#Alexander Gunn

[thebutcher-5]

Tremors: Shrieker Island

Benvenuti o bentornati sul nostro blog. Nello scorso articolo abbiamo deciso di cambiare momentaneamente argomento e passare al mondo dei fumetti, continuando con la saga fantasy italiana che ormai conoscete bene, Kalya e per la precisione il volume 10. Dopo essere usciti dalla città gjaldest, Kalya e il suo gruppo continuano il loro viaggio ma Aridan è ferito e le sue condizioni si stanno…

[movie-magic]

CONFIRMED: It's David Corenswet as Superman / Clark Kent and Rachel Brosnahan as Lois Lane.

Siblings Alexander and Bill Skarsgard are on a "shortlist" to play the villain Lex Luthor.

Superman: Legacy is slated for release on July 11, 2025, and THR reported that Gunn wants to shoot at the start of 2024.

[whisperhillforo]

[romancomicsblog]

Who should play Batman in the DCU?

This is a question that I think no one really wants to answer.

After the success of Matt Reeves The Batman, Michael Keatons return to the role, Kevin Conroy's Death, and Ben Affleck leaving it, I think it is safe to say people have had enough Batman, and enough good takes of the character.

Even so, Andy Muschetti is currently set to direct The DCU's Brave and the Bold, which will show a new Batman, now older and with his son, Damian Wayne.

Recently a popular fancast surfaced of John Krasinski for the role, to some fans love and some fans dismay.

Personally, I don't think he was suited for Reed or for Bruce. I can see him more as a Green Lantern. But this did get my wheels turning, hopefully to do better. And I got some picks. But first, we need to answer a few questions.

What live action versions are we pulling from?

We want to pull key elements from different versions, but there are so many iterations Jesus.

I am not going to go into all of them, I'll stick with 3. But know that I am a fan of most iterations of The Batman.

Ben Affleck

Love him or hate him, Ben Affleck's Batman was memorable. Personally he has a lot of things I want to incorporate into our DCU Batman. For one, he is our older Batman. Our actor should be similar aged to Ben.

He is also a complete unit. After being Batman for so long, he has had to make himself more of a unit in order to properly take out foes.

This is also the best voice, suit, and fighting style I've seen for a live action Batman. The voice modulator works wonders.

I think Ben had a presence that made it clear he was a leader of the team, if not Thee leader. I want our Bruce to feel the same.

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson is a little weirdo. And I mean that in the best way.

This was the first time I think it was properly shown how uncomfortable it might be to be around such a presence as Batman. He is fear personified, and working with someone like that can and should be awkward.

Pattinson also took being Batman way too seriously, our Bruce should do the same. Batman's a religion to Bruce.

We need someone who can be a middle ground between these two as Batman.

Christian Bale

While those two perfected Batman, no one has done Bruce Wayne better than Bale.

Bale by far did the act of Bruce Wayne most convincingly. It is one of my favorite aspects of his films. We need someone who can pull off charming douchebag when needed, but slip back into dark loner.

Bale was also funny in a way Batman hasn't been in awhile. We need someone when comfortable be able to joke with Clark.

You can see why casting a Batman can be extremely difficult. Balancing all these characteristics are crucial to making it work.

What ethnicity is Bruce Wayne?

All iterations of Batman have been white.

Now, is there value in making him another ethnicity? Maybe. Making him a person of color could be part of why he doesn't trust the police and takes matters into his own hands. Perhaps maybe his parents being new money is why they are killed. Who is to say?

For now, I will say Batman can be any ethnicity.

Other Stipulations

The DCU Batman is confirmed to have a son, Damian Wayne. Assuming he has already raised Dick Grayson, Tim Drake and Jason Todd is already dead, this Batman has to be in their 50s. We're looking for an older actor.

George Clooney, Val Kilmer, Michael Keaton, Christian Bale, Robert Pattinson and Ben Affleck have all taken up the role, meaning we need a name. Someone who immediately you know, whether you like it or not. But we also need someone surprising.

We need someone who we can see doing this for awhile. At least 5-8 years. The DCU is just starting, so someone with longevity is a must.

He should probably be tall.

Finally, as always, someone not known for past superhero roles. Let's begin.

3. Jamie Dornan

Jamie Dornan may be the safest and most controversial choice for The Batman.

Like Pattinson before him, Dornan is known for playing the love interest in some pretty bad movies, but since has made a career for himself full of wins. Projects like Belfast, Barb and Star Go To Vista Del Mar and the Tourist proves Dornan has the acting chops for it.

He is a little younger than we would like, but he can play older, and looks a lot like a classic Bruce Wayne.

I have two main concerns for Dornan. One, would he be better off as a villain? In the DCU, he may make a fantastic Gotham City villain like Harvey Dent. But in the MCU, does he have the making of a fantastic Doctor Doom? I think so.

Finally, the character he plays in Fifty Shades of Grey is BASED on Edward Cullen, who was played by Robert Pattinson, our current Batman. The comparisons will be built in from the beginning, and we something fresh.

I think Dornan can kill it, but there's too much against him for him to be my main pick.

2. Bradley Cooper

Now I know what you're thinking, he's Rocket Raccoon!

Yes he is, but the Guardians movies are now finished. And unlike his teammates, Cooper doesn't really show his face when playing the character. In a way, he is oddly detached from Marvel.

He has also worked with James Gunn before, is currently producing Joker: Folie a Deux, and has an incredible career to back up him as a pick.

From American Sniper to Nightmare Alley to A Star is Born, Cooper consistently delivers. He can do suave, he can do loner, he can do troubled, and he can do comedy. I think he could be a spiritual successor to someone like Ben Affleck, and lead the Justice League in a way that feels natural.

He'd also be useful behind the camera, as he was the director of A Star is Born.

My biggest concern with Cooper is whether he would want to do it. One of the benefits of playing a raccoon is you get to work from a booth for maybe a few hours and you're done. This would be a commitment.

There also comes the question of whether Cooper is bigger than the role. We want people to be lost in the story, so finding an actor who convincingly be Batman is crucial. Cooper might be just a little too big for this.

Of my three, I think Cooper is the most likely to land the role, and that may be for the best.

1. Alexander Skarsgård

If we're looking for a surprising pick, with range, physicality, a name that is big but not bigger than the role, I give you: Alexander Skarsgård.

Known for roles in The Stand, Succession, The Northman and Infinity Pool, Skarsgård is one of those actors who is often forgotten but people are excited to see when he pops up.

He is a dramatic actor who can do funny, scary, and anything in between. He's played fantasy characters in The Stand, a billionaire asshole in Succession, and a warrior in The Northman, all praised. He has all the making of a great Batman.

He is classically handsome, and at 6'3, 46 years old, he is just in the age range we're looking for, and towers over most heroes.

He doesn't feel like any other Batman before him either, which will help us stay away from those comparison conversations.

I don't think there really is a perfect answer as to who should be the next Batman. But of all my options, Skarsgård makes the most sense. I could see him and David Corenswet leading the league for years to come.

Thank you for reading! If you'd like to support me, you can find my socials here!

[badmovieihave]

Bad movie I have Tv Classics It Has 14 TV episodes 7 Dragnet 1951 -1959 , 1 Burke's Law 1963-1966, 2 Peter Gunn 1958-1961, 2 Richard Diamond 1957-1960, 1 Mr.Wong, Detective 1938, and 1 Bulldog Drummond 1929

[camyfilms]

LOVE AND THUNDER 2022

It feels more like a promise than a curse. So, this is my vow: all gods will die.

[camo-wolf]

[gameofthunder66]

-watched 2/21/2023- 3 stars- on Disney+

Silly Story! Good Ending!

As some already know, never skip watching any of the credits in Marvel Movies because you will miss seeing good parts leading up their next movies.

n Movies watched in 2022: Thor Love and Thunder

[dweemeister]

Whenever you feel alone, just remember that those kings will always be there to guide you. And so will I.

Born to a turbulent family on a Mississippi farm, James Earl Jones passed away today. He was ninety-three years old. Abandoned by his parents as a child and raised by a racist grandmother (although he later reconciled with his actor father and performed alongside him as an adult), the trauma of his childhood developed into a stutter that followed him through his primary school years – sometimes, his stutter was so debilitating, he could not speak at all. In high school, Jones found in an English teacher someone who found in him a talent for written expression, and encouraged him to write and recite poetry in class. He overcame his stutter by graduation, although the effects of it carried over for the remainder of his life.

Jones' most accomplished roles may have been on the Broadway stage, where he won three Tonys (twice winning Best Actor in a Play for originating the lead roles in 1969's The Great White Hope by Howard Sackler and 1987's Fences by August Wilson) and was considered one of the best Shakespearean actors of his time.

But his contributions to cinema left an impact on audiences, too. Jones received an Honorary Academy Award alongside makeup artist Dick Smith (1972's The Godfather, 1984's Amadeus) in 2011. From the end of Hollywood's Golden Age to the dawn of the summer Hollywood blockbuster in the 1970s to the present, Jones' presence – and his basso profundo voice – could scarcely be ignored. Though he could not sing like Paul Robeson nor had the looks of Sidney Poitier, his presence and command put him in league of both of his acting predecessors.

Ten of the films James Earl Jones appeared in, whether in-person or voice acting, follow (left-right, descending):

Dr. Strangelove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb (1964) – directed by Stanley Kubrick; also starring Peter Sellers, George C. Scott, Sterling Hayden, Keenan Wynn, and Slim Pickens

The Great White Hope (1970) – directed by Martin Ritt; also starring Jane Alexander, Chester Morris, Hal Holbrook Beah Richards, and Moses Gunn

Star Wars saga (1977-2019; A New Hope pictured) – multiple directors, as the voice of Darth Vader, also starring Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford, Carrie Fisher, Peter Cushing, Alec Guinness, Billy Dee Williams, Anthony Daniels, David Prowse, Kenny Baker, Peter Mayhew, and Frank Oz

Claudine (1974) – directed by John Berry; also starring Diahann Carroll, Lawrence Hilton-Jacobs, and Tamu Blackwell

Conan the Barbarian (1982) – directed by John Milius; also starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman, Ben Davidson, Cassandra Gaviola, Gerry Lopez, Mako, Valerie Quennessen, William Smith, and Max von Sydow

Coming to America series (1988 and 2021; original pictured) – multiple directors; also starring Eddie Murphy, Arsenio Hall, John Amos, Madge Sinclair, Shari Headley, Jermaine Fowler, Leslie Jones, Tracy Morgan, and KiKi Layne

The Hunt for Red October (1990) – directed by John McTiernan; also starring Sean Connery, Alec Baldwin, Scott Glenn, and Sam Neill

The Sandlot (1993) – directed by David Mickey Evans; also staring Tom Guiry, Mike Vitar, Patrick Renna, Chauncey Leopardi, Marty York, Brandon Adams, Grant Gelt, Shane Obedzinski, Victor DiMattia, Denis Leary, and Karen Allen

The Lion King (1994) – directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, as the voice of Mufasa; also starring Jonathan Taylor Thomas, Matthew Broderick, Jeremy Irons, Moira Kelly, Niketa Calame, Ernie Sabella, Nathan Lane, and Robert Guillaume, Rowan Atkinson, Whoopi Goldberg, Cheech Marin, Jim Cummings, and Madge Sinclair

Field of Dreams (1989) – directed by Phil Alden Robinson; also starring Kevin Costner, Amy Madigan, Ray Liotta, and Burt Lancaster

[broadwaydivastournament]

The Finale: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert

At long last, someone has uploaded the full Stephen Sondheim 80th Birthday Concert in 1080p so that we can worship properly. You too can watch it at the link above.

Sondheim celebrated his 80th birthday at Lincoln Center with a truly jaw-dropping cast of Broadway legends on March 15 and 16 in 2010. Though he would go on to celebrate many more birthdays, no other event would ever be more sublime than this.

Directed by Lonny Price, conducted by Paul Gemingnani, and hosted by David Hyde Pierce, the event featured Karen Olivo, Alexander Gemignani, Jason Danieley, Victoria Clark, Nathan Gunn, John McMartin, Chip Zien, Joanna Gleason, Jim Walton, Mandy Patinkin, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris, Laura Benanti, all accompanied by the New York Philharmonic.

And as a grand finale, the Ladies in Red: Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Bernadette Peters, Elaine Stritch, Donna Murphy, and Marin Mazzie, all Sondheim leading ladies who gave one iconic performance after another.

Victoria Clark ("Don't Laugh") Marin Mazzie & Jason Danieley ("We're Gonna Be All Right") Joanna Gleason & Chip Zien ("It Takes Two") Bernadette Peters & Mandy Patinkin ("Move On") Patti LuPone, George Hearn, Michael Cerveris ("A Little Priest") Patti LuPone ("The Ladies Who Lunch") Marin Mazzie ("Losing My Mind") Audra McDonald ("The Glamorous Life") Donna Murphy ("Could I Leave You?") Bernadette Peters ("Not a Day Goes By") Bonus: Elaine Stritch ("I'm Still Here")

[the-blue-fairie]

(Some of) The Greatest Performances I Have Ever Seen

Since @thealmightyemprex tagged me in that "share a piece of acting that blew you away" post and it got me thinking about the best performances I have ever seen. I've now compiled this list and I wanted to share it. @ariel-seagull-wings @themousefromfantasyland @piterelizabethdevries @courtneysmovieblog @vulpinesaint

Linda Manz in Out of the Blue

An open wound of a performance that, even after a second viewing, is difficult to discuss because it is so raw in its portrayal of the effects of trauma and its devastating, empathetic hopelessness.

Isabelle Adjani in Possession

Adjani is hypnotic here. You will not be able to rip your eyes away. Every moment she is onscreen, she locks you in place and you cannot help but watch in awe.

Sheryl Lee in Fire Walk with Me

If Roger Ebert were still alive, I would hunt him down for his dismissal of this film. If the original series is all about the audience realizing that Leland is actually BOB, this film is all about Laura realizing that BOB has always been Leland. Sheryl Lee is phenomenal.

Rebecca Smart in Celia

Possibly the greatest performance from a child actor I have ever seen, and emotionally devastating. One of the few films to truly understand childhood and the trauma of existing as a child in a world that treats you as less than.

If any film gets childhood, this one does. Please, please see this film.

Emily Watson in Breaking the Waves

Lars von Trier can go fuck himself, but I still connect deeply to Watson's performance here. Nakedly vulnerable, sensitive, and heartbreaking. And a better Passion of the Christ than Mel Gibson's fucking Passion of the Christ movie.

Maria Falconetti in The Passion of Joan of Arc

Speaking of better Passion narratives in film, Falconetti's face is etched into my soul, detailed in extreme close-up that captures every glint of tears in her eyes.

Ewa Froling in Fanny and Alexander

Emilie screaming in the night over Oskar's bier has haunted me for years, and yet it is only one moment in this richly multifaceted performance. Her composure and presentment over Christmas. The confusion, shock, and horror when Oskar first collapses. The intensity of sober grief as he is dying, followed by those screams that hollow out your soul. The relatability of looking for something stable after deep grief and thinking you've found it, only to realize you have been manipulated and fighting back. The cold, ruthless defiance of a woman breaking free of abuse. The... all of it.

Emilie is done dirty in the theatrical cut. If you can see the Television Version, I implore you to watch it.

Gunn Wållgren in Fanny and Alexander

Liza, you may say, are you just going to list off every performance in Fanny and Alexander? I may not go that far, but the next few on this list will all be performances from that film. It is my favorite, after all, and I reserve the right to gush about it.

I love Ingrid Bergman, but I'm glad that Wållgren got the role. She brings an aching warmth to the role of a matriarch passing from mask to mask as she holds her family together.

Bertil Guve in Fanny and Alexander

Alexander will be haunted by phantoms long after he has grown. Another incredible performance from a child actor that I have connected with for many years now.

Jan Malmsjö in Fanny and Alexander

I love Max Von Sydow (the role of the bishop was originally written with him in mind) but he could not do what Malmsjö does here. There's an almost genial charm to him that Sydow could pull off, I guess, but it would be different... less disarming, less chilling. The kindness that does not extend to his eyes, that betrays the affectation of kindness as just that - affectation. The way his hand, extended to caress Fanny's cheek, curls into a fist when she turns from him. With just a hand gesture, without a glance at his face, we know so much.

Irene Papas in Iphigenia

Greatest final shot of all time. I'm pretty sure Agamemnon knows he's a dead man in this retelling even as he's setting foot on the ship.

Laura Dern in Inland Empire

I Do Not Know what I witnessed but I Do Know I would watch Laura Dern acting in this for another three hours, and that is a testament to an arresting performance.

[scotianostra]

November 7th 1861 saw the death in Stromness of Isobel Gunn.

Isobel enrolled as a man in the Hudson’s Bay Company and was the first European woman to reach western Canada. She joined the service of Hudson Bay Company (HBC) in 1806 using her father’s name, John Fubbister.

Gunn quickly distinguished herself for her bravery. Her canoe treks and expeditions through the most remote stretches of Canada saw her traveling some 1,800 miles between remote trading posts. Hugh Heney, who led one of the brigades Gunn traveled with to Pembina, wrote that she “worked at anything and well like the rest of the men.” She even earned herself a pay rise for performing her duties “willingly and well.”

Although she disguised the fact that she was female at least one man knew of her true gender for she fell pregnant. On December 29, 1807, she excused herself from work at the Pembina trading post, citing stomach pains to Alexander Henry, who was the head of the post. She begged him to let her rest in his home by the fire. Henry’s journal takes up the story…..I returned to my room, where I had not been long before he sent one of my own people, requesting the favour of speaking with me. Accordingly, I stepped down to him, and was much surprised to find him extended out upon the hearth, uttering most dreadful lamentations; he stretched out his hand towards me and in a pitiful tone of voice begg’d my assistance, and requested I would take pity upon a poor helpless abandoned wretch, who was not of the sex I had every reason to suppose. But was an unfortunate Orkney girl pregnant and actually in childbirth, in saying this she opened her jacket and display’d to my view a pair of beautiful round white breasts.”

Henry’s journal continued: “In about an hour she was safely delivered of a fine boy and that same day she was conveyed home in my cariole, where she soon recovered.”

The name Gunn registered on the birth certificate? Hudson’s Bay laborer John Scarth, who she said had forced himself upon her.

This story is plausible. There are records to show that Scarth had been with Gunn at numerous HBC postings. Some historians say Gunn was trying to cover up an affair gone wrong; others believe she likely was taken advantage of by Scarth, who could have discovered her ruse as a man, and threatened to tell their employer.

Gunn and her child were returned to Scotland on the Prince of Wales on 20 September 1809. There, she lived in poverty, working as a stocking and mitten maker until her death.

[princesssarisa]

The Top 40 Most Popular Operas, Part 2 (#11 through #20)

A quick guide for newcomers to the genre, with links to online video recordings of complete performances, with English subtitles whenever possible.

Johann Strauss II's Die Fledermaus

The most famous Viennese operetta, a rollickling comedy set amid Vienna's high society.

Studio film, 1971 (Eberhard Wächter, Gundula Janowitz, Renate Holm, Waldemar Kmennt, Wolfgang Windgassen; conducted by Karl Böhm)

Mozart's Cosí Fan Tutte

A comedy of romantic partner-swapping, its cynical libretto juxtaposed with Mozarts sublime music.

Zürich Opera, 2009 (Malin Hartelius, Anna Bonitatibus, Javier Camarena, Ruben Drole, Martina Janková, Oliver Widmer; conducted by Franz Welser-Möst)

Verdi's Aida

The quintessential "grand opera": a tragedy of love vs. duty and country amid the pomp and pageantry of ancient Egypt, which inspired the Elton John/Tim Rice musical of the same name.

St. Margarethen Opera Festival, 2004 (Eszter Sümegi, Kostadin Andreev, Cornelia Helfricht, Igor Morosow; conducted by Josef Pancik)

Humperdinck's Hänsel & Gretel

The quintessential "children's opera," based on the classic fairy tale.

Studio film, 1981 (Brigitte Fassbaender, Edita Gruberova, Sena Jurinac, Hermann Prey, Helga Dernesch; conducted by Georg Solti)

Donizetti's L'Elisir d'Amore (The Elixir of Love)

A sweet romantic comedy in the Italian bel canto style.

Vienna State Opera, 2005 (Rolando Villazon, Anna Netrebko, Leo Nucci, Ildebrando d'Arcangelo; conducted by Alfred Eschwé)

Puccini's Turandot

A dark fairy tale of love and deadly riddles in ancient China: controversial in its Orientalism, but with thrilling music, including the ever-famous tenor aria "Nessun dorma."

Opera Hong Kong, 2018 (Oksana Dyka, Alfred Kim, Valeria Sepe, George Andguladze; conducted by Paolo Olmi)

Die Lustige Witwe (The Merry Widow)

Another iconic example of Viennese comic operetta.

Metropolitan Opera, 2014 (Renée Fleming, Nathan Gunn, Kelli O'Hara, Alek Shrader, Thomas Allen; conducted by Andrew Davis) (sung in English)

Act I, Act II, Act III

Tchaikovsky's Eugene Onegin

The most famous of all Russian operas, based on Alexander Pushkin's great verse novel of unrequited love.

Kirov Opera, 1984 (Sergei Leiferkus, Tatiana Novikova, Yuri Marusin, Larissa Diadkova; conducted by Yuri Temirkanov)

Verdi's Nabucco

The grand Biblical opera, based on the story of Nebuchadnezzar, that first launched Verdi to fame.

St. Margarethen Opera Festival, 2007 (Igor Morosow, Gabriella Morigi, Bruno Ribiero, Elisabeth Kulman, Simon Yang; conducted by Ernst Märzendorfer) (click CC for subtitles)

Rossini's La Cenerentola (Cinderella)

The world's most famous fairy tale reimagined as a "realistic" comedy of manners with sparkling bel canto music.

Studio film, 1981 (Frederica von Stade, Francisco Araiza, Paolo Montarsolo, Claudio Desderi, Paul Plishka; conducted by Claudio Abbado)

[datcloudboi]

List of Films Turning 20 Years Old in 2024

The Alamo (the one with Dennis Quaid)

Alexander ((the Alexander the Great biopic directed by Oliver Stone and starring Colin Farrell)

Alien vs. Predator

Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy

The Aviator (the Howard Hughes biopic directed by Martin Scorsese and starring Leo DiCaprio)

Barbershop 2: Back in Business

Before Sunset

Blade: Trinity

The Bourne Supremacy

The Butterfly Effect

Catwoman

Cellular (an action-thriller starring Kim Basinger and Chris Evans)

The Chronicles of Riddick

Closer

Collateral

Dawn of the Dead (the remake directed by Zack Snyder and written by James Gunn)

The Day After Tomorrow

Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story

Downfall

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind

Fahrenheit 9/11 (the Michael Moore documentary about how the Bush administration handled the aftermath of September 11, as well as their handling of the Invasion of Iraq)

50 First Dates

Finding Neverland (a biopic about J. M. Barrie, the guy who wrote “Peter Pan”. Barrie was played by Johnny Depp)

Friday Night Lights

Garden State

Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence

Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban

Hellboy

Hidalgo

Home on the Range (one of Disney's most often forgotten animated movies)

House of Flying Daggers

Howl's Moving Castle

I Heart Huckabees

I, Robot

The Incredibles

Kill Bill Volume 2

King Arthur (the one with Clive Owen)

The Ladykillers (the remake of the 1955 movie of the same name directed by the Coen Brothers)

Layer Cake (the first movie directed by Matthew Vaughn, who would go on to direct “Kick-Ass” and “Kingsman”)

The Life Aquatic With Steve Zissou

The Lion King 1 1/2

The Machinist (the movie where Christian Bale lost like 60 pounds)

The Manchurian Candidate (the remake of the movie of the same name starring Denzel Washington)

Mean Girls

Million Dollar Baby

Miracle

Napoleon Dynamite

National Treasure

The Notebook

Ocean's Twelve

The Passion of the Christ

The Phantom of the Opera

The Place Promised in Our Early Days (the first film directed by Makoto Shinkai)

The Polar Express

Primer ((the time travel movie where you sit in a box for 12 hours and be back in time 12 hours. I think.)

The Punisher (the Thomas Jane one)

Ray (the Ray Charles biopic)

Resident Evil: Apocalypse

Saw (the 1st one)

Scooby-Doo 2: Monster Unleashed

Seed of Chucky

Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events

Shaun of the Dead

Shrek 2

Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow

Spanglish

Spider-Man 2

The Spongebob Squarepants Movie

Team America: World Police

The Terminal

13 Going on 30

Troy

Van Helsing

The Village

[elwenyere]

Hello! The conversation about careening had me wondering--how do you like to do research for your stories? Are there any topics or sources you particularly enjoy delving into or including in your work?

Hello, my friend!!! What a wonderful ask: thank you for these great questions.

After reflecting, I think I could describe my process as having two general categories: as-needed research and broader worldbuilding research.

The first category is a part of almost every fic I write, and it involves things like sourcing locations, verifying timelines, tracking down character names, and (very often) looking up what it feels like to receive various injuries. If it's a Star Wars fic, at least one Wookiepedia visit is a given (the raw materials page is a frequent hit). And there are likely to be a few other general internet searches I repeat several times ("aviation terms," for example, or "New Orleans plant life," depending on the fic and fandom).

The second category covers the exploratory reading and viewing I do for fics that involve more worldbuilding because they extend further outside (or completely outside) canon. The Codywan Pirate AU has me doing all kinds of targeted searches for naval ranks and sailing ship terminology, for example, but I've also been browsing maritime museums for descriptions of what life on ships was like from day to day (look at this cool page about sailor libraries and sailing literature!) and for images that give me a visual sense of the environment. I also love looking at digitized resources through academic libraries. When @festiveferret and I were collaborating on Citation Needed, an MCU professor AU in which history prof Tony is writing a monograph about weapons development during WWII, I used the online special collections at University of Massachusetts - Amherst to learn what the primary documents (enlistment records, ration cards, etc.) featured in the fic would look like. (Ferret then did incredible edits for the epistolary portion of the fic: this post has the collected documents.)

In a couple cases it's actually been the research that has come first and inspired the fic. The initial ideas for Separation, for example, which is a Top Gun fic that leans into the context of the AIDS crisis in the 80s and 90s, came from prep that I'd been doing for a queer literature class, so I was listening to music by queer bands in the period, reading poetry and essays about queer life in NYC and San Francisco (including this piece that discusses Nan Goldin, Thom Gunn's The Man with Night Sweats, "The Fall of 1992" by Randall Mann, and Alexander Chee's essay "After Peter"), and watching the documentary How to Survive a Plague, about the ACT UP movement. Much of that research informed the choices I made in writing the fic, even if it doesn't all appear directly.

Finally, I should confess that I am pretty self-indulgent with my fic research: I spend a lot of time studying and tracking things down when it's a subject I find interesting and/or when having more information will allow me to texture the choices I'm making in ways I personally find compelling; but I am also very unfussed about leaving other things vague or about fudging some details in service of the story. It's not at all out of the ordinary for me to spend 30 minutes looking up the names of camera models that hit shelves in 1991 and then write a sentence that says "when he gets off the carrier in mid-July, he goes to the mall" without specifying which carrier or which mall, because I couldn't be bothered to figure out the military logistics involved. This is one of the joys of writing fic for me: freedom to pour energy into those areas where research helps get me closer to things I want to discover and describe.

Thank you again for the terrific asks, my friend!!! This was very fun to write. <3<3<3

[captain-price-unofficially]

Pvt. Alexander Gunn enjoys a cup of tea at the Australian Comforts Fund stall, Longueval, France, December 1916.