#the amazing devil my beloved honestly. their range.

[opalsiren]

W.I.T.C.H. Reboot! W.I.T.C.H. Reboot! W.I.T.C.H. Reboot!

hi love! so, with the plethora of reboots kicking around mainstream media these days, its no surprise that the question of a w.i.t.c.h reboot has been broached by its fans. i have so, so, so many thoughts and this, but ill divide them into three categories for the purpose of brevity: firstly, general thoughts on what i would like to see if a w.i.t.c.h reboot is on the cards; secondly, what i would like to see in a live-action w.i.t.c.h reboot; and finally, what a decent animated reboot of w.i.t.c.h might entail. this is not an exhaustive list so please feel free to add onto this if youve any more thoughts! without further ado because jesus, we might be here a while….

general thoughts:

a w.i.t.c.h live action reboot should largely use the comics are source material. while the cartoons are beloved by many including myself, i reckon the good parts of each should be combined to be thematically consistent, fix plot holes etc. but the comics should be the bible here

the target demographic of younger women and girls would need to be established early on by the producers (personally i would love to see a slightly more mature, w.i.t.c.h college AU where the target demographic could be teens/young adult women and girls, but more on that later). this isnt to say that young men and boys would be absolutely excluded as an audience, but misogyny is alive and well in 2019, and our voices as women need to be uplifted. this is exemplified by the fact that caleb was given far, far, far too much screentime in the cartoon so that the show could reach a young, male audience, and his characters was mangled by chauvinistic tendencies. thank u, next.

i have my own preferences wrt to ships, but i think we can all agree that introducing male characters as mere plot devices for drama/conflict only to put them ‘on a bus’ when theyre no longer useful is just plain bad writing. this is a critique levelled both at the cartoon and comics, but largely the comics (see: Eric)(rip in peace).

i also believe that sticking to the conventions of a particular genre, or hybrid genre, would be preferable if a w.i.t.c.h reboot were to take place. some shows get it right, but I’ve seen a ton of shows go off the rails when they try to be a fantasy/comedy/crime/drama/horror/sci-fi/occult/soap-opera extravaganza all in one. i reckon a YA fantasy drama with comedic moments, something with a similar vibe to Shadowhunters or The Shannara Chronicles, could work really well. if we’re talking animated reboot, something with a similar tonal atmosphere to The Dragon Prince or Into the Spiderverse, would also be great

this shouldnt even need to be said but please, for the love of god, no musical episodes (heres looking at you, Riverdale).

i think i speak on everyones behalf when i say that, irrespective of the age demographic of the show, LGBT rep in w.i.t.c.h would be amazing. irma/cornelia have always been a practically canon fan favourite, but cassidy and nerissa’s relationship is definitely more than strictly platonic, so that could be developed upon too. trans/nonbinary!will is also a popular headcanon that could work. once there are lgbt heroes, and not just lgbt villains, i think we’ll all be happy.

similarly, seeing some neurodivergency in the characters could also be great: elyon dealing with pts after the fallout with phobos; irma struggling with adhd in school or college; hay lin and taranee also exhibit some traits of anxiety in canon. autistic!will would also work, and someone else in the squad is bound to be affected by depression given its pervasive nature these days.

much and all as i adore the guardian outfits, i think there would need to be a few changes made. the midriff-and-leg-baring get-ups, though very cute, become very jarring when you realise the characters are meant to range in age from 12 to 14. i dont have any specific thoughts on how improvements could be made, but lengthening hemlines could be a start. if anyone has any more thoughts, i’d love to hear them!

of course, there needs to be women in the writers room, lgbt people in the writers room, poc in the writers room, people with neurodivergencies in the writers room, etc. we all know what happens when writers rooms lack diversity, and it sure as hell aint pretty.

body diversity was something that was tentatively approached in the comics (irma is curvier than the others, at least in her mundane form), but eschewed almost entirely in the cartoon, with all the girls maintaining similar heights and waifish proportions. it would be worthwhile, not to mention realistic, for the girls to go through some body-image hang ups. maybe will is insecure about her ‘underdeveloped’ body, or maybe taranee longs to have the same curvaceous figures as other dancers her age. i think if they were to go for a message of body positivity, irma, loud and brash with no fucks to give, should love every inch of her fat body and encourage the girls to adopt her 'devil-may-care’ attitude. the patriarchy be damned.

one flaw with the comics AND the cartoons are that they dont really explore the worldbuilding a lot. we do spend some time on meridian in the comics and the cartoon, but largely from the perspective of either elyon, or caleb and the rebels. i wonder what a day on meridian would look like for the average meridianite peasant? what do meridianites do for fun? what language(s) do they speak? what are their religious/spiritual belief(s)? what are the styles of dress dictated by? meridian is based on medieval societies, and a caste system is suggested, but i would have loved to see the social hierarchies expanded on a little more. does the matriarchal nature of meridian rule value women and their labour? what about LGBT people on meridian? people with disabilities and neurodivergencies? is there any discrimination against the different species on meridian? in fact, i dont know if it was ever explicitly outlined to us the different species of peoples on meridian, in the cartoon or the comics. honestly id be happy to see a filler, AtLA Tales of Ba Sing Se-esque episode on meridian to cover all of these bases

one thing i loved from the comics that didnt translate as well in the cartoon were the girls’ passions and interests. will is obsessed with frogs, she rides her bike to her job at pet store, she swims, stresses over math homework. irma loves music and talking to her pet turtle, leafy; i could totally see her doing a stint at the college radio station or working part time at a record store. cornelia loves ice skating and has received tons of awards and accolades for her achievements on the ice. taranee is an avid photographer and dancer, but i could totally see her spending her spare time at rallies and protests too. hay lin is a proficient artist, making her own clothes and poring over paintings between shifts at the silver dragon. all of these things and more are what make these characters so well-rounded, relatable, likeable. their hobbies need to be weaved into the fabric of the show (not just brought up once for a silly plot device in cornelia’s case, or never brought up at all in taranee’s, as seen in the cartoon) in order for it to work

live action reboot thoughts:

this should go out without saying, but a live action w.i.t.c.h reboot should cast actors of colour to play characters of colour. hay lin, and by extension her family, need to be played by Chinese actors, while taranee needs to be played by a black actor, preferably one of east asian descent, etc. if they add a little more diversity to the cast i would be totally pleased. latina!irma is a popular headcanon that i ascribe to, and will has always been kinda ambiguously brown, so adding less ambiguous representation for poc to the cast would really be excellent

of course, age-appropriate casting is a must. more specifically, there should not be any 25-30 year olds playing characters in their mid-late teens, unless ofc they could actually pass for the age they are trying to play. shows like The OA and The End of the Fucking World really get this right (most other teen/YA dramas, not so much. less of the chiseled abs and rock hard pecs on teens, please)

this one might be tricky to get right, particularly with budget constraints, but i think a really good CGI/visual effects team is necessary for a w.i.t.c.h reboot to work. unless an adequate amount of the budget is spent on making sure the magic looks realistic, almost plausible, it will make everything else look cheap by comparison

also, this is more of a personal preference, but i’d love to see someone with a really beautiful visual aesthetic and scope of cinematography. i’m talking Sense8-esque levels of cinematographic beauty

i’m really rambling now but, similarly, it’d be so cool to see someone who could use lighting/colour theory in very particular ways. in Marvel’s Netflix Originals, each character has their own theme colour; in Jessica Jones, for example, all of the scenes are very blue and almost leeched of warmth, while in Luke Cage there seems to be a warm yellow filter over everything. how cool would it be if all Taranee-centric scenes had a slight gold hue? or if all of cornelia’s scenes were lit with green? maybe all of the colours could combine in the a subtle yet effective way when all of the guardians are together to show their unity and combined strength.

thoughts on an animated reboot:

i know very little about animation so these thoughts will be brief, but an art and animation style something like that of Into the Spiderverse would be really gorgeous. it is fluid, dynamic, beautiful to look at and, most importantly, reflects the comic format in a moving image perfectly. alternatively, the animation studio behind The Legend of Korra could also be wonderful. the visual effects used for magic would look absolutely incredible

one thing i have to praise the Jetix cartoon for is their choice of voice actors, which were, in many cases, spot on. while cornelia’s VA was annoying and shrill, the actors playing characters of colour were themselves people of colour. if an animated reboot was on the cards, i think it could be a great opportunity to once again include some diversity to the cast, namely hiring actors of colour to play characters of colour

please let no one who worked on voltron near a w.i.t.c.h animated reboot with a ten foot pole. no i will not elaborate

tl;dr at the risk of sounding like an entitled millennial, a w.i.t.c.h reboot should be less about creating something entirely new for a brand new audience, and more about building on what the longtime fans of w.i.t.c.h already love and bringing it forward for the older generation. all on all, we grew up with w.i.t.c.h, so it’s time for us to have our reboot. thanks for coming to my TED talk!

[finchbeak]

Madagascar Day 14 - Andasibe

I cannot believe how quickly the last two weeks have gone by. If it weren't for the vast amount of mud and dirt on my clothes, I'd swear I just got here.

Tomorrow William and Fan and I will take one last hike through Mantadia in search of more Indri, Parson's Chameleon, and some geckos. Then the long drive back to Tana where I have a day room at a hotel near the airport. Flight departs at 00:55 and then, about 27 hours later, I land at TPA. I am very ready for Gus, Étienne, and Mabel cuddles.

I met Fan and Dadi at 7:45 this morning and we head off to meet William at Andasibe National Park. This is the most visited park in Madagascar - it's close to Tana and the hiking is very easy. So all those 65+ retirees who come here in groups love this place. And it's tiny, clocking in at 810 hectare (in comparison, the private reserve at Anjajavy is 960, Mantadia is 12,000, and Masoala? A whopping 240,000 hectare).

Andasibe is also one of the few places where you are all but guaranteed to see lemurs. And see them at close range. Unlike Mantadia and Masoala, which are primary forests with giant trees that soar into the sky, Andasibe is a secondary forest - newer trees, some replanted, previous victim to logging (illegal or otherwise). So you don't have to crane your neck nearly as high to see the Diademed Sifaka or Indri.

We we're blessed with good weather. It didn't rain last night and no rain this morning either. We set off and William immediately finds Bamboo Lemur just off the path. We only enjoy our little find for a few minutes before three other guides and their groups pounce on our spot.

William is clearly one of the better, if not THE best, guides in the area. He's off and finding stuff and the other guides mostly just follow his wake. This means we must move fast.

We were the first to happen upon a new Indri couple. Apparently they are kinda assholes and took over an area previously shared by two other Indri families. We were going to wait for them to finish their breakfast and do their business (ahem) closer to the rainforest floor, but suddenly there were a dozen people around taking pictures.

We were also the first to find a family of three Diademed Sifaka. I'm super in love with these guys. One of the best parts about this trip has been the exposure to lemurs that I've not had any interaction with in the past - either at a zoo or at Duke Lemur Center. I got a few good pics in before the crowds found us. However, we didn't immediately leave. I wasn't clamoring for any photos and William said to sit tight while he scoped out another area. The other guides had my back. I was just happily sitting on a log, watching the Diademed, when another guide pulled me into another patch of rainforest to see two younger Diademeds no one had yet noticed. Pro-tip (life tip, honestly): don't spend your entire life behind a camera lens.

William came back and we went deep into the forest. A bit off the path. And William gave me one of his challenges. He points in a general vicinity and tells me to find the animal. I scan the area and bam! Two Collared Nightjars cuddled together under a tree! This is one of the best finds of my trip. They are stunning.

Our next find is just as amazing. Two sleeping woolly lemurs! Cuddled together in a tree! It's so cute I almost can't contain myself. 

We trek deeper into the reserve and hit Indri jackpot. A family of 3. Already descended to take care of their toilette needs. (I have no idea why the come down lower to do this...) We get to watch them for 20 minutes before they begin ascending back to the top of the canopy. No one else finds us.

We depart from Andasibe and head toward Andasibe the village. I am hoping to find a bag in the market that I can check at the airport. I have...bought things. No luck with a bag, but I did finally find lamba! I bought three beautiful pieces of cloth, now I just need to find someone back at home to turn them into something for me (I'd have done it here, there are women and men who just set up with old Singer's and offer their sewing services, but I'm too close to departure). Fan and Dadi and I try to get lunch in the village, but the place Fan knows about isn't open yet. Oh, and it is pouring rain. And has been for the last hour or so.

So we head back towards the lodge. I'm also supposed to go to 'Lemur Island' today. But Fan says it's no good in the rain. And then? The rain stops and the sun comes out and it's 12:15. So all the tourists are at lunch and Fan says that I need to go to Lemur Island. Now.

I am literally the only faza there. I have been kinda dreading this part of the trip. It is going to be crowded and has slightly questionable practices. It started nobely - taking in lemurs who couldn't go back into the wild. Now? It's more petting zoo. 

I meet my guide for Lemur Island and I make it clear: I don't want to encourage lemurs to jump on me, I don't want to touch them, and I will practice Manatee Rules: you can't touch them, but if they touch you, it's cool. 

Our first encounter: a family of black and white ruffed. Mama and baby are curled up asleep, but Papa is all up in our business. He reaches out and tries to grab my arm. I nearly die.

The we meet my beloved Common Browns. They are the most habituated lemur on the island. And yes, they will jump right on to your shoulder. I vowed. VOWED. To not take a lemur selfie. But there it is. I couldn't help myself. I'm sorry. This handsome devil followed me all through the island until...

I get the special tour. My guide brings me to the edge of the island, which overlooks the other island that people don't get to go to. That's where they have Bamboo Lemur, Diademed, and... RED FUCKING RUFFED. I am happily taking pictures from across the way when he tells me to stay put. I do. 10 minutes later? He paddles up in a canoe and tells me to get in. And we paddle to the other island.

Now. I don't leave the canoe, and I sure as shit don't even attempt to touch the lemurs there. But I get within inches of Bamboo Lemur, Diademed, and Red Ruffed. And in some crazy miracle no other tourist arrives while I am there. It starts pouring rain again so we paddle back to the dock, I depart, tip my guide well, and head back to the lodge for lunch.

After lunch I decide to go explore the lodge property. I set off with just my camera. Leave my phone behind. No water. 

I start wandering and see a sign in French and I follow. It soon becomes apparent that no one has used this trail in some time. A normal person would turn back. Obviously all is well that ends well, but yeah, I won't be going on an impromptu hike into the woods for 2 hours without more than my camera.

I'm currently warming myself by the fire in the lodge. Munching on amazing Malagasy peanuts. Sipping on leftover wine. And feeling that usual bittersweetness that happens when I travel: I'm so ready to go home...but I also don't want to leave.