#I might possibly do a larger essay/post on this with scans if I can find the time...

[newx-menfan]

Thoughts on quentin quire?

I…like Morrison’s Quentin Quire. Every other representation of him is…meh in my opinion.

The reason for this is, is Morrison did some really genius things with the character.

I’ve talked in length on other posts about how Quire was meant to represent extremism and how relevant that is to current social issues. Morrison’s arc with both Magneto and Quire asks the question of: ‘Does sympathy matter when people do awful things?’

Some of the other things I really liked about Morrison’s Quire are:

He is a subversion of Kitty Pryde, in the fact that where Kitty is intellectually ahead of her peers, she is emotionally still a teenager in Claremont’s work-yet Kitty is oftentimes treated like an adult by the other X-Men. They often forget she’s still a child, which is why you have moments like Kitty getting upset with Storms costume change.

But usually Kitty is able to cope with the pressure of being treated as an adult.

In the beginning, Quire has the same issues: ahead of peers academically and intellectually but not emotionally. You have Xavier also essentially treating him like an adult. Where Kitty was able to handle that stress- Quire ISN’T. He caves under the pressure because while he is VERY intelligent-his choices are still being directed by emotions he doesn’t quite have a grip or understanding on.

I also think it’s impressive that as much as Quire builds up his actions being about Carnation’s death and the greater good; at the end it’s revealed to be about his own fears and insecurities, along with impressing the Cuckoos. With comic books still be considered ‘male oriented’, it’s kind of impressive that Morrison represents this as TOXIC.

We see the Cuckoos side of things and that it’s UNWANTED attention. Quire’s treatment of Tattoo isn’t shown to really be any better-he basically treats her as nothing more than a henchmen/sex object. Quire humiliates another student who he perceives as getting female attention and his actions are framed as awful. Quire IS held accountable for Sophie’s death and countless others injuries-which he should be.

While Quire’s insecurities are shown-they’re represented as UNDERSTANDABLE but not JUSTIFIABLE of his behavior.

Quire’s backstory has all the build up for SYMPATHY-but Morrison never really gives it that tone in his writing. If anything Morrison focuses on the waste of talent and pity. You pity Quire for falling into this useless rebellion solely for the sake to rebel vs. characters like Beak or Angel who manage to find meaning in their lives and learning to care for one another, despite going through horrible obstacles themselves.

In many ways I do think there is also the subtle commentary there on the Punk movement and how most 'movements’ more or less sell out. How things start with honorable intentions only to slowly become tainted by consumerism and power.

The problem I have with his other appearances-

Most writers feed into the very thing Morrison DIDN’T WANT: Quire to be sympathetic. Writers essentially put more focus on the sympathy angle and not the terrible things Quire did.

Where Morrison more or less deconstructed the: 'I’m misunderstood’ trope, other writers feed into it.

Morrison’s WHOLE story WAS essentially that neither Quire’s gifts nor his mistreatment justified treating others poorly-other writers COMPLETELY miss that because they either A) Identity with Quire’s misunderstood/unpopular label or B) think his antics are funny…so he for some reason…gets a pass?

The most irritating thing for me with it- is you could MAYBE justify Quire’s rehabilitation to me if he faced ACTUAL consequences for his actions. But he never really does! Pretty much ALL the adults give him a pass.

Then there’s the fact that Morrison’s Quire WOULD NEVER be able to believe in Xavier dream. Quire is far too logical to EVER believe humans and mutants could one day get along. Quire RELIES too heavily on logic and is a nihilist. At least with characters like David you can argue they’re at least hopeful and have a more futuristic way of thought; you can make sense of characters like Prodigy continuing to stay at Xavier’s even if logically he doesn’t always agree. Quire you don’t really have a good argument for WHY he would stay, except to be with his friends that he regularly drops or treats poorly…?

Plus, Quire LIKES having power; you see it with the way he uses his intelligence AGAINST people or even the way he uses his power. Much like Empath/Manuel De la Rocha-he does enjoy hurting people. For that to suddenly change or for him to be part of an organization promoting peace: again makes little sense. (Let’s be honest-Quire has A LOT of similarities to Empath: the difference is, is Empath is treated as a villain and Quire isn’t…)

Then there’s the whole Quire vs. Hellion thing and how writers often times utilize Julian for Quire’s benefit. The thing about this is, is it’s STILL playing into toxic beliefs. Julian is less sympathetic than Quire despite Julian’s actions NEVER leading to people dying, Julian having just as much of a sympathetic backstory, and Julian regularly SHOWN to have healthy dynamics with other women-because Julian fits into the Popular Male Chad type. Quire is sympathetic despite his extremism and questionable treatment of women: because he fits into the unpopular misunderstood smart guy trope.

Then there’s ALSO his relationship with Idie-who he STILL essentially treats the same as the Cuckoos. In Generation X he still feels entitled to be with Idie despite him being the one to regularly treat her terribly in WATXM. Idie being younger than him also comes off as potentially a bit creepy, considering his backstory: that he may be using the inequality for manipulation and control.

Even his relationship with Gwenpool-it starts from Quire REPEATEDLY putting her down for her personality, likes, and dislikes.

So yeah-I personally think writers stripped Morrison’s really well thought out character and a character we REALLY need at this point and time where we as a society are justifying this kind of awful behavior.

[earthstellar]

TFP Concept Essay: What if the bots had come to Earth and landed in Russia?

Almost a year ago, I posted about a jokey mental image of Ratchet having to wear a giant ushanka if they had landed in Russia because he’s an old bot and would be more prone to cold metal fatigue, but it got me thinking: 

What if the Cybertronians had made contact on Earth in Russia, and not the USA? 

Why Russia? 

Both continents would be appealing from a landing standpoint; The USA and Russia both cover a massive amount of land, so even without knowledge of human national borders, it’s safe to assume that the areas on the globe that would look the most appealing may very well be: 

-North American Continent

-Russia/Eastern Europe

-African Continent 

Now, without knowledge of human national borders, many other parts of Europe, South America, etc. may have also seemed like good options at first, Brazil and Mexico come to mind, but we need to establish what Cybertronians would be looking at in terms of terrain and population risk. 

We can assume that Cybertronians didn’t have prior information on the actual life, society, and general human construction on Earth because the bots (while they have been on Earth long enough to have at least cursory knowledge of humans) still act as though humanity is a bit novel to them.

 A lot of information would not have been available to them outside of Earth’s orbit or atmosphere, and by the time they were in atmosphere, a decision would have to be made quickly based on relative proximity and what data they could scan for within that possibly very limited amount of time.

Nevada, USA likely seemed appealing because it has mountainous and flat terrain in large swathes, with few largely inhabited areas especially near old nuclear testing sites (some radiation may have appeared on any scans they were capable of performing once in-atmosphere and that ambient radiation may have obscured the radiation that they themselves generate as we know sparks emit radioisotopes), making it a good option if they happened to wind up over North America and had to make a quick call. 

(All of this assumes that they had some control over where they landed; It may have been the situation that their ship was damaged enough that they just had to end up wherever they ended up, in which case, they just as easily could have wound up making contact in Russia anyway.) 

This isn’t to ignore the suggestion that Cybertronians had prior, ancient involvement with Earth in some capacity. In fact, that’s a big part of why I think Russia is a reasonable place for them to go. 

-We know Unicron’s energy was deposited into or directly forms the core of Earth. This is explained, albeit quickly, that at some point in Earth’s early history, when Unicron was expelled from Cybertron, his life force ended up on Earth. 

-Would Earth have still been Pangea at that time? What did the continental layout of Earth look like when Unicron’s energy nestled into the planet? 

-Assuming Unicron’s impact with Earth was not the meteor that killed the dinosaurs, which in the TFP universe it may well have been given the timeline of Cybertron relative to Earth, let’s instead assume continental drift had already occurred. 

-Russia is well known for perma-frost and preserved biological life in layers going back centuries. I have a great visual concept of Unicron’s dark energon appearing as purple or black layers of ice, settled unseen and unnoticed under the ground. 

-We also know energon is naturally occuring, in a crystalline, mineral like form. Just like Nevada, USA, many parts of Russia have a similar history of mineral mines and crystal mines, so the actual potential for energon crystals to grow is definitely equal if not arguably better in Russia as there is far more variety of geological conditions across Russia as a nation than there is across Nevada as a state. 

-To better explain the above idea, Czech could also be an energon deposit area, as we know Czech crystal and mineral mines are very successful which is why they are able to produce so much garnet, and even garnet of different varieties. Red garnet and the rarer black garnet. We can assume energon and dark energon would form crystals similar, but not exactly the same, and we know that Central and Eastern Europe have very good geological conditions for this already in real life! 

Compare red garnet with energon, and black garnet with dark energon; Similar structures but very different end results: 

Notice also how energon crystals seem to form in clusters like plain quartz, which is the second most abundant mineral in Earth’s crust: 

We can assume that because the crystal structures of quartz and energon are so similar, that energon may have the geological ability to thrive and be harvested from most areas on Earth in a similar fashion, so this doesn’t necessarily rule out other appealing continents/areas, either! 

But it’s not unreasonable to believe that when coming into atmosphere, the Cybertronian ship tech would likely pick up recognisable energy signatures before managing to process other purely Earth-native data. In doing so, they may notice concentrations of energon and dark energon in Central and Eastern Europe, or perhaps contaminated dark energon from Unicron’s initial contact with Earth within the terrain or perma-frost areas (where applicable), and decide to head towards those regions as fuel will be easier to find and closer to any base they might be able to establish. 

What if Decepticons land first? 

The above section also assumes the Autobots are the first to reach Earth; If the Decepticons were to arrive first, I have no doubt that they would head for any concentrations of dark energon as commanded by Megatron. Countries with larger land mass and older long-lived terrain may have a higher concentration than other areas.

For example, Florida would be a bad place for them to look for energon or dark energon deposits in the USA as the state isn’t that far above seawater and erosion is a huge problem, so there is likely very little dark energon concentrated in the actual land. No significant deposits would be found as there isn’t enough actual ground to contain all that much, compared to other places that may have mountains, hills, ice, valleys, etc. that may accumulate such materials over time significantly better and with higher concentration/overall quantity. This is why other peninsulas, islands, or coastal/water heavy areas like the Mediterranean or Holland may not be as appealing to the Decepticons.

Back to searching for the right spot...

Looking for a place to land, Central Europe, although with good crystal potential, may not look like as good of an option, due to population density that would become evident once better scans were available. Rural areas in a lot of Central European countries are still relatively small in comparison to slightly more north on the map, where rural Russian areas may afford larger spaces to work with, proximity to a wider range of supplies, afford a degree of secrecy, and there may be complexes or materials that could be easily stripped or repurposed that wouldn’t impact on native human life or communities/wouldn’t draw much attention. 

And remember what I said about radiated areas possibly affording cover for their own naturally emitted radioisotopes which may otherwise be detected by human instrumentation; Russia has a similar history of radiological site contamination to that in Nevada, USA-- And not just Chernobyl, which also irradiated Belarus as well as Ukraine, but there’s also Mayak/Kyshtym/Lake Karachay and the surrounding East Urals irradiation, among a few other sites. It might be an appealing factor for them to consider when choosing somewhere to land. 

(I don’t want to skim over the fact that people do live in the these affected areas; I highly suggest you research into this if you’re reading this and have never heard of those sites. There used to be a fundraiser for people living in and around Mayak as well as an awareness effort, but I’m unsure of where that link/website has gone. If I find it again, I will link it. For now, here is a documentary/interview series with local people; Please be aware it may be upsetting, but their voices deserve to be heard if you think you can handle it.) 

Once landed, they could also survey more, and consider their options. Russia has a lot of rural space in some areas, and plenty of very appealing abandoned sites that could possibly be converted into functional bases when supplemented with metal and other materials collected from other similar abandoned industry areas or factories etc., which would spare them the need to actually make their own; They could just re-use the raw material, whatever’s usable, and if necessary look for better cover. 

Russia has tons of biomes/terrain types: 

So they have options. We know in TFP that extreme cold does impact Cybertronians, so tundra and more northern arctic territory would be ruled out, but I can easily see them going for a rural abandoned industrial site in a forested area, which would provide significant visual cover, likely areas already cleared out by previous industry in a given area, and minimal chance of discovery by humans depending on specifically where they end up. 

How would Cybertronian-Human alliances go down? 

A big difference in approach to setting up a base would be the Russian government/forces, and the reaction to the Autobot arrival. 

In TFP, the bots work directly with the USA Air Force/Army, and the base seems to be primarily US Army operated. Their existence and the operations at their base may well be hidden from the wider USA Federal government for the most part at least, possibly using the already secretive clustered Nevada sites as a cover and making the Autobots something of an internal local operation or “quiet site”, which would fit what we see on screen generally speaking. We don’t really get a lot of clarification on this part of things.

But what would the reaction of the Russian government/Army be to discovering the Autobots? 

We know that Russian national forces are very, very capable of defending their air space. It’s unlikely if not impossible that a Cybertronian ship would go undetected or unnoticed, if not immediately then at least within. Seismic data is often monitored and reported as well, so the actual impact of landing may trigger an alert record to be sent to the relevant people, who can escalate those reports. 

Think about Japanese tsunami/earthquakes or West Coast USA earthquakes, and how quickly public alerts and operations are put underway, even before physical effects are felt. Most nations have at least some similar system in place, sometimes to detect earthquakes, others to detect suspected weapons impacts.

We can safely assume that even if they were remote and under as much cover as possible, it wouldn’t be long before Russian forces were involved, and therefore the Russian government. 

I won’t comment on the politics of other nations, although I am very open to hearing from Russian people about their take on this, but it is very possible that the initial engagement would go one of two ways: 

1) Defensive Conflict

2) Attempted Diplomatic Resolution 

I don’t believe conflict would be immediate, because of the sheer physical intimidation and surprise factors. Nobody expects to find giant robot aliens, and there may be immediate challenges surrounding basics like verbal communication (have the Autobots learned human language, in this case Russian, by the time of their discovery?) and so on. This may complicate first contact, as it would anywhere.  

I don’t know if resolution would be reached, as I think it’s likely that the Russian govt would like to weaponize or manipulate the Autobots, use them to intimidate other nations (”look, we have giant robot aliens”), or upon learning of the Russian government or after becoming more aware of the political/social mood amongst Russian citizens if they encounter any communities and perform low key intelligence gathering for a better idea of the local humans, seeing material conditions in some of these more rural areas, after obtaining historical or current socio-political data, etc., Optimus or others may simply decide they don’t wish to work with the government and attempt to peacefully decline, thus issuing diplomatic ultimatums (similar to the back and forth that occurs when trying to establish treaty agreements).

I’d like to note here that I think the Autobots likely had to have a similar discussion with the USA govt, as I think the US Army would have initially had a very similar thought process. I get the feeling Optimus made it clear he wouldn’t be manipulated and wouldn’t be caught up in other conflict(s)/fight human battles.

However, this would be their first experience with human government, as this would be their first contact. They may well assume that this is representative of how things work on Earth until they have the chance to learn otherwise, and in an attempt to be diplomatic, Optimus might cooperate until it becomes clear that it isn’t a good fit, and how the Russian government would handle the subsequent conversation would be anyone’s guess. (Again, Russian people, please tell me what you think!) 

Ultimately, either USA or Russian governments would likely want to at least not ruin diplomatic relations with a space-faring, seemingly extremely powerful alien species. Sometimes that’s what it comes down to, and that would be enough, although conflict could arise here and there, like when we see Agent Fowler have to defend the Autobots to his superiors. 

Episode / Scene Concepts

I have an excellent image of further down the line, however, where things are smoothed over or at least tenuously managed with the Russian govt (perhaps an allotted small autonomous zone for the bots to create their base in with minimal interference, under certain conditions)... There could be so much potential for some great episodes with human interaction with the bots. 

-A great episode of just creating the base, figuring out what’s around, gives us a look at where they are in Russia and who’s nearby, we could see some pretty beautiful shots of abandoned Soviet tech and sites being repurposed and revitalised (with Russian designs remaining evident in the final base construction, just with Cybertronian flair). Maybe within the Autobot Autonomous Zone we would even see locals engaging with the process after the initial shock...

I have an image of Ratchet arguing with an old Russian engineer, and it goes on for a while until the engineer explains to Ratchet that working with scarce resources in less than ideal conditions isn’t exactly new to them, and they might have some valuable tips for working under such conditions. Ratchet comes to respect the engineer after they work together to create a functional power network made from old factory components, a few turbines from an old textile workshop, power generators from abandoned Soviet sites, and power poles made from disused radar systems. 

They relate to each other after they get to talking while cleaning up the rest of the work, and it turns out both of them have similar concerns about the futures of their respective peoples, and have some degree of depression over what they feel they may have lost forever to political games and wars beyond their control, sharing some memories with each other. The engineer is their first local human ally. 

-Russian kids stumbling upon the bots! I’d love to see parallels to the American TFP kids. Miko from Yakutia would be the best, and I believe I talked about that with someone on here months ago. I still love the idea.

-Who would the Agent Fowler character be? He’s listed as being a US Army Ranger, and I’m not sure what the equivalent rank would be in the Russian Army. Google tells me that the equivalent would be a Spetsnaz role, but I am unfamiliar with Russian Army structure, or how personnel might be allocated to the proposed Autobot Autonomous Zone or “secret city” realistically. 

It would be good to get an episode where the Agent or equivalent character first meets the Autobots, and how expectations differ from reality. Maybe over time we see a crisis of conscious with this character, where they initially start out as keeping an eye on things for the government, but slowly become friends with the Autobots and wish to engage more genuinely with them and the other humans who may be involved. 

-An episode where Optimus realises they need to learn more about these humans to work with them more effectively, and sets everyone on tasks related to cultural reconnaissance. 

Optimus studies the literature and history of Russia, and has perhaps some spicy takes. Arcee goes on a drive and has fun going up and down hills in Vladivostok, then races a Trans-Siberian Railway train back and takes note of what the people inside the train are doing. Bulkhead explores cultural identity with Yakutian!Miko. 

Ratchet looks into human medicine and is fascinated by Russian folk medicine and goes on a rant about Soviet spa/sanitorium treatment programs. Ultra Magnus delves into Russian law and almost burns out his processor. Wheeljack explores some industrial sites and studies the detonation techniques of Russian construction workers, comparing their casual conversations to those between him and fellow Wreckers. 

Bumblebee finds an old radio station and uncovers some extremely good bops. Smokescreen discovers Russian dash cam videos and gets pulled over for trying to recreate one. 

Phew! Initial post done! 

There might be more in the future as I love this idea, but I’d equally love to hear from Russian TFP fans: What do you think? What episodes or scenes do you think would be fun or interesting? Is there anything you’d like to add or change? 

Please add whatever you’d like, and if anything I said above comes across as uninformed, I encourage you to correct me or pitch other ideas if you would be so kind as to take the time to do so. :) 

[mrmichaelchadler]

True/False 2019: Caballerango, American Factory, The Hottest August, Finding Frances

One of the best films at the festival, Juan Pablo González’s “Caballerango” captures spare haunted moments in Milpillas, a rural Mexican village that has been reeling from a series of suicides. A horse vacantly stares in the camera. A woman pulls the skin off chicken legs. Two men have a sprinting contest while a group places bets. People work while the world changes around them. The landscape remains the same.

These scenes have an indefinably eerie quality that stems from González’s choice to make his camera as invisible as possible. He lingers on events longer than most filmmakers, illustrating the passage of time as much as the action in the frame. He interviews people discussing the various losses that have affected them and their community—a son’s suicide, his sister’s miscarriage, his brother’s friends’ deaths—but the focus in “Caballerango” remains productively unstable. The suicides are treated as individual tragedies while also serving as microcosms for the economic deterioration in the area, an avenue that González would rather gesture towards than didactically explore.

González employs a creative rhythmic strategy to communicate his empathy towards the Milpillas community. He conditions his audience to observe the mundane at length, to “experience the frame instead of someone editing,” as he explained in Filmmaker Magazine to describe his short film “The Solitude of Memory.” Thus, when the unexpected invades the frame, it engenders surprise or awe, like a late-night vigil that stalks the streets. It’s an attempt to inure the audience into the pace of life in Milpillas while also demonstrating how ghosts, metaphoric and literal, permanently disrupt everyday lives. The spectral drives “Caballerango” while the people themselves reside at its center.

“American Factory”

Netflix bought Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s “American Factory” for under $3 million following its world premiere at Sundance earlier this year. This might be a drop in the bucket for a streaming service that essentially prints its own money, but it still ostensibly represents a belief that a documentary about a Chinese-owned car-glass manufacturing company in Dayton, Ohio can garner a sizable audience on their platform. Given that the film directly engages with Recession-sourced working class plight, unionization in face of indifferent corporate superstructures, and the difficulties of reconciling different cultures during the height of globalization, Netflix might have made a good bet.

In 2014, Chinese billionaire Cao Dewang opens up a Fuyao manufacturing plant in Dayton. For the locals, this represents a bright new opportunity, especially after General Motors shuttered their factory in 2008. At first, “American Factory” focuses on the humorous side of the culture clash: the Chinese workers, transplanted from the safety of their homes and families, learn about the nuances of their American peers in classroom settings, while the Americans deal with the Chinese workers’ hyper-detail-focused nature and staunch work ethic on the job. Yet, tensions quickly escalate as Chinese management become frustrated with their American counterparts as well as the country’s labor laws. Lax safety standards and the looming threat of automation spark union talks amongst the workers, which erodes all previous good will. The film becomes a chronicle of the age-old war between labor and management, only this time with easily drawn global implications vis-à-vis Chinese economic control and America’s bleak manufacturing future. The metaphors invent themselves when you’re watching irreconcilable worldviews engage with each other in real time.

Bognar and Reichert’s film maneuvers between different tones at ease. It’s a fish-out-of-water comedy one moment and a searing indictment of hellacious corporate practices the next. This casual tonal shifts allows the film’s truly horrifying moments to pop, like when an American supervisor tells his Chinese peer that he wishes he could tape his workers’ mouths shut so they wouldn’t talk as much on the job, or Dewang’s underlings expressing disbelief at the idea of Americans not working weekends. There’s probably one too many threads at play in the film, but even the most digressive elements contribute to a modern portrait of American labor fighting upwind against a culture that has all but abandoned them.

What keeps me from wholly embracing “American Factory” lies in Bognar and Reichert’s macro-structural decision to provide everyone, from the factory workers to Dewang himself, an equal platform. On paper, the choice is sound, a necessary step to providing a full picture, but when the film shifts focus to the unionization efforts, it occasionally scans as a blatant attempt for obvious villains to save face. Bognar and Reichert provide a steady, neutral presence, which obviously helps with access and trust, but their inability to express a strong critical viewpoint becomes a liability. Everyone is human, yes, but when certain individuals have the expressed goal of continually putting workers in harm’s way to save a buck, maybe some are more human than others. 

I walked out of “American Factory” thinking that no one could possibly watch that film and come away believing that unions are anything less than a necessity. Sure enough, two people behind me were talking about how unions “made sense for a time,” but they ultimately bred laziness and stifled innovation. I don’t for a second doubt Bognar and Reichert’s intentions, but because “American Factory” plays to all time zones, it will inevitably confirm whatever pre-conceived biases you already hold. Granted, it’s not the job of “American Factory” to change minds, but at some point, the choice not to take a tougher political stance weakens the film.

“The Hottest August”

Brett Story’s “The Hottest August” technically focuses on the dark specter of the impending global climate disaster through the voices of New Yorkers over the span of a month, but its larger aim is to encapsulate the sense of dread that currently permeates the world. In August 2017, Story traveled across all five boroughs, either going to a specific event in the city or posting up at a single location, to film conversations about “the future.” Different anxieties fill the air—economic, social, racial, political—and the testimonies directly engage with the ineffable sense of catastrophe that feels like it’s lurking around the corner. Sometimes the responses are measured while others are tossed off. Trump’s recent inauguration hangs over the city, not to mention the violent aftermath of Unite the Right rally as well as the solar eclipse, which Story uses as a structural bookend. In between these interviews, actress Clare Coulter provides clinical, semi-otherworldly narration; she reads excerpts from Marx, Zadie Smith, and a “New Yorker” essay by Annie Dillard. Story’s film scans as a long-form exploration of the most chilling line from Paul Schrader’s “First Reformed”: “This social system isn’t built for multiple crises.”

Story and her editor Nels Bangerter visually and aurally communicate the low-grade terror that now fills our lives quite effectively. “The Hottest August” is freewheeling by its very nature, jumping from topic to topic similar to Story’s borough hopping. The collective fear, and the ways in which it’s expressed, mostly keeps the interviews connected. It’s how a young college graduate worried about job prospects can feel in line with middle-aged Staten Island bar patrons discussing racism, even if the expressed anxieties are diametrically opposed. Story lets her subjects talk freely and jumps in to further the conversation or question the answers. (The best example might be when she questions an art collecting hedge fund manager about the value of capitalism.) She encounters these New Yorkers at a critical point, and while all are self-aware about the respective despair, none feel particularly hopeless. Systemic collapse doesn’t necessarily crush individual hope.

Story clearly reverse-engineered “The Hottest August” from the numerous interviews she conducted, and though that’s a valid creative strategy, the project feels unproductively diffuse at times. It lives and dies by the charisma of her subjects, which vary wildly, and certain participants, like a futurist performance artist, just simply aren’t engaging enough to justify the time spent with them. I couldn’t help but wonder if the film would have a stronger impact on me if the scope were limited exclusively to climate change. At the same time, “The Hottest August” succeeds as a portrait of New York in crisis and I can easily see myself coming around to certain digressive elements on a second viewing. It’s a colossal film, one that I predict will be major if distributed, that bottles up our depressing zeitgeist with maximum insight, and yet I still felt underwhelmed. Maybe just living in this culture will do that to you sometimes. 

“Finding Frances”

Though it never occurred to me when it was airing, “Nathan For You,” the satirical docu-reality series co-created by and starring comedian Nathan Fielder, is a perfect fit for True/False. Fielder’s elaborate, counterintuitive marketing proposals for struggling businesses—offering a gas station rebate that’s almost impossible to claim; exploiting the fair use doctrine to rebrand a struggling coffee shop as Dumb Starbucks; using a theatrical construct to help a dive bar get around a smoking ban—always straddled the line between performance art and non-fiction storytelling. Fielder and his team employed many of the principles of documentary filmmaking to pull off their stunts, finding humor in the gaps between their noble-but-misguided intentions and the participants’ willingness to go along with them. “Nathan For You” raises many of the standard philosophical and ethical questions that “serious” documentarians grapple with during their own projects, plus some legal ones as well. (A friend pointed out that Fielder must have kept Comedy Central’s legal team very busy over the course of the series.) All of these qualities make “Nathan For You” pure, unfettered True/False bait.

I won’t restate the plot of “Nathan For You’s” brilliant series finale “Finding Frances” in this space; it’s readily available to stream and you can read multiple recaps or reviews if you wish, including one penned by Errol Morris. However, I will say that watching the film/episode (I’m not getting into this debate) in the Missouri Theatre, where all 1,200 seats were filled with either Fielder acolytes or curious newcomers, was a genuine event. In retrospect, it was a perfect fit for the festival: an audacious crowd-pleaser that not only pushes Fielder’s project to its limit but also vibes neatly with the rest of the programming lineup. It’s no surprise that True/False has apparently been trying to get Fielder to come out to Columbia for some time. Sure enough, the crowd treated Fielder like a rock star when he arrived for the Q&A (the guy sitting next to me jumped to his feet and screamed as if Mick Jagger strolled across the stage). He answered multiple questions in his wonderful deadpan cadence and screened some deleted scenes for the audience. “Finding Frances” illustrates that True/False can indulge in its populist side without abandoning its principles. 

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[hettiedaveyyear4comdes]

BA (Hons) Communication Design - Reflective Statement

Formative / Summative Assessment

Session 2018 / 2019

Comment on your personal development in the following categories:

Continue on a separate sheet if necessary

1. Knowledge and Understanding

From the end of third year to this assessment point in fourth year, I feel that my knowledge and understanding has developed but not in the rate that I think it should. My knowledge of particular contemporary practices has grown and I feel that I am actively seeking out new research and creatives that I can gain knowledge from. Previously I think I was more passive in my approach in that I would use research as a visual guide and not pick it apart and be critical and form and understanding. Where as now taking on a larger research topic in DH+T I feel that I have transferred the analytical mindset and applied to how I approach finding research for my projects. It means that I have actively gained knowledge into how photographers approach self negotiated projects from looking at a much wider range of sources. I think that this kicked in during Paris photo when I switched over from my essay to focusing on studio more.

 Knowledge and understanding as I see it, is in two chunks for photography com des students as we have practical knowledge that we expand and then also historical, theoretical, cultural and professional contexts too. In terms of the first I feel that my practical skills have developed but I also have missed opportunities to further my knowledge. Learning 4x5 was a learning outcome that we all had to complete but it is something that I feel comfortable with and confident doing. In third year lighting in the studio I would never have planned or even done myself almost relying on more knowledgeable peers to assist and do this for me. From the Body project I have learn and experimented with set lighting, flash syncing and photographic studio practice on my own. This also meant I was alone in directing and working with a model, from forcing myself to complete everything just by myself meant I have expanded my knowledge and confidence so much more. I think however on a practical level my colour management is really lacking in understanding – this is something I want to address with ross and learn so that my printing and post production isn’t so weak and haphazard

In terms of theoretical, cultural, historical knowledge I think I haven’t had ample space enough to start sinking my teeth into the cultural and historical side of many of the research and sources that I investigate, and that moving forward to contextualize things in this way I think would help my understanding grow and enable me to apply more consideration to my own project work.

 2. Applied Knowledge and Understanding

When it comes to applying the knowledge I have learnt from the first phase of projects, I think that I am yet to demonstrate this. As most of the self initiated work I’m generating is in the very speculative stages and that a start on producing work is going to be vital to showing the application of knowledge. I am trying much harder to interrogate sources and research a lot more so that I can cherry pick from other photographers practices to build my own unique visual language. From learning and finding out about Colin Grays film stock for his project on his parents, small bits of knowledge like this I aim to apply later on in my southeast England based project.

I know however that is not just small details and copying from others, I have learnt to apply some of the ethical thinking that has been brought to attention during crits and peer reviews. I have begun understanding the problematic implications that can lead to exploitation and misrepresentation in images and applying this knowledge before generating my own work, knowing what to avoid, but possibly pre-determining where issues might arise 

As with many of my peers will probably say but the body project has been a great opportunity to show the application of the knowledge we have all learnt. However going forward I think I need to push myself more to learn from and apply a wider range of techniques, and understanding from all the different research I come across. Instead of just using the same method that I have before. Further experimentation of learning, applying and reflecting on a broader range of practical skills, conceptual ideas I think will help me to refine and hone a way of using my photography as a visual language and communicative tool.

3. Professional Practice: Communication, Presentation, Working with Others

Professional practice is most likely where I am harshest with myself. I see it as I have no professional or commercial experience therefore my practicing skill set is dramatically delayed and diminished in comparison to everyone. However I have started to learn that other ways of working demonstrate a professionalism. Risk Assessments for photographers and those working in this field is important, as im looking to carry out my two self negotiated projects off site and in dangerous weather conditions or volatile political situations that creating these risk assessments will be highly important, However though I know what to include I would like some guidance on what else gets included.

My presentational skills in terms of print and final outcomes I feel lacks understanding. I want to improve this, in learning colour management, avoidance of muddy prints. But also learning what is possible with presentation of photography. I think my knowledge is limited and that knowing more ways to present will encourage me to practice more professional ways of showing and exhibiting work.

I think that my communication and working with others over each year of being at GSA and from specializing has grown each time. I feel that with my peers I’m able to communicate and work extremely well with them, I often try now, instead of just complimenting work, try draw more reflection out of others, ask them questions leading to critical analysis and subsequent development. I think this is a useful skill, being inquisitive, to carry forward into a professional format, as I aim to work in team lead environments, learning not to be a passenger in tutorials will translate later on as being an active participator.

For discussion at your feedback tutorial

Identify 3 areas of your design process that that you feel you need to improve on,

and briefly say why:

General technical practice. I think to get to image generation up to scratch. I feel at times I am all the gear and no idea in how to exploit it to its full potential! Parts of my image making process is there but I feel there are gaps missing and this is when the context and ideas I am trying to communicate through my work fails as it can get past these failures. So things such as – post production on files, negative scanning, colour balancing, print quality.

A deeper interrogation of sources. I think I need to start to really pick apart each of my links and pieces of research. Digest it, reproduce it and reflect on it so that I can gain all the understanding and knowledge possible. This is stuff from individual photographers to my own ideas generated from gathered research. 

I think my presentation could be stronger and refined so that again it helps communicate my ideas, messages and aims to an audience instead of obscuring or detracting. Being able to present well adds another tool to my kit that I can use to communicate through a visual language. 

Student Signature: __________________________________________       Date: ___3.12.18____________

[animationresearchreport]

Continuing from the previous post

Choosing a topic 

Your final research report should represent the gathering of weeks of work. Decide the right topic. Must be something you’re genuinely interested in but also be realistic. Enough information available for you to produce a 5000 word report on this topic? Will it feed into your studio practice in some way? Is your topic appropriate for an academic paper?

Advice- ‘If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants.’ Sir Isaac Newton, in a letter to Robert Hooke, 1676.               Your report must be the product of research- ‘It may be tempting to avoid the use of another person’s work altogether. However, this is unadvisable.  Even though you will have your own hypothesis and opinions on a topic, it is essential to back up your positioning with factual findings or research from experts.’ (London School of Marketing, 2015). 

Particularly important if you take a strong or controversial stance on a topic. Take care not to make sweeping statements or generalisations with no evidence, e.g.:‘Disney fairy tales are propaganda for the patriarchy’. INSTEAD if you can find a credible source in which these opinions are stated, you can cite this source to back up your own ideas, e.g. Zipes (2011) argues that Disney’s fairy tales ‘impose’ a vision of ‘the better life’ on their audience, thus reinforcing stereotypes and helping to maintain the patriarchal order. You may have a fantastic theory, argument or idea – if so, you need to find out if someone else has already thought it. (And, if they have, give them credit through the Harvard referencing system) https://net.nua.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=327 Don’t miss out important theories, developments, practitioners, an understanding of history associated with your topic.

Harvard Referencing 

‘Many students do not fully understand why [their research report] needs to be referenced. The answer is two-fold. For one, anyone who has come up with an original thought or piece of research deserves credit for it. Secondly, it is important to you and your career to avoid any claims of plagiarism.’ (London School of Marketing Blog, 2015).                                Conducting Harvard referencing makes your work seem more credible and academic research for your report.                                                       Basically the essay will contribute to a larger body of existing work so show your awareness for it and be respectful of the people who created it. It demonstrates the scope of your reading, viewing and listening around a particular topic. (How would you feel if someone based their paper on your work… and gave you no credit for it?)

Harvard has 3 stages, Citation, Reference and Bibliography:

Citation- A CITATION appears within the main text of your writing and enables a reader to find the source of the information you are presenting. It’s a shortened form of the REFERENCE that appears in your BIBLIOGRAPHY.                                                                                                  And it comes in 3 varieties- According to McKee (1997) the best characters are complex. The best characters are complex (McKee, 1997). ‘Shallow, non-dimensional people exist… but they are boring.’ (Mckee,1997, p. 103)                                                                                          If you quote a source directly, i.e. word for word you need to place the quotation inside quote or speech marks (and give a page reference if it’s from a print source). Very long quotes are not a good idea – it’s far better to process the information you’ve discovered and then produce your own.  For a summary there is no need for quote or speech marks as you summarises information in your own words. Does not mean copying and pasting the original text – then changing a few key words. Must still be cited! i.e. (McKee, 1997) 

Reference- This is a record of the material you have consulted. The citation is drawn from this reference. Eg. McKee, R (1997) Story: Substance, Structure, Style and the Principles of Screenwriting. New York: Harper-Collins- (McKee, 1997, p.103)                                                 Depends on what type of media but Eg. PRINT BOOKS: 1. Author name 2. Date of publication of YOUR COPY (not necessarily the original date of publication) 3. Edition (only mention if not the 1st) 4. Place of publication (CITY, not COUNTRY) 5. Name of publishing house  FILMS- TITLE-YEAR OF RELEASE-DIRECTOR-COUNTRY OF  PRODUCTION-NAME OF PRODUCTION COMPANY-TYPE OF MEDIA, I.E. [DVD]

Bibliography- is a list of your references, in alphabetical order by (preferably) author surname or (in the case of films, TV shows, and several websites) title. Don’t separate into categories (i.e. films, books, podcasts): the Harvard style is a single list [and information in square brackets lets the reader know what type of media you’re referring to]. The important thing is that the reader can use the citation to find the reference (as easily as possible) in your bibliography. A couple of links Lynsey gave to help out https://net.nua.ac.uk/wiki/library:harvard_referencing https://net.nua.ac.uk/mod/page/view.php?id=319

Primary research

Types and examples of evidence needed:

-Online surveys or questionnaires- Screenshots with full transcription of questions and answers

-Interview by email or questions asked on social media- Screenshots or full transcription; date of interview

-Interview carried out in person- Must be recorded and typed up (full transcript submitted in appendix); date of interview

Also

-Watch films, documentaries, director interviews; listen to podcasts or radio broadcasts -Read magazines/journals (online or archived in libraries) -Visit the library (NUA students can have a reader pass for the UEA library, and you can also join the Forum library) -Use Google Scholar to help you search the web for academic material (http://mashable.com/2014/12/03/google-scholar-guide/%234y1y75YpyiqS). -Visit art galleries, exhibitions, film festivals

TASK

You now have 3 minutes… To make a list of anything and everything you find interesting. We retain (and understand) information more easily when it’s interesting. Now go through your list again and put a mark by anything that might possibly link to animation. Put another mark by anything that specifically links to your own animation practice. 

Another quick task is noting down some of the reasons you chose this course, why you’re interested in animation, and what you’re hoping to do in the future. Include the names of any films or animators or other visual artists who inspire you. What has been your favourite part of the course so far? 

Over the next two weeks: Spend time thinking about potential topics for your research report and come to your individual tutorial with notes. You can change your idea later on as ideas/interests can, and do, change/develop. 

Project

Your final research report in BA3a must include:

A cover page

An abstract

A table of contents

A table of illustrations (if your work is illustrated)

An introduction

The body of the report (divided into chapters)

A conclusion

And may include appendices if you have supporting evidence you need to include

For this project (BA2b) you must submit:

An essay question/title (can be refined later on)

A table of contents (a list of chapter headings that you propose to write about in the final report)

A draft of chapter one (edited and proofread, with Harvard citations in place)

A bibliography of sources used, and sources you plan to use (Harvard style)

Chapters

Most standard reports (5000 words) have 3 to 6 chapters. Chapters can be different lengths. Give each chapter a heading (this also helps you stay focused on relevant information). In your chapter plan you need to show an element of antithesis within your report proposal.

Present your argument (the thesis) Consider the opposite view (the antithesis) Combine and compare the two (the synthesis = the conclusion of your essay)

The best reports are always…

Based on a subject the author is genuinely interested in

Planned carefully – in plenty of time

Submitted for feedback (several times)

Written by students who attend their tutorials

Redrafted as many times as needed

Supported with strong visuals

Questioning, analysing, evaluating

Critical Thinking

Whichever type of report you choose it’s important to take a questioning approach. Imagine you’re writing your paper for a future animation student. What makes it relevant, important or useful for that student to read?

3 stages of critical thinking- Describing (who, what, where, when). Analysing (how, why?). Evaluating (so what? What next?).

Or even think in these terms: Past (origins, evolution, timeline of key events). Present (anything topical in the news?). Future (how might things develop/change?).

Use the 2-page technique- more info on powerpoint if needed.

Writing a research question- If you come up with ideas for a title/question, I can help you refine it. Consider a short sharp title for impact, followed by a subtitle that’s more explanatory. Keep your research question in mind as you’re writing (but be open to altering/refining the question as your research progresses).

A research report should be based on your investigative research. However… once you’ve done the research, your own informed opinion is very important. You’re the one who chooses how to shape and present that research. In fact, it’s the reason you’re writing it: to add your own voice to the body of existing work on this topic.

Keep a note of your sources

Do this as you go along (you will save yourself a lot of time and trouble). For web sources you need the date you accessed the site, as well as the title of the page, the URL, the author (if known), the date of publication/uploading. For print books make a note of the page reference of anything you might be quoting directly (especially if you’re using library books…) It can help to scan or photograph the copyright page.

Take a photo or scan the copyright page of any print books you use (see example on powerpoint).

TASK- Speed research: what can you learn in 30 minutes? Our group had JEWELLERY. I found a Peter Hinks book on nineteenth century jewellery with information such as gold was a source of metal and only by melting old jewellery it could be used. 

Prepare for your first tutorial

Choose a potential topic (or topics).

Use the 2-page technique: things you know already on page 1; things you need/want to find out on page 2 (including ways you might do that).

Be able to explain how this topic links to your own animation practice, or future intentions.

I need to see written evidence of the research you have conducted so far (whether handwritten or typed notes, or entries on your research blog)

Abstract

No need to worry about this for BA2b, but when you come to write your final report next year you’ll need to include something called an ‘abstract’. An abstract is a short summary that describes (summarises) a longer piece of work. In the case of your research report, it will be one or two paragraphs long (and 250 words maximum). It appears at the beginning of your research report (but it will be written at the end). It contains a general summary of your report and includes a sentence in which you state your conclusion. An abstract is important because it helps a reader decide very quickly whether or not a research paper is useful or relevant. 

For BA2b you will not need to submit your abstract or ‘introduction’.

Recap

For this project (although it’s called the ‘Proposal’) you will be writing 1000 words of the report itself. This will usually be the first chapter (possibly including part of chapter 2. We’ll discuss this in your tutorials). You will also be ‘proposing’ the format your final report will take, including a title, a chapter plan, and a bibliography (which may also include sources you intend to consult). If you have any questions, please email l.white@nua.ac.uk or speak to Peter.

[readbookywooks]

Owl Post

Harry Potter was a highly unusual boy in many ways. For one thing, he hated the summer holidays more than any other time of year. For another, he really wanted to do his homework but was forced to do it in secret, in the dead of night. And he also happened to be a wizard. It was nearly midnight, and he was lying on his stomach in bed, the blankets drawn right over his head like a tent, a flashlight in one hand and a large leather-bound book (A History of Magic by Bathilda Bagshot) propped open against the pillow. Harry moved the tip of his eagle-feather quill down the page, frowning as he looked for something that would help him write his essay, 'Witch Burning in the Fourteenth Century Was Completely Pointless -- discuss.' The quill paused at the top of a likely looking paragraph. Harry pushed his round glasses up the bridge of his nose, moved his flashlight closer to the book, and read: Non-magic people (more commonly known as Muggles) were particularly afraid of magic in medieval times, but not very good at recognizing it. On the rare occasion that they did catch a real witch or wizard, burning had no effect whatsoever. The witch or wizard would perform a basic Flame-Freezing Charm and then pretend to shriek with pain while enjoying a gentle, tickling sensation. Indeed, Wendelin the Weird enjoyed being burned so much that she allowed herself to be caught no less than forty-seven times in various disguises. Harry put his quill between his teeth and reached underneath his pillow for his inkbottle and a roll of parchment. Slowly and very carefully he unscrewed the ink bottle, dipped his quill into it, and began to write, pausing every now and then to listen, because if any of the Dursleys heard the scratching of his quill on their way to the bathroom, he'd probably find himself locked in the cupboard under the stairs for the rest of the summer. The Dursley family of Number Four, Privet Drive, was the reason that Harry never enjoyed his summer holidays. Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and their son, Dudley, were Harry's only living relatives. They were Muggles, and they had a very medieval attitude toward magic. Harry's dead parents, who had been a witch and wizard themselves, were never mentioned under the Dursleys' roof. For years, Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon had hoped that if they kept Harry as downtrodden as possible, they would be able to squash the magic out of him. To their fury, they had not been unsuccessful. These days they lived in terror of anyone finding out that Harry had spent most of the last two years at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The most they could do, however, was to lock away Harry's spell books, wand, cauldron, and broomstick at the start of the summer break, and forbid him to talk to the neighbors. This separation from his spell books had been a real problem for Harry, because his teachers at Hogwarts had given him a lot of holiday work. One of the essays, a particularly nasty one about shrinking potions, was for Harry's least favorite teacher, Professor Snape, who would be delighted to have an excuse to give Harry detention for a month. Harry had therefore seized his chance in the first week of the holidays. While Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia, and Dudley had gone out into the front garden to admire Uncle Vernon's new company car (in very loud voices, so that the rest of the street would notice it too), Harry had crept downstairs, picked the lock on the cupboard under the stairs, grabbed some of his books, and hidden them in his bedroom. As long as he didn't leave spots of ink on the sheets, the Dursleys need never know that he was studying magic by night. Harry was particularly keen to avoid trouble with his aunt and uncle at the moment, as they were already in an especially bad mood with him, all because he'd received a telephone call from a fellow wizard one week into the school vacation. Ron Weasley, who was one of Harry's best friends at Hogwarts, came from a whole family of wizards. This meant that he knew a lot of things Harry didn't, but had never used a telephone before. Most unluckily, it had been Uncle Vernon who had answered the call. "Vernon Dursley speaking." Harry, who happened to be in the room at the time, froze as he heard Ron's voice answer. "HELLO? HELLO? CAN YOU HEAR ME? I -- WANT -- TO -- TALK -- TO -- HARRY -- POTTER!" Ron was yelling so loudly that Uncle Vernon jumped and held the receiver a foot away from his ear, staring at it with an expression of mingled fury and alarm. "WHO IS THIS?" he roared in the direction of the mouthpiece. "WHO ARE YOU?" "RON -- WEASLEY!" Ron bellowed back, as though he and Uncle Vernon were speaking from opposite ends of a football field. "I'M -- A -- FRIEND -- OF -- HARRY'S -- FROM -- SCHOOL --" Uncle Vernon's small eyes swiveled around to Harry, who was rooted to the spot. "THERE IS NO HARRY POTTER HERE!" he roared, now holding the receiver at arm's length, as though frightened it might explode. "I DON'T KNOW WHAT SCHOOL YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT! NEVER CONTACT ME AGAIN! DON'T YOU COME NEAR MY FAMILY!" And he threw the receiver back onto the telephone as if dropping a poisonous spider. The fight that had followed had been one of the worst ever. "HOW DARE YOU GIVE THIS NUMBER TO PEOPLE LIKE -- PEOPLE LIKE YOU!" Uncle Vernon had roared, spraying Harry with spit. Ron obviously realized that he'd gotten Harry into trouble, because he hadn't called again. Harry's other best friend from Hogwarts, Hermione Granger, hadn't been in touch either. Harry suspected that Ron had warned Hermione not to call, which was a pity, because Hermione, the cleverest witch in Harry's year, had Muggle parents, knew perfectly well how to use a telephone, and would probably have had enough sense not to say that she went to Hogwarts. So Harry had had no word from any of his wizarding friends for five long weeks, and this summer was turning out to be almost as bad as the last one. There was just one very small improvement -- after swearing that he wouldn't use her to send letters to any of his friends, Harry had been allowed to let his owl, Hedwig, out at night. Uncle Vernon had given in because of the racket Hedwig made if she was locked in her cage all the time. Harry finished writing about Wendelin the Weird and paused to listen again. The silence in the dark house was broken only by the distant, grunting snores of his enormous cousin, Dudley. It must be very late, Harry thought. His eyes were itching with tiredness. Perhaps he'd finish this essay tomorrow night... He replaced the top of the ink bottle; pulled an old pillowcase from under his bed; put the flashlight, A History of Magic, his essay, quill, and ink inside it; got out of bed; and hid the lot under a loose floorboard under his bed. Then he stood up, stretched, and checked the time on the luminous alarm clock on his bedside table. It was one o'clock in the morning. Harry's stomach gave a funny jolt. He had been thirteen years old, without realizing it, for a whole hour. Yet another unusual thing about Harry was how little he looked forward to his birthdays. He had never received a birthday card in his life. The Dursleys had completely ignored his last two birthdays, and he had no reason to suppose they would remember this one. Harry walked across the dark room, past Hedwig's large, empty cage, to the open window. He leaned on the sill, the cool night air pleasant on his face after a long time under the blankets. Hedwig had been absent for two nights now. Harry wasn't worried about her: she'd been gone this long before. But he hoped she'd be back soon -- she was the only living creature in this house who didn't flinch at the sight of him. Harry, though still rather small and skinny for his age, had grown a few inches over the last year. His jet-black hair, however, was just as it always had been -- stubbornly untidy, whatever he did to it. The eyes behind his glasses were bright green, and on his forehead, clearly visible through his hair, was a thin scar, shaped like a bolt of lightning. Of all the unusual things about Harry, this scar was the most extraordinary of all. It was not, as the Dursleys had pretended for ten years, a souvenir of the car crash that had killed Harry's parents, because Lily and James Potter had not died in a car crash. They had been murdered, murdered by the most feared Dark wizard for a hundred years, Lord Voldemort. Harry had escaped from the same attack with nothing more than a scar on his forehead, where Voldemort's curse, instead of killing him, had rebounded upon its originator. Barely alive, Voldemort had fled... But Harry had come face-to-face with him at Hogwarts. Remembering their last meeting as he stood at the dark window, Harry had to admit he was lucky even to have reached his thirteenth birthday. He scanned the starry sky for a sign of Hedwig, perhaps soaring back to him with a dead mouse dangling from her beak, expecting praise. Gazing absently over the rooftops, it was a few seconds before Harry realized what he was seeing. Silhouetted against the golden moon, and growing larger every moment, was a large, strangely lopsided creature, and it was flapping in Harry's direction. He stood quite still, watching it sink lower and lower. For a split second he hesitated, his hand on the window latch, wondering whether to slam it shut. But then the bizarre creature soared over one of the street lamps of Privet Drive, and Harry, realizing what it was, leapt aside. Through the window soared three owls, two of them holding up the third, which appeared to be unconscious. They landed with a soft flump on Harry's bed, and the middle owl, which was large and gray, keeled right over and lay motionless. There was a large package tied to its legs. Harry recognized the unconscious owl at once -- his name was Errol, and he belonged to the Weasley family. Harry dashed to the bed, untied the cords around Errol's legs, took off the parcel, and then carried Errol to Hedwig's cage. Errol opened one bleary eye, gave a feeble hoot of thanks, and began to gulp some water. Harry turned back to the remaining owls. One of them, the large snowy female, was his own Hedwig. She, too, was carrying a parcel and looked extremely pleased with herself. She gave Harry an affectionate nip with her beak as he removed her burden, then flew across the room to join Errol. Harry didn't recognize the third owl, a handsome tawny one, but he knew at once where it had come from, because in addition to a third package, it was carrying a letter bearing the Hogwarts crest. When Harry relieved this owl of its burden, it ruffled its feathers importantly, stretched its wings, and took off through the window into the night. Harry sat down on his bed and grabbed Errol's package, ripped off the brown paper, and discovered a present wrapped in gold and his first ever birthday card. Fingers trembling slightly, he opened the envelope. Two pieces of paper fell out -- a letter and a newspaper clipping. The clipping had clearly come out of the wizarding newspaper, the Daily Prophet, because the people in the black-and-white picture were moving. Harry picked up the clipping, smoothed it out, and read: MINISTRY OF MAGIC EMPLOYEE SCOOPS GRAND PRIZE Arthur Weasley, Head of the Misuse of Muggle Artifacts Office at the Ministry of Magic, has won the annual Daily Prophet Grand Prize Galleon Draw. A delighted Mr. Weasley told the Daily Prophet, "We will be spending the gold on a summer holiday in Egypt, where our eldest son, Bill, works as a curse breaker for Gringotts Wizarding Bank." The Weasley family will be spending a month in Egypt, returning for the start of the new school year at Hogwarts, which five of the Weasley children currently attend. Harry scanned the moving photograph, and a grin spread across his face as he saw all nine of the Weasleys waving furiously at him, standing in front of a large pyramid. Plump little Mrs. Weasley; tall, balding Mr. Weasley; six sons; and one daughter, all (though the black-and-white picture didn't show it) with flaming-red hair. Right in the middle of the picture was Ron, tall and gangling, with his pet rat, Scabbers, on his shoulder and his arm around his little sister, Ginny. Harry couldn't think of anyone who deserved to win a large pile of gold more than the Weasleys, who were very nice and extremely poor. He picked up Ron's letter and unfolded it. Dear Harry, Happy birthday! Look, I'm really sorry about that telephone call. I hope the Muggles didn't give you a hard time. I asked Dad, and he reckons I shouldn't have shouted. It's amazing here in Egypt. Bill's taken us around all the tombs and you wouldn't believe the curses those old Egyptian wizards put on them. Mum wouldn't let Ginny come in the last one. There were all these mutant skeletons in there, of Muggles who'd broken in and grown extra heads and stuff. I couldn't believe it when Dad won the Daily Prophet Draw. Seven hundred galleons! Most of it's gone on this trip, but they're going to buy me a new wand for next year. Harry remembered only too well the occasion when Ron's old wand had snapped. It had happened when the car the two of them had been flying to Hogwarts had crashed into a tree on the school grounds. We'll be back about a week before term starts and we'll be going up to London to get my wand and our new books. Any chance of meeting you there? Don't let the Muggles get you down! Try and come to London, Ron P.S. Percy's Head Boy. He got the letter last week. Harry glanced back at the photograph. Percy, who was in his seventh and final year at Hogwarts, was looking particularly smug. He had pinned his Head Boy badge to the fez perched jauntily on top of his neat hair, his horn-rimmed glasses flashing in the Egyptian sun. Harry now turned to his present and unwrapped it. Inside was what looked like a miniature glass spinning top. There was another note from Ron beneath it. Harry -- this is a Pocket Sneakoscope. If there's someone untrustworthy around, it's supposed to light up and spin. Bill says it's rubbish sold for wizard tourists and isn't reliable, because it kept lighting up at dinner last night. But he didn't realize Fred and George had put beetles in his soup. Bye -- Ron Harry put the Pocket Sneakoscope on his bedside table, where it stood quite still, balanced on its point, reflecting the luminous hands of his clock. He looked at it happily for a few seconds, then picked up the parcel Hedwig had brought. Inside this, too, there was a wrapped present, a card, and a letter, this time from Hermione. Dear Harry, Ron wrote to me and told me about his phone call to your Uncle Vernon. I do hope you're all right. I'm on holiday in France at the moment and I didn't know how I was going to send this to you -- what if they'd opened it at customs? -- but then Hedwig turned up! I think she wanted to make sure you got something for your birthday for a change. I bought your present by owl-order; there was an advertisement in the Daily Prophet (I've been getting it delivered; it's so good to keep up with what's going on in the wizarding world), Did you see that picture of Ron and his family a week ago? I bet he's learning loads. I'm really jealous -- the ancient Egyptian wizards were fascinating. There's some interesting local history of witchcraft here, too. I've rewritten my whole History of Magic essay to include some of the things I've found out, I hope it's not too long -- it's two rolls of parchment more than Professor Binns asked for. Ron says he's going to be in London in the last week of the holidays. Can you make it? Will your aunt and uncle let you come? I really hope you can. If not, I'll see you on the Hogwarts Express on September first! Love from Hermione P.S. Ron says Percy's Head Boy. I'll bet Percy's really pleased. Ron doesn't seem too happy about it. Harry laughed as he put Hermione's letter aside and picked up her present. It was very heavy. Knowing Hermione, he was sure it would be a large book full of very difficult spells -- but it wasn't. His heart gave a huge bound as he ripped back the paper and saw a sleek black leather case, with silver words stamped across it, reading Broomstick Servicing Kit. "Wow, Hermione!" Harry whispered, unzipping the case to look inside. There was a large jar of Fleetwood's High-Finish Handle Polish, a pair of gleaming silver Tail-Twig Clippers, a tiny brass compass to clip on your broom for long journeys, and a Handbook of Do-It-Yourself Broomcare. Apart from his friends, the thing that Harry missed most about Hogwarts was Quidditch, the most popular sport in the magical world -- highly dangerous, very exciting, and played on broomsticks. Harry happened to be a very good Quidditch player; he had been the youngest person in a century to be picked for one of the Hogwarts House teams. One of Harry's most prized possessions was his Nimbus Two Thousand racing broom. Harry put the leather case aside and picked up his last parcel. He recognized the untidy scrawl on the brown paper at once: this was from Hagrid, the Hogwarts gamekeeper. He tore off the top layer of paper and glimpsed something green and leathery, but before he could unwrap it properly, the parcel gave a strange quiver, and whatever was inside it snapped loudly -- as though it had jaws. Harry froze. He knew that Hagrid would never send him anything dangerous on purpose, but then, Hagrid didn't have a normal person's view of what was dangerous. Hagrid had been known to befriend giant spiders, buy vicious, three-headed dogs from men in pubs, and sneak illegal dragon eggs into his cabin. Harry poked the parcel nervously. It snapped loudly again. Harry reached for the lamp on his bedside table, gripped it firmly in one hand, and raised it over his head, ready to strike. Then he seized the rest of the wrapping paper in his other hand and pulled. And out fell -- a book. Harry just had time to register its handsome green cover, emblazoned with the golden title The Monster Book of Monsters, before it flipped onto its edge and scuttled sideways along the bed like some weird crab. "Uh-oh," Harry muttered. The book toppled off the bed with a loud clunk and shuffled rapidly across the room. Harry followed it stealthily. The book was hiding in the dark space under his desk. Praying that the Dursleys were still fast asleep, Harry got down on his hands and knees and reached toward it. "Ouch!" The book snapped shut on his hand and then flapped past him, still scuttling on its covers. Harry scrambled around, threw himself forward, and managed to flatten it. Uncle Vernon gave a loud, sleepy grunt in the room next door. Hedwig and Errol watched interestedly as Harry clamped the struggling book tightly in his arms, hurried to his chest of drawers, and pulled out a belt, which he buckled tightly around it. The Monster Book shuddered angrily, but could no longer flap and snap, so Harry threw it down on the bed and reached for Hagrid's card. Dear Harry, Happy Birthday! Think you might find this useful for next year. Won't say no more here. Tell you when I see you. Hope the Muggles are treating you right. All the best, Hagrid It struck Harry as ominous that Hagrid thought a biting book would come in useful, but he put Hagrid's card up next to Ron's and Hermione's, grinning more broadly than ever. Now there was only the letter from Hogwarts left. Noticing that it was rather thicker than usual, Harry slit open the envelope, pulled out the first page of parchment within, and read: Dear Mr. Potter, Please note that the new school year will begin on September the first. The Hogwarts Express will leave from King's Cross station, platform nine and three-quarters, at eleven o'clock. Third years are permitted to visit the village of Hogsmeade on certain weekends. Please give the enclosed permission form to your parent or guardian to sign. A list of books for next year is enclosed. Yours sincerely, Professor M. McGonagall Deputy Headmistress Harry pulled out the Hogsmeade permission form and looked at it, no longer grinning. It would be wonderful to visit Hogsmeade on weekends; he knew it was an entirely wizarding village, and he had never set foot there. But how on earth was he going to persuade Uncle Vernon or Aunt Petunia to sign the form? He looked over at the alarm clock. It was now two o'clock in the morning. Deciding that he'd worry about the Hogsmeade form when he woke up, Harry got back into bed and reached up to cross off another day on the chart he'd made for himself, counting down the days left until his return to Hogwarts. Then he took off his glasses and lay down; eyes open, facing his three birthday cards. Extremely unusual though he was, at that moment Harry Potter felt just like everyone else -- glad, for the first time in his life, that it was his birthday.