance to Brom Bones in both looks and social status (tough Brom isn’t as bad in comparison or even compared to Ichabod, though still a Jerk Jock) and the Bimbettes bear a bit of similarity to Katrina. I wouldn’t be surprised if the crew used Sleepy Hollow as inspiration for setting and character design. Only thing missing is the Headless Horseman, which that would have been interesting XD

The film deals with several topics. There’s the standard ‘don’t judge a book by it’s cover’ and ‘true love conquers all’ messages. Both of which are handled very well. But there are also some that IDT Disney had ever really tackled to this point. There’s encouraging women to make their own choices, which Disney HAS tackled but this one does it differently with Belle rejecting the standard good-looking man and falling for the monstrous looking one. In fact there is really a strong theme tearing down toxic masculinity and male entitlement. It says that no, men are not obligated to a woman and that women have the freedom to reject them no matter the societal pressure. Especially if they act as despicable as Gaston. With how much more aware we’ve become of how horrible some men in power can be and how they use that power on vulnerable women, this remains a relevant message to todays audience. It let’s women be empowered, confident, and enjoy things like reading as well as have the hope of finding those who will be accepting. These are all important things, and the film does an excellent job in showing it and what actual love should be like. The Beast especially starts as a jerk, but once he decides to become better and wants to be better for no ulterior reasons, he proves worthy of Belle’s love. That’s how love should be and how a person should change themselves. Again, very well done.

Despite his health and being downcast about not completing Aladdin, Ashman still put his all into the film. As I said, they outright shifted production to another state at a time when social media and things like Skype and Zoom were a distant dream. Still, Ashman along with Menken put their all into the soundtrack, and it paid off big time. This film, along with The Little Mermaid, really set up the precedent for Broadway-style animaed films and considering that they continue to be successful, I’d say that that says a lot. There are a lot of memorable songs int his fimlm, and there’s even some that didn’t make it in. One in particular, Human Again, actualy got animated and added back for the film’s IMAX release and various home media releases (sadly it’s not in the Disney+ version). The score is also very well done, especially at the end. Just listen to the music when the Beast finally turns human again. It added to the outright magical animation will leave you in awe as much as Belle was.

But what about the vocal tracks? Good question. Let’s go over them:

Belle/Belle Reprise: Our first song which as the name suggests, is about our leading lady. It does a lovely job establishing her character as a book-loving, intelligent young woman feeling that there was be more than this life ans village that she remains stuck in. It also establishes the village’s rather simple-mindedness and socital expectatons, finding Belle a beautiful but very strange girl because of her loving reading more than getting married. It also establishes Gaston’s smugness, entitlement, and holding the entire village’s admiration, The music is optimistic, but there’s a lot here that’s gonna take a dark turn a the film goes on. The reprise is short and more somber, but let’s Belle express her unwillignness to marry a man like Gaston, wanting to find love on her own terms. Little does she know what’s awating her right after.

Gaston: No one can have a song named after Gaston like Gaston! Yeah, this inspired plenty of meme’s, didn’t it? Even Disney itself has gotten in on the fun haha! But seriously, this is a fun villain song. I gotta give Gaston this, he’s a smug, horrible person but he shows that he can back up many of his boasts. I don’t doubt that he can eat dozens of eggs a day or is as strong as an ox. The song also further shows the town’s utter blind devotion to this brute, not being concerned about his entitlement to a girl who clearly isnt interest and more because of how handsome and grand he is. Isn’t society fun kids?! But then at the end, after Maurice is kicked out, it takes a darker turn as Gaston makes his plans to essentially blackmail Belle with her father’s safety... and right back to blind praise! I feel zero sympathy for any of the villagers in this film. But yeah, a song with a lot of dark implications, but still a very enjoyable villain song.

Be Our Guest: This is a true show-stopper, and I’m not just saying that. Lumiere wanted to create a show, and BOY did he succeed. The song is the most like a Broadway number in it’s composition and grand feeling. The fact that we have a huge number full fo singing, dancing, stuntwork, etc is being done by a bunch of dishes and pretty freakin’ impressive. Yet the animators gave it all so much life and Jerry Orback sings with so much passion and energy and it is just SO much fun to watch! Especially with poor Cogsworth at first trying to get everyone to calm down, but by the end he gets real into it... well until Lumiere knocks him to the side. The only negative is that for being a song about serving Belle dinner, aside form a bit of The Grey Stuff she didn’t even eat dinner. For shame! So 1 out fo 10 of food servive, but the show was worthy of two thumbs up!

Something More: This was the song that replaced Human Again. It’s a sweet song about Belle and Beast beginning to realize their feelings the more that they spend aroudn each other. Belle sees that Beast may not be very well-mannered or much of a looker, but he does have a good heart and the more they interact, the more it begins to show. Belle’s kindness, intellience, and willingness to look beyond the surface has Beast falling in love with her, yet his fear of being a monster is still holding him back. Still as we see the two do things like have dinner, play in the snow, or even Beast letting Belle read to him, the more we see that spark of love slowly grow, even if they haven’t fully grasped it. It helps advance the romance, and it’s just really sweet.

Beauty and the Beast: The song that won Menken and Ashman another Oscar. It’s not hard to see why either. The song is beautiful. It’s performed by Angela Lansbury, and her gentle vocals accompanies by the gentle orchestra is just lovely. The woman outright did the song in one take. One take. That is insane, yet it happened. And I can see why because the song is just beautiful. It adds to much to the already majestic ballroom scene, being about two unlikely individuals finding love and ultimately making the other a better person. It’s just a work of beauty. There’s also the pop version by Celine Dion and Peabo Bryson, which I also really love. It’s more commerical, but still very pretty especially with Celine’s gorgeous singing voice. Both versions are beautiful, and the first thing I think of when I think of this film... and no, not just beause of the name.

The Mob Song: This is exactly as you would expect with a song with that title. It’s dark, angry, and scary. Gaston rallies the troops to kill The Beast, convincing them that he is a danger to them all. They grab their torches, weapons, and there’s just this tense atmosphere throughout. This is the culminaiton of al the socital expectations and blind devotion to a person who doesn’t at all deserve it. It’s also a very accurate protrayal of the mob mentality, where you become a part of this hivemind following the rest of the crowd no matter how wrong it may be and despite your own senebilities. The only ones who don’t fall into it, Belle and Maurice, get tossed into a basement for their trouble. What makes this song sad though? In Disney+’s documentary Howard, produced by Don Hahn who also produced this film, it was explained how in the eyes of several of his colleagues, it seemed like Ashman was venting about the AIDS epidemic. That was a VERY dark time where the gay community was especially under fire, persecuted, hated, and so many other horrible things because the world chose to blame them for it. Ashman was a gay man. He had an ex partner die of AIDS, and had another partner at the time who talked about him in the documentary. Imagine being scapegoated just because of your sexuality, even though you never caused any harm, and society hated on you and others fell into he mob mentality, and they went as far as to either demand you to die or do the job themselves. All because you were different. Really adds a new perspecive to the song, doesn’t it? This can be applied to so many groups too, which makes the song even scarier, but also emphasize even more how dangerous the mob mentality is. Very effective song.

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Sadly, Howard wouldn’t live to see all of his numbers to completion. With his health declining rapidly, Menken and various others went back and forth between Burbank and New York in order to work with him. Ashman worked until he psycially couldn’t anymore. He was even giving notes to performers like Paige O’Hara despite barely being able to talk. He managed to complete his work, at least to my knowledge, before his passing on March 14th, 1991, just a few months before the film’s release. After a screentest, which proved very successful, Don Hahn and some other colleagues went to see Ashman in the hospital to say their goodbyes. Hahn told him of the reception, and jokingly asked who would ahve expected that the film would have turned out so great? Ashman’s response? “I did.” The work he managed to do for Aladdin would be included in the film, which we’ll discuss when we get to that one. The soundtrack won the Oscar which was awarded to Ashman (as well as Menken) posthumously and a dedication to him was including at the end of the film. It’s always sad to see such a talented individual leave us far too soon, but his work truly brought new life to Disney and is beloved even all these years later. That is a legacy that will never fade.

Now we get to characters, and we have quite a good number of them. We have of course the village that Belle is from. On the surface, they seem like pretty plain people, satisfied with their way of life. But this also causes them to at least not think highly of those who break from that way of life. The men work, the women care for the children. If men don’t work, they’re jerk slobs. They all especially fall into blind admiration for the strong, handsome Gaston who is hailed as a local hero. So much so that no one gives ANY of his terrible actions an ounce of consideraiton. Selling Maurcie tot he looney bin? Well he’s alreafy viewed as crazy, so ah well. Belle trying to tell them that The Beast isn’t a monster? While their first imprression of him is defeniteley a bad one, the fact that they listen to Gaston and not the woman who actually interacted with The Beast says a lot about how simple minded they all are. I hope they learned their lesson after all was said and done, but even if not Belle doesn’t have to pay them any mind anyways.

The only person who is accepting of Belle is her father, Maurice. He’s viewed as a crackpot, but Maurice is a good-hearted, smart, and perfectly sensible man. He’s a bit of a goof with how his inventions can go haywire, but otherwise is no diferent from any other person. But like his daughter, his interests have him judged instead of what he’s like as a person. It’s especially sad when he tries to get help to save Belle, and he is merely laughed at and thrown out because of his status. Maurice is a loving father, accepting of Belle and of her interests and choices. She isn’t interested in Gaston? Fine with him. People view her as odd? That’s utterly ridiculous. It’s really nice to have a parent who is supportive and involved int heir kids life, especally compared to Triton last time who may be caring, but is utterly against everything that matters to Ariel. In fact it’s the firs ttime we’ve had this since Snow White and Cinderlla’s parents are dead and their stepmothers are horrible, Aurora grew up away from her otherwise caring parents, and Ariel... it’s complicated. Maurice is a good guy and it is good that Belle has someone who accepts her unconditionaly. She loves him so much that she sacrificed her happiness for him twice to protect him, which really shows how strong their bond is.

That brings us to our villain, Gaston. He is a hunter who is muscular, handsome, and has physical skills that he can back up. However he is also entitled, egotistical, sefish, and just a horrible person. He wants to marry Belle only because of her beauty and instead of trying to get to know her or shifitng atteniton to any of the girls who would gladly grovel before him, he pursues her despite her not liking him. It’s especially bad when he goes to her house, sets up a huge engagement party, and gets into her personal space in his attempts to charm her. She not only rejects him, but promptly humiliates him. Yet instead of thinking that he had tried far too hard and jumped the gun, he blames Belle for daring to reject him. He reflects exactly how society can view someone like him. No one thinks about the woman, they only see a good-looking man get rejected despite us not knowing anything about ther perosn or their relaitonship. Especially if that man is essentially a celebrity, which makes people look past anyhing.

But none of these things are indicitive of an evil perosn. An arrogant jerk yes, but not evil. That all changes when, after Maurice tries to get help, Gaston comes up with a new plan. He decides to have Maurice admitted to an asylum for being crazy, and to use this to force Belle to marry him. This is what shifts Gaston from a jerk to a true villain. This is how far his entitlement and selfishness goes. He is willing to take Belle’s own elderly father and use him and his freedom as blackmail to force her to marry him. Even compared to the four villainesses before him who committed horrible acts such as attempted murder, mental/emotional abuse, and even attempting world domination, this is utterly despicable. Then there's him deciding to kill The Beast. Despite what he says, it's not because of the potential risk to the town, it's solely because he sees that Belle loves him and can't stand it. He outright calls her crazy AND locks her and Maurice up out of pure entitlement and selfishness. He doesn't give a damn about Belle or her though and well-being. Only about his own.

Gaston is entertaining, but very much evil. As I said above he bears a lot of similarity to Brom Bones from Disney's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. A muscular jock-like figure often the most beautifiul girl in town. Only while Brom was a jerk, he was arguably less bad than Ichabod Crane depending how you looked at it. Gaston essentially has Brom's muscles an Ichabod's selfishness. He cares only for himself and his own pride. Admittedly he put up a decent fight against The Beast, but that's only because Beast wasn’t fighting back until he saw Belle. When he did, Gaston whimpered and begged like the pathetic man that he is. Then he stabbed him despite being spared out of pure spite. An act that cost him his life. Fun fact, originally he survived the fall and was truly killed via the wolves. They ended up saving that for Scar's death in The Lion King. But yeah, Gaston died in the undignifiedmanner that he deserved. A despicable but memorable villain who was perfect for this film.

Then we have the castle characters. You’d think that it would be difficult to give life to a bunch of furniture and appliances... and it probably was. But this movie makes it look easy. They do give most of them humanoid features, like eyes and a mouth, but not all of them and even then it would be so easy to make it look creepy. But the castle staff is just os much fun and beaming with personality. We’re gonna discuss the main four: Lumiere, Cogsworth, Mrs. Potts, and Chip.

Lumiere is a candlestick, which matches his passionate characterization. He’s a showman. A romantic. A more daring, out-going character compared to his frequent frenemy Cogsworth. Cogsworth is a clock and I think he’s implied to be the Beast’s butler or some other kind of advisor. He’s stuffy, nervous, and the most lawful of the characters. Though he CAN get into the fun of things with a little provoking as demonstrated in Be Our Guest and the big battle during the climax. Hoenstly, Be Our Guest is a great number to demonstrate the two’s contrasitng perosnalities. Belle has been banned from eating and Cogsworth doens’t want to both break the Beast’s orders nor cause a bunch of noise that would anger him. Lumiere however? He’s dead set on getting Belle to fall for the Beast, so she should be treated as their guest, not a prisoner. Plus he and the other staff are tired after ten years of being stuck as they are and all alone, so cue the extravagant show number. Lumiere is having the time of his life while Cogsworth tries to convince everyone to stop... but by the end gets caught up in it and joins in ont he fun. Too bad that Lumiere knocks him off the center stage at the end haha. But yeah, their constant banter is amusing but they are clealry friends, especially in the fight where Cogsworth saves Lumiere. They’re both also performed wonderfully by their VA’s, Jerry Orbach and David Odgen Stiers, the latter of whom would appear in several more Disney films, including one for this series that we’ll get to fairly soon.

Mrs. Potts is a teapot and her son Chip is a tea cup. I guess that Chip ended up that way to match his mother, which her being a teapot matches her mothelry persona. She’s very kind and consoling towards Belle and seems the most understanding about The Beast and why he acts ike he does. Which since I think that she was essentially the house caretaker, makes sense since she’d have likely been the one looking out for him. Plus she herself is a mother, and since Beast has the emotion coping skills of a child, she’d know how to deal with it. Chip is the token child character, though not a bad one. He’s a nice kid with a huge curiosity. It’s really cute how hen allt he adults are seeing the bloomign romance between Belle and Beast, he’s uttelry confused like any kid would be haha! He takes a liking to Belle quickly, though more like he sees her as if she were an older sister than any kind fo crush or the like. He’s also smart, figuring out how to use Maurice’s inveniton to free Belle and Maurice quickly...and him wanitng to do it again got a good laugh out of me haha! Mrs. Potts is a nurturing mother and her with Chip is so sweet,e specially when they’re truly human again. Plus her advice of how things will turn out alright in the end is advice that I look back on sometimes. it’s really comforitng.

So... as I’ve mentioned in these reviews, a big issue is how underdeveloped that the prince has been. The first two were plot devices only. Phillip and Eric were better int hat they were active int he plot and Eric had some more perosnality and motivation than the other three did. But it just didn’t feel like the male elads were... quite at their full potential yet. They generally didn’t recieve any character development and were mainly there for the sake of being a lov einterest to the heroine. That all changed in this film with our hero, The Beast.

Beast is one of the most well-developed male leads in a Disney Princess film. A few like Aladdin, Naveen, and Eugene rival him for overall best (though tbf the former IS the lead of his movie so that may not count) but Beast helped make the princes more equal to their princess without overshadowing her. Beast is the co-protagonist to Belle and the character that recieves the bulk of the character development. The opening tells us all that we need to know: Beast was once Prince Adam, a spoiled brat. When he turned away an elderly begger, it turned out that she was an Enchantress and she cursed him into his monsturous form. Since he looks like a monster, he subsequently acts like a monster... or more accurately, like the child that he never truly grew out of emotionally. He’s angry, lashes out constantly, and roars at the top of his lungs when at his limit. Like how a child screams and throws a tantrum when things don’t go their way because they lack the social and emotional coping skills to handle their feelings properly. Becoming a beast left Beast isolated and ashamed to face reality, and thus he didn’t learnt he proper coping skills. He accepted that he would forever be a monster, and succumb to acting like one.

That is, until the day that Belle arrived. When she offers herself to free her father, it’s the opportunity that Beast never beleived that he would get. If he can win her love before the rose petals all fall, he’ll be human again. He’ll be free. While he begins still acitng agressive and even bordeirng on emotionally abusive, e isn’t heartless. When Belle is crying about not getting to say goodbye to her father, Beast seems to legit feel bad for hurting her. It doens’t change his behavior, but it’s still a small moment that shows some humanization. It’s important to add moments like this and his despair when using the mirror to hear Belle talk about him. She’s justified in disliking him at that point, but it’s his reactions that matter. It shows his insecurity, his fear, his utter despair that he’ll be cursed for the rest of eternity. He’s already succumbed to acting the part of a monster and is already struggling to act more polite. As amusing as the scene of him yelling at Belle through the door is, it demonstrates just how hard this is for him but if he can’t improve his behavior, then he has no chance. He knows it, and views it as hopeless. It helps humanize The Beast, showing that despite his appearance there IS a human soul in there somewhere. Someone who on some level does want to be better, but he doesn’t know how. If not for these moments, Beast would have been utterly unsympathetic, but they pulled it off.

The turning point comes after Beast rescues Belle from the wolves. Remember, he’d already pretty much given up on winning Belle over and being human again and the confrontation on the third floor certainly didn’t help matters. He could have just let Belle to her own devices... but instead he went to save her. I sincerely do not believe it was because she was a prisoner or because he needed her. He had given up. He had succumbed. But he did it anyways, showing that he isn’t a bad person. It’s something that Belle sees and she gets him back to the castle to treat him. She called him out on his temper, but is sincerely grateful and Beast is stunned by this genuine act of kindness. She didn’t fear him. She wasn’t disgusted by him. She didn’t even leave him to die despite having pretty good reason to leave him and go. Belle still chose to save his life as he did her’s, showing Beast probably the first true act of love that he ever experienced in his life. We know nothing of his family and while I’m sure that staff members like Ms. Potts certainly cared for him, clearly they didn’t do much to quell his spoiled behavior. Belle was kind because she’s a kind person, and Beast finds that he wants to be kind to her in return.

From that point, we see Beast in a new light. He calms down significantly. He’s happier. He carries himself less like a wild animal and more like a person. He’s outright excited when he prepares the library to surprise Belle with. He’s still awkward as shown with his table manners and interacting with birds durign Something There, but he is trying. He’s trying for Belle. He activly enjoys her company. He sees how beautiful she is physically, but that’s not why he likes her. She’s kind, intelligent, independant, and she makes him feel in a way that he never has. He still feels that she can’t love him because of what he is, but the change that she has caused is so evident. He’s fallen in love and the ballroom scene only strengthens that with himt he happiest that he’s been all film. But the crowner that truly demonstrates htis? When Belle expresses missing her father, he lets her use the mirror. Not only does he seem legit concerned when they see Maurice freezing to death but when he sees Belle’s clear distress, he decides to let her go. He’s sad when he does so, knowing that she may very well never return. But Belle’s father needs her. he can’t force her to say and be miserable. He loves her so much that he decided to let her go. But it does mean that he gav up his final chance at being human after feeling more human than he had in ten years, and he is left in despair.

His despair is so strong that when Gaston and the mob arrives, he doesn’t even try to fight back. He just waits and is prepared to let whatever happens to him happen. Fortunately Belle coming back restores his will to live and he fights back. When Gaston grovels for his life, what does Beast do? He grants it, simply growling at him to leave. It is that moment hat shows how much of a better person that Beast is compared to Gaston. He was an angry man bordering on abusive, but he changed. He met someone who wasn’t willing to take his behavior, but was also willing to see the good that was in him. He changed for her, and it made him a kinder, more selfless person. The only thing that remains is his self-loathing, even saying that maybe him dying is for the best after Gaston has stabbed him. Fortunately Belle confesses her love, and it not only saves his life, but breaks the curse just in time. Beast is restored to Adam, having earned the right to having his humanity back. It was a lovely way to cap off his development, and allowed him to earn his happily ever after.

Beast was very much Belle’s equal. Even nowadays they’re both promoted and marketed pretty equally. One’s story would have been incomplete without the other. They gave each other what they each wanted and needed. I’ll go into specifics for Belle when I get to her below, but in the Beast’s case he needed someone kind, but also independent. Someone who wouldn’t tolerate his behavior and push him to change himself, but still kind-hearted enough to see that there is something there and be willing to help. Belle treated him in a way that no one else had. She was defiant, but also caring. She pushed him to rediscover his humanity. She got him to want to be kind. She got him to want to be a better person, and he not only treated her better but he was kinder to his staff as well. He finally grew up from the spoiled brat that he was before. He had found a reason to, and his love was so genuine that he let Belle go to be with her father again. It’s a beautiful story of growth and did enough to make Beast’s issues clear and not excusable, but sympathetic enough that we wanted him to be better and feel happy when he does so. He’s the best developed male lead in a Disney Princess film up to this point and helped pave the way for equally well done male leads. Ones not there just to fill out a plot beat and be the princesses’ reward, but to stand at her side as her equal.

Boy did THAT one get long. there’s other minor characters. Le Fou, The Bimbettes, the psyche ward keeper voiced by the late, great Tony Jay, various other castle characters, etc. all of them are entertaining, I just don’t have much to say about them. So then... we have one more to go.

Belle Analysis

https://youtu.be/M4ne1A1aNrI

Belle is one of the most praised and beloved Disney Princesses of all time. She is smart, playful, independent, and kind-hearted. I feel like she gets overly praised at times, mainly because some like to use her to bash her four predecessors since she didn’t have the goal of falling in love. I won’t repeat what I said about the four, you can read the reviews, but it’s a VERY unfair argument not just to them, but to Belle as well. She’s used as a tool to bash other female characters instead of being loved for herself. Then agains he also gets bashed for the Stolkholm Syndrome argument, which we’ll get to that aspect here soon. But for now, let’s just discuss Belle piece by piece and see where the path leads us.

Belle’s intro establishes everything right off the bat. So much so that the intro sing is literally titled Belle. She’s bookish and cheerful, but it’s clear from her interactions witht he villagers and their own gossip that she’s seen as weird. The only people who seem to like her as she is is the bookshop owner and her own father. The women are jealous of her beauty, the men only see her for her beauty, and both sides are confused at her lack of conformity. Belle lives in a town that clearly has very old-fashioned views regarding gender roles. The men work, the women get married and have babies. They all seem content with this... except for Belle. She enjoys books and adventure, musing about wanting more than the provincial life that she has. She strolls through the village with her nose stuck in a book, but has no trouble navigating at all depsite the distraction. Books provide her a source of adventure and thrill that her limited life does not. She breaks those old-fashioned norms and he village is uttelry baffled at to how she can be this way. But what truly makes her a bafflement to everyone? Her utter rejection of Gaston. While just about every other women swoons at his feet, Belle couldn’t be less impressed if she tried. She’s familiar with how he is and if she had’t recieved his advances before their first scene, she’s probably seen it enough times to know that she doesn’t like him. Him dismisisng her passion for books and insulting her father did him no favors.

On the surface, Belle does’t seem bothered by these things. But when home, she does express some hurt about ti to her father, the one perosn who loves her for her unconditionally. She knows that she doesn’t fit in. She knows that she’s not happy with her life. She wants someone to understand her besides her father. She wants more to life where she can be herself. She wants to find love on her own terms and not have to deal with the advances of men like Gaston. None of this stops her form being able to handle herself, as demonstrated when Gaston goes to her house to force a proposal. She handles kicking him out with utter grace and her “I don’t deserve you” line is icing on the cake. But none of that changes how she feels. If anything, it enforces it. The village is all on Gaston’s side and at that point, her father has left for the science fair. He won’t be there forever, hence why she wants to find someone who will love her for her. To control her own destiny. To those who feel forced into their gender roles or being forced into a relationship that they don’t want whether by an agressive person or by peer pressure, Belle’s struggle is very relatable. Her independant spirit is also admirable as while she is dismayed with where she’s at, she still is able to smile and live her life as she wants. She’ defiant. She makes do with what she has and is able to handle what’s thrown at her with pure wit and ingenuity. Gaston nor anyone else can bring her down... at least, not until her wish for adventure ends up unexpectedly granted.

Before we progress forward, let’s pause to discuss Belle’s VA, Paige O’Hara. When Beauty and the Beast was beginning casting, O’Hara was already a rising Broadway actress and Disney happened to be seeking Broadway talent specifically. After several call-backs, she finally earned the part. She’s credited Howard Ashman as a huge help in guiding her to finding her voice as Belle, and she performs the role beautifully. She captures Belle’s independence yet playfulness very well, as well as her defiance and heartbreak in certain scenes. And her singing? Beautiful. Maybe not on par with Jodi Benson, but you can tell why she was a rising Broadway star. Today, O’Hara works mainly as a painter with Belle very much being one of her main muses. Sadly due to how much her voice has aged, she rarely plays Belle herself anymore, the role nowadays being primarialy done by VA Julie Nathanson. While she also does a lovely job at the part, O’Hara will always be the first to bring the character to life. Fortunteley she still shows a lot of love for the role and has attended multiple events and even got to reprise Belle at least one more time during Ralph Breaks the Internet. She had reprised Belle multiple times between various DTV films, TV appearances, and other events. So even if she is limited nowadays, her large body of work will live on forever.

Back to the film, Belle discovers that her father is in danger and ends up at the castle. We all know what happens at this point. Belle offers to take her dad’s place, Beast agrees, and Maurice is kicked out before Belle can so much as say goodbye. She’s distraught at this, and who can blame her? In a matter of hours, her life as she knew it was ripped away from her. Now instead of her old provincial life, she’s a prisoner in an enchanted castle ruled by an angry beast. Even when given the nicer room, she doesn’t feel that much better. She’s never going to get to see her father again or even know if he’s safely back home. She has no reason to believe that a rescue is coming. Some may say that she should try and get out, but isn’t she allowed this? To be upset and at a loss of what to do? It’s not like she just cries the whole time, she calms down enough to refuse to go to dinner despite the others insisting that she does. Even when Beast yells at her to do so, she refuses. She may be a prisoner, but she’s not going to play the victim. She’s going to be as she normally is; however she wants to be.

Soon, Belle’s able to calm down enough that she decides to go explore the castle. She is ultimateley a curious, adventurous spirit. Regardless of the circumstances, she can’t help but want to learn more about this new, strange place and these new figures that she’s encountered. You can tellt hat she’s warming up reatly during Be Our Guest where despite not actually getitng to eat anything, she is just havng far too much fun to care. It gets her spirits back up and now she can’t resist exploring more. Even if it risks The Beast’s wrath, one her curiosity has peaked, she can’t resist it. It’s a great strength, but also probably her biggest flaw. Despite having been told not to and knowing by now how Beast will react, she slips away from Cogsworth and Lumiere to go explore the West Wing. This ends with her seeing the trashed area, finding the Enchanted Rose, and getting yelled at by an enraged Beast. That is the last push needed to make Belle decide to escape.

So now that we’re at this point, we have to talk about one of the big topics that comes up when discussing this film: Stockholm Syndrome. To put it simply, Stockholm Syndrome is when the victim becomes emotionally attached to their aggressor and doesn’t want to leave them and tries to justify their actions. So when the vicitm is rescued, they may react negativly or even aggressively towards the rescuers in favor of the agressor. it’s a psychological response. This is actually a case where I was able to go to a professional to ask about it,: my own mother. My mom is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and currently works as a therapist. I’m fairly sure that she’s never treated anyone with Stockholm, but it is something that she knows of. I did ask her about if the film did glorify Stockholm Syndrome as some accuse it of. The gist of what she told me is... well, there’s enough in-film that either side can use it to prove their case. After all she DOES develop positive feelings towards Beast while a prisoner, so one can take the context and use it as an example, and same for the side who don’t agree. Ultimately Belle is a ficitonal character. We can’t sit her down and give her a psychoanalysis because she’s not real, and most of us doing these analysis’ aren’t therapists, psyologists, or mental health experts anyways. I’ll leave some sources below if you’d like further reading on the topic, but doing research isn’t the same as being a professional trained to go over these kinds of things. My mom said at most, Beast can be viewed as emotionally abusive, though it is because of his own trauma and he did ultimately improve to be a better person.

I fully agree that yes, if someone wants to make the arguent that the film promotes Stockholm Syndrome, they can. It’s their opinion, this came out in a diferent time than now where we take things like emotional abuse in cinema far more seriously, and in the end it’s a piece of fiction and people are free to view it however they wish. But the same also applies to me and in my opinion, no. Belle does NOT suffer from Stockholm Syndrome nor does the film glorify it. Now I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. This is strictly my opinion going off my understanding of it. I may be wrong and if that’s the case, I apologize. But from what I know and understand, the case in the film is not a straight forward situation like the various case studies in the real world. Plus I think we see enough of Belle being defiant and not feeling positivly towards Beast to see that she certainly hasn’t developed any psychological attachment towards him to cope with her situation. We’ll be seeing her feelings towards him change, but I’ll explain why I don’t feel that it counts down below. But again, I’m not an expert. This is just my understanding of it.

So... why the long tangent there? Well we’re now at the wolf attack scene. The turning point in the relationship. Belle’s effort to escape ends with her cornered by a pack of vicious wolves. Fortunateley, The Beast rescues her and drives the wolves away... but he is inured in the process and passes out. As I said in Beast’s character breakdown, he didn’t have to do it at that point since he’d given up, but he did so anyways. It showed that he isn’t a bad person. Something that Belle also saw. The Beast had been aggressive and rude to her throughout, and she had every good reason to continue on her way now that the path was clear. But Belle didn’t. She got Beast onto her horse and took him back to the castle, the closest shelter, to treat his wounds. Is this because she feels compelled to do so after forming a psychological dependency or attachment to him? No. We see as she treats his wounds that she still isn’t going to tolerate his temper and rudeness towards her. She stands up for herself and talks back at him until he calms down. She very much retains her independence. So then... why did she save him? Because Belle is a good-hearted person who just saw this seemingly hateful beast save her life when he didn’t have to. She isn’t the kind of person to leave an injured person to die. She did it out of kindness and gratitude as we see when she genuinely thanks Beast for saving her life. She’s seen a new side to him now, and it’s made her reconsider her earlier stance. Thus Belle remains at the castle.

The characteristics of Stockholm Syndrome include positive feelings towards the captor and belief of goodness in the captor, no real effort in escaping, learned helplessness, and feelings of pity to the captor. You can read the list and learn more here, and the link will also be with the sources. So you’re probably looking at that and going ‘...uuuggghhhh’ at the movie right now. Which fair enough. However let’s also look at where we are now. This is the part of the film where Beast makes an honest effort to improve himself. He’s nicer, trying to be more polite, and treats Belle as a person. She’s really not a prisoner anymore at this point and while mybe theposisbility of being human again is motivating Beast, for the most part I think it’s because he genuinely grows to like Belle. As for Belle, I think that she likes the castle. It’s enchanted and full of intrigue and mystery, just like in her books. It’s the escape form that provincial life in the village that she’s been longing for. It’s a temptation that she just can’t resist. The staff all like her and treat her kindly and no one tries to force her to be something that she isn’t. Beast especially loves Belle’s love of books, even giving her the huge library to repay her earlier kindness. Belle is able to be who she is and be around those who are accepting of her. Even fi for the staff it’s for ulterior motives, IDT that they’re faking liking having her around and Beast certainly isn’t. This isn’t really a straight-forward captive or abuse situaiton that Stockholm Syndrome would apply to in my opinion, especially since Belle never once succumbs to the Beast’s terms. She only respects and acts friendly with him when he does so towards her, and they are both clearly benefiting positivly from it. We know that Beast has no malicious intenitons regarding Belle and it’s Lumiere and co. insisting on the relaitonship happening moreso, and that’s because they want their humanity back so it adds a bit of complexity. It’s just not a straight forward case where we can easily apply Stockholm Syndrome to and get an accurate reading, at least in my opinion. She certainly is FAR from helpless.

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So then let’s discuss Belle’s feelings for The Beast. We know how much Belle’s influence changed The Beast. But what about Belle? She really doens’t change during the movie, nor did she realy need to. She’s already confident about herself, likes herself, and she knows what she wants with her life. Sure her curiosity can get her into trouble, but otherwise she didn’t realy need a character arc like Beast did. What Belle needed was acceptance. To find someone who would like her for who she is and not see her as weird for it. Beast doesn’t at all view her that way. He enjoys being around her because she’s smart and independant and even gets her to read to him. It’s that kind of acceptance that Belle hasn’t recieved from anyone outside her father. The more that she sees Beast try to be better, the more that she sees how sweet and endeairng that he really is and she’s more than happy to help him. I think that seeing this kinder side bloom and that acceptance and even enjoyment of her is what makes Belle fall in love with him. It’s what helps make the ballroom scene so magical. Two people considered outsiders coming together and dancing the night way happily together. It’s beautiful, magical, and the perfect culminaiton in everything prior. They brought out the best in each other. Made each other happier in a way that no one else had ever done. They’re better now because of the other, and it’s just lovely to see.

But of course, we know what comes next. While happy with Beast and being at the castle, Belle still misses her father. When she sees him in the snow and horirbly sick, she’s distressed. Seing this, Beast allows he to go. Honestly I think that Belle could have left whenever she wanted at that point and Beast wouldn’thave fought it, but she was staying willingly at that point because she was happy. But her father needed her now. If she truly had Stockholm Syndorme, I don’t think that she would have done so. But she doesn’t really give it any kind of thought here. While sad to leave The Beast, she has alreayd mad eup her mind when told that she could go. She leaves to save her father, The Beast giving her the mirror and unbeknownst to her Chip tagging along. Belle fortunateley gets Maurice home safely... and just in time for Gaston to initiate his plan to have Maurice locked away. Belle is of course shocked and outraged and in a panic, uses the mirror to confirm The Beast’s existence. Despite her insistence that he isn’t a bad person, it’s too late. Gaston realizes that she’s in love with the ‘monster’ and we get the iconic line: “He’s no monster Gaston, you are.” Beast treated her like a person and improved himself from his more toxic behavior. Gaston treated her like the prey that he seeks during his hunts, refusing to let up until he’s won. Beast had even kept his word about letting Maurcie go and returned him to the village safely, and of course let Belle go to help him and even seemed to feel guilty for what he had done previously. Gaston though? He shows no guilt over trying to use Maurice to blackmail Belle. He continues his horrible behavior not only by forming the mob, but locking Belle and Maurice in their own cellar for simply speaking against it. Belle didn’t call Gaston a monster because she’s been conditioned or due to a coping reflex. It’s because Gaston is a genuinely despicable person while Beast grew to become a good person. She saw this and stood her ground as she always has, but this time at the point where she won’t tolerate it anymore. Which if it was your parent being shipped off to the insane asylum by some jerk just because they want to marry you, woudln’t you call them a monster in comparison?

So we reach the climax. Belle and Maurice arrive after Chip frees them with Belle rushing to get to Beast. She makes it and seeing her reignites Beast’s will to live... but he’s stabbed by Gaston. Belle saves Beast from falling over the roof, but there’s nothing that she can do to stop him from dying. She’s devestated, blaming herself for it. Beast’s final words to her are that at least he got to see Belle one last time, and if she hadn’t figured it out before, I think that this was when Belle realized that Beast loved her... and that she loved him. We knew that Beast certianly loved her but we needed it confirmed from Belle as the curse was still intact. As Beast lay motionless, Belle cries and at last confesses that yes, she does love him... just as the last rose petal falls. With that confession, the curse breaks and Beast is ressurected/becomes human again. Belle is shocked as she sees not The Beast standing before her, but Prince Adam. You can tell how confused she is. is this reallyt he same person that she loved? Adam confirms it and Belle looks into his eyes... and that’s all it takes for her to finally smile. yes, it is the same man that she had fallen in love with. They kiss,a nd the curse is truly broken. Everyone becomes human again,t he castle is restored to it’s original state, and Belle and Adam dance happily, free to live happily ever after.

Belle is a role model character. She’s there for girls to look up to, and I think that the amount of fans that she has proves that she succeeded. She encourages girls to be themselves. To be independant and not bend to social norms or pressure. To find love for themselves and not succumb tot he pressure of unwanted admirers or the pressure to marry them. Something that happens far too much in reality. She doesn’t change, but there was no reason for her to. As I said, Belle’s not one of my favorites. Not because I dislike her by any means. if anythign I like her much more now as an adult now that I have a stronger understanding of the film. I just have princesses that I like more, and that’s really it. I also don’t like how some insist that she’s the best Dsney Princess compared to her predecessors because as I hope I made clear in those reviews, the previous four pricnesses are NOT badly done. If anything, I think it’s more anti-femenist to use a woman to bash other women without just cause. Saying that belle is better because she didn’t fall in love witht he guy at first sight or didn’t sell her soul for a guy without caring to analyze those characters isn’t empowering, it’s saying that if you don’t act a certain way as a woman, you’re anti-feminist. Which is a terrible stance. No woman is the same and women shouldn’t be used against women in this kind of way. Regardless, that’s an issue with certain ‘critics’, not Belle herself. She’s a great character and someone that I can admire. Maybe not as much as others, but I can certainly see why she’s left such an impact on so many and not even just little girls. To many people of all kinds. Who could be upset about that?

Final Thoughts

Beauty and the Beast is a lovely film. Is it my favorite? No. I didn’t watch it all that much as a kid. As an adult I have a greater appreciation for it. It’s beautfully animated, it’s themes are well-protrayed and still relevant, the characters are memorable and fun, and it’s music is phenomenal. I can absoluteley see why this as the first animated film to ever be niminated for Best Picture. It’s a tragedy that it lost, but it still proved that animation very much had staying power as Walt proved all those years ago. And of course the film is the final testament of Howard Ashman. He may not have been part of the Disney Renaissance for long, but his contributions single-handedly changed the company and their films for the better. Even today this style of musical films is very much going strong even over 30 years since it began with The Little Mermaid. We lost Ashman far too soon, and who knows what amaizng things he could have one if he were still alive. We can never know the what ifs, but we can always appreciate what came during his lifetime. He, Kirk Wise, Gary Trousdale, Alan Menken, Don Hahn, various animators, and so many more did so much to bring this film to life, and it will forever stand as a true Disney Masterpiece.

The film was a giant success, and Disney wasn’t slowing down one bit. The very next year, another animated feature would come out. A film about a dashing street rat who found a magic lamp and unleashed a magical genie who would make all his dreams come true. But wait you may ask, isn’t this a Disney Princess retrospective? Yep. So why am I talking about a dashing hero? Well there is a princess in it, but she occupies a bit of a unique place in the line-up. She is the first and so far only Princess to not be the main charater in her film. But she still left a huge impact and i included in the main lineup so we are NOT leaving her out. So next time, come along as we enter a whole new world to discuss 1992’s Aladdin, and in particular Princess Jasmine.

Image Source: Animation Screencaps

Further Reading on Stockholm Syndrome: Healthline, Medical News Today, GoodTherapy, WebMD,

[willow-salix]

Random post, sorry, not sorry.

Obviously, it's pretty well known that I'm of the witchy persuasion *ahem* and I'm sooo sick of people that judge how other witches practice their craft or live their best witchy lives.

They get judged because they aren't witchy enough, they are too witchy, they arent dedicated enough, they are too dedicated, they don't have the right tools, they have too many tools, they don't work with deity or they work with too many. It goes on and on.

Now me, I'm comfortable in my witchy ways, I've been a practicing pagan for far too long to be caught up in all that out witching each other bullshit. I'm here to tell you straight facts right this minute.

The power is in the witch. Simple as that. You don't need fancy tools, you don't need fancy words or long ass spells or elaborate rituals. Just going outside and saying hello to the moon is enough if you feel that it's enough.

If you are having a bad mental health day/week/month /year and don't have the energy for a big ritual every moon phase, who cares? You shouldn't, deity doesn't and those that do care aren't worth your time.

Who says you need special tools that cost so much? Instagram witches? Newbie witches that think the more expensive something is the better it works? Nope. Doesn't work that way in witchcraft. Say it with me: THE POWER IS IN THE WITCH! a tool is just a tool, you use it as a conduit for your power, you give it the power, you use it to draw down the power and energy that you wish to use, on its own it has nothing.

We're pagans, we come from a long line of people that didn't have the luxury of special tools, they used what they had and you can too.

A witches imagination and ability to visualise is the most powerful tool, practice that, use it well.

Let's talk now about another aspect of witch shaming, not having the right look or aesthetic, lifestyle, likes, dislikes and hobbies, apparently that stops you being witch enough. Utter crap.

I am a witch, I am me. I like me. I have many sides of me, I describe myself as a cheerful goth geek with hippy leanings. That's me. If I'm dressing up and going out I'll be in full goth garb, if I'm chilling I'll be in a flowing skirt or harem pants or leggings and a Thunderbird five hoodie.

My house has witchy type items mixed in with my other loves, I have crystals mixed in with my merch on my shelves, because it's all part of me (John has crystals on his shelf because he's extra special).

I get judged for loving Thunderbirds, that's not very witchy is it? But does it make me happy? Am I a better person because I'm happier an dmore relaxed? Does my merch bring me joy? Yes yes and more yes.

Let me ask you a question, what is a talisman? Most will say it's a token, a little piece of something like wood, stone or metal with symbols or pictures carved or painted onto it that mean something. It's empowered with the energy of the giver or the owner and that energy gives it the power to work as it is supposed to. And that's technically true, that is a kind of talisman and probably the most common kind. But again, here's the thing, witches provide the power.

A talisman is an object that you, the witch (or anyone really) believes has the power to affect change. To bring you luck, protection, strength, peace etc. And yes it can look witchy, or it can be something else entirely.

Remember the little lucky charm you had at school that you took into your exams? Or the necklace that someone gave you that you always feel naked without? Or the St Christopher that will protect you on your travels because it was given to you for that purpose? They are all talismans. They have power because you give them that power with your belief.

A talisman can be anything you want or need it to be. Me? My merch pieces are my talismans, I have a little John and Virgil that sit in my car and protect me and it from anything bad that's car related, they make me feel calmer when driving because I know they are there. If you need strength, reach for that Scott figure! If you need calm, grab that Virgil! If you just need to feel happy, look at how Gods damned cute that Alan is! Hold your tiny thunderbird 4 and take strength from it if you need to. If that's a reminder that there are good people out there, then they have done their job.

Witchcraft and indeed any religion should fit into your life, not you fitting your life around it, because you'll only end up miserable that way. Do as little or as much as you want or need to, it's a journey, a path in your life, you don't need to sprint or full out run, sometimes it's nice to stop and hug a tree or smell a flower. Life is for living, not trying to follow the trends and keep up with others.

You do you, mate, you be the person /witch/ fandom enthusiast that you want to be and you enjoy your time on this earth.

Bright blessings to you all this full moon time.

[theshinsun]

A-Z for honesty hour because I'm an asshole. :D

A - If I’m in love.

...yes. I never thought I would be again, I thought I’d been too hurt and jaded to feel this way again, but against all odds, I’m back to being 17 in full force.

B - Who the last person I talked to on the phone was.

The only one who ever calls me is my mother. And customers at work.

C - How long it’s been since I’ve kissed.

damn, almost a year now… not since my last relationship ended back in October-ish. even then, it was mostly casual pecks idk if we ever seriously made out tbh.

D - If I have a preference for boys or girls.

already answered (twice) but I'll keep going… I've got a definite preference of guys over girls, but I'm also a bi disaster and sometimes it doesn't make a lot of sense why this person is instantly attractive to me while that person isn't. certain aspects of femininity do appeal to me, but weirdly other aspects seem to be a turn-off and I can't always put my finger on what or why. ...that caveat does not apply to masculinity though, even if it's traditionally "masculine" features on a feminine-presenting individual I am 100% down every time.

E - How many holes I have in my ears.

two and a half? I got a third piercing at some point halfway up the lobe but it got infected and scarred over I think. the holes I do have are also stretched (I'm up to 0G now) and I've been meaning to get some more.

F - Give me any options, like ‘hot or cold?’

wasn't given any options, so I guess I'll go with hot or cold lol. I prefer hot, I'm one of those weirdos who loves summer because of the heat and I'll usually take a hot food/drink over a cold one.

G - The last person I said ‘I love you’ to.

my mom, over the phone just now.

H - The last person I hugged.

my roommate. we're not always super touchy-feely with each other but I've been feeling kind of down and she noticed.

I - The last time I felt jealous, and why.

I'm not usually a very jealous person, but the last time I really felt that way… I'd recently broken up with my ex, and they were sitting on someone else's lap and I… felt things. part of the reason I realized I may have made a mistake.

J - Are you insecure. What about?

K - What my full name is

already answered, my first and middle are Jacob Brooks, I'm not putting my last name out there sorry I don't trust like that.

L - If I have siblings.

already answered, I've got two, an older brother and a younger sister.

M - If I forgive betrayal.

I mean, I forgive but I don't forget, ya know? like I'll accept an apology if it's sincere and welcome the person back and never bring it up again, but I'm probably gonna be cautious around them in the future, and not trust them as readily as I would have before.  

N - If you want to know how I treat my friends.

if I call someone my friend it means I really feel close with them, and I treat my friends basically like my family. I try to always be honest and supportive of them, bc I love and appreciate them and just want them to be happy. 

O - If I like my school.

I love my school. the campus is beautiful, the teachers are fantastic, and I just love being there and learning and growing in my classes. I'm really sad this semester is probably going to be mostly online because I really feel like I belong in those studios and on that campus and I miss it.

P - What kind of music I like.

already answered, and it mostly boiled down to all over the fuckin place, so this time… band recommendations, here we go. no you have no say in this.

here, have a clump of random favorite bands off the top of my head: mother mother, bad suns, nothing but thieves, hozier, shearwater, the neighbourhood, steam powered giraffe, rainbow kitten surprise, the oh hellos, gregory alan isakov, caravan palace, mystery skulls, khai dreams, autoheart, muse, silversun pickups, thousand foot krutch, two door cinema club, twenty one pilots, blue october, jukebox the ghost

Q - What the last party I went to was, and when the next will be.

I'm not a partier at All, but I did have a bunch of friends over for the 4th (okay I say a bunch but it was like four people from our usual less-socially distant circle). I have no idea when the next get-together will be, it's kinda hard to plan those kinds of things lately.

R - For me to tell 10 of my curiosities.

the phrasing of this question is weird but I'm gonna assume it means things I'm curious about? let's go with that.

travel. I haven't ever been out of the country and I'd like to see other parts of the world at least at some point in my life.

tattoos. both getting them and learning to do them, it's a niche branch of art that I'm just fascinated by and I might like to do it as a career if I knew more about it.

same thing with being a florist. I'm really drawn to it as a concept and I'm super curious how it works, but I have no idea what kind of… qualifications and whatnot I'd need for that.

 surfing. I'm surrounded by the lifestyle and now kind of own a surfboard, I just want to know what the appeal is.

this may be a bit tmi, but I'm really curious what it's like to have a dick. I don't suppose I'll strictly ever know, but I still really want to… probably one of the biggest things to clue me in that I'm definitely trans is the literal penis envy ngl. 

I've always kind of had a fascination with the ocean, and I'd love to go like, scuba diving or something someday, to see it up close and personal.

I think everyone has the impulse thought of shaving their head at some point. maybe someday I will I don't quite have the balls to do it now.

I've gone this long in my life and never wielded a sword? a travesty. I don't pretend to have the grace to actually know how to use one, but I've like, never even held a real one and the idea interests me a lot.

this one might be slightly morbid curiosity, but I don't think I've ever been like, properly drunk or high before, like I've been tipsy but I've never been wasted, you know? the idea kind of scares me and I don't think I'm going to go out and remedy it, but it's still there, and even if I know it's not a good idea, I do still wonder what that's like.

same vein, maybe even a little darker, but I've got at least a little morbid curiosity about like, death and real danger. again, not planning to act on it At All, but the thought is still lurking in the back of my mind like what if…? you asked for honesty.  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

S - 2 habits.

bit of a new habit, but I have a whole ritual of disinfecting groceries when I bring them home, and then disinfecting the door knobs and counters. I don't know if it'll persist after the pandemic is over, but it's already ingrained in me and I don't feel comfortable if I skip it or do  it differently.

I apologize for things that aren't my fault. it's such an instinct at this point to say "sorry" when I'm uncomfortable or anxious that it doesn't even register anymore, even when people tell me not to be sorry, I'm still gonna say it, sorry.

T - 5 things I love unconditionally.

already answered so here's 5 more

my family. if I haven't got my family I haven't got anything, we've got each others' backs and I won't turn on them for anything

my friends. same deal, I owe so much to my friends, I love them, and that won't change no matter what they decide to do or be.

sleep. I love sleep so much, even if it's just an involuntary nap, though for someone who loves it so much I sure don't get enough of it

spotify. I know it has problems, I know there are probably more streamlined/cheaper music streaming services out there, but at this point, I've sunk too much of my time and energy into this one and I'll never give it up

my ocs. I don't talk about them very much on this platform, but I have them, they're my children, and I love them even if they're assholes and never easy to write/draw. 

U - How many texts I send daily.

already answered, the number varies, and sometimes swings drastically between like, 5 and 35 on any given day.

V - 3 big dreams.

graduate art school. it's gonna be a serious undertaking and probably take several more years and a lot of loans at this point, but I'm still determined to get there someday.

someday I want to write a book. I know I've said that before on a different prompt, but it wouldn't be a list of dreams without including this one that I've held onto since childhood. 

this one's kind of vague, but someday… I want to not be afraid anymore. like I want to finally be in a state of mental/financial security so I can live my life without the fear of what's coming next. 

W - An idol.

it's probably really basic to list a youtuber, but I've still gotta go with Chase Ross. the guy was an inspiration and a major source of information and support for me early-on in my transition, and even watching him now I still want to approach life with the pure positive energy and confidence that he has. 

X - If I’ve done something I regret very much.

yes. a couple things, really… some of which I don't think I'll ever be able to make up for.

Y - If I like my town and why.

my current town? yeah, it's got its problems but it's also beautiful and full of life and art and unique energy and I miss the days before the Corona End Times when I could actually go out and enjoy it.

Z - Ask any question you want.

??? I did not receive any specification for this one, and given that I didn't skip even the duplicate answers and this is ridiculously long, this one I'm gonna SKIP.

[gumnut-logic]

We’ll Be Home For Christmas 4.1

Title: We’ll be home for Christmas

Day Four – Five Billionaires and No Wives – Part 1 Prologue | 1.1 | 1.2 | 2.1 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 3.1 | 3.2 | 3.3 | 3.4 | 3.5

Author: Gumnut

11 - 29 Jan 2020

Fandom: Thunderbirds Are Go 2015/ Thunderbirds TOS

Rating: Teen

Summary: The boys can’t fly home for Christmas, so they have to find another way.

Word count: 3098

Spoilers & warnings: language and so, so much fluff. Science!Gordon. Artist!Virgil, Minor various ships, mostly background.

Timeline: Christmas Season 3, I have also kinda ignored the main storyline of Season 3. The boys needed a break, so I gave them one. Post season 3B, before Season 3C cos we haven’t seen it yet.

Author’s note: For @scattergraph. This is my 2019 TAG Secret Santa fic :D

It took ages, I’m sorry, work and an evil muse are to blame. But here be the next bit and I’m happy to have the story moving again. Hopefully I can get this done before Easter ::headdesk:: I hope you enjoy this anyway.

Many thanks to @vegetacide and @scribbles97 for cheering me on and their wonderful support through this craziness. And to @onereyofstarlight for geeking out with me over the setting.

Disclaimer: Mine? You’ve got to be kidding. Money? Don’t have any, don’t bother.

-o-o-o-

 Day Four - Five Billionaires and No Wives

Virgil woke in bed the next morning with no memory of how he got there.

“Good morning, Virgil.”

“John?” His brother was sitting calmly in his pyjamas several beds over. Virgil blinked. He hadn’t drunk that much alcohol last night had he? Last he remembered was lying on the grass with... “Did I fall asleep-?”

The door slammed as Gordon strode in, interrupting the quiet. “Under the stars, bro, snoring like a freight train. I wanted to leave you out there. Would have had more sleep if we did, but goodie-two-shoes Johnny here had us carry your butt to bed.” Gordon had obviously been up early and was dressed in his swimwear, a towel slung over his shoulder. “I’m going down for a swim, wanna come?”

Virgil just stared at his little brother, his pre-coffee brain struggling to put that rush of information together.

Gordon blinked. “Okay, I will ask you that question again later, post-coffee. How about you, John? Want to do some floating Earthside?”

John tilted his head in acknowledgement. “Sure. I’ll see you down there shortly.”

Russet brown eyes darted between John and Virgil. “You gonna keep an eye on this one? I haven’t seen hide or hair of Scott yet, Alan’s run off with Elspeth, and Sam and Liam are heading out with me.”

“I don’t need babysitting.” He had enough neurons to put that sentence together.

Gordon snorted. “I remember saying exactly the same thing a couple of months ago and you picking me off the couch anyway.”

“You did need babysitting. Still do.” Virgil threw off the covers and found he was still dressed in the shorts from yesterday, but his shirt was missing. Okay, his brothers were the best.

“Yeah, well, it took three of us to pick you up and carry you up here.”

“Shows all three of you need to work out more.”

“Or you need to eat less.”

“There is nothing wrong with my weight. It is all muscle.” He patted his belly and suddenly remembered why that wasn’t a good thing to do. Ow.

“You idiot.” Gordon was smiling and frowning at the same time.

John rolled his eyes. “Okay, Gordon, I’ll meet you down there in about half an hour. I think our big brother needs some ‘sitting’.”

Virgil glared at both of them as he rolled to sit on the edge of the bed. Gordon was still grinning when he made his way over and offered his brother a hand to pull him upright. Another glare, but Virgil didn’t say anything, just took Gordon’s hand and pulled himself up with a grunt.

“Yep, definitely need to eat less.”

“Gordon-“

“Yeah, well, I’m off for a swim.” He patted Virgil on the back. “Have fun on the flying fox, bro.”

Wha-? Oh, the zip line.

Virgil was not fast enough to clap his brother around the ears and Gordon danced out of the room laughing.

“Little shit.”

John snorted. “Yeah, but you’ve got to love him.”

“Hmm, maybe.”

That only prompted John to snort again. “You need a hand with your shower?”

“No, I’m good.”

“In that case, I’ll go find us some breakfast.”

“Coffee?”

“And, yes, Virgil some coffee. Now go wash up, you stink.”

“Hey!”

But his smart-ass brother just pinched his nose and made a point of walking past the end of Virgil’s bed and bee-lining for the door.

“You’re an ass.”

“Hee-haw.”

-o-o-o-

A shower freshened him up and Virgil finally communed with his coffee out on the green. The day had woken with blue skies and glass ocean. They had been so lucky with the weather it was almost too good to be true. The pessimist in him idly threw up the idea of a cyclone between here and Tracy Island and he had to mentally kick himself for even thinking of it.

Because of his recent surgery, Virgil was unable to go swimming, but he chose to climb down to the beach with them anyway. John hovered like crazy because despite Gordon’s smart ass remarks, there was no zip line down to Oneraki Beach and Virgil found himself climbing down a quite steep embankment. But he took it carefully and made it onto the sand in one piece. If he was honest, he was not looking forward to climbing back up.

Fortunately, Scott was nowhere to be seen, so when he took a much needed seat in an offered deck chair, only John was there to hover over him.

Despite his brothers’ concerns he wasn’t stupid and he took the time to rest in the chair and give his hampered body a chance to recover.

“Are you sure you are okay?”

Virgil glared at John.

His younger brother held up his hands defensively. “Okay, okay, I get it. Since you are absolutely fine, I’m going in for a dip. Yell, if you need any of us.”

The glare became flat-eyed. “Will do.”

“Good.” John spun on his heel and jogged down the beach to the surf.

Trust him to have the last word. John wasn’t one to be trifled with. All the brothers knew that. While Virgil might dismissively tell Gordon or Alan to shut up, you never did that to John. You’d be risking a communications blackout isolating you from the rest of the world. His little brother was smart and kind, but he demanded and got the respect he deserved.

Not that Virgil would ever give him any less, it was just that John was a quiet one and the quiet ones were the dangerous ones.

Gordon, Sam and Liam were already in the water and it was abundantly clear that Gordon’s assessment of Sam’s surfing skills was accurate. The man fell off his board more than he stayed on it. He was even wearing some kind of specialised artificial foot, but it didn’t seem to help.

The amusing thing was that he didn’t seem to care either. He appeared to be having the time of his life either on the water or upside down in it.

The laughter bouncing across the waves from the three men was infectious and Virgil found himself grinning and wishing he could join them.

John found himself a quiet area of the beach and began swimming laps beyond the swell. Virgil might have been worried about sharks out here, but they were all familiar enough with the marine environment and Gordon was pedantic about their shark deterrent wrist bands.

Virgil, of course, was wary of his. He might not be a shark, but the wristband was a creepy thing. There had been discussions.

But today he didn’t have to worry about it, because he couldn’t go in the water anyway.

For a while, he just sat and enjoyed the morning. There was barely any breeze, the ocean was as glass as an open ocean could get, he had nowhere he had to be, nowhere he had to rush. Hell, he was tempted to snooze right there and then.

That thought snapped him out of it. He hadn’t had any decent exercise all week. He was turning into a slob. Now would probably a good time to get started on a little rehab.

He eyed the far end of the beach. A walk couldn’t hurt could it?

Pushing himself carefully out of the chair and catching his footing on the dark volcanic sand, he stepped carefully down into the damp zone and started off at a gentle pace.

He had no plans to go any great distance, just towards the end of the beach. He wouldn’t be out of sight so he wouldn’t be breaking any rules of wandering off without an attendant.

A step or two more and he carefully reached down and removed his sandals.

His feet sunk into the fine dark sand and he closed his eyes for just a moment revelling in the feel of it between his toes. How long had it been since he had stood on a beach? Too busy. Too long.

He let all the breath out of his body and gently inhaled anew.

Wriggling his toes, he grinned to himself and started walking.

-o-o-o-

Gordon was having a great time. Sam and Liam were just good guys to mess around with. They had lent him a spare surfboard and they spent some time chasing the quiet swell. Sam spent most of it under the water, but since that was his native environment, he didn’t appear to care.

Liam had much more skill than Sam on a board and between him and Gordon, a good-natured rivalry began as to who could catch the most waves.

Liam won, but Gordon was laughing anyway and, to be honest, he wasn’t really trying. He was just enjoying the freedom and the lack of responsibility.

John joined them after a decent number of laps and topped all of them even without a board. His red-headed brother knew how to manipulate his body in a low-G environment and bodysurfed like a dolphin.

It left Gordon grinning. Everyone underestimated John...to their detriment. Even Gordon forgot what his big brother was capable of. Space wasn’t just about books and science, there was a definite physical aspect and John worked hard to keep himself healthy.

“John!”

Gordon looked up at the beach to see Scott and Mel standing there, gesturing them in.

Virgil’s deck chair was empty.

Gordon had seen his brother come down with John. Where was he now? A glance up and down the beach found it empty.

What the hell? He didn’t climb back up the hill by himself, did he? Considering Scott was on the beach with that expression on his face probably struck that option off the list.

John, the smart ass, made it to the beach before any of them. That was something that would have to be fixed in the future. Gordon was an Olympic gold medallist and he had a reputation to maintain, after all.

“Where’s Virgil?” Scott was not happy. “He’s not answering his comms.”

“He went for a walk.” John pointed down the beach.

“Well, then where is he?”

John glared at his brother before walking over to the bag he had brought with him and yanking out his own comms. “Eos, location on Virgil, please.”

The AI rattled off coordinates which, when Gordon ran them through the map in his head, equated to...

John pointed down the beach. “He’s that way.”

“Then why can’t we see him?”

“How the hell should I know? Go and ask him.” John matched Scott’s glare with his own. “You do know he is a big boy and can look after himself?”

Scott actually growled at John before spinning and stalking off down the beach.

Oh dear, Virgil was in for it when he got found.

John glared after him a second before turning back to his comms. “Eos, Virgil’s medical status?”

“Last readings all within normal parameters, however, approximately fifteen minutes ago, I believe he took off his shirt, and hence the sensor net in the material. I still have locator and proximity readings, but vitals are patchy. What I do have is within normal tolerances, however I do not have enough readings for that summary to be conclusive.”

John rolled his eyes. “I’m going to kill him.”

“C’mon, John, Virgil needs a break. He only went for a walk on the beach.”

“Tell that to Scott.”

“Scott needs to...” He trailed off at the expression on Mel’s face. “Oh, you didn’t.”

A total lack of innocence appeared on her face. “Didn’t what?”

“Oh, for god’s sake, Mel, really?”

“What?”

Gordon groaned. “It’s the dimples, isn’t it.” It wasn’t a question. “The goddamned dimples.”

Mel shrugged. “He is a great kisser, too.”

Gordon stared at her. “Ergh.” A frown. “I thought you were all about Virgil.”

She shrugged. “He wasn’t all about me. Scott is, uh, nice.” The smile on her face crept up into her eyes.

“Argh.”

“Why, Thunderfish, I didn’t know you cared.” Her grin was devilish.

“Umm...”

But she thwacked him on the arm. “Don’t tie yourself into knots, fishy, I know you’re all moony eyes for the Lady Penelope.”

“What?!”

John snorted beside him and Sam cracked up laughing.

“And don’t you worry your little fins about me and Scott. Was only a little fun.”

“Aaah! I don’t want to hear it.”

Mel laughed at him and drew him into a hug. “You are a laugh, Thunderfish.” She patted his back. “Though I have to say your brother was much happier before he was unable to locate Virgil.”

Gordon snorted. “Scott doesn’t come as a single option. You want the Commander, you’re gonna have to share him with his four brothers. Particularly, Virgil.”

She smirked and put on a seductive smile. “Hmm, all five of you? Really, tease a girl why don’t you.”

He stared at her in shock.

John cracked up laughing and Sam appeared to need resuscitation as he fell all over Liam who was trying to hold both him and himself up at the same time.

“Gee, Fishy, I didn’t know you came in that colour. Did I embarrass you?” Her arm around his shoulders wasn’t helping.

He glared at her. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Mel.”

She snorted. “I have a whole lot in here you don’t know about, Thunderfish.” But she was grinning at him. “Now I have to go keep both your brothers within sight since they have decided to break the rules.”

Gordon stared up the beach and sure enough, there was no sign of them.

A shrug. “You can trust them.”

She reached in and tapping his cheek gently, whispered, “I know, but them the rules.” Her eyes were smiling at him. “He really is a great kisser, you know.”

“You know, Mel. I can live without knowing.”

She giggled. Giggled! He had never heard Mel giggle! And wandered off down the beach after his brother.

John was still grinning like a loon.

Gordon glared at him. “Shut up, John.”

John’s grin just got wider.

-o-o-o-

It was quiet on the beach. After Virgil got far enough away from his brothers and their friends, the natural sounds of the environment took over and Virgil connected with it.

The tension in his shoulders loosened, his back relaxed and he let out a sigh.

The water hissing onto the sand, the breakers cracking the glass ocean as the swell reached the island. Birds, so many birds, many of them the familiar sounds of home telling him how close they were to Tracy Island.

He found himself longing for that familiar environment. Grandma, Kayo, Brains muttering in the background, Gordon splashing in the pool, Alan’s computer games, even Scott on the phone to Tracy Industries. The sounds of home.

But for the moment Raoul had to suffice.

And it was beautiful.

The beach was a decent length, backed by a rise that led off into the mountain that made the island. The fine sand was soft and curled about his toes and plants crawled down the hill to sprawl all over it. Pale morning glory flowers dotted the foliage. The contrast of light flower, green leaf and dark sand was quite striking and Virgil found himself composing a painting as he stopped and stared at the plants.

A thought and he reached into his pocket, grabbed his phone and spent the next few minutes photographing enough stock for a future painting.

Once he decided he had enough, he took a few shots of the incoming waves, the shoreline and the seascape. So much inspiration.

He continued walking and kept his phone in hand just in case. A large seabird flew off the ocean and up the slope and disappeared into the dense forest.

Hell, even the trees were like those on Tracy Island. Brilliant crimson anthers cascaded over evergreen leaves. A tui peered at him from a low branch and screeched at him before flying off.

He let it soak in.

The beach curved inwards slightly and he followed it around only to find the oddest sight.

Steaming hot water was dribbling from the sand bank. A cloud of barely condensed fog rose from it and the dark sand was stained with mineral deposits.

A hot spring! He crouched next to it. He had seen this volcano erupting, grabbed Melissa Fisher and her team off the volatile chunk of rock. Yet here it was quiet, beautiful and full of life, its potential energy little more than a trickle onto sand on a wave sculpted beach.

He reached out a hand and gauged the heat. It was cooling a little as it sputtered onto the shore and he could touch the pool it created. A convenient rock provided a seat and he sat down, letting his feet drop into the warm water.

His shoulders dropped and his eyes closed.

A sudden need to feel the sun on his skin and he threw off his shirt and dumped it, his shoes and his phone in the foliage beside the spring. The warmth from the sun and the hot water, the roar of the breaking surf, he closed his eyes again and just felt.

The eroded volcanic rock under his fingertips was rough, but as equally warmed by the morning sun as his skin.

It just felt so good on everything.

He sat there for some time, just experiencing it. His mood shifted from one of contemplation to one of joy. Everything was in harmony. The ecosystem hummed around him, the planet playing its eternal concert, a thrum that got into his bones.

A thrum.

A wordless thrum, in his bones, in his incisions, in the soles of his feet.

He opened his eyes and stared out at the ocean.

A spray of watery breath broke the surface beyond the breakers.

A moment later it was followed by another, smaller spray.

Virgil stared, and, climbing to his feet, stepped out of the steaming pool and walked towards the breaking surf.

As his feet touched the churning water the hum intensified, vibrating deeper with an unheard melody.

He kept walking until the water was breaking across his thighs, his clothes soaking wet.

The swell dipped between waves and a dark grey and white head emerged out of the water, as if staring at him. A smaller head did the same a moment later before both once again disappeared below the surface.

A joy washed through his body, the sea singing to him like it never had before.

An exhaled breath, his heart in his throat.

“Well, hello.”

-o-o-o-

End Day 4, Part 1

[10thstellium]

Hey ! I hope you're doing fine, happy new year ~ I wanted to know what are some popular movies/movies with good reviews that are, in your opinion, "overrated" ? Movies you think are bad (a waste of time !) & movies that weren't that bad, had interesting points, but weren't as good as you expected and you wouldn't watch again ?

    You always have the best questions for me regarding films. Happy New Year to you too sorry I’m getting to this question so late. Alright well, the keyword is opinion so to anyone else reading this please bear that in mind. I don’t read nearly as many reviews as I should because I watch movies kind of late anyway. That’s in reference to in-depth reviews, not the basic ones from critics that are promoted during the commercial. I try to attend/watch a movie unbiased from reactions so I don’t become hyperfocused on highlights or sore spots. You didn’t really give me a timeline or specific era to work with. So to give myself a limitation I’ll focus on films made in the past 4 years. Popular films from 2014-2018

Mild Waste of Time — these are basically films you’d leave playing in the background or even get up in the middle in just to do something more interesting.

The Interview dir. Seth Rogen & Evan Goldberg ( it was only really popular because of the controversy but still worth noting ) 2014

Godzilla dir. Garreth Edwards 2014

Transformers: Age of Extinction dir. Michael Bay ( I saw this movie 1 to many times and wondered how I ended back in the theatre.  This is more for big transformer fans if anything) 2014

Non-Stop dir. Jaume Collet-Serra 2014

Lucy dir. Luc Besson 2014

‘71 dir. Yann Demange 2014

Edge of Tomorrow dir. Doug Liman 2014

Jupiter Ascending dir. Wachowski Brothers 2015

Knock Knock dir. Eli Roth 2015

The Age of Adaline dir. Lee Toland Krieger 2015

Terminator: Age of Genisys dir. Alan Taylor 2015

10 Cloverfield Lane dir. Dan Trachtenberg 2016

Sausage Party dir. Conrad Vernon, Greg Tiernan 2016

Warcraft dir. Duncan Jones 2016

Gods of Egypt dir Alex Poryas 2016

Now You See Me 2 dir. Jon M. Chu 2016

Baby Driver dir. Edgar Wright 2017

John Wick 2 dir. Chad Stahelski 2017

Upgrade dir. Leigh Whannell 2018

The Meg dir. Jon Turteltaub 2018

Halloween dir. David Gordon Green 2018

Overrated —  everything in this category was hyped or talked to a point of misleading viewers or just general inflation due to big names or some element that didn’t quiet measure up.

The Hobbit: the Battle of Five Armies dir. Peter Jackson ( I can rant forever an a day about this bc I’m definitely a LOTR fan and I was just pretty disappointed with this hobbit series ) 2014

Inherent Vice dir. Paul Thomas Anderson 2014

The Man from U.N.C.L.E. dir. Guy Ritchie 2015

Batman v. Superman dir. Zack Snyder 2016

Suicide Squad dir. David Ayer 2016

Star Trek Beyond dir. Justin Lin 2016

The Magnificent Seven dir. Antoine Fuqua 2016

Passengers dir. Morten Tyldum 2016

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them dir. David Yates 2016

Call Me By Your Name dir. Luca Guadagnino 2017

Atomic Blonde dir. David Leitch 2017

Kong: Skull Island dir. Jordan Vogt-Roberts 2017

Ready Player One dir. Steven Spielberg 2018

A Simple Favor dir. Paul Feig 2018

Skyscraper dir. Rawson Marshall Thurber 2018

Solo dir. Ron Howard 2018

Overlooked — everything in this category probably has an underappreciated tone/cast/storyline/cinematographic shots/score/costume/timing/ just eclipsed by other films to be appreciated 

The Drop dir. Michaël R. Roskam 2014

Ex-Machina dir. Alex Garland 2014

It Follows dir. David Robert Mitchell 2014

Whiplash dir. Damien Chazelle 2014

Boyhood dir. Richard Linklater 2014

Foxcatcher dir. Bennett Miller 2014

Black Mass dir. Scott Cooper 2015

South Paw dir. Antoine Fuqua 2015

Crimson Peak dir. Guillermo Del Toro 2015

The Lobster dir. Yorgos Lanthimos 2015 

The Handmaiden dir. Park Chan Wook 2016

Don’t Breathe dir. Fede Álvarez 2016

Hail, Caesar! dir. The Cohen Brothers 2016

Kubo and the Two Strings dir. Travis Knight 2016

The Big Sick dir. Michael Showalter 2017

Three Billboards Outside Ebbing. Missouri dir. Martin McDonagh 2017

Wonder dir. Stephen Chbosky 2017

Mother! dir. Darren Aronofsky 2017

Molly’s Game dir. Aaron Sorkin 2017

Ladybird dir. Greta Gerwig 2017

Widows dir. Steve McQueen 2018

Game Night dir. John Francis Daley & Jonathan Goldstein 2018

Annihilation dir. Alex Garland 2018

Venom dir. Ruben Fleischer 2018

Isle of Dogs dir. Wes Anderson 2018

Can You Ever Forgive Me? dir. Marielle Heller 2018

Eighth Grade dir. Bo Burnham 2018

*There are films in all these categories that I do still enjoy but I feel they are some aspects catered to my liking specifically. I also left the very big names out because I feel they didn’t fit any of the categories. 

[ljones41]

“SENSE AND SENSIBILITY” (1995) Review

"SENSE AND SENSIBILITY" (1995) Review The year 1995 saw the beginning of an onslaught of Britain and the United States’ love affair with British author, Jane Austen. A love affair that has not abated after twenty-three (23) years. In 1995, the BBC aired Andrew Davies’ miniseries adaptation of Austen’s most famous novel, ”Pride and Prejudice”. And later that year, Hollywood released its adaptation of another Austen, ”Sense and Sensibility” - which I had just recently watched.

Directed by Ang Lee, ”SENSE AND SENSIBILITY”, starred Emma Thompson (who also wrote the screenplay), Kate Winslet, Alan Rickman and Hugh Grant. The story centered around Elinor (Thompson) and Marianne (Winslet), two daughters of Mr. Dashwood (Tom Wilkinson) by his second wife (Gemma Jones). They have a younger sister, Margaret (Emilie François), and an older half-brother named John (James Fleet). When their father dies, the family estate passes to John, and the Dashwood women are left in reduced circumstances. The story follows the Dashwood sisters to their new home, a cottage on a distant relative's property (Robert Hardy), where they experience both romance and heartbreak. The contrast between the quiet and sensible Elinor and the extroverted and occasionally impetuous Marianne is eventually resolved as each sister finds love and lasting happiness. This leads some to believe that the story’s title described how Elinor and Marianne find a balance between sense and sensibility in life and love. Producer Lindsay Doran made an excellent choice in selecting Lee to direct the film. First of all, he drew some excellent performances from his cast - especially from Thompson, Winslet, and Rickman. Lee also effectively drew filmgoers back into Regency England without allowing the film to resemble some kind of stiff painting or a museum piece. Although he initially had trouble with dealing with Western-style of filmmaking – especially in dealing with British cast members who questioned his direction and made suggestions regarding shots. He could be rather authoritarian with the cast, especially with Hugh Grant. The actor ended up calling him ”the Brute” behind his back. But Lee and the cast eventually got used to each other. Lee was also responsible for insisting that Thompson play the oldest Dashwood sister. And he Lee ordered Winslet to read poetry and novels from the late 18th century and early 19th century in order to get her to connect to Marianne’s romantic nature. And to give the movie its emotional core, he asked both Thompson and Winslet to room together during production. The two actresses remain close friends to this day. Not only was Lee ably assisted by his superb cast, but also by crew members such as costume designers Jenny Beavan and John Bright, production designer Luciana Arrighi, set decorator Ian Whittaker, art directors Philip Elton and Andrew Sanders; and cinematographer Michael Coulter, whose photography beautifully captured the English countryside in all of its glory. I especially have to give kudos to Coulter’s photography and Arrighi’s production design for a beautiful re-creation of Regency London. I also enjoyed composer Patrick Doyle’s score for the film. His use of John Dowland’s song, "Weep You No More Sad Fountains" as Marianne’s own theme song struck me as very impressive. But I have to especially give kudos to Emma Thompson for her marvelous adaptation of Austen’s novel. It may not have adhered exactly to the novel, but I found it well written, lively and paced just right. With the exception of two performances, I felt more than impressed with the cast. When Ang Lee had signed on as the movie’s director, he immediately suggested that Emma Thompson portray the oldest Dashwood sister, Elinor. Thompson considered herself too old for the role, considering that Elinor was at least 19-20 years old in the novel. But Lee suggested that she increase Elinor’s age to 27 in the screenplay, which would also make her distress at being a spinster easier for contemporary audiences to understand. Frankly, I feel that Lee made a good choice. Emma Thompson gave a superb performance as Elinor Dashwood, whose practical mind led her to act as the family’s de facto leader, following her father’s death. She also brilliantly conveyed Elinor’s emotional nature behind a mask of reticence via her eyes and various expressions. Kate Winslet had no need to be subtle as the more openly emotional Marianne Dashwood. Winslet was at least 20 years old when she filmed ”SENSE AND SENSIBILITY’. Yet, even at that tender age, Winslet proved that she had the talent and acting chops to portray the very complex Marianne. And yet, she managed to convey all aspects of Marianne’s personality – romantic, willful, emotional and sometimes a bit self-involved - with surprising subtlety. I found Alan Rickman impressive as one of the Dashwoods’ new neighbors, the quiet and dependable Colonel Christopher Brandon. I enjoyed the subtle manner in which Rickman expressed Brandon’s reluctance in expressing his love for Marianne, due to her feelings for another man. That other man proved to Greg Wise, who gave a surprisingly effective performance as the dashing, yet rakish John Willoughby. Wise has always struck me as a solid, but not particularly an exceptional actor, but I must admit that I consider Willoughby to be among his best performances. The movie’s supporting cast also included Robert Hardy and the late Elizabeth Spriggs, who gave amusing performances as Sir John Middleton, the Dashwoods’ cousin and benefactor; and Mrs. Jennings, Sir John’s mother-in-law. Gemma Jones was excellent as the emotional and sometimes girlish mother of the Dashwood sisters. I was also impressed by Harriet Walter, who portrayed the sisters’ shrewish sister-in-law, Fanny Dashwood. And Hugh Laurie gave a hilarious performance as the sardonic and long-suffering Mr. Palmer, Mrs. Jennings’ other son-in-law. And I must say that Imogen Stubbs also impressed me by her subtle performance as the cunning and manipulative Lucy Steele, who seemed to have a claim for the same man that Elinor Dashwood longs for. Speaking of Elinor Dashwood’s love, I finally come to the two performances that had failed to impress me. One of them belonged to Hugh Grant. He portrayed Edward Ferrars, one of Fanny Dashwood’s brothers that happened to be in love with Elinor and is claimed by the manipulative Lucy Steele as her fiancé. Remember his charming, yet modest performance in the hit 1994 comedy, "FOUR WEDDINGS AND A FUNERAL"? Well, his Edward Ferrars turned out to be an early 19th century version of that particular role. Grant simply gave the same performance, but with more stuttering and well . . . the same charm. What had been fresh and original in 1994, ended up as old news a year later in "SENSE AND SENSIBILITY". Fortunately, he managed to create strong chemistry with both Thompson and Emilie François, who portrayed the young Margaret Dashwood. And he managed to inject a good deal of subtle wit into his portrayal of the low-key Edward. But the one performance that really did nothing for me belonged to Imelda Staunton. She portrayed Charlotte Jennings Palmer, Mrs. Jennings’ daughter and Mr. Palmer’s wife. Now I am a fan of Stauton, but I cannot say the same about her portrayal of Charlotte Palmer. I realize that the character was supposed to be annoying, but one could say the same about Sir John and Mrs. Middleton. But whereas I found Robert Hardy and Elizabeth Spriggs’ performances amusing and rather funny at times, Staunton’s slightly over-the-top portrayal of Charlotte Palmer ended up irritating the hell out of me. I understand that Andrew Davies had produced his own version of the Austen novel back in 2008. I cannot deny that the three-part miniseries is first rate. There are two other adaptations of Austen's 1811 novel that I have enjoyed. However, I still believe that this particular version is superior. It came as no surprise to me that it earned seven (7) Academy Award nominations and won one (1) for Thompson’s Adapted Screenplay. ”SENSE AND SENSIBILITY” is one movie I could watch over again without ever getting tired of it.

[aion-rsa]

How The Sopranos Changed TV Analysis Forever

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When The Sopranos first aired over 20 years ago, audiences had never before seen that type of complex storytelling on the small screen. The program was acclaimed for its otherworldly acting and intricate attention to detail, but there were individuals outside of the Sopranos set that helped audiences understand a show that was much more dense and rich than anything that had ever come before it. Without widespread Internet access and with social media not even a mere thought in anybody’s imagination, it was up to pioneering TV analysts to make sense of this new type of prestige television that HBO was letting into our homes.

There is arguably no journalist who has covered The Sopranos in greater depth for the last two decades than Alan Sepinwall. Now Rolling Stone’s chief TV critic, Sepinwall helped shape the narrative of television discourse just as Sopranos creator David Chase forged a revolutionary subject to evaluate. The New Jersey native started his career writing at the Newark Star-Ledger, putting him in an intimate position to cover The Sopranos close to the show’s setting. He went on to write The Sopranos Sessions with Matt Zoller Seitz, a collection of episodic analyses and interviews with show creators that is now viewed as one of the definitive documents covering the series. Due to these resume highlights, his presence covering The Many Saints of Newark is a must heading into the theater to see the film. 

Den of Geek spoke with Sepinwall via email for a wide-ranging discussion on his personal ties to the New Jersey area, how TV journalism was shaped by HBO’s megahit and vice versa, and how the analysis landscape has evolved in the last 20 years. 

You famously got your start writing for the same paper Tony Soprano picked up from his driveway each morning on The Sopranos. How much did this personal connection to the Jersey universe in the show affect your career trajectory and do you think you would have become the same type of critic without these ties?

Oh, I was incredibly lucky. Right place, right time. It’s a bit like being the music writer for the Liverpool Daily Post when The Beatles started playing at the Cavern Club in 1962. Not only did the show reach out to The Star-Ledger for help designing those fake newspapers, but one of my editors had gone to Rutgers with Jim Gandolfini, and I grew up one town over (and a few decades later) from David Chase. So there were all these connections that gave me better access and a broader base of knowledge. And then the morning after the show ended, David liked and trusted me enough to very reluctantly give me the only interview he gave about the finale for a long, long time. The show put me on the map, and my focus on it over those later seasons made me a better critic. 

We’ve always wondered how you are able to separate what your favorite shows are from what you think the best shows are. Is it hard to not show bias towards The Sopranos in your writing because of your longstanding history with it?

I’ve criticized plenty of episodes of the show, and even whole seasons at times. (Though revisiting the show when I co-wrote The Sopranos Sessions made me look more fondly on, say, season four.) I think there’s a degree to which I know the show so well at this point that I probably look at it differently from more casual viewers, but I’ve never felt in the tank for it. 

Do you think David Chase waited too long to make The Many Saints of Newark? There is a good amount of interest in the film, but could there have been more if it was made more recently after the series finale?

I think the movie is actually coming along at a very good time. Sopranos had a huge moment during the pandemic when it seemed like everyone was using the quarantine as an excuse to either watch the show for the first time or rewatch it for the first time in years. A whole new generation discovered the show and will appreciate Many Saints in a way they wouldn’t have if the movie had come, say, 5 or 6 years ago. And also, it allowed Michael Gandolfini to mature into an actor capable of playing the young Tony as well as he does in the film. 

Do you think Tony Soprano’s template for anti-heroes was ultimately a good thing for society at large? Bad men being depicted as badasses on TV was almost too abundant in the years after The Sopranos, but did the ones who actually got it right pay off at large in your opinion?

I think there is definitely a degree to which our lauding of bad guys like Tony or Walter White helped make more recent political developments possible. Sopranos and the shows it inspired encouraged people to root for assholes provided they were interesting or charismatic enough. 

Do you think The Sopranos, in general, has aged well? Do you think it has been surpassed in any way by more modern storytelling, or are the elements that made it special in 1999 still going as strong as ever? Will the film prove in any way that this universe is timeless?

When Matt Seitz and I started working on The Sopranos Sessions, I was terrified that the show would feel dated, and/or like an inferior copy of the many series that copied it over the last two decades. Instead, the opposite happened. Not only did the show hold up, but I wound up enjoying a lot of it even more than I did the first time around. (Again, see season four.) My appreciation for Jim Gandolfini in particular went way up, to where I stopped considering him on the same level with Bryan Cranston, Ian McShane, et al, and felt comfortable saying he was head and shoulders above any other dramatic performance in TV history. Sopranos was so far ahead of the curve, and so many of its imitators only copied the superficial aspects of it, that when you get exposed to the real deal, it’s still incredible. 

What has been the biggest difference you’ve noticed in your readers’ reception to your Many Saints of Newark writing compared to your Sopranos stuff back in the day? Have audiences grown more intelligent through the years which allows you to dive deeper in your analysis, or is the market oversaturated now which makes it harder for striking criticism to stand out?

The big difference so far is that the movie’s not out yet. Over time, The Sopranos became a show where my most notable writing appeared after individual episodes were available. I’m planning to do something similar about Many Saints when it comes out. But audiences are definitely expecting deeper analysis of television — or, in this case, of films based on TV shows — than what the media was doing when Sopranos debuted. 

The Sopranos was a landmark series for countless reasons, with one of the more important ones being that the depth of the material allowed for TV criticism to really capitalize on its unique qualities and expand exponentially as a medium. But perhaps journalists like yourself don’t get enough credit in making audiences understand that what they were watching was important. How bidirectional was the relationship between the show’s popularity and the analysis of it?

Over the years, the best compliment my writing has gotten has been when someone tells me they didn’t fully appreciate everything a show or episode was doing until they read my take on it. I think shows like Sopranos or Breaking Bad or The Wire are so obviously great that they don’t need analysis from me or anyone else. But I feel like the explosion in TV criticism inspired by shows like them wound up enhancing the experience for viewers who wanted to dig deeper than what they got from watching alone. 

What is the biggest difference you have noticed in your job requirements between covering shows for Rolling Stone now and reporting on them back in New Jersey for the Star-Ledger? Has covering The Many Saints of Newark brought back nostalgia for earlier in your career?

Leaving aside the very seismic economic changes to the media business in general, the biggest difference is expectations. People want more coverage, and they want it to be more in-depth and thoughtful than what was happening at the start of my career in the mid-’90s. The very idea of writing about shows and movies for people to read after they watched felt largely alien back then. Now it’s a huge part of how people cover and consume media. 

It was also really exciting and surprising to be back in Sopranos country again after so long. (David) Chase is always a fascinating — if challenging — interview subject, and I got to do the kind of in-depth interview with Michael Gandolfini that I never got the chance to with his press-shy dad. It’s been wonderful. 

Do people go to you for Sopranos stuff in ways that they wouldn’t for other reporters in the industry? Has this helped you career-wise, like when you get to do big features for Rolling Stone for the Many Saints of Newark? Do cast and creators on the show view you as an authority on the show the way readers do?

Rolling Stone has a fantastic group of movie writers, but they asked me to handle a lot of their Many Saints coverage. And I’ve been happy to function as a human Sopranos Wiki for friends and fellow critics who have been boning up on the show to prep for the movie. There were even a few times conducting interviews with the Many Saints creative team where someone like (director) Alan Taylor would joke that I knew parts of the show better than they did. As areas of expertise go, it’s not a bad one to have. 

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

Who is your favorite person from the show to interview throughout the years? Do you have a favorite interview you have done with someone from The Sopranos universe?

The Michael Gandolfini profile I did for Rolling Stone is one of my favorite things I’ve ever written in my whole career. But Chase is the best interview, in part because he’s so tough that it forces me to sharpen every question to a razor point, in part because he has just thought so deeply about every aspect of the show, and now of the movie. I always feel like I’ve gone ten rounds in the ring with David, but it always feels worth the effort. 

The post How The Sopranos Changed TV Analysis Forever appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[drakorn]

Disneys The Hunchback of Notre Dame Review (Stuttgart)

Hey guys! So I have FINALLY managed to actually see Disneys The Hunchback of Notre Dame on stage. I love the story in general, the novel is as complex and morally grey as Les Miserables and the Disney version is my favourite Disney movie after Beauty and the Beast. I have listened to the cast recording of the original stage version with Drew Sarich multiple times and was gutted that I would never get to experience this live. When it was announced that this piece would not only be performed again but also get a major restructuring that would make it more similar to Victor Hugo’s novel in many aspects while still keeping the epic Disney score, I was THRILLED to say the least. I watched a bootleg of the US version and was so excited. When it was announced that it would play in Germany, I was SO happy And when I actually held the tickets in my hand, I was in Heaven. So, last Thursday, while everyone was enjoying their Easter preparations, I was sitting in the Apollo theatre in Stuttgart, waiting for the show to begin. And what can I say? I absolutely loved it from beginning to end. It is SO different to both the Disney film and the original stage version. But I think that was only for the best. Now, from this point onwards, this review is full of spoilers. Most people will probably know all of those spoilers already but I’m just playing it safe.

Differences to the Disney Movie

- Claude Frollo got a MAJOR character update. The stage version completely abandons the cold and diabolical minister of justice from the movie and replaces him with a much more book-accurate version. He is, once again, the archdeacon of Notre Dame, the essential head of Church in Paris. This gives his struggle so much more weight and the song “Hellfire” becomes SO much more powerful. And to top it all off, he is not truly evil in this version but a very conflicted and even tragic character. There are moments where he legit shows compassion to both Quasimodo and Esmeralda but ultimately tries to cling on to his religious beliefs. I couldn’t totally hate him like I did in the movie.

- Speaking of Frollo, his younger brother Jehan, who is completely absent from the movie, is actually brought back into the stage version. While he doesn’t have such a crucial role like he did in the book, he serves as a major character motivation for Frollo. As children, they grow up in Notre Dame but Jehan gets banished eventually because he brought a gypsie woman into the cathedral. Years later, Frollo finds Jehan on his deathbed. In his dying moments, Jehan gives Frollo his child, Quasimodo, to care for. Yeah, that’s something that neither happened in movie nor book but it’s an original idea. I’m not sure how to feel about it but oh well, it’s there. However, by making Quasimodo and Frollo actual blood relatives, the stage version already creates a deeper bond with them. Rather than taking him out of fear of damnation and evil scheme plotting like in the movie, in the stage version, Frollo takes the child out of guilt for his brother’s death and pledges to raise him. At first, he is repulsed by the deformities and even considers killing the child, but he quickly pulls himself together and, completely in-line with his religious beliefs, decides to raise Quasimodo because he sees the baby as a personal test.

- The three Gargoyles from the movie are completely gone here and so is the song “A Guy like you”. Instead, Quasimodo is communicating with a Greek Chorus of saints, bells and gargoyles, and all of them are figments of his imagination. He is basically talking to the spirit of the cathedral itself. I find this MUCH more interesting as it gives us a lot of insight into Quasimodo’s psyche.

- Speaking of the Greek Chorus, a lot of the story is told through the chorus. The entire performance looks like a group of storytellers in a medieval theatre performance simply retelling the events of the musical. All of the actors are dressed in grey cloaks in the beginning and gradually reveal their character appearances throughout the play. This is something no Disney musical has done so far. This is an entirely new level of mature storytelling.

- We actually get a proper Victor Hugo ending, and I mean ALL THE WAY. Everyone who dies in the book dies in the stage version. Esmeralda dies shortly after being rescued by Quasimodo because her lungs were too damaged by the smoke of the pyre. Frollo dies because Quasimodo finally breaks down and throws him from the roof of the cathedral. Quasimodo dies because he lost the will to live, found Esmeralda’s corpse and embraced her until he starved to death. They brought in the line of the two skeletons and almost entirely quoted it directly from Hugo’s novel. This is DISNEY, may I remind you. It’s marketed as a DISNEY musical. THIS is not what you would expect from Disney at all and I LOVE it. And yes, to answer @3andastra3 ‘s question, I had tears in my eyes at the end. The original book ending, accompanied by Alan Menken’s fantastic music and Stephen Schwartz’s perfect lyrics was just a match made in Heaven.

The Songs

Act 1

Olim: I like this introduction quite a lot. It’s entirely sung by the choir. The slow build-up to the Bells of Notre Dame beginning immediately sends shivers down your spine.

The Bells of Notre Dame: I do prefer this version to the one in the movie. Instead of focusing on Frollo’s hatred for the gypsies and killing Quasimodo’s mother like in the movie, we get a full backstory for Frollo. It explores his life with Jehan, his religious views, explains his hatred for gypsies as his brother got banished because he brought one into the cathedral and forms a much more compassionate bond between him and Quasimodo. 

Sanctuary: It’s almost the exact same as in the movie but the difference is that Frollo actually comes across as protective and compassionate here, as if he ACTUALLY tries to protect Quasimodo from the cruel world. 

Out There: Perfection, just perfection. I don’t really know which version I prefer since both movie and musical are great. But in the stage version, it actually comes across a bit more tragic because of the more mature tone. No talking Gargoyles here, just figments of Quasimodo’s imagination. He is actually properly alone here.

Topsy Turvy: REALLY like this version. There is so much festive dancing and cheering and Clopin comes across as more pirate-esque here than in the movie, meaning, a bit more like a joking scoundrel.

Rest and Recreation: Phoebus finally gets a song, unlike in the movie. Already here he has a deeper character than in the movie as we get to see glimpses of war PTSD. He remembers sieges and rotting wounds of dead and dying men (that is a legit line from this Disney musical).  And the melody itself is quite catchy.

Rhythm of the Tambourine: Esmeralda’s introduction song. It’s basically the same thing as in the movie, but this dancing is actually accompanied by singing here. And I like the trio of Quasimodo, Frollo and Phoebus singing about their first impression of Esmeralda at the same time. While Quasimodo and Phoebus see her dancing as angelic, Frollo sees it as hellish. Love that contrast.

Topsy Turvy Reprise: This is the part with the king of fools crowning. It’s interesting how Esmeralda is the one urging Quasimodo to enter the contest. She isn’t directly repulsed by him but instead encourages him to feel good about his appearance for a day. This MASSIVELY backfires and she immediately helps him recover. This is also a part where we get to see the more villainous side of Frollo as he allows Quasimodo to be publically humiliated and whipped in order to teach him a lesson about the cruel world, that’s pretty dark if you think about it, Disney. 

Sanctuary Reprise: Frollo uses Quasimodo’s humiliation as evidence for his teachings about a wicked and cruel world. He is a HUGE hypocrite here as he actively allowed this to happen in the first place but from a certain point of view, you can actually see why he did it: to ensure Quasimodo would never leave again, probably for his own good? Who knows?

God help the Outcasts: Beautiful. The way the choir is incorporated here is truly magical, especially how it all rises up during “I ask for God and his angels to bless me.” I prefer this to the original version, also due to the scene with Frollo and Esmeralda before that: This is one of the scenes that suggest he might be feeling genuine affection towards her and not just pure lust. She says something that reminds him of Jesus and from this moment on, he tries to get her to stay in the cathedral. He doesn’t want to imprison or kill her like in the movie, he wants to teach her in the ways of the church, willing to put his gypsie hatred aside for her. However, there is also this very creepy undertone that, in turn, DOES hint at lust. And we must not forget that age gap...

Top of the World: A very cute song between Quasimodo and Esmeralda in the bell tower. Quasimodo cannot even comprehend that someone might be kind to him apart from his master. By the end of this song, they both share a friendly moment without any fear. They are just having fun. And this makes the entire scene so heartwarming.

Thai Mol Piyas: At first this song might come across as a bit of a filler, but it actually has a very good purpose: It deepens Frollo’s obsession with Esmeralda as he walks the streets at night to find the gypsies and some of the guards, including Phoebus, having a party in a tavern. This scene also progresses Phoebus and Esmeralda’s relationship as they share a passionate kiss in the middle of the party. And the song itself actually is quite catchy!

Heaven’s Light: I really like the way they incorporated it into this stage version. Since there are no annoying Gargoyles but rather a sophisticated chorus, the song feels a bit more mature. I can’t really pinpoint whether I like the movie version or the stage version more. Both are equally good!

Hellfire: OK LET’S TALK ABOUT HELLFIRE. This has always been my absolute favourite Disney villain song. And boy, did they kill it with this version. While the movie version is much more spectacular and bombastic with the fire and the hooded figures, the stage version is much more subtle and internal. Frollo is on his own on an empty stage and starts the song as a quiet prayer, which slowly descends into raging madness and obsession. The background choir, which is present throughout the entire show, provides the “Mea Culpa” lines here. As Frollo further descends into madness, the entire stage is illuminated in a red light, including the choir, smoke begins to rise up under Frollo and he spreads out his arms like a cross. SO GOOD. Also, the choir joining Frollo in the “Choose me or your pyre” bit was fantastic. This scene alone shows why having Frollo as the archdeacon is so much more powerful. Rather than being a judge who believes in the church, he essentially IS the representation of the church in this musical. Him being the archdeacon and singing this song just adds so much more layers. And it really makes his struggle and conflict seem bigger. Loved this scene, one of my favourites in the show.

Esmeralda: The Act 1 finale. The best way I can describe is “Disney’s answer to ‘One Day More’”. There is so much going on in this song: Frollo speaking to the king of France and getting permission to hunt for Esmeralda, Phoebus defecting after refusing to burn down a house, Frollo stabbing Phoebus and blaming it on Esmeralda (which...I don’t know...I thought it seemed a little out of character for this version of Frollo to do so, yes he was cruel and a hypocrite, but I didn’t see him as a liar), Frollo setting fire to Paris, and then having Quasimodo, Phoebus and Frollo, all at the same time, sing about their feelings for Esmeralda. To top it all off, it finishes with a “The Bells of Notre Dame” reprise. What a way to end an act. This, along with Hellfire, are my favourite act 1 moments.

Act 2

Entr’acte: This piece is entirely performed by the choir. Two minutes of straight up latin chanting. I couldn’t ask for a better way to open up act 2. 

Flight into Egypt: This is pretty much the replacement for “A Guy like you”. And it works so much better. Quasimodo uses the figments of his own imagination, including St. Aphrodisius, who has a VERY cool decapitated head effect integrated into the costume. Esmeralda gives him a map of Paris and through this song, Quasimodo figures out how to find the court of miracles. The music is lovely and it’s great to see Quasimodo be this optimistic for once.

Esmeralda Reprise: A short song where Frollo essentially tries to get the truth out of Quasimodo. This is the first time where Quasimodo openly lies to him. This is also a scene where we get to see Frollo’s more villainous side as he manipulates Quasimodo into leading him to the court of miracles, as we find out later on.

Rest and Recreation Reprise: This is the song where Quasimodo and Phoebus reluctantly team up to find Esmeralda. It’s nice to hear Phoebus’s intro song again with this context. He started off as a womanizer but now truly fell in love with Esmeralda and using the same melody to underline that was quite effective.

Court of Miracles: This is probably one of the only times where I prefer the original movie version to the stage version melody-wise. The movie version is fast, urgent and has a sense of menace to it. The stage version is more subtle and slower in pace. However, Clopin’s character is more sympathetic in the stage version. Rather than wanting to kill them out of joy and fun like in the movie, here he does so because he wants to protect the gypsies and can’t have outsiders knowing of their location. And rather than having the comical “Why didn’t they say so?” when Esmeralda saves them, in this version Clopin chastises Esmeralda for befriending people who are closely associated with Frollo. I like the melody of the movie more but I prefer the stage version’s message.

In a Place of Miracles: This is a love duet between Phoebus and Esmeralda. It’s very heartwarming throughout the first half where Phoebus decides to go with the gypsies and stay with Esmeralda. But it becomes a tearjerker in the second half. First, Quasimodo sings a gut-wrenching “Heaven’s Light” reprise in which he states that he will always be alone and comes to terms with Esmeralda never being his. Then we get Clopin singing about how his people are always outcasts and that “Romani again must roam.” What started off as a nice love duet turned into a heartbreaking ensemble number and I really appreciate it.

Justice in Paris: Frollo arrests the gypsies, except Clopin, who escapes in time. Esmeralda’s pyre has been prepared and everyone locked up. A hopeful scene turned dark in a matter of one minute. Frollo truly has descended further into darkness and madness here as he proclaims his disappointment for Quasimodo and has him chained up to witness Esmeralda’s execution. That is PRETTY dark, Disney!

Sanctuary Reprise II: Yeah, we have another one of those. But this time it’s EXTREMELY creepy. Frollo proclaims his “love” for Esmeralda and actively attempts to sexually assault here in her cell. And no, it’s not just hinted at, it’s actually shown on-stage. Disney is really going all out in this piece. Whoever says they haven’t got the courage to properly highlight dark themes should watch this musical.

Someday: This is a very sad song and beautiful at the same time. It was originally supposed to be in the movie but got cut because it was too emotional. And I can see why. Esmeralda is fully aware that she is going to die in a matter of hours and as it dawns on her, she breaks down and starts to cry. Phoebus is there to comfort her but both of them know that they can’t do anything to stop it. The only way out for Esmeralda would be to submit herself to Frollo and that is never going to happen. The lyrics are also very relevant to today’s world and still manage to induce hope for the future. I absolutely love this song.

While the City slumbered: A nice and menacing transition song back to Quasimodo that perfectly sets the stage for the finale.

Made of Stone: This is Quasimodo’s other big number. And it’s also a very heartbreaking one as he vows to never feel anything again and pretty much gives up on his life. He abandons the chorus and the voices in his head cease to be for the time being. And the line “His [Frollo’s] words were cold as stone...but they were true” is especially haunting because it somehow makes sense. Everything Frollo told Quasimodo about the outside world has, in fact, come true. But Quasimodo ultimately fails to see the positive things that happened to him as well. This is how far Frollo’s emotional abuse of Quasimodo has gone by now. The sad thing is that this version of Frollo probably genuinely believed that he was being a good father figure and didn’t see the negative aspects his parenthood inflicted on Quasimodo. But holy shit, the music, the lyrics, this is definitely one of the highlights of the musical.

Finale: There is SO much going in the last ten minutes of the show! It starts off with Frollo offering Esmeralda one last chance of freedom. She spits in his face and he sets the pyre ablaze. Quasimodo ultimately breaks free of his chains and rescues Esmeralda, Phoebus gets rescued by Clopin, Frollo negates the laws of sanctuary, the soldiers barge in the doors of Notre Dame and Quasimodo pours molten lead over them! And all of this is accompanied by Latin chanting, culminating in a “The Bells of Notre Dame” reprise when the molten lead is being poured on the soldiers (that red curtain effect was wonderful). Then we get an “On Top of the World” reprise before Esmeralda ultimately dies of smoke inhalation. This is the part where everyone is fully aware that this is not going to get a Disney happy ending. Esmeralda dying in Quasimodo’s arms after calling him a good friend and Quasimodo not realising it until a few moments after is one of the saddest Disney scenes ever. Then we get one of the most villainous but also one of the most tragic scenes with Frollo. He sings a quiet “Esmeralda” reprise and tries to comfort Quasimodo by stating that she made her own choice and that now things will “get back to normal”. He fully believed that what he was doing was the right thing and actually shows some remorse over Esmeralda’s death. He tells Quasimodo that he could have given her love (which is all sorts of unsettling), and then we get one of the saddest scenes between the two: Quasimodo asks Frollo to tell him who he had ever loved in his life. Frollo looks at him and for one moment it looks like he wants to say Quasimodo’s name but he stops mid-sentence and talks about his brother Jehan instead. This once again shows how Quasimodo is the only thing that reminds Frollo of Jehan and that deep down he still has love for his brother and nephew, despite committing all of those evil deeds. Quasimodo ultimately breaks down and attacks Frollo. The spirits of Quasimodo’s parents (Jehan and Florika, the gypsy woman Jehan once brought into the cathedral) recite Frollo’s “The wicked shall not go unpunished” line, as Quasimodo carries Frollo to the edge of the roof. Frollo, terrified, pleads Quasimodo to let him go and says that he doesn’t want to truly hurt him. This is where the chorus comes back and ominously whispers “Yes, you do.” This sent chills down my spine. Quasimodo picks Frollo up and throws him down the roof to his death. It gets even more heartbreaking when the reprises of “Sanctuary”, “Out There” and “Olim” start playing. Quasimodo picks up the dead Esmeralda and walks out of the cathedral. And finally, the people accept him and reveal that all of them have imperfections. While Quasimodo’s deformity is on the outside, everyone else has hideous parts inside. And if THAT isn’t sad enough, we get a “Someday” reprise by the chorus, which ends with the actor of Quasimodo stepping out of his role, addressing the audience by quoting Victor Hugo’s novel about Esmeralda and Quasimodo’s skeletons crumbling to dust years later. And only THEN we get Clopin coming in, mourning and starting the “The Bells of Notre Dame” reprise. All of the cast comes out and sings the final notes and the audience is left in tears. WHAT A MUSICAL.

The Cast

Quasimodo - Kevin Köhler: I LOVED him as Quasimodo. I already saw him as Alfred in Tanz der Vampire once but here he is totally different. He perfectly captures the broken and innocent child-like nature of Quasimodo and does a superb job of imitating the crooked walking. His performance of “Made of Stone” was just heartbreaking.

Frollo - Felix Martin: I was SO happy when I saw that he would be Frollo in my viewing. I already saw him as Peron in Evita but this was so different. He was much colder than he seemed on the CD but when he had to be compassionate or regretful, he pulled it off perfectly. His rendition of “Hellfire” was a villainous, tragic descent into madness. I remember seeing other Disney musicals like The Lion King and Aladdin. The villain always got booed at the end. Here, the villain got the biggest applause. This alone speaks for the different approach of this show and Felix Martin’s performance.

Esmeralda - Mercedesz Csampai: I saw Mercedesz twice as Sarah in Tanz der Vampire and very much looked forward to seeing her as Esmeralda. While she didn’t exactly look like I would imagine Esmeralda, she definitely pulled it off singing- and acting-wise. I enjoyed seeing her in a different role and was sold from the beginning.

Phoebus - Maximillian Mann: While I always imagine Phoebus with blonde hair, Maximillian pulls the persona off perfectly. He is funny and serious at the same time and his voice is PERFECT. I really enjoyed seeing him.

Clopin - Gavin Turnbull: I was used to Jens Janke on the cast recording so Gavin was VERY different. This is an older, more serious Clopin who doesn’t shy away from good jokes though. I think I had the most fun watching Gavin acting-wise. His voice also perfectly fits. While Jens Janke shows more of the joking jester side of Clopin, Gavin shows more of the gypsy king side. So it seems to me at least. 

Overall

Overall, I LOVE this show. It is in my top 5 musicals right now and I would recommend it to everyone. It is SO GOOD. Definitely the darkest Disney piece ever made. It’s great to see that both of the well-known Victor Hugo stories now have critically acclaimed musical counterparts. I would love to see this show again if I can make it. It’s still playing in Stuttgart. Everyone should watch this piece. The messages, the acting, the songs and the overall impression are fantastic. 

[jahmusicandlive]

SubWoofers: It’s Showtime

The day was here. The day we had been building up to for seven months. The day that had caused endless stress, documents, and spreadsheets. The day that pretty much represented my input and effort of second year (I would say roughly 85% of any of the work I have done this year has been towards this event).

One thing I had already agreed with myself about a week prior to the event was that I was going to stay happy and positive. Generally I find this fairly easy, I tend to have a positive outlook in day to day life, however, I also know that once I allow my stress to work me up into a mess I struggle to get out of that spiral. I like to think that I did a pretty good job of staying happy, which doesn’t really sound like a job at all, but I think as a leader, if you’re smiling your team are more likely to, like a sort of reassurance that things are on track.

As requested I arrived later than the first group. My mum was generously offering her photography services to us and so she picked me up and drove me in for 8:30. Though I had offered, we both knew that her staying at my house wasn’t the best idea as my only downtime (sleep) needed to be comfortable and having another person to focus on wasn’t going to help that. I cannot explain how incredible it was to have my mum at the event, getting to see me in action. I am very close with her and always keep her updated on uni work, so she has been a part of this journey too. I also know from the past 20 years of my life that if I make my way into that stress spiral, there is one person who can ALWAYS get me out of it. Shout out to you mum, you are a living legend.

Anyway, I arrived at 8:30 (though that hadn’t stopped me being up since 5:30 checking documents and communicating with the early team to make sure everything was going according to plan) and went straight out to the field. The site actually looked like a festival site and I was BUZZING. This was also the first day that the whole team would be on site and I would be coordinating approx. 40 people. One of the tasks that I had an active influence on was the build and break roles, and basically deciding who needed to come to the site on which days. This is definitely something I would have changed in hindsight. We knew we would need people that were actually going to turn up and put the work in, but a few more bodies would have definitely made the process quicker and easier.

When security arrived on site I became two radios Jessie (see flattering picture below). At this point, I really had to get my head in the game, as not only did I need to focus on communicating with people in person, I also had two radios to listen to. Oh and not to forget my phone ringing every five minutes with calls from members of the team without radios. The staggered arrival times of team members meant the radio protocol had been mostly swept aside. Thought this didn’t cause any major issues there were definitely hiccups involving people cutting into other conversations or just speaking rather than using a call and response system (“Jessie to X”, “Go ahead”). One item mentioned in the debrief was that everyone should have arrived at the same time, with one briefing for all including health and safety, radio protocol, and any other information necessary.

The rest of the team arrived after 10 and were given the health and safety briefing. Then came the moment that made everything real… Alan (our course leader) turned to the group and said “Jessie is the event manager, Jessie is in charge, any questions go to Jessie and she will either answer them or send you to a person that can answer them”. In that moment I realised how much responsibility I had been given and how much was relying on me, but funnily enough it didn’t send me into a panic, instead, it got me pumped. It also reassured me that people would listen to me, as the day before I felt I struggled a little with enforcing instructions, so for everyone to have been told clearly (by someone of authority) that my instructions needed to be followed was a relief.

Though the arena was not due to open to the public until 1pm, myself, Jess (H&S coordinator) and Michele (THD CEO) were scheduled to carry out a final walk around at 12pm to ensure that all structures were safe and everything was in place ready to open. At around 11:50 I started running around, knowing fully well that there were still bits to do, however, it turned out that most of these tasks were reasonably small and could be achieved in a short time with the help of many hands. One aspect that was an issue, however, was the security. In the build-up to the event I had been responsible for arranging and liaising with security. When I met with the boss of the company I felt assured that they were event specialists and since the event target audience didn’t pose any major threats we chose to use their services. The reality was that, although the boss fully knew what he was talking about and the industry, most of his team didn’t. One or two of the on-site team were great, fully communicative and on top of it… the other were simply bodies. They didn’t have any clue about what was going on and within that there is definitely room for improvement on our part as their briefing clearly needed to be more in-depth, potentially even held a day or two before the event so that it didn’t clash with the madness of the on-site tasks. There was also an inability to follow simple instruction and in the end, it took the CEO going down and shouting at them for them to actually follow instructions. I understand that with it only being a one-day event, by the time you have your head around it, it’s almost over, however they felt very separated like they were their own little group and only their team leader would communicate with me, it didn’t feel like a coherent collaboration.

It was showtime! Generally, most things within the arena were running smoothly, the two areas that were a bit hectic were the box office and arranging the stewards. Though I was event manager I had fairly little to do with the box office as there were box office assistants, who were managed by the box office manager, who was managed by the logistics coordinator, and so there were already people capable of making the decisions and adjustments necessary to improve the situation. When it came to arranging the stewards Remely (staffing coordinator) was on boss mode. Having made the stewarding rota I knew what the plan was, however as we found out, rotas completely change on the day when volunteers drop out and problem areas need more help and attention. There were a handful of times that Remely called me asking for assistance or advice on who to move where, but other than that I felt comfortable in the knowledge that she was on top of it and props to her because it’s an insanely difficult job.

Once most people were through the gates the day was in full swing and everyone seemed to be really enjoying themselves. I’ll set the gif (below) speak for itself. I ended up making multiple radio calls along the lines of “does anything need doing, are there any issues anyone needs help with” because my team were doing their jobs so efficiently.

As the final act performed everyone managed to find 10 minutes or so to experience the show. Some of the team went on the rides, others just sat down in the sun for a bit. I was walking near to the main stage as saw my mum dancing to Ska Souls - This may seem like nothing to some people, but I usually have to drag my mum onto the dance floor and build up her confidence to let go and have a proper boogie, so to see her doing this by herself made me unbelievably happy - and so I had no option but to go and join her for a dance. Little did I know that Dan captured a few seconds of it (and probably doesn’t realise how much this footage means to me).

Once that moment was over I had to round everyone up in the production office to go over breakdown roles. Before I could start, Remely got everyone’s attention and ended up giving me a little thank you speech. My production team got me two bottles of spiced rum (my drink of choice) and a card. I cannot put into words how thankful I am to have been blessed my team members. Though some struggled to find motivation at times, we all came together and smashed it! Thank you to all my production gals (that includes you, Michael) for making my life so much easier, I couldn’t have coped without you guys. And while I’m here thanking people, let’s chuck a thank you over to the other team leaders. Without our weekly meetings and communal stress rants, I don’t think we’d have pulled off this event. You guys were my stability through this rollercoaster and I can’t wait for us to work together in the future, cause I know that whatever we do together, we’ll smash it!

Now I am aware this post is getting fairly long now, so it’s lucky that the breakdown on the day was a fairly swift process. Once everyone’s roles were allocated it was GO! GO! GO! (This was definitely helped by the fact that once we were finished we knew we could rush home and go out to the final night of Festiball). During this time I was pretty much just overseeing everything. The main issues involved the vehicle egress. Because so much planning had gone into the placement of stewards during the event, the post-event placement had been given less attention. In reality, more stewards were needed throughout the exit route, as well as more signage (In a larger font size). Within this egress route, more attention should have also been given to traders, as it was a one-way system it became difficult for them to get back onto the field from the parking area. All problems were solved but we were all so focused on the show itself and the breakdown that the egress definitely should have been looked at in more detail.

Though there were many other highlights and hiccups, this post is already longer than anyone wants it to be, so I will finish up here. One last thing I must write is to Alan. Alan dropped the bombshell on us a few days before the event that he would be leaving the university at the end of this term. Now, if you had told me this a year ago, I would have been concerned for the future of my course, but I wouldn’t have been particularly personally affected. Over the past year (the past 5 months in particular) I have grown to have the biggest respect for you and I am truly gutted that you are leaving. You have done so much for this course and this event and I know that in the future I will look back knowing that you will have had a major impact on my work ethic and my career, so again, thank you so much.

[wideawokesa]

Building the Perfect Party - After a Buffet of Bad Choices

We live in a land of great choice. This is reflected in all aspects of our country, from the diversity of our people to the food we eat. But having lots of choices doesn’t always lead to good outcomes. Take UberEats, for example. A plethora of choices; different cuisines to cater to everyone’s tastes. Yet with all the choices it can sometimes seem near impossible to decide on one. Even when you do settle on something, you may end up regretting your choice. You get left feeling cheated and with a bad case of heartburn. It’s comical but mostly sad that lately I’ve started thinking of South African politics in the same way. As with our choice of food, local politics is no exception in its diversity. So much choice, yet still annoyingly difficult to settle on one party - and even when you do, you’re quite likely to be left feeling short-changed and with a burnt heart. We’ve seen many political movements and organisations over the years. Some have stayed and many have gone. A few have managed to capture our attention for a moment, and a select handful have even accomplished holding on to our attention for longer. Why is it then that with so much choice on the political menu it still feels like there’s nothing for us to truly savour and enjoy? In South Africa 2020 we have three major parties in terms of voter share: The ANC, the DA and the EFF. The ANC has since the dawn of democracy managed to hold onto the hopes and fears of the majority of moderate South Africans, although it's becoming increasingly difficult for the party to maintain its grip. What started out as a party of change and reconciliation has slowly been eroded down to one plagued with cronyism and corruption. Too many years in power and too many fingers in the till have left increasingly more South Africans feeling the liberation party of Nelson Mandela no longer exists and needs to be ousted. Then we have the DA and the EFF. Two sides of the same political coin. Both use populist rhetoric to bolster their voting bases while at the same time joining the still-powerful corrupt faction of the ANC in tearing at the fabric of our society a little more with each attempt. The state of our top parties is enough to leave anyone feeling hopeless about the choices available to us. But South Africans are an optimistic lot, and so am I. I’ve seen a few glimpses of hope and inspiration shining from some individuals throughout South Africa, both in politics and other areas, and decided to have some fun and daydream about who I would enlist into a new political party to provide hope after many years of watching hope slip away. So without further ado, here’s who my dream team to lead us forward would be: Thuli Madonsela is always the first shining example in my mind. The former Public Protector meticulously cracked open state capture, exposing the mass corruption happening while at the same time starting the domino effect which led to the end of the Zuma presidency. She projects the perfect balance of being caring and relatable but also a no-nonsense, intelligent person who always does what's right. She seems to be a woman of few words but manages to say so much in spite of it. In the same vein, I’d love to see another chapter of Makhosi Khoza. Anyone who has the balls to stand up to their employer when their employer is doing wrong should be applauded, and in her case the courage it must have taken is even more impressive. Standing up to Jacob Zuma and his ANC at a time when it was basically a professional death sentence to do so indicates she has the fortitude to take on any political leader in the pursuit of what’s right for our country. I know I’m not the only one who daydreams about Lindiwe Mazibuko returning to active politics. She is the definition of “resilience” in the political context. After walking away from her leadership position within the DA, she has managed to bounce back quite spectacularly, putting it all behind her. Her current passion for grooming the next generation of political leaders says she sees the bigger picture of our country beyond herself. But I think she still has a lot to offer SA herself, and we need all the help we can right now. Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh has always captivated me with the force of his intellect. He is not afraid to challenge the status quo while encouraging different opinions to be shared. The way he is able to structure an argument but manages to do it in a way that is relatable, endears him to most people who like listening to multiple points of views and having them intelligently debated. South African political parties need young people, urgently, and any party (and our country) would benefit from having someone of his calibre in the room. Alan Winde seems to be one of the few exceptions to the rule in the DA at the moment. His leadership in the Western Cape seems to be driven by care, compassion and bipartisanship rather than toeing the party line and echoing the conservative (and sometimes right-wing) messaging of his party’s leaders, Helen Zille and John Steenhuisen. He understands he has been elected to serve all Western Cape residents and not only DA constituents, and seems to be one of the rare DA leaders who grasps the meaning of Ubuntu. Moeletsi Mbeki is an analyst by profession and nature, so he would likely be a measured leader. And anyone who could be such a loud critic of his own brother’s policies is unlikely to be cowed into silence if dishonesty is afoot. He seems able to see past the emotions of issues and assess what would practically be the best solution, and we need some hard-truth practicality. Mbuyiseni Ndlozi is like an onion for me. On the surface he seems like most other EFF counterparts in his message and delivery. But dig a bit deeper and you start to understand a man who is passionate about fighting discrimination wherever he sees it. And his seeming desire to tear down a broken world order and rebuild the system in a much fairer way is perhaps needed even more now that COVID-19 has made so many more people aware of what extreme inequality means in reality. His unapologetic determination and perseverance in the pursuit of justice is a quality well suited to our most unequal society. The DA’s Phumzile van Damme and Mbali Ntuli are strong women who certainly have the courage of their convictions. The style in which they make their voices heard may differ but the common thread they share is that they never shy away from the tough conversations that need to be had, never back down from a fight, and will always champion an alternative message for a party that, since October 2019, has seemed determined to turn its back on the majority of South Africans. I had to add Mmusi Maimane, the former DA leader. Much like Mazibuko, he seemed to be used by the party's structures until he no longer served a purpose. His “Obamalike” qualities may have been overplayed at first, but for a brief moment there he seemed to be succeeding in bringing South Africans together across the spectrum. Before his party’s conservatives landed their daggers in his back, he had positioned the DA to take the next step toward connecting with more of South Africa’s largely moderate (and yes, obviously mostly black) voter base. Since he walked away from the DA nearly a year ago, we’ve seen a new Maimane, a much more confident and playful person who still seems perfectly capable of balancing the scales of teaching the message of reconciliation while at the same time acknowledging the tough discussions about inequality that need to be had. His reliability and ease with all types of people seems to be a quality that few politicians possess (I mean, even the EFF can’t say a bad word about him!). Finally, I have left our dear Commander in Chief to last. President Cyril Ramaphosa. If I had to describe his presidency since 2018 I would say, “It’s a rollercoaster ride.” We have all gone through the highs and lows with him over the past 2.5 years. Nearly everyone I know has moaned and groaned at his seeming complacency about fixing the ANC and our country. So why am I adding him to the list? Because, despite the constraints placed on him by the internal realities of the party he leads, I believe he’s one of the good guys. And he still inspires hope. The kind of hope this country had not felt since Nelson Mandela (and as we are constantly reminded, he was Mandela’s choice to succeed him… and there aren’t many better character endorsements available than Nelson Mandela, so I’ll stick with Madiba on this one). Ramaphosa seems genuine in his quest to steer our ship towards the right course again. Does he always get it right? I think that's a unanimous no. However, I have never questioned that his intentions have always been to make us proud of South Africa again. Of course, we need young people to take charge - and soon - but in my dream party, President Ramaphosa would be a mentor and calming voice to guide young leaders still learning about themselves and the world. ​ This has been a fun little daydream… but, for now, it's back to reality. And yes, this list is a craving which will likely never be satisfied in its entirety, and perhaps I need to be happy with the menu that's on offer. But then again, if the menu we’re being offered leaves so many without an appealing option, maybe that’s a sign that many of the recipes need to change.

[metamodel]

A time-travelling, galaxy-defending archaeologist – Recurring Thing #4

The scent of the future is wafting in. I’ve been breathing it in, choking on it, attempting assimilation. 

Over the last few weeks, I’ve enrolled in a business startup program, went to a workshop about speculative design, and thought about where I’ll be in 10 years. But after seeing The LEGO Movie 2, I hope it’s not being a raptor-training archaeologist from space. (I guess you had to be there.)

After taking an extended break from social design work “to get some perspective” (ahem), I find that Everything Now Looks Very Strange Indeed™. This is another one of my updates on restarting a creative practice, with added cultural and design commentary. 

(If someone’s forwarded this thing to you in the hope you’ll find it interesting, you can subscribe here to secure my everlasting love. And please, pass it on if you think it might be of interest to anyone.)

“Where do you see yourself in 10 years?”

In Issue #2 I mentioned that I’m starting a small strategic design practice called Studio Thing. To help this along, I recently applied for the Australian Government’s New Enterprise Incentive Scheme and am now enjoying free business training for several months, and ongoing business mentoring for a year. I’m usually sceptical of such government programs, but happy to report that our trainer Jason is hilarious, and that my cohort is vibrant and diverse. It includes one of Australia’s leading forensic investigators, an aerospace startup that's designing hyper-spectral imaging satellites in a suburban Sydney home, and three mental health-related startups. 

As you’d expect, the assessable part of the training feels a bit superfluous. The value is instead in the solidarity, support and collective wisdom you get in the room. In this context, formerly snooze-worthy operational details about business become far more alive. Frank feedback still rules, but deviates from the tech-bro/shark-tank consensus; for example, after an exuberant elevator pitch last week by one of the mental health startup founders, the most devastating feedback came from one of the quietest voices in the room, a softly spoken Korean couture designer who lacks confidence in her English:

“You felt like a wall,” she said. “If you want me to come to you for help, I need to see you bend.” 

Uncommon wisdom.

No/future

Being in microbusiness school involves a lot of talk about strategy, and one of the contradictions of thinking strategically is that just as we need foresight in order to endure, we must also embrace uncertainty to thrive. We need a supple sensibility to survive our times. In this, I’m sympathetic to both the apocalyptic nowness of the punk phrase “no future” (which is much more than nihilistic rage) and the science-fictional tendency to imagine the future.

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“No future” is one of the most important messages in punk. In a way, contemplating that “there is no future” opens up a new politics, a much more prefigurative politics. It’s no longer a question of waiting and dreaming of utopias, but of doing what we need to do here and now, and in the ways we can and want to. We’re not waiting for further instructions or permissions to get started. We will take ownership of music and spaces. In punk, anyone can pick up a guitar while someone else starts singing, speaking, doing.

— Guiomar Rovira, “No Future: From Punk to Zapatismo and Connected Multitudes”

Urgent and dangerous, disavowing the future forces a sense of possibility to arrive in the vacant spaces of the present. A very different strategy from, say, Star Trek’s optimistic and intricate future history of the 23rd and 24th Centuries.

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How I ridiculously imagine punk and speculative futures working together[/caption]

But despite being an art of extrapolation, science fiction has often been a metaphor for the concerns of the present, or an opening of possibility, rather than simply a literal attempt to predict the future. And its speculations are often untamed and unruly. “Future” and “no future” are thus closer than we might initially suspect. With both turning on the same hinge (of “there must be something more than this”), I’d like to think that together they can contribute a kind of lubricated friction… towards greatness.

Visions

As it happens, the first edition of Visions, a handsome new science fiction magazine, just landed on my desk as I finished typing the previous sentence. It came with a sexy postcard:

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Uncanny! Visions is “a science fiction magazine where writers, designers and researchers of the past and present come together to explore the future.”

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To be totally honest, I really ordered it to experience Marvin Visions, the awesome retrofuturistic typeface that editor Mathieu Triay cut specially for the magazine, but the whole package is obviously compelling and relevant to my Recurring Thing concerns. Back in the early ‘80s, the magnificent Omni magazine mixed fiction and non-fiction about science and technology in a way whose promise has yet to be truly fulfilled, and Visions is a good step in that direction. More later.

Dying stars and fossil fuel archaeology

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When I recently taught a second grade school art class with a theme of “the future”, I primed them with a range of stimuli: a familiar adage, “The best way to predict the future is to invent it” (attributed to everyone from Alan Kay to Abraham Lincoln); a peek at Future Cities, the book my father gave me when I was six years old and which directly inspired the work I now do; plus, many examples of how science fiction has directly inspired contemporary technologies. 

I then invited each student to visit the future, travelling to a date of their own choosing. We set our future destinations using the control panel from Back to the Future’s DeLorean, and to the wheezing sound of the TARDIS time rotor (yes), we entered the time vortex.

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Our challenge: to draw what we saw on our arrival. A group of 7-year-old girls who were usually into drawing unicorns and rainbows surprised me by collaborating on an awe-inspiring scenario, set millions of years in our future: the sun becomes a red giant, swallows the Earth and ends human civilisation. But in a hopeful coda, the solar system’s habitable zone shifts to the orbit of Pluto. (Yes, they went into this much detail.)

Some kids imagined a range of consumerist wish-fulfilment utopias, full of crazy gadgets, but an interesting thing happened: debate spontaneously broke out about how desirable some of these really were. Calvin, the shortest kid in the class, sat grumpily at the back of the class and delivered a running commentary on the ecological impact of each scenario. “Where’s the energy coming from? Fossil fuels,” he’d snipe. “More fossil fuels.” And… “FOSSIL FUELS!!! WHAT ARE YOU THINKING???” It led to some interesting discussion. (Later that week, I overheard a child from this class ask, “Mummy, what are ‘fossil fuels’?” Which. Is. The. Best.)

There was a future in which everybody lived forever. “What do you think would happen if this came true?” I asked the class. “That’s scary,” my daughter’s friend Reyna replied, “because if everyone lived forever, it would reduce the capacity of the Earth to nothing.” (Her exact words.) The mind. It boggles.

“Fossil-Fuel” Calvin’s future scenario was a barren, charred wasteland.

Design as a race to dystopia

During the Sydney Design Festival, I had the fortune to attend a Speculative Design workshop run by the indefatigable Tina Fung of Meld Studios. Besides using the same Alan Kay/Abe Lincoln quote (snap!), Tina introduced us to Situation Lab’s game, The Thing From the Future, in which players visualise objects inspired by random cards that suggest its different aspects: its future timeframe (“Arc”), area of society (“Terrain”), general form (“Object”) and emotional charge (“Mood”).

Our group drew these cards:

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The concepts people build around such provocations are usually passing exercises in extrapolation, but to teach us critical foresight, Tina got us to take our ideas a little more seriously, running them through a matrix of potential economic, technological, social and ecological consequences. Things got unnerving.

After my experience with the time-travelling children, I wasn’t surprised that most of us created dystopian scenarios. One group created a food-based social credit system within the last outpost of human civilisation — a space station in orbit above a dead world. While those displaying “optimal” behaviour could eat well, those relegated to the bottom of the system could only eat “Hungry Bread”, which left you feeling more hungry. The perversity generated much, uh, food for discussion. 

To relieve human pressure on a future Earth, my team created an authoritarian eugenics program for interstellar colonisation. Those deemed genetically fittest for colonial adventures would be endlessly cloned to form the future interstellar population. Like the Hungry Bread, it was obviously perverse, but more disturbing was that one outspoken designer on our team actually relished the hyper-instrumentalism of this scenario. In the name of human survival, extreme measures could somehow be justified. 

Beyond the obvious point that eugenics runs counter to a just society, I suggested that it also disregarded the distinct possibility that societies require diversity and its attendant challenges of cosmopolitanism in order to actually function. Without an ethic of inclusion, a society of Alphas might easily self-destruct in an orgy of atomised cocksureness. He snorted in reply. 

“Inclusive design is bullshit,” he bellowed, “because design is exclusive, by its very definition! Tailoring our products to exactly fit the needs of an ideal customer is design excellence.” In his vehemence, his face began to flush. “Allowing rubbish common denominators to dilute excellence isn’t just bad design, it isn’t design.”

I’ll consider the possibility that this guy was trying to get a rise out of me, but remember when I recently expressed my misgivings about how contemporary design’s largely uncritical enthusiasm for highly tailored experiences might align too neatly with the way capitalism feeds social divisions? This guy was a living embodiment of everything I see going wrong with my profession. And yet he was factually correct, in a manner of speaking: in its ultimate distillation, design seeks to optimally shape the world to specific ends, and taken to its logical conclusion, we might end up with our nightmarish Things From the Future.

By throwing spanners into its heart, I want to dedicate my efforts to prevent this future design apocalypse.

This edition was brought to you by Go Home Productions’ classic Sex Pistols/Madonna, mashup, “Ray of Gob”. Watch and listen here.

A sustainable portion of all my love,

Ben