#hm i wonder if the author based the character off the actor?

[aw-fuck-its-pluto]

Was anyone going to tell me that there is an Asian actor named Lee Soo-Hyuk, who looks exactly how I pictured Lee Soo-Hyuk in TCF?

[entwinedmoon]

John Torrington: Redshirt

(Previous posts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)

“I'm expendable. I'm the guy in the episode who dies to prove the situation is serious.”

–Guy Fleegman, Galaxy Quest

After the exhumations of Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine, and the subsequent publication of Frozen in Time, there was a fresh wave of literature inspired by the photographs and findings from Beechey Island. Novels, short stories, and poems either attempted to recreate what had happened to the expedition according to the latest findings or incorporated this new information in some other way. Some feature Torrington, while some just use certain aspects of the findings, such as the remarkable level of preservation or the lead poisoning theory.

I have read only a handful of the many literary works about the Franklin Expedition that have been published since the exhumations on Beechey Island, so I can’t speak for every novel, poem, or other form of literary composition that has come out since then. For the purposes of this post I decided to focus only on works that feature Torrington himself, and even then, I haven’t had a chance to read every work that does. There may be some that have a completely different take on the story and depict Torrington in a way not seen in the works that I will be discussing, but those will have to wait for another day. For this post I can only focus on the fraction of Franklin-related literature that I have been able to read so far, and if I leave out something that people think is a must-read, I apologize. But feel free to let me know what it is, because I love reading new interpretations of the expedition’s story.

(Unless you’re here to tell me about the Marvel comics character Pestilence, a supervillain who is actually Francis Crozier, preserved in ice for over a hundred years. He’s still alive but he’s gone mad and has magic for some reason. And he can possess other people. Pestilence was first introduced in 1986, and yes, him being frozen in ice was obviously inspired by the exhumation of Torrington. Now, let’s never speak of this again.)

I’m going to start with the various novels that have attempted to tell the story of the Franklin Expedition. FYI, there will be some spoilers, but mostly the spoilers will be about Torrington and other crewmembers dying, which shouldn’t really be a spoiler at this point.

Before I get into the specific books, though, I’ve noticed that there are certain themes in many of these stories, particularly involving Torrington. As his illness and death is a known point during the timeline of the expedition, he inevitably gets a mention in many of these works, but since he died so early in the expedition, he rarely has a major role in the overall story. Not only that, Torrington’s characterization is typically absent altogether. He’s generally depicted as a variant of the Victorian waif—pale and thin and doomed to die—and rarely does he get any dialogue or development. He’s first blood, a harbinger of things to come, but almost never a character on his own. He’s simply there to die, like a redshirt in Star Trek.

I have often flipped through books to see where Torrington comes in, wondering if he’ll be given something to do before he passes, and more often than not I have been disappointed. His death is always included because we know he died, and if it were left out it could be seen as callous at worst or inaccurate at best, yet his inclusion sometimes feels more like the author simply checking something off a checklist. Enters Lancaster Sound, check; winters at Beechey Island, check; Torrington dies, check. Sometimes there might be a funeral, where the main characters speak of Torrington as if he’s been there the entire time and wasn’t just first mentioned only two paragraphs ago, perhaps with Franklin orating the first of many eulogies (“We have lost one of our own today, a fine sailor named John [looks at smudged writing on his hand] Turlington…”).

But one thing that Torrington usually gets is a brief mention of his burial clothes. Since we know what he looks like in death, there’s often a description of him in his coffin, perhaps a mention of his youth, small stature, and wasted appearance. His illness usually gets a mention too—and sometimes he gets berated postmortem for going to sea while sick.

Of course, since Torrington dies only seven months into the expedition, it’s not surprising that he doesn’t have much to do in most stories, but I do wish he could at least have a little more of a role before taking his final bow. It would make his death more meaningful if he was a known character and not just a name in a long list of people who are about to die.

For a deeper dive into how Torrington is typically depicted in novels about the Franklin Expedition, I’m going to start with the most mainstream of the books I’ve read—and also the most inaccurate. That would be The Terror by Dan Simmons, a story that posits what if, rather than starvation, scurvy, illness, and lead poisoning killing off the crew, there was also an evil magical bear bent on their destruction. The book was recently adapted into a television series on AMC, and I watched the show first. I loved the show—it was very well done, despite the evil bear—so I read the book. The book…well, it had some good parts to it, but also some incredibly ridiculous parts and some incredibly offensives ones too. I won’t get into a full review of the book, though—I’m just here for Torrington.

Torrington doesn’t get mentioned until his death in The Terror. In fact, the sentence introducing him is “John Torrington, stoker on HMS Terror, died early this morning.” His slow decline from consumption is described, while also saying that he had obviously been in the advanced stages of the disease when he signed up for the expedition. There’s an aside about how ironic it is that Torrington’s doctor had told him going to sea would be good for his health, something that isn’t based on a known fact about Torrington, but getting away from Manchester and into fresh air may have been part of Torrington’s intent when signing up. Judging by the state of his lungs, he probably had difficulty breathing in the thick smoke of industrial Manchester, so it’s not so far-fetched to think he may have wanted a change of scenery to improve his health.

The dressing of his body for burial, descriptions of the clothes and bindings we know so well from the exhumation pictures, and a brief recap of his funeral get described in just a few pages. The image of him in his striped shirt sticks out in the memory of Dr. Goodsir (who is writing this down in his diary), an image that anyone who is familiar with the Franklin Expedition would know very well. But that’s about it for Torrington in this book. His name does pop up a few more times, though, because Captain Crozier has a habit of going over the names of the dead to himself, assessing how many men he has lost at different points throughout the book. Torrington as part of a list of the dead is mostly how we see him in The Terror.

In the TV adaptation, Torrington doesn’t appear at all, because the show picks up after the ships have left Beechey. The men who died at Beechey are mentioned a few times, usually as a group—referred to as “the men on Beechey” or some variation of that—with only John Hartnell being mentioned by name. Torrington, however, does get a visual sort of reference when one of the ship’s boys, David Young, dies in the first episode. During his burial, his coffin accidentally comes open, and his burial clothes look very reminiscent of the famous photos of Torrington.

Alfie Kingsnorth, the actor who plays David Young, looks a lot like Torrington, making this image extra eerie. In fact, I started watching the show because I saw a screencap of the burial and thought it was Torrington. When I realized that Torrington wasn’t in the show, I was disappointed, but I ended up loving the show anyway.

The next book I want to discuss is a novel that tried to do what The Terror did but without the monster. Robert Edric’s book The Broken Lands tells the story of the Franklin Expedition from the point of view of Commander James Fitzjames of the Erebus, third-in-command of the expedition. Fitzjames seems to be a popular point-of-view character since another book I’ll be discussing in this post is also from his perspective. Fitzjames is an interesting historical person, particularly if you’ve read Battersby’s biography of him, although that was published long after The Broken Lands came out. Being from Fitzjames’s point of view, however, means that the story focuses mostly on what happens on Erebus, which means Torrington, leading stoker on Terror, wouldn’t have had much of a role no matter what.

At least in this book Torrington does get mentioned before his death, but only just. When the ships are wintering on Beechey, it’s mentioned that two men become ill, Torrington and John Hartnell. Since Hartnell died only a few days after Torrington, they would have been ill around the same time. However, rather than showing signs of tuberculosis followed by pneumonia as the killing blow, Torrington and Hartnell suffer symptoms that get mistaken for scurvy but then are assumed to be some form of food poisoning. Torrington dies while Terror’s doctor, John Peddie, sits with him, but there’s not much to the scene. He and Hartnell get buried on the same day after a snowstorm delays their burials. Hartnell gets more attention here because of his autopsy, and there’s no mention of striped shirts and bound limbs.

But that’s not the last we hear of them. In the next chapter, it’s discovered that some crewmembers had been pilfering from the canned food supply. William Braine gets flogged for his part in the scheme, and he starts showing symptoms similar to Torrington and Hartnell. Braine then confesses that Torrington and Hartnell had also been involved in stealing canned foods, and the doctors jump to the conclusion that the canning procedure must be responsible for the illness and deaths of these three men. So instead of going with the known causes of death of tuberculosis and pneumonia, in this version of the story the Beechey Boys die of lead poisoning and only lead poisoning. That bothers me not only because it completely ignores the actual cause of death, but because it makes Torrington, Hartnell, and Braine criminals, stealing food from the ship’s stores. I guess this was Edric’s attempt at explaining why these three men had such high levels of lead so early on in the expedition, but this explanation doesn’t work for me because it ignores a lot of other things in a struggle to make certain puzzle pieces fit. I admit, I got a little overprotective when I saw Torrington being accused of something like this and started ranting about it to my sister—despite the fact that I have no idea what sort of person he was actually like, and he’s been dead for over hundred seventy years, so he doesn’t really need me to protect him from purely fictional accusations. But still…

The other novel from Fitzjames’s perspective is North with Franklin by John Wilson. This is set up as a lost journal written by Fitzjames, using some of the known letters and journals written by the real life Fitzjames as a jumping off point. In these fictional journal entries, there’s a mention of a man in sickbay with signs of consumption in August, and there’s an aside wondering why he didn’t inform anyone about his illness prior to setting sail. However, since this is the sickbay on Erebus, this must be a reference to Hartnell, not Torrington. But it’s a hint at what’s to come for both of them. An update on the consumptive man in November confirms that it’s Hartnell, his condition getting worse, and then it’s mentioned that the leading stoker on Terror is suffering the same. Again, Fitzjames wonders why Hartnell and Torrington didn’t mention their condition before setting sail, calling their weakened lungs a “death warrant” in the Arctic. There’s another update in late December about their worsening condition, until they both succumb. Out of the three books discussed so far, this is the most that Torrington has been mentioned pre-death, but he says not a single word.

Torrington’s death, taking place on New Year’s Day, brings down the happy celebrations of the crew. Again, it’s mentioned that Torrington should never have undertaken the journey with his illness, as if it hasn’t been driven home enough that he and Hartnell had probably been showing symptoms when they first boarded and should have reported it. Torrington’s burial clothes get an overview, with his short, emaciated appearance being compared to that of a child. He gets a funeral, with Franklin presiding.

The repeated mentions of how Torrington and Hartnell should have declared their illnesses before sailing on the expedition almost comes off as blaming them for their early demise. Realistically, of course, they probably had noticed some early symptoms before leaving England. But how bad were those symptoms? Were they enough to make them think they had a disease that would prove fatal? Did they realize that they wouldn’t be coming back, or did they shrug it off as just another cough? Torrington had bad lungs anyway, so maybe he didn’t notice when his black-lung-coughing changed into tuberculosis-coughing.

John Wilson wrote another book about the Franklin Expedition, this one for young adults, called Graves of Ice. This book is from the point of view of one of the ship’s boys, George Chambers. Chambers was assigned to the Erebus, so the main action happens on that ship once again, which means Torrington barely appears. Again. William Braine, however, befriends Chambers and gets far more dialogue and development than Torrington or Hartnell in any of the previous books—or this one—combined. Braine actually gets to defend his actions by saying his lungs had always been weak, and he thought the cold might do them good, explaining why he didn’t bother declaring any illness before setting sail. In real life, Torrington probably felt the same way, but he doesn’t get to stand up for himself here. In a prime example of dramatic irony, Braine calls Torrington an idiot for signing up while sick.

Torrington and his illness get mentioned the same day he dies, just shortly before Dr. Peddie informs Franklin of Torrington’s passing. His death gets called a bad omen among the crew. His burial gets a brief mention, but there’s no lingering on the image of his body in its coffin, or any mention of it even. He has no lines once again, nor does George Chambers ever meet him. At least one crewman admits that there are many men on board with lungs as bad as Torrington, as if to soften the accusation that Torrington should have known better, but it doesn’t soften it by much.

In all four of these books Torrington has had zero lines of dialogue. He gets sick, he dies. That’s it. There’s another book, a self-published one that came out this year, that I had hoped may do better by him. That would be Toward No Earthly Pole by Jonathan Schaeffer, which is from the point of view of James Thompson, the engineer on Terror. Being the engineer, Thompson would have interacted with Torrington a great deal, so I’d hoped I would get to see Torrington fleshed out more as a real character, but sadly that was not to be. Torrington does get mentioned more before his death than in other books, but it’s mostly in superficial interactions where anyone could have stood in instead, such as Torrington pointing out a polar bear.

Near the beginning of the story, Thompson gives a rundown of each stoker, giving Torrington a less-than-stellar description as a weakling, saying that, “He comes across as an old man resigned to his lot in life.” But Thompson does remark that Torrington is handsome, which isn’t really that important, but it is mentioned multiple times in the text. I guess the point was to emphasize that Torrington was cut down in the prime of his young, handsome life, but it comes off as a little awkward.

Torrington apparently has no friends in this interpretation of the story, and only Thompson seems to visit him when he gets sick. The day before he dies, Torrington, in a delirium, says some incomprehensible sentences, ending on an ominous “…do not belong here,” a phrase that Thompson initially interprets as meaning that Torrington realized he didn’t belong there, but that over the course of the expedition Thompson comes to think means the entire expedition didn’t belong there. Torrington gets the usual drawn-out illness coverage, unsurprising death, and a mention of his burial. He also becomes an omen that gets mentioned again as the situation grows worse. Even though Thompson would have been one of the crewmembers to interact with Torrington the most, Torrington still doesn’t get much development as a character.

However, there is one retelling of the Franklin Expedition that gives Torrington quite a bit of development. That would be Kristina Gehrmann’s graphic novel Im Eisland (or Icebound in the English version). I previously discussed Im Eisland in my last post about Torrington in art, but now I’d like to focus on the writing rather than the artwork. Torrington is actually introduced as if he’s going to be a major protagonist of the story, and for a time he does play a large role. We get a glimpse of a sweet little romance between him and his fiancée (we don’t know if Torrington was engaged to anyone, but there’s no evidence that he wasn’t either), and he develops a warm friendship with Thomas Evans, one of the ship’s boys, whom he teaches to read. Torrington comes alive as a real person here, and while yes, he does inevitably become too ill to work and dies, as he did in real life, he’s much more than just the first victim of a tragedy. If you’re looking for some good Torrington fiction, Im Eisland is an excellent choice.

But not all Torrington-related literature is a retelling of the expedition. There is a famous story by Margaret Atwood, “The Age of Lead,” which appears in her short story collection Wilderness Tips. I should say upfront that this story is not about Torrington himself. Atwood described her use of him as that of an extended metaphor, as his death is juxtaposed with that of another character’s in the story. But the story still delves into the pathos around Torrington’s death. In mourning for her friend, Jane, the protagonist, mourns for Torrington in a way too. As Jane remembers sitting with her dying friend, she ponders about who may have sat with Torrington in his final days. His half-open eyes are described as “the light brown of milky tea,” and they look back at Jane as she watches a program about him on television. It’s a touching story that asks some emotional questions about Torrington’s death—did he have anyone to comfort him as he passed, so far from home? Did anyone on the ship mourn him, love him? The story might not be about Torrington in the end, but he makes for a powerful centerpiece, and this story treats his humanity as far more present than many of the novels discussed above.

The last piece of literature I’d like to discuss is “Envying Owen Beattie” by Sheenagh Pugh. In a poem that gives Seamus Heaney a run for his money, Pugh lovingly describes the exhumation of Torrington’s mummified body. She compares Torrington to Snow White by describing his being cocooned in ice as “asleep in his glass case.” The reason she envies Owen Beattie is because of an anecdote Beattie had once told that Pugh recounts here, of how when Beattie lifted Torrington out of his coffin, Torrington’s head lolled onto Beattie’s shoulder, and they stared eye-to-eye at each other, Beattie holding his frail, limp body. This leads Pugh to conclude her fairy tale metaphor by saying “how could you not try to wake him with a kiss?” I have to admit that if I had been in Beattie’s place, I probably would have dropped the body, but Pugh romanticizes the moment instead.

While many of the novels that I’ve described above treat Torrington as just another milestone to get through in the story, Pugh brings far more emotion and love to his depiction in so few words. Torrington looks so very much alive, like a princess under a sleeping spell, so why can’t a kiss break that spell and bring him into the present? A sweet sentiment tinged with the sadness that we know he can’t be awakened by a kiss, because it’s no spell that’s put him asleep. He’s too far beyond fairy tale dreams to come back. The tragedy of Torrington’s death gets swallowed by the larger tragedy of the Franklin Expedition’s demise in the full-length novels, but in shorter pieces such as Pugh’s poem and Atwood’s short story, Torrington’s death is given greater thought and respect. Torrington, after all, was no redshirt on Star Trek but a human being. He wasn’t just a name, a check on a checklist, but a man who suffered and died at too young an age. But the tragedy of the individual is easily lost among the tragedy of the group.

Next: My final post, a personal reflection as I ponder just what fascinates us about him after all these years.

<<Back | Next >>

Torrington Series Masterlist

[royallyanxious]

Set Of Mind

Basically, my take of @cagedin-simulations‘s story State Of Mind. 

It’s an AU based on Mercy’s AU, I guess!

Written for the author herself. Happy birthday Mercy, my love!

word count: 1.6k

warnings: none

link to the original story: here 

(Set Of Mind can be read separately but I highly recommend reading State of Mind first)

beta-read by @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2

AO3 link

𝕾𝖊𝖙 𝕺𝖋 𝕸𝖎𝖓𝖉

“And… cut! We’re done, boys” announced the director, flashing her tired but bright smile, “Good job! You’re free for today and see you tomorrow! Jimmy, you can turn off the lights!”

The lights above the main stage turned off almost instantly, leaving the small resting area the only source of light. The clock was showing that it’s almost midnight and the members of the crew were rushing out of the room faster than the speed of light. Meanwhile both main stars - Virgil Carsey and Roman Rufete walked down the stage. Truth to be told Virgil was more of the “rolling-off the stage” type, while Roman was still trying to keep up his confident posture. Virgil gracefully stumbled over his feet while Roman with the last ounce of energy jumped off the final stair.

They were a surprising duo these two. It was quite funny how their personalities matched the personalities of the characters they played in the show. The show that was one of the biggest hits. Its title was State Of Mind.

Truth to be told, both Roman and Virgil got their roles in the split of a second. The director - Mercy - was so in awe that she changed the names of the main characters into actual actors’ names. Till the present day Virgil was a little concerned about this (“Who the hell is this woman and how many times a day does she change her mind?” he growled more than once during first week of filming).

The only, actual difference was that in reality Virgil was a little bit more rude than his alter-ego, while Roman was (quite surprisingly) quite of a blushing type.

“Well, fuck that last bit was shit to play…” sighed Virgil, falling down on his usual chair. The door closed behind the last member of the crew making Roman and Virgil completely alone in the room. It was nothing unusual. As top-stars they didn’t really demand much from the director, except getting a little bit of time alone after the recording.

“Don’t make me laugh, Virgil. At least you didn’t have to serenade me your love…” huffed out Roman. He looked tired but happy nonetheless. It was no secret that he loved his job.

“Oh shut up, would you? It was embarrassing just listening this…” laughed Virgil. His eyes were shimmering in the darkness. Tired Roman was quite a look as weird as it sounded. There was simply something magical in the satisfied stars in his eyes and heavy with emotions eyelids. Sometimes, though he wouldn’t admit, Virgil wondered how Roman looked when he woke up…

Roman closed his eyes, defenceless against his own body, and absently started unbuttoning his jacket, revealing expensive shirt that his character - Roman Lufe - wore more than often. The warm light of the lava-lamp was throwing a warm shades of pink and gold. Virgil liked this lamp a lot but, he thought, that he liked Roman better.

“What do you think State will do anyway?” asked Roman with his eyes still closed. He often asked Virgil what he thought about the show. As if he was director, not Mercy.

“No idea, they never tell us too much before filming…” mumbled Virgil, tearing his gaze away from Roman in case he opened his eyes and caught his colleague’s staring.

“It’s a tad frustrating, isn't it?” groaned Roman but Virgil knew that it’s just a pose. In fact Roman loved how the show kept surprising him. Quite on the contrary to Virgil who would rather know when their characters were going to make-out again.

“A little bit… Yeah…” Agreed Virgil absently. The silence fell between them but it wasn’t uncomfortable. They had been resting like that dozens of times before.

Suddenly, a realization hit Virgil. He was so used to seeing Roman everyday that he had no idea what he was going to do when the show would come to an end. Falling for Roman Lufe, and later for Roman Rufete, was never a part of Virgil’s plan. He just wanted to make some easy money and the show seemed interesting. It wasn't that deep. But the more episodes he watched - the more he fancied Roman Lufe’s character, the more he admired his handsome face and beautiful eyes... At first he blamed it on the make-up but… The more he talked to Roman Rufete, the more he learnt about him, the more lame jokes he heard and the more he talked to him off-stage, the better Virgil understood that he in fact wasn’t much different from Roman’s fans.

Yes, Roman was something exquisite. He was part of Virgil’s life that he never wanted to give up on. But Roman was a profesionalist. His name was known by every actor and actress in the business. Meanwhile Virgil was just Virgil. That guy from State of Mind. (“Oh! You know the show in which Roman Rufete basically plays himself.”) Virgil knew that after the show would be done, he would slowly fade away. He would hide in his small house and live on the clouds of his beautiful memories.

Virgil growled quietly and Roman opened his eyes.

“Something’s wrong, Virgil my love?” he joked. They often shared jokes like that off-stage, trying to paraphrase their characters, trying to be them in the real life. Virgil loved those jokes more than he was willing to admit, excuse him while he lives in his tiny wonderland.

Virgil only shrugged in response. “Just life being a bitch.”

Roman laughed, his wonderful, loud, somehow flamboyant laugh. Virgil would set it as his ringtone if he could.

“And why is life so nasty according to you, hm?” Asked Roman, straightening up his back. Two button of his silk shirt were unbuttoned. That was just wonderful. Virgil shook his head.

“I’m just thinking that when the show is over, my life will come back to normal and I don’t know if I wanna deal with all its shit again. You know. Normality.” Virgil blurted emotionally. Back in the days, when they weren’t that close with Roman, Virgil would be afraid to say something like that but now… there wasn’t a thing he couldn’t confess to Roman (maybe except of one…). If he was too afraid to do it off-stage, he would do it as an improvisation of one of the scenes the were currently shooting (that was a case when it came to one tiny confession…)

Roman sent Virgil a weird look.

“What do you mean? You’re basically an icon now! People love Virgil, I doubt that you could ever go back to normal life after this show!”

Virgil chuckled bitterly. “How can you be so sure? Do you love Virgil?” he said quickly before he could rethink his words.

“Sure, I do! He’s my favourite!” exclaimed Roman, blushing furiously. He was a blushing type hence to which the make up staff always had a lot of work with Roman. Virgil always argued  (silently) with them about why they even bothered to hide this wonderful blush - it was so cute!

“You don’t mean it…” Virgil swallowed a big lump in his throat. Maybe he wanted to believe Roman but even if these words were true… Roman for sure meant Virgil Casey - the character, not boring and picky Virgil Carsey - the actor.

“But I do!” Roman jumped off his seat and seconds later kneeled next to Virgil, grabbing his slim, pale hand. “Virgil is my absolute hero! He is so strong and confident about everything he does! He can defeat all and any obstacles! You don’t even know how much I admire that! Virgil is my absolute favourite!” he almost sang the last sentence, the blush on his face growing more and more red.

Fluttered and confused about Roman’s passionate exclamation Virgil turned away his gaze and quickly took away his hand. It was still warm in the area where Roman’s and his skin touched.

“I didn’t- I mean, I’m not… Umm… just-just thanks, I guess…” he stuttered finally and barked out an awkward laughter. “Typical Virgil here, am I right?” he joked, forcing himself to glance at Roman. His brown eyes were filled with these loving sparks that he sometimes showed on the set of the show. How Virgil wished these sparks were real and meant for him, not his character.

“Typical Virgil here and now.” Agreed Roman softly. “But isn’t that just the best thing about you?” he asked quickly and got up from the ground.

Roman’s fingers made their way through Virgil’s ruffled hair. How tender and caring they felt on Virgil’s head. It was like a touch of an angel. The heat was rushing through Virgil’s veins.

“We should probably get home, Virgil.” whispered Roman, his hand lingering on Virgil’s head for a moment longer than it should. “Do you need a ride home?”

The other male only shook his head, unable to make a sound.  Right now, he was a silent actor of unseen scenes.

“As you wish, darling.” Nodded Roman. Virgil missed the hurt expression on his face. “See you tomorrow then.” He said and slowly walked out of the room.

The lava-lamp was still throwing pink shade on Roman’s seat. It looked cold and empty without him. The pink wasn’t as warm as it used to be. It wasn’t as warm as the blush on Roman’s cheeks.

“Yeah, see you tomorrow.” echoed Virgil into the void. His mind was still adjusting the last parts of the conversation. The reality in his mind was mixing with the scripts and scenarios from the show.

Virgil curled on his armchair. His head rested on the knees and he closed his eyes.

“Hey, Roman?” he said weakly. “Which Virgil did you mean?” he asked. “Because you see… everything you said… I don’t know how to interpret… because of the state of my mind.”

GENERAL TAGLIST: @depressed-alone​​ ​ @changeling-ash​​  @ultimate-queen-of-fandoms2​​ @calmingthoughtsinyourhead​ @zo-geeky​​ @fandomfreak-19​​ @thegnatnat​​ @inha-led​​ @tree4life25​​ @panic-at-theeverywhere​​ @reallyanextrovertipromise  @shit-happens-bitchachos @pastel-patton123​​ @pinkeasteregg​​ @greymane902​​ @princeyssash​​  @musicphanpie-b​​ @all-these-trees-stealing-mah-o2 @birosezz​ @winged-outlaw @anxious-fander-talian-bean​ @lizaelsparrow @moonstonefox12 @pastelnerd101  somecrappyclone mysticalstrawberryface @ninjago2020​  donteatmyassghostie toriwithacamera moxiety–sanders101 confinesofpersonalknowledge xxladystarlightxx wheeitsvee a-very-optimistic-realistnarniasfinestavengingsociopath  thequeensqueer allycat31415 rileys-main-blog-spotroman-is-a-dramatic-prince virgil-my-diamond justanotherproblem faacethefacts  beautifully-terribly  logical-but-anxious queen-of-all-things-snuggly seabellart   @generalfandomfabulousness lostin—translation knine-nights 

[prixmiumarchive]

I saw a post about The Hunger Games movies earlier that I pretty much agreed with in terms of their hyper-representation of white people, their lack of attention to the culturally resonant implications of systemic and racist violence, and so on. Basically, it was praising the books and juxtaposing them with the movies as being vastly inferior products because they shaved off all the rough edges to create a much less complex narrative that focused more on the romantic relationship than the societal implications. And all that is well and good. I am waiting for my good Hunger Games Netflix or Hulu series well into  old age. However, I just wanted to say something from my personal experience of The Hunger Games fandom to sort of counter this particular post politely without tacking onto someone else’s viewpoint in a rude way, which is why I’m making my own post.

I got into The Hunger Games back in very late 2011 because I had learned that Jennifer Lawrence was going to be in it. This was on the coattails of my being hyper-obsessed with X-Men: First Class, and this had been my first exposure to Jennifer Lawrence. My first exposure to the name of The Hunger Games series, on the other hand, were meme text posts that were going around when I first joined tumblr in 2011 that were joking about not knowing what “The Hunger Games” were or not having read them. Anyway, basically what happened was that I learned that Jennifer Lawrence was going to be in The Hunger Games movie, and I had enjoyed her in XMFC, and at the time I had a relationship with fandom where I might actually choose to follow and actor or actress’s body of work much more easily than I would now (in fact this is because of THG fandom).

Anyway, I picked up the book and read the back of it and became very excited about the fact that The Hunger Games was set in Appalachia. This was really exciting to me, and because of my own background in Appalachia I always read Katniss as Melungeon. There was a time, early in my experience in that fandom, when I would have died on that hill. Then I realized how sorely underrepresented indigenous peoples are, so while my brain still defaults to Melungeon, I am 100% in support of indigenous Katniss, too. I’m just sharing this for full disclosure, especially if anyone goes back in my THG tags which haven’t been active in a long while even though I still like the story itself in concept. Back to original point, I was excited about a heroine coming from my part of the world in a post-apcoalyptic setting because I tend to think of the south, particularly my part of it, as being kind of erased in fiction and so on.

By the time it became 2012, I had read the first book and was disappointingly convinced that Jennifer Lawrence was a poor casting choice for Katniss. I didn’t really have anyone better in mind off the top of my head, but cornfed, big-boned Jennifer Lawrence was more Glimmer than Katniss. However, I was still willing to watch the movie because i was so excited to have a movie of this thing I had come to love so much, and at the time the only things I knew about Jennifer Lawrence were things about how skilled she was for someone who was within a few months of my age. I was also excited about Josh Hutcherson as Peeta, which is still one of the only casting choices I’m happy with in retrospect.

The point of this post, however, is actually a little word of caution against giving the books too much credit because of their author Suzanne Collins. Now, this is not to say that she did not craft a story that is very meaningful to some people and that perhaps she did not execute her intent with more finesse in certain areas than she was consciously aware of. That happens sometimes, even incidentally. She might have even been aware of her intent and finesse while she was writing the books. That does not account for what happened during the casting and production of the first Hunger Games film, though.

I gobbled up anything I could get my hands on that was about the movie production, the casting, the cast itself, the process behind bringing these books to life. I still have several of the Scholastic tie-in books that I compulsively bought. I bought all the Capitol-based merch being fully aware of how creepy it was. I had a Hunger Games lanyard for years. I was so, so excited about everything. And as I mentioned, the downfall of The Hunger Games behind the scenes stuff and cast and so on in terms of my adoring-respect is one of the main reasons that I don’t actually follow the celebrity behind media I like for the most part now.

While I was doing this, I distinctly remember reading a magazine while walking through Walmart with my mother on a break from college. I cannot remember specifically what the title was except I think it was sort of a special publication, Hunger Games-specific magazine. I can’t quote it directly for you anymore. However, I want you all to be aware that Suzanne Collins actually got a lot more say in casting The Hunger Games movies than most book authors ever get.

In most cases, book authors sell the film rights to their books, and then they are as helpless and waiting with bated breath as the readers/fans of their books are. However, Gary Ross was kind of known as an odd, hands-on director. There are aspects of the unpolished aesthetic of the first film, particularly in District 12, that are far more fitting from the Asheville sets than from the Atlanta ones of the later films, and this is probably greatly owing to Ross’s ~directorial vision~. One of the main reasons they switched directors pretty much immediately after the first film’s success was because Ross wanted to work on a much longer time frame to get the other three movies “right” than the studio wanted to grant him on the coattails of commercial success and 20-something, aging actors playing teenagers.

Ross and Collins were both directly involved in helping with the casting direction. I remember very clearly reading that Collins said that she would have hired Josh Hutcherson to play Peeta had he been a purple dragon with six-foot wings or some description of this nature. Basically, she was saying that his “inner spirit” and understanding of the character was right to the point that it did not matter if he looked like Peeta, let alone even human, to play the role. Now, this might be a nice enough thing to say about Josh Hutcherson when there is absolutely no reason to believe that Peeta can’t be a white, blond boy. However, I think that it is really telling about Collins’s overall approach and attitude toward her allowed input on the casting of the films.

I am a white person. I have never been a published author, a director, or a casting director. Saying that, I think that the casting of The Hunger Games shows a very, very white attitude toward “color blindness” and mixed race people of color in particular. I just kind of want to bullet point a couple of things that I infer kind of must have gone on in Collins’ mind / that go on in some white authors’/creators’ minds unless they examine their own privilege and attitudes about race:

The Hunger Games books literally never once use a word that indicates a current, modern race or ethnic identification.

However, there does seem to be a fair amount of racial segregation between the districts with one or two ethnic or racial groups being typical of each one rather than a lot of diversity.

It was fanon in the pre-movie book fandom that Wiress and Beetee were probably of Southeast Asian appearance because Katniss observes that they have “ashen skin and black hair.” This itself might have been symptomatic of a racism or stereotyping either on the part of the fandom or the text because Beetee and Wiress are from the “technology district” (District 3). I wonder what stereotype that could be, hm. In the films, they are portrayed by a white woman and a black man respectively.

Cinna does not have any particular descriptions about his skin color that I recall. They cast Lenny Kravtiz and I liked this casting choice. However, if you go back and watch The Hunger Games films, you might notice that there is a conspicuous lack of any diversity beyond having white actors and black actors. It was good that they did cast black actors in a few notable roles, I have no doubt, but in my gut I always got this sense that it was a kind of “look at us, we’re being diverse!” rather than an actual attempt to reflect the diversity that was clearly suggested in the text.

Again, Collins said she would have hired Hutcherson had he been a purple dragon.

Collins also said that she had absolutely 0 doubts about Lawrence’s casting as Katniss. I believe that I did once read someone asking her about Katniss’s appearance being described as significantly different from Lawrence, and as I recall, Collins suggested that perhaps there simply were no actresses who looked the way she imagined Katniss to look while the casting call literally only called for white women.

Collins also said in an interview once that she based The Hunger Games concept on her emotional dissonance flipping between channels and finding things like American Idol on while there was coverage of the Iraq War on another station. I’m not saying it’s unfair to give her some credit for having compassion for the child survivors in war-torn areas. However, I might also suggest that anything she has said since about 2011-2012 about it might be kind of her building on a previous thought that she did not necessarily have before other people prompted her thinking. At the time, though, she was saying that it was very much a kind of not-very-thoroughly-researched reaction to popular culture and current events. Now, if she’s grown about it, that’s great, but I’m just saying in terms of this discussion of the movie vs. film quality and diversity thing.

From my understanding, Collins had little to do with the production of the films after the first, but Ross did call on her opinion and input frequently during all stages of the production of the first film.

All of this is getting around to me saying that I think there is a thing that some white people do to imagine a post-racial utopia (or even dystopia, in this case) where racial descriptions and ethnic divides have fallen by the wayside. It’s sort of horrifying, but The Hunger Games to me almost presents a scenario in which the spirit of it might be read to suggest that ethnic identity no longer really exists having been supplanted by District identity. In District 12, there are those who live in the Seam and those who are a part of the “small merchant class.” There are physical descriptions but never identifying words that we recognize. (Collins, as a note, played with this a lot; there was actually a glaring inconsistency where Katniss didn’t know what a monkey was called in one of the later books when she did in the first one, or something.)

Collins, in her public statements around the time she was having an influence on the direction and shape of the films-of-her-books, seemed to suggest that the people who lived in the Seam were the result of racial mixing of some form or another. She also seemed to suggest that they would not be identifiable by any term that we currently have. The Seam residents were imagined as the ultimate, isolated conclusion to a “melting pot” in which varied ethnic identification washed away which is one of the very specific reasons that I originally identified Katniss as a Melungeon in my personal reading. However, to Collins, it seems as if she imagines these post-ethnic people as something mythical and futuristic, like a future evolution of human beings or a fantasy creature like an elf (or a purple dragon!). Collins’s personal responses always read, to me, as being completely oblivious to the very idea that she had extrapolated that maybe someone like Katniss actually did exist in the very area which District 12 was supposedly based on to this very day and that this was not a once-and-future kind of reality that no longer existed in present-day America.

Tl;dr I really like The Hunger Games, and I hope I’m not stepping way out of my lane to talk about this as a white reader. However, I wanted to talk again after all this time about how yes, the movies erase a lot of the things that make the books meaningful (political and social implications, representation of diversity and disability and so on), but suggesting that the books innately present something a lot better and richer has a little to do with Collins. On the other hand, I suggest that there is a little bit of death of the author involved in your wonderful readings of this text because Collins herself seems to have directly refuted some of the nice things you might have to say about authorial intent in terms of diversity and representation.

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  In Sunlight and also Moon, you play as an 11-year old boy or lady that relocates from Kanto, the area of the initial games, to an exotic heaven referred to as Alola. It’s a tiny yet informing narrative choice that lights up the pitch Game Fanatic is making towards O.G. followers: exactly what you liked isn’t really being disposed of; it’s simply obtaining a spin.

Sunlight and also Moon additionally present a couple of brand-new asides, though I was let down by their absence of consequence. You could currently take pictures of wild beasts, a la Pokémon Break, however the range is minimal and also the racking up for imagination is horrible. All the photo attribute desires you to do is to take close-up photos where the animal is. Brief computer animation loopholes suggests that as soon as you have actually broken a couple of photos, there’s very little to do any longer. Uninteresting! Worse, regardless of proactively searching for digital photography areas, I just discovered a couple of in my lots of hrs of play.

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“Event Plaza” presents a social center where actual instructors could buy products as well as communicate with each other, Miitomo-style. While the discussion behaves, there isn’t really much to do. “Pokémon Pelago” will likely confirm to be one of the most helpful of the number, as it gives gamers with personal islands where Pokemon Unblocked could hang around, gather products, train, or even come across wild beasts. Pelago Island growth is connected to the variety of pokemon hacked roms you possess, which is a sharp means of inspiring gamers to record even more animals. However, I located myself consistently attempting these attributes for testimonial, and also none really felt enjoyable. Also the hyped Z-Moves included in much of the advertising and marketing left me chilly: sure, they’re fancy, yet they’re simply souped-up relocations. Absolutely nothing groundbreaking.

The test plan makes Sunlight as well as Moon extra structured, as well. You constantly have actually a plainly specified course as well as objective throughout your journeys. In practice, Sunlight as well as Moon go with even more routine fights of note versus crucial personalities, instead of constantly tossing arbitrary combative NPCs versus you. The beats you involve anticipate from a pokemon hacked rom download game, like the unpreventable face-off versus a bad cumulative, still occur– yet Sunlight as well as Moon specify quicker, as well as with even more beauty. The brand-new games exude a certain personal appeal that’s recognizable in everything, from rainbow-colored message, to the jokester Pokedex with a mind of its very own.

The Alola area provides Pokémon-training as part of deeply-rooted practice. In older games, it never ever rather made good sense for youngsters to become dog-fighting wanderers. In Sunlight as well as Moon, that trip is clearly a maturing routine, and also it has actually been done with generations of individuals. Selecting a starter beast and also obtaining a competing feeling much less like a pokemon hacked android convention as well as even more like a social method based in history.

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On a smaller sized range, I constantly really felt encouraged to find even more pokemon hacked roms download, interested to see if any one of my faves had actually been spruced up. Alolan types such as Dugtrio with long, delicious hair, or an Exeggutor with a happily lengthy neck program Game Fanatic plainly enjoying with Pokémon styles. The fully-new Alola-exclusive Pokémon are likewise properly designed. Animals like haunted sandcastles as well as toucan-inspired pokemon go take Alola’s setup seriously, however couple of obtained me thrilled similarly the local variations did. I captured myself maintaining groups of mainly old Pokémon till I made an initiative to concentrate on the brand-new staff. To Alola’s debt, I have actually discovered how to enjoy them, also. Proclaim to Rockruff and also Bewear, 2 Pokémon that are cuter compared to they have any type of right to be. I have actually invested even more time compared to I like confess aiming to synthetic a group that’s both proficient and also remarkable.

I have actually played Pokémon games considering that Red as well as Blue as well as have never ever had my group pale or resemble collapse as usually as I performed in Sunlight and also Moon. The brand-new games required me to make use of real techniques versus the computer system. For as soon as, the single-player in a Pokémon game made me care much more concerning movesets, turn order, as well as group makeup. It’s an exhilarating modification that highlights the intricacy underlying a collection that is amusingly described as a kids’s game.

While the systems at the heart of Pokémon are mainly acquainted, Sunlight and also Moon stimulate lots of intrigue. After discovering an unidentified beast from a various measurement, you laid out to figure out even more concerning where it comes from. This is exactly how Sunlight as well as Moon present the raw as well as mystical ultra monsters, whose objectives or even nature– are they Pokémon?– are uncertain. Sunlight and also Moon are the unusual Pokémon games where I appreciated discovering the tale, and also I state this in spite of the simple and also mawkish writing.

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Rather, the enhancements I valued one of the most were refined, lifestyle information. Pokémon currently cautions you when you will aggro an NPC right into fight. Rather than being pointless irreversible relocations, HMs have actually been changed with “costs” that allow you call a Pokémon to help you with things like browsing and also flying. If your pal obtains a condition disorder throughout fight, rather than losing a product you could simply execute some fight aftercare to treat their health problem. While none of these additions are advanced, they collaborate to strengthen the strong fight technicians.

The substantial appeal of 1996’s Pokémon Red as well as Blue has actually cast a lengthy darkness over the Pokémon collection. Much of the fanbase relies on the prevalence of the initial 151 beasts, and also offered 2016’s Pokémon Go sensation– which just had the preliminary actors– that can say? With the most recent Pokémon games, Sunlight and also Moon, Game Fanatic plays wonderful with that said fact, welcoming followers on a getaway that commemorates (yet likewise changes) what individuals enjoy regarding pocket beasts.

As constantly, the mass of these brand-new Pokémon games is invested hammering out turn-based fights. Some begin with arbitrary experiences. Others you launch versus fitness instructors such as on your own. In the wild, you could catch a lot more animals to join your starter, with approximately 6 beasts comprising a group. Each animal has staminas, weak points, and also a moveset, in addition to an overarching important fondness. With over 700 Pokémon in the lineup, thousands of possible actions, as well as 18 important kinds, also experts could have a tough time keeping an eye on everything. Sunlight as well as Moon offer an assisting hand below: as soon as you make use of an action versus an opponent, the game’s food selection will certainly advise you of efficiency prior to you choose anything.

Sunlight and also Moon are structured around “tests” spread throughout 4 islands, as well as these obstacles may need you to do anything from digital photography to acing a test. Unavoidably all tests integrate fights, however retreating from the normal health club structure rejuvenates Pokémon. Rather than increasing down on the severity of a significant fight at the end of an onslaught, as previous games did, tests usually entertained as well as amused me with their shenanigans. I never ever recognized just what to anticipate, makings tests definitely much more unforgettable compared to fitness centers.

That based facility, paired with Pokémon Sunlight as well as Moon’s focus on information, makes the globe really feel to life. You could listen to Pokémon chirp as well as croak. They hang from trees and also scutter regarding as you make your means with high lawn. Some computer-controlled personalities still laid out bowls, beds, and also playthings for their very own house-bound family pets. The even more expert ones make use of a selection of beasts to assist them with everyday tasks, like building and construction or authorities job. Pokémon do not really feel implanted on below. They seem like a purposeful part of a real culture.

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In various other games, the best “method” versus AI was to grind your pokemon revolution online, so regarding bewilder via large statistics. In Sunlight and also Moon, it is not nearly enough to over degree your animals, and even to make use of the right relocation kind. Fitness instructors utilize even more things that recover HP or condition problems, as well as in the wild, beasts typically ask for “aid,” to make sure that even more Pokémon could join them throughout fight.

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The Alola area is made up of islands with various atmospheres as well as environments, enabling numerous traditional pokemon characters to currently have ‘local versions.’ That fire pokemon type chart you enjoyed as a child? It’s an ice Pokémon currently, with a method cooler style too. Keep in mind that impressive beast that utilized a bone as a tool? It’s a GHOST currently. And also if you aren’t sure the initial 151? That’s all right, you still obtain the even more incredible variations of precious animals from the start, all while checking out a digital eden. It’s a wise concession that makes the old brand-new once again.[/vc_column_text][/vc_tta_section][/vc_tta_tabs][/vc_column][/vc_row]