#It's not actually THAT big of a deal I just have hangups about being spoken over which makes me sensitive seeing it happen to others

[royalarchivist]

Green Gay Ninja's "team full of strong opinionated leaders" ran into a lot of communication issues on Day 1, but nobody has more experience wrangling loud rowdy people than FitMC.

[callmedotseurat]

Blast from the past, when Bernadette was a bit more talkative in her interviews (Boston Globe, Dec. 1981)

*****************

It's 10:30 a.m. and Bernadette Peters, whose tiny frame is wrapped in a pink silk robe, spills out of the bedroom of her suite, wet curls framing her renaissance face. She has stepped from the shower to the interview.The shower was still running. But Steve Martin, wearing make-up, left this message: He's going back to bed. He had to get up for a too-early television appearance. He's tired.

Meanwhile, a maid armed with a vacuum cleaner is humming through her chores. An agent is on the phone, something about the sensational Bernadette Peters pictures in Playboy. And here she is, this little Botticelli blonde, mischief glinting in her eyes, gliding in the room. "Ta-ra! I'm here! Ta-ra!" She continues a pirouette that is simultaneously elegant and slapstick, then flops into a corner of the couch. The photographer, anxious to freeze the action, instantly follows her with his lens.

The questions you would most like to ask Bernadette Peters are questions she has already asked herself. All you have to do is be a good listener, guiding the conversation gently, preventing it from wandering, considering what she says with your heart as well as your ear.

Bernadette Peters is from a Sicilian family of bakers from Queens. Manhattan is home. Her family name is Lazzara. Only now, at the Carlyle, you have to be announced. You have to be on her list of visitors to be accepted into her suite.

She has never married. What is her passion?

It's her work, her career, developing her talents. She is an actress, a dancer, a singer, a flamboyant female whose delicate aura is disarming, misleading. She is not a helpless vanilla creature. She is a small but powerful bundle of dynamite, a woman not in full bloom but exploding with ambition.

It was always this way.

She started singing and dancing as a child in a TV program, "The Children's House." As a teenager, she appeared in the Bowery Lane Theater. Audiences loved her. So did one of her discoverers, Carol Burnett, who had her as a guest frequently on "The Carol Burnett Show."

Norman Lear also "discovered" her when she appeared in a Los Angeles stage tribute to the late George Gershwin. Lear offered her a guest role in "Maude," which led to the CBS-TV series, "All's Fair."

When Bernadette Peters was 19, she appeared in an off-Broadway musical spoof, "Dames At Sea." She got rave reviews. Then she appeared in a revival of "On The Town." Raves again. And a Tony nomination. More raves for her appearance in the doomed David Merrick's play, "Mack & Mabel," and a second Tony nomination.

One important thing you've got to understand about Bernadette Peters.

She has had her ups and downs.

She's unstoppable.

"Yuck, safe is boring. I want to grow. You want to know what creativity is? It's tapping places you didn't know, places you didn't know existed inside you. I am very distinctive looking. You want to know something? It's very limiting looking the way I look. When I started in show business, I wanted to get a job, any job, so I auditioned for the chorus. Nobody hired me to be a chorus girl. I stuck out too much. I didn't blend. Know what they wanted? They wanted a California sunshine orange-juice kid. I didn't look like, hey, your well-scrubbed typical American teenager.

"Know what I did? I straightened my hair, one of those blunt cuts. I wore collegiate clothes. But my hair was too hard to deal with, all natural curls. And I didn't like the clothes. So I said: The hell with it.' I said: I am going to be myself.' I said: This is what I am and this is it.' See, I didn't care by then. I wasn't getting work the other way so I decided to be myself. That takes guts. But there's only one of you in the world, so you might as well be the best you can be. Right?

"Being an individual is the most important thing in the world. I should have done it all the time. I thought a lot about myself before being myself. Maybe that was a good thing. It made being individual less scary. Individuality is a great release, don't you think? It frees you. You don't have to scrunch into somebody else's idea of you, a mold. Know what? I'm trying more and more to be me.

"It's a matter of stripping away your fears, one-by-one. We are all layered in fears and they've got to be pulled away. It's like counting backwards from 10 - 10, 9, 8 . . . As the numbers get lower, the peeling away gets easier. You get more and more courage to be yourself. The disappearance of each layer is the very thing that gives you courage.

"I was very insecure. Insecurity is poison. It's like wearing chains. It prevents you from going anywhere. It gets so it becomes hard to meet people, just to say, Oh, hello there!' You know what I mean?

"When I was a kid growing up in Queens, I studied Hollywood. I'd hear on the television that so-and-so was getting a divorce. Hollywood meant divorce. Hollywood meant a lot of diamonds and a lot of gowns. Hollywood meant nothing real. But all the time I wanted to be a star, a Hollywood star, but the old myths stuck in my mind. Those myths became my insecurities.

"Guess what happened? I said to myself: If you have a good car, a good home, nice things - is it going to change you?' And then I said to myself: No, no, no, you earned it. So I decided I deserved whatever my success brought. And layer No. 10 of my insecurities was gone! Peeled away!"

"I'm very strong. Can you tell that I am strong? Well, for a long time, I denied my own strength. I had this real fear of aggression. Know what I did? I played the typical feminine role. Helpless. Flighty. I figured a man is strong and a woman satellites around her man. I tried to tell myself that women are not strong. But underneath I was strong, very strong, and I allowed my strength to surface. How did I do it? I started making one decision, then another, and still another. Then I was making a lot of decisions and I was happy with those decisions. And I began enjoying the results of my decisions. That-- 9 of insecurity gone! Poof!

"I still look fluffy, don't I? Oh I know that. But I can change. You haven't forgotten that I'm an actress, have you? No? Well, there are such things as make-up. And wigs. I can change. The thing is that the more you assert yourself, the more you express yourself, the more people hear you. It's all attitude. It's not necessarily the way you look! It's all in being yourself. No, it's more than that! It’s the way I am.

"Want to know what my big dream in life is? I don't have a five- year plan, a 10-year plan. I don't have specific objectives. My dream is to grow, to be the best that I can be. I want to be proud of my work. Maybe marriage. Maybe kids. I said maybe. Then my other dream is to be self-assured. Not to have fears that I can't conquer. I am still haunted by fears, little ones. Oh, I'm shy. I can't make myself say, Hello' to a stranger, even if the stranger is someone I think I'd like to know. You want to know what I do? I practice saying hello to strangers.

"I'm terribly shy. Acting is a great outlet. On stage, I don't have to worry at doing and saying. In real life you have to worry, yes. You ask yourself: Have I spoken when I should not have spoken?

"My mother always told me I was beautiful. I didn't believe her. I didn't like what I saw in the mirror. I didn't think I was pretty enough or thin enough or popular enough. That was another layer of insecurity, something to be peeled away.

"Now I think I am distinctive looking, different looking. I don't think I am gorgeous. At least not in terms of what society thinks is gorgeous. When I love somebody, I love the person that the person is. I love Walter Matthau. To me, he's handsome because of the way he is, not the way he actually looks."-

"I had another hangup, still another insecurity that had to go. I thought that being a success meant that you had to stab someone in the back. The words, career-oriented and ambitious - I used to be afraid of those words. I used to call those words the back-stabbing words. Well, now I know. Having a career is not being bad. You did not have to step on or over anybody. Look, I got here in spite of myself. I got here despite all my drawbacks, all my insecurities. Why? Because I don't think of myself in terms of insecurity anymore.

"If I hear that someone doesn't like me, I say: Oh, they'll change their mind in the future. Later they'll like me. In two or three years, I'll do something that will make that person like me. I've been hired by people who said, before, that they didn't care for my work.

"I've established myself. I know part of this business is rejection. But I know a lot about myself. I can't live in a suburb. I know that just raising a family isn't enough. I've tried to knit. I don't like to knit. I've tried to sew. I made my graduation dress and, gee, I almost had to wear it. It was bad! I hate to crochet. But I love to act. And I act when I sing. When I'm on stage, when I do something exceptional, something I've never done before, I feel I've been someplace I've never been. And it's all happening inside me."

[theonceoverthinker]

OUAT 3X21 AND 3X22 - “Snow Drifts” AND “There’s No Place Like Home”

Watch what happens when Miss Swan tries to EMMA-ncipate herself from Storybrooke! 

Bwahahahahah!!!!

Anyways, let’s do the time warp agaiiiiiiiinn!

You better WATCH yourself because we’re going back to revisit the Season 3 finale below the cut! XD

I’m sorry this is so late! Super Smash Bros Ultimate kind of stole my life for a few weeks, but I’m back now!

Press Release

While Mary Margaret and David celebrate the naming of their son at a coronation in Granny’s Diner, Emma and Hook are pulled into Zelena’s time portal and find themselves in the Enchanted Forest of the past. But in their quest to discover a way back, they must be careful not to change ANYTHING or risk altering the lives of their friends and family – as well as their very own existence.

Main Thoughts - Characters/Stories/Themes and Their Effectiveness

Past/Present/Everything (?) XD

“Back to the Future” is my all time favorite movie, so is it any surprise that I fucking love this two parter? No? Well, good! Now let’s talk about why!

Revisiting this finale really shows me just how many story and plot points were set up in those first few minutes in such a natural way. This is easily one of the tightest finales in the show’s history in that regard. The story and plot here is so well paced. Never does anything, even for a second feel off or poorly spoken or anything of the sort! It’s just good! The absolute best instance of this is the two Hooks scene. Like, that was just so fucking CRAFTY for how Killian and Emma organize and enact the plan to get Snow to work for him.

I like how the opening of the episode finally lays out all the cards: Emma’s decision to go back to New York is a selfish one. She plainly admits this and spells out why. It’s framed as a bad thing to do and the episode’s goal is to tackle that. It’s the heart of the episode and it’s incredibly effective thanks to those opening shots that show just how much pain Emma’s been in throughout her past.

Oh my fucking God, all of the actors are just amazing here! EVERYONE gets a great moment! I talk a ton about Emma and Jen, obviously, so let’s give a shoutout to the others! Robert Carlyle gets to put all of Rumple’s delicious character aspects on display, from Rumple’s silliness to Mr. Gold’s snarkiness to both of their more sympathetic sides. Lana gets some fucking delicious ham as we see her Season 1 Evil Queen come out! Josh pulls off the perfect mix between being everything that Prince Charming is supposed to be with a more modern snark that makes him human. The same goes for Ginny, though the placement of this episode has Snow showing off a more believably cynical side to the character, which she nails! Jared Gilmore performs a fantastic Henry, understanding though still always tugging at Emma to come and stay home. Emilie de Ravin’s heart and soul during the wedding scene is just so present, so much so that I just feel myself bursting out in tears throughout the whole scene. And Colin, who boy! Colin had to take on two versions of himself and every moment of that was just delicious!

”Lovely ball the other night.” ...Is this to say that there was a day break between Emma being caught by Regina’s guards and being put in her cell? It makes sense, but WOW! I never thought of it like that!

The execution scene. The fucking kills me. I know Snow’s alive, but I don't fucking care. I still feel every bit of that sense of dread and disgust as the fireball takes her. And how that affects Emma, she can barely speak and when even the possibility of Snow being alive comes to light, Emma’s immediately back to full energy! Emma’s love for Snow is such an effective driving force behind the solving of her conflict of finding home. The moment that choked me up this time was Emma shouting “you’re alive” to Snow right before hugging her. Just...and then we have to sit on the reaction when Snow doesn’t recognize her. It’s just too much.

And Emma’s revelation. I love how slow and emotional the moment gets to be as she tells Killian why she wants to stop running and how she values her mother and life in Storybrooke. It’s so heartbreaking and heartwarming in the same vein. It’s this gentle breakdown that understands that yes, Emma has been selfish, but she wants to do and be better for everyone, including herself. She wants to be like the rest of her family. She wants to be a part of something. And the smile on hers and Killian’s face as she comes to terms with that lesson...it’s just the best kind of payoff! And then the reunion, accompanied by that GORGEOUS melody as Emma finally remedies her behavior towards her parents. It’s one of the most beautiful moments in the entire show.

So let’s talk about Baby Neal briefly, or rather, his name. This is one of the most contentious points in the entire fandom. I...don’t love it (but don’t hate it), but only because Snow and Charming didn’t interact with Neal all that much. Had they had any meaningful time together, I think this naming would’ve been not only good, but great. Even still though, I don’t really care too much one way or the other. I’m one of those people who is completely fine with kids on this show being named after the dead. Maybe that’s because it’s the case in so much of the other media that I’ve seen throughout my life and apart of the Jewish culture I grew up with, but I don’t understand the fandom’s hangup with that reason for names. People are named after the dead. It’s not that big of a deal.

Insights - Stream of Consciousness

-Guys, that is just cruel and unusual punishment to make all of the kids stand outside and watch a kid get adopted right in front of them. I get they’re trying to be polite and inspire hope, but they’ve GOT to know that that’s difficult for the non adopted kids to watch! Like, the actual fuck?!

-Dammit. The cameraman who kept the shot on Emma as she sees a kid driving off with a new family fucking is an evil genius and fucking WRECKS me! *sobs into infinity*

-Do you think Lucy had a coronation ceremony?

-Potluck at Granny’s, huh? I don’t know if that’s good because you’re thrusting less work onto Granny or bad because you’re denying her the business.

-Okay, I know Emma’s running away from her problems and all, but that retort about Snow and David stalling for time was fucking hysterical! XD

-Robin, that is one luxurious spread! But why are you guys sitting on the floor?! Don’t you know that Regina’s a queen and a bit more refined? XD

-”I would’ve walked through hell to be with my Marian again.” ...Dammit. I really want a Robin/Marian Underworld fic.

-”That [vault] was only for the most dangerous and unstable magic.” Then that sounds like a GREAT place for the dagger! “And this doesn’t qualify?” “No.” YES!

-To tell you the truth, I guess when you factor in both Rumple’s sacrifice AND the fact that he’s scary powerful, it makes sense that Maurice would bless the marriage. Like, he’s still a shit person, but the decision makes sense. I do feel though like they just stuck him in so that there was one extra person at the wedding, but I’d honestly think Ruby would’ve been a more appropriate choice since she was closer to Belle and even helped out Rumple on occasion, especially since she was actually in the episode.

-The entire back-and-forth about the origins of Snowing is the greatest thing in the world! XD

-KATHRYN! My sweet cinnamon roll!!! You look so happy and you’re talking with Best Matriarch!!! <3

-Okay! The Captain Cobra moment here is so fucking underrated! Henry trusts Killian with his fucking storybook! Like, this book just gave him back his memories and Henry trusts Killian with it to help his mom! Just...YES PLEASE!!!!

-”Stubborn like her...all of our family.” To be fair, have you MET your family, David? That correction is pretty accurate.

-”She would curb any homicidal tendencies.” ...I’m pretty sure that’s not how that works, mate!

-I love RC’s “oh shit” face.

-...To tell you the truth, now that we know Zelena survived, that corrupted footage isn’t that far off the mark.

-”You defeated the bloody Wicked Witch. You defeated Pan.” ...You’re not fully on the mark, Killian, but I do agree that she had a big part in taking them down.

-I LOVE THIS FUCKING MIRROR LAKE!

-Lana! Lana! There’s so much beautiful ham here and I love you for it!!! This scene where she’s intimidating the villagers! Just...this is perfection!

-BOOBS! I mean...Emma’s EF attire looks great! ...BOOBS! <3

-I just LOVE Emma’s smile as she watches the set up for her parent’s first meeting. Like, I legit reared up because that smile alongside the Snowing theme just...it was fantastic.

-”It’s a miracle you two fall for each other.” I love that ‘da fuq, Emma’ look Killian gives Emma.

-I love that look Killian gives Emma when he says “me.”

-...Damn, Killian looks good funny encased in shadows.

-And then he has to say “privacy” in only the way Killian Jones can do.

-”Ooh confidence. I like it.” And I like your confidence. ...Damnit, OUAT men! Stop being so attractive!

-Regina just ROCKS her every entrance!

-”It’s all about the tumblers.” I spell it differently, but I feel you, man. XD

-I love the way Neal describes his past with Rumple. The tragedy of their separation comes from the fact that they loved each other so much, but Rumple couldn’t overcome his demons in a way that could help them stay together.

-I LOVE this Captain Charming scene. The bros are so supportive of one another, though David doesn’t fully grasp who Killian is to him!

-”Who knows? Maybe you’ll end up with them again.” ...That hurrrrts!

-Ruby is such a badass!!!

-”Hook!” How strange must this nickname be to everyone else in this room?! XD

-*Snow sneaks up on Regina* Oh SNOW you didn’t!!! XD

-Aww! I love that Red Snow hug!!!

-You know, I really like the design of the trolls and am sad that they weren’t used more often.

-”I’m devilishly handsome again.” Yes you are!

-Gee! Is that urn important?

-I love both Rumple and Emma’s reactions to Neal’s name. That subtle happiness, especially on Rumple’s face, is just so beautiful!

-So I have so many feelings on Killian ‘ditching his crew.’ I actually wrote an entire fic about it. BUT that having been said, I think the choice he made was the right one.

-Archie, they’re getting married, not going ice skating. Wear a fucking suit!

-I can’t get as swept up in the OQ tragedy because Roland says “mama” and that is too fucking cute!

-Okay, that reveal of Elsa was SO FUCKING WELL SHOT! I love the slow buildup to her reveal, from the icy blue liquid in the urn to the forming of her dress to the shape of her hair to the dismissal of the liquid and finally, to the reveal of her powers! What an EPIC intro! Best one ever! Now I know you’re upset about that, Regina, but you just have to *takes deep breath* LET IT GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (And THAT’S how you close out a season!)

Arcs - How Are These Storylines Progressing?

Emma Accepting Home - So look, I love how every season touches upon another aspect of Emma’s acceptance of people into her life, but on some level, I do get how the fandom got sick of it after a certain point. I firmly believe that this was the best and ultimate moment of culmination of this aspect of Emma’s character. That’s not to say that I didn’t like it in other seasons. Fuck no, I loved it in other seasons, but this was the best handling of it. The idea of those Emma loves and their philosophies on home and family all come together in this beautifully blended way. Emma’s parents, Henry, Killian, Neal, and more all contribute to her outlook on her life in Storybrooke and how her walls can be detrimental. And seeing Emma realize that makes for such a beautiful journey.

Killian’s Redemption - “That man sitting there, you don’t know him. Just be careful.” I feel like this line speaks to Killian’s improvement. He doesn’t want someone he cares for to see how lousy he was. And Killian’s redemption really gets its proper payoff here. With many of his past wrongs righted, Killian is finally given appreciation for helping get Emma back to Storybrooke. I think there’s an added layer to “you traded your ship for me.” Basically, Emma has to press him unyieldingly in order to find this out, meaning that he was never going to tell her on his own. He was willing to give up his home and have the act go anonymous.

Regina’s Redemption - ….Fuck. So, I’ve gone on about how I loved Regina’s Redemption this season. That is completely true. And this is where we take a GIANT step back. I GET that Regina feels resentment towards Emma. In this episode, it’s even at an okay level. BUT, going forward, this gives way to perhaps my least favorite Regina arcs. Thankfully, it only lasts for five episodes and I like the handling of it in the first four...you know what? We’ll talk about it when we get there! Apart from that aspect, I felt like Regina had reached a good place here! Her character is becoming more concrete.

Rumple’s Redemption - This is one of those episodes where Rumple’s decision to hide the real dagger and the truth about Zelena’s death makes things really sticky. And don’t forget, I was on his side for her death, but now’s the time to come forward! Apart from this aspect of it, something not at all glossed over in the episode itself, Rumple is framed as good. His wedding is a moment of character payoff and the happiness he feels as he gets married and Snowing’s son is named after Neal feels earned in a lot of ways. And the weirdest thing is that that’s Rumple for you: Undeniable someone with a big heaping helping of darkness, but a fuckton of character in there too. Like, this doesn’t ruin the episode by any means, but it’s there and it’s weird.

Neal’s Death - “Home is the place when you leave, you just miss it.” I think it was a fantastic story element to make one of the most poignant and thematically present lines in the episode something Emma learned from Neal. Not only that, but even some more of Neal’s minor advice comes in handy, like how to unlock the prison cell!

Favorite Dynamic

Emma and Killian. ...Look I work hard not to incorporate too much shipping into the meatier parts of the review and I’ll keep the romance out of it, I promise. So just give me this one. Cool beans? Cool beans. But seriously, I do actually have completely non-shippy reasons to love this dynamic as it works in this episode. For a time travel story to really work, there needs to be at the heart of it characters who know what’s going on and can interact with one another. It’s the most important dynamic in the story and if they fucked it up, the rest of the tale would’ve fallen apart, but thankfully, with Emma and Killian together, the special thrived. Killian and Emma both bring something to the table. Emma brings that fresh face and serves as a focal point for the story. Her naivete of some of the fairy tale elements and personal relationship to the people from the past is what keeps the story going and engaging. And Killian in a lot of ways helps to keep her grounded. While he cares deeply for Emma, his existence is not the one on the line and his lack of a familial relationship allows for some space between him and the events. He gets to be the clear thinker when Emma panics and her guide since this is his world as well as the voice of reason. And in return, Emma gets to perform the cool stunts, save people, and stand up to the past version of the Evil Queen. She even gets to save Killian’s ass in the case of royal balls and keeping his past self distracted. Together, they get to bounce around ideas, make jokes, and share moments of revelations that other characters in this episode aren’t and can’t be privy to. These two characters come together and make for a good and balanced dynamic for that reason. Additionally, Jen and Colin’s chemistry allows for a balance between things being lighthearted and serious when they need to be. Whether you like them as a couple or not, I don’t think it can be denied that they are the reason for why the main story was as entertaining as it was.

Writer

We have four writers here, two per episodes. David Goodman and Robert Hull worked on “Snow Drifts” and Adam and Eddy wrote “There’s No Place Like Home.” And they all did so freakin’ well! You can tell how careful these guys were with most every writing decision ever made. They managed to rework a fantastic episode, “Snow Drifts,” while still keeping to the dignity of it at the same time. It gels so well into also being a family story and allowing for as many fun character interactions as possible.

Rating

Double Golden Apple! What more can I honestly say? It’s as close to perfect as OUAT can get for me!

Flip My Ship - The Home of All Things “Shippy Goodness”

CAPTAIN SWAN, MOFOS! - THERE IS A REASON THIS BEAUTIFUL EPISODE IS CALLED THE CS MOVIE BECAUSE HOT DAMN IT IS A CS MOVIE!!!!! As I said in the “Favorite Dynamics” section, Killian is a constant source of support for Emma. He knows that she belongs with her family, respects her ideas, and challenges her. And just, let’s get through the moments, okay?! Like, he goes through a time portal for her! “One of these days, I’m gonna stop chasing this woman.” The fuck you are, buddy. You’re chasing her for all eternity! And just, he’s got her. He keeps her sane as she freaks out. He helps her relax. And just...the LOOKS he gives her! Like, look at how they joke around when Emma changes clothes, those little flirty looks! XD And speaking up, how about that loosening up of the corset and “you and I both know I’m his type?” Because that kills me. It utterly kills me! Someone drag my soul out of the Underworld because that scene destroys me in the best way possible! And the dude gets jealous of Emma kissing his past self, so fucking jealous that he needs to take his-fucking-self out! XD AND NOW WE GET TO THE BALL! THE FUCKING BALL THAT OWNS MY ETERNAL ASS! First, look at those smiles as Killian compliments Emma. THEN look at how Emma covers for Killian like a mofo’in boss! FINALLY, THE DANCING. IMMORTALIZED IN THE BOOK FOR ALL TIME IS MY FAVORITE CS MOMENT! EMMA GETS TO PLAY PRINCESS AND FEEL LIKE A ROYAL. KILLIAN GETS TO TREAT HER TO SUCH AND TEACH HER HOW TO WALTZ. AND THEY”RE SMILING AND HAVING SO MUCH FUN. IT”S PERFECT! HONESTLY PERFECT! Okay, I’m semi-recovered from that. Now, I also LOVE how Emma holds that ring to Killian and it looks just SO much like she’s proposing! And THEN “I’d go to the end of the world for her. Or time.” Just...you need to stop loving Emma so much because my heart cannot take it! And notice Emma’s smile when she says “Hook.” Then, we get an interesting callback to the Neverland Arc. When Emma asks Killian about his brother, Killian’s unwilling to talk about it, but here, knowing she needs that, he tells her what she needs to know. AND “I always knew there was a little pirate in you Swan.” She’s certainly getting there! And just...I love how Killian’s both harsh and gentle with Emma as she has her moment of realization. And THEN, Emma, after being with Killian for most of basically two or three days, goes out to see him again because he’s all alone! Just...the confession about giving up The Jolly Roger for love. I love how Killian never intended to reveal this and how Emma knows the weight of that choice. It just makes the subsequent kiss so satisfying!

Rumbelle - Oh yeah...There are other couples in this episode too! XD Sorry, but yes, I ADORED the Rumbelle in this episode. Like, in the past, I love how Rumple gets so embarrassed by Belle thinking that he talked about her and how he dismissed her. It’s so cute! And now, that wedding! That wedding! Just...what can I say about these vows? They’re perfect. The editing allows them to encompass every other couple while the lines are still completely their own and work perfectly for Rumbelle as a couple. Rumbelle is every other couple at their best and worst, a mix of best and worst traits and I feel like this wedding is a celebration of that fact. On a funnier note, I love how Rumple and Belle didn’t even wait for the fucking “I do’s” and just went at each other with  a kiss!

Outlaw Queen - Robin and Regina’s office picnic is so adorable and honest and open and beautiful! Like, they put everything on the floor, emotionally speaking.

Robin/Marian - Talking about Marian is difficult when you know that she’s actually Zelena, but this episode allows for her mostly to be herself, allowing for an accurate take on her. And to tell you the truth, I like this couple in a lot of ways. I love how much Robin misses Marian and that while he has moved on from her death, still cares for her so deeply. And Marian adores Robin! As soon as she’s free, she basically says “fuck it” to the stipulations of her freedom in order to be with him and Roland. Their love for each other is such a subtle and prevalent thing!

Snowing - Okay, so before we get to the past, let me say that I LOVE all of the Snowing banter at Granny’s! You can just TELL that a couple’s truly great when they can just joke and bicker about how they met and they have that down in SPADES! And in the past, I love the care that went into re-making Snowing’s story, but in a way that was still true to the original version. Though Emma, Killian, and Rumple are pulling the strings, Snow and Charming’s love is so carefully made to be all their own doing and that was so important. And I love the mix of new and old content so much. The repetition of lines just shows how true Snow and Charming’s love really is! And honestly, there’s something so special about Snow and Charming’s daughter being the one to bring them together!

Golden Hook - ...There’s so much FOETP goodness in here. Just, those hate-filled looks in the forest, that suffocation, the quips about burying the hatchet! There has never been true hate in all the lands! <3 Also, when Emma asks about how Killian got his hook, Killian’s next response is to say that she knows “who he is.” This hook and it’s origins, Rumple, are who he is.

Swanfire - That amusement park date was too cute and I really love how Neal’s advice is something that sticks with Emma. It shows Emma’s nuance as a character, as she can accept good and bad things about Neal, even during periods of time where she hated him. And I legit fucking BAWLED when Emma was telling Rumple about how she loved Neal and how he was a hero. Like, just...don’t talk to me! That was too much!

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Again, I am SO sorry this review took so long and wasn’t as deep as some of my others! Super Smash Bros, guys. Fucking dangerous. There was more that I wanted to talk about in this episode, but I’d rather you get the review than spend any more time! Thanks, as always, to @daensarah and @watchingfairytales!!! Love you guys so much!!! Hopefully, I can get the Overview done within the next few days and then we can get to season 4!!!!

Season 3 Total (207/220)

Writer’s Scores: Adam and Eddy (59/60)* Kalinda Vazquez (34/40)* Andrew Chambliss (42/50)* Jane Espenson (28/30)* David Goodman (39/40)* Robert Hull (40/40)* Christine Boylan (20/20)* Daniel Thomsen (28/30)*

* Indicates that their work for the season is complete

Links to the rest of my rewatch will no longer be provided. They take posts with links outside of searches and I spend way too much time on these reviews to not give them that kind of exposure. Sorry for the inconvenience, but they still can be found on my page under Operation Rewatch.

[script-a-world]

How extensive do conlags need to be vs want annd used well, because I've built them up extremely substantially so I could put every alien dialogue in the 5 conlags I've done, and it kinda seems like more than half my story is most of my characters trying to understand each other or translate for others.

Mod Miri Note: We’re working on some master posts related to this, but here’s a quick answer in the meantime.

Saphira: I'm going to address the last part first: if these characters are alien to one another and only a few speak both languages, then you might want to break the stress of having your core characters being able to chat freely to avoid hangups. Also relish in the joys of mistranslation from time to time.

As for "how stronk do my conlangs need to be" is not a question for the novel, inasmuch as it is a question for how you want your fanbase to use it. Do you want them to pick up a few key phrases that help identify each other? Are they bits of language that neatly package moral or enlightenment concepts of the novel/native speakers? Do you want the readers to be able to choose a language to learn and use?

Answering that question can guide how heavily or how delicately you handle languages in your novel.

Feral: I generally recommend against a lot of use of conlangs in story - a word here or there will generally get the point across. It's one thing for your characters to not understand each other, but if your audience doesn't understand them, they won't care about them, which usually means they won't continue reading about them.

It's much easier to says something like 

"Bob grabbed her and pulled her back, squawking something unintelligible and shaking her head - a sign she had figured out indicated a negative. If only the universal translator were working, Qui'or'ak might know what exactly was so concerning about the white 'ursa,'as the Terrans called it, when they had encountered a black one just the day before to no fanfare."

If the characters don't understand each other and it's a plot point whether they get a translation or not, it's relevant to go into. If the characters don't understand each other and it's not a plot point, it doesn't really require much or any comment.

Another way to consider it is by asking whether the characters are Chewbaccas or Jabbas. What Jabba has to say is relevant to the plot of saving Han Solo, so the audience gets his speech translated. What Chewie has to say is not relevant to the plot except in how Han responds to it, so his speech is not. If someone in story requires a translation, Han or 3PO or another character is there to translate, and you'll notice that how they translate provides characterization and contributes to the plot.

We normally don't get into things like POV and the narrator's voice, but in this instance, I think it's warranted in how it relates to showing your worldbuilding to your readers. I recommend a narrator capable of translating for the audience so translations don't necessarily have to be in dialogue - whether this is achieved through narrative distance or a  close POV narrator who just happens to be fluent in your 5 languages is your call.

Constablewrites: So the thing about the big extensive conlangs you see in a lot of popular works these days is that those works are almost universally intended for the screen. (There's Dothraki in the Song of Ice and Fire books, but it wasn't developed into a full, speakable language until HBO hired David Peterson.) With movies and TV, you can get the audio effect of having that other language, while providing a simultaneous translation visually and letting the visuals communicate the action and emotion. That particular combination just isn't possible in any other medium.  In prose, long blocks of another language get glossed right over if the reader doesn't speak it, because it has no meaning to them.

The guiding trope in this case is the Translation Convention, which says that dialogue is rendered in the reader's/viewer's language, regardless of what language is actually being spoken. It's not that all these aliens are actually speaking English, it's just that the audience magically understands whatever language they are speaking so we can get on with things.

When dealing with multiple languages in prose, real world or otherwise, the way I've most commonly seen it done is to establish which languages a given character can speak, then to assume from that point on that they are speaking whichever language is most appropriate to the situation whether or not it's specified.  So the first time your character speaks to a Vulcan, you say that she's addressing him in Vulcan but put the dialogue in English. After that, if she's in a room with a bunch of Vulcans most readers will understand that they're all gonna be speaking Vulcan. If it's important to know which specific language is being spoken at a given time and it can't be inferred from context, it can be brought up as needed (like if there are multiple languages in play in one scene).

Remember, as storytellers our primary job is clarity and communication. The Translation Convention is just one of those aspects of storytelling that we accept even when it's not strictly the most realistic, the same way we accept compressed timelines and everyone being way more articulate than anyone is in real life.  That isn't to say that you can't come up with new languages for fun, but that's going to be secondary to telling the story. Even Lord of the Rings, which exists primarily as a giant web of linguistic and translation in-jokes, presents its dialogue in English. 

[kaoru-chibimaster]

How Not to Run an Event

Don’t Do What The Kingdom Hearts Big Bang Did.

Just Don’t.

Rant under the cut, so like... Seriously, scroll past this. This is me letting my feelings out and I doubt anyone’s interested in that.

-o-o-o-o-

So basically this event started out pretty hype. I was super excited to join in with something related to the Kingdom Hearts community. Before this, I just wrote fic. Like, I was so far in my bubble, I wasn’t aware of zines, I wasn’t aware of other collabs, I wasn’t even aware of some BNFs (so I’m sure I got weird looks for asking who some people were when basically everyone knew who these “some people” were). I just wanted to write and I crossed my fingers and hoped at least someone might enjoy it when I posted it. 

Joining fandom was not a sudden life-changing event for me or anything like that. I was 13 and just getting into forums and had essentially only had knowledge of the KH fanbase through gamefaqs, youtube, kh-vids and kh13 (and fanfiction.net a little later). Before then, my “fandom” was my close friends and I all being fans of the games. I saw posts and read fics and sometimes commented in forums but I was not involved. For the longest time I’d never really been involved.

Big Bang felt like a way to change that. I was so looking forward to the people I’d meet and the art and fics I’d get to see. I’d made friends over the past few months and I’m so, so grateful to BB for that. I was excited for all of the up and coming events planned for Dreamwidth. I’d started out in DW for FFXV related stuff but I’d never actually used my account, so I’m thankful for the opportunity to really learn DW and start using it more extensively. I loved the little events and activities like the posts where we could share our works in progress. That’s another thing I’m grateful for; there are a number of fics of mine that would’ve never gotten off the ground if not for WIP Wednesdays. I also really appreciated that this was set up as a pro-shipping community and that it emphasized that participants could ship what they wanted without being harassed.

Aside from that? 

Downhill. 

Like, at first it was a slow roll down the hill: the discord server would have some channels overrun with discussion I was either uninterested in or outright made me uncomfortable. I’m not going to name drop what these discussions were and who had started them but I muted them one by one until there were only maybe three or four channels (out of a good chunk, I didn’t count but it was a hell of a lot more than three or four) that were unmuted. It’d devolved from a lot of genuine and interesting discussions where we helped each other out with fics/art and just had general fun talking to each other into channels full of the same handful of people talking over each other or venting. Not at all what I was interested in from a community. It wasn’t too bad though because the server wasn’t necessary for the BB so if the people still there needed that space then it’s not my right to give them shit for it. It was, however, totally within my right to remove myself from it, just as it was my right to feel uncomfortable with it.

That was then though.

Right here and now? 

It’s a shitshow. It’s a dumpster fire. It’s basically anarchy.

My discomfort with the direction the server went in was hand in hand with my loss of motivation for my participation. I can’t even look at the fic I was writing for this event without feeling upset and stressed over it. So I dropped. 

And apparently, so did a good number of other people.

The mods made a post about how We’re Committed (which no one can find now because they deleted all their social media but I’ll get to that). They urged other people within the server to stay dedicated to the event. A rebuttal was made that pointed out the sort of environment they’d created that’d made a lot of people feel the same way as me: uncomfortable. The event mods were understaffed and constantly diverting attention to other/future events and one of them didn’t even communicate with the rest of the server save to make announcements, and the cherry on top? 

They expected the participants to make the effort. They expected to create a server and essentially let everyone grope around in the dark until they found a handhold. They outright told us they wouldn’t hold anyone’s hands, which was as condescending a statement as one could get, and then somehow expected the whole thing to work out? When the rest of the server occupants, including people who hadn’t spoken for ages and people who hadn’t spoken at all, started voicing their complaints, the mods acted like they were being backed into a corner they’d already placed themselves in.

They lashed out. Like children. Like a little kid on the playground confronted by their teacher after they pushed another kid and then loudly proclaimed “He pushed me first!”.

They backed out of the event and left it to the server mods. They, after having made a big deal out of commitment to the event, dropped it like a hot potato. 

And then they sent this nonsense:

Just. Out of nowhere.

It might’ve been salvaged if they left it in the hands of the other mods, but they cancelled it. They fucking cancelled all the people who put hard work into making fics and art and put time into this. Every single participant wasted their time on this. And it wasn’t just a few weeks, this fucking event started in April and they had the gall to just up and cancel it.

The rest of the email below, which is just as much a wall of text as this rant is, is essentially an overly worded temper tantrum in which the mods blame the participants for everything that went wrong. Like, I get it. You’re only human. You’re stressed too. You suffer anxiety like the rest of us. I get it. Yes, it was on us to communicate with our partners. But when we come to the mods for help? The last fucking thing you should ever tell us is “we don’t hold your hands”. No wonder no one ever came to you guys for help. 

But what really gets me is the fact that not every participant in this event was in the discord. Not everyone saw the drama that went down. Not everyone saw this coming. Imagine having joined this event only to find an email in your inbox a month before we were supposed to start posting telling you that the event is cancelled and it’s all your fault.

Makes the mods come across as incompetent at best. Malicious at worst.

And seriously, regardless of what’s going on in your life, what sort of hangups or problems you might have...

YOU DO NOT START AN EVENT LIKE THIS WITHOUT BEING READY TO FULLY COMMIT YOURSELF TO IT. IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE CRITICISM, IF YOU AREN’T GOOD AT COMMUNICATING WITH PEOPLE, IF YOU CAN’T HANDLE THE IDEA OF MODDING FOR AN EVENT THAT YOU STARTED THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULDN’T HAVE STARTED IT.

This is common sense. Seriously. I’d never put myself in a position of leadership without being able to accept the responsibility that comes with it. Because it leads to shit like this.

I’m upset. I’d dropped the event a few weeks ago and still I’m genuinely upset. Because nobody deserved this. None of the participants deserved to have their time wasted like this. Nobody deserved the drama and the bullshit that was dredged up from this. Nobody deserved to have this bomb dropped on them literally a month before posting was going to start.

It was supposed to be fun. For me, a chance to finally contribute something in the Kingdom Hearts fandom as part of a fandom effort. A chance to reach outside of my bubble and make friends and create. And while I did get to reach out, I did get to create, and I’m going to continue to contribute on my own as I always did, I can’t say anything good about the Big Bang beyond that. All good will there might’ve been for it was ruined the moment the former mods sent that passive aggressive email.

Who the hell wants to see that nonsense in their email anyway. Aren’t they grown ass adults? They ought to know better. A simple “We regret to inform you that we’re cancelling this event” would have been enough. The rest was unnecessary and, quite frankly, downright nasty and that was honestly what pissed me off enough to make this rant. 

In the end if it had silently died, I wouldn’t have even minded at this point.

But, well...

The Big Bang had to go out with a bang, I guess.

Too bad it was a shit grenade and now there’s shit all over the walls and I’m just glad I’m not the one who has to clean all that shit up.

[fashiontrendin-blog]

Gabrielle Union On Jada Pinkett Smith Reunion: 'We Could Have Been Slaying Dragons Together This Whole Time'

http://fashion-trendin.com/gabrielle-union-on-jada-pinkett-smith-reunion-we-could-have-been-slaying-dragons-together-this-whole-time/

Gabrielle Union On Jada Pinkett Smith Reunion: 'We Could Have Been Slaying Dragons Together This Whole Time'

Gabrielle Union has a lot to say, and she’s saying it candidly.

In May, the “Being Mary Jane star” publicly reconciled with Jada Pinkett Smith on an episode of Smith’s Facebook show, “Red Table Talks,” to discuss why they hadn’t spoken for roughly 17 years.

As both Union and Smith said on the show, they weren’t really sure why they had ever fallen out of friendship. It’s just that neither of them stepped up to say, “What’s going on here? Why aren’t we OK?” The long break was “more of just the absence of communication,” says Union.

“I think, a lot of times, when you’re just not speaking to someone, one day turns into a week, turns into a month, turns into years, and the next thing you know, years have gone by, and there’s dope people that could have been in your life that aren’t for no reason, silly reasons, or reasons that really need to be addressed,” Union, 45, tells Yahoo Entertainment. “For a lot of us, it’s easier to just not say anything and ignore it. And our episode was about, like, let’s get to it. Let’s not eliminate dope people from our lives because of our own whatever it is … hangups or obstacles, in getting out of own way.”

Two months after their reunion, Union gushes about Smith.

“She’s so dope and powerful,” Union says. “She’s such an advocate for women, and she does so much for women. We just moved, but they lived close, and we could have been slaying dragons together all this time. Better late than never, because, I think, now that the two of us are in sync and together, and there is so much work to do in fighting for equality and all of the things that are important to us, it’s better to have as many hands on deck, all on the same page, than trying to slay these dragons individually.”

Union had an equally honest conversation, this one with Dr. Mehmet Oz, for his show, about her struggles with infertility, which have caused her to have multiple miscarriages. Although her appearance on the show originally aired last November, Union notes that it’s getting a lot more attention after it recently aired again.

“People are, like, ‘Thank you for talking about it, thank you for speaking words to my truth, thank you for lifting the veil of shame, thank you for giving me information,’” Union says of the response. “And it’s unfortunate that so many people around the world deal with infertility. And because so much of the treatment is very, very costly and not covered by insurance, it becomes, like, this silent, shameful thing that families suffer through and women suffer through and some men.

“We just don’t, we don’t talk about it, so it forces people to feel like they’re on an island by themselves and that it’s really, really rare, and there’s not a lot you can do, when there really, there are a lot of people on that very big island with you. And there’s help and there’s healing. There are some things that you can do. But there’s a whole community who gets it, and you’re not alone. You’re not defective and you are just as much of a woman, just as much of a mother as anyone else.”

Of course, Union is also a wife, to Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade. They’ll celebrate their fourth wedding anniversary on Aug. 30. She’s already given him part of his gift, in the form of a sweet video for Hallmark’s new “Put It Into Words” campaign, featuring short stories of celebs paying tribute to a special person in their lives.

“He is actually the one who sends cards more in our relationship, so this is my big chance to outdo him for once,” Union says. “He’s really kind of amazing when it comes to sending just-because cards and flowers and little gifts, just making that extra effort to let me know that I’m special and that he’s thinking about me, so I wanted to return the favor, and make at least a bit of the same effort that he makes for me.”

Their official gift to each other is a little bigger.

“Last year, we took a couples’ trip, that coincided with our anniversary, and we chose other couples who have anniversaries around the same time. We did sort of this big anniversary trip to Mykonos,” the Breaking In star says. “But this year, we did the couples’ trip to Ibiza and Barcelona, but it was like in June, so it forced him to have to do something else. [Laughs.] To do another trip. And it just so happens that his dad is getting remarried in Venice, Italy, around our anniversary, so we will be, after the wedding, dipping off to another part of Italy to celebrate our anniversary.”

Photo: Rich Fury/Getty Images

Gabrielle Union and Dwyane Wade attend a screening on Feb. 15 in West Hollywood, Calif. 

Union will be back filming “L.A.’s Finest,” her upcoming “Bad Boys” spinoff with Jessica Alba, in mid-September. The team behind the show, which includes Union and Alba as executive producers, has been working for months, Union says.

“We’ve been hustling since preproduction in February and, literally, just had a meeting with the writers in the writers room today, so, with Jess and I being executive producers, our work doesn’t stop, even when our jobs as talent stop,” Union says.

Union has nothing but kind words to say about her new co-star.

“We’ve just been the girls that end up at the bar at the same time at different events over the years,” Union says of Alba. “And she’s just a fun, cool chick who’s got a similar sense of humor that I do and a very similar work ethic, so it’s just easy, dare I say. We’re just both chicks who like to watch other chicks shine and also have a dirty, wicked sense of humor. It’s kind of ideal.”

Union has several other ongoing projects, including clothing and hair care lines, and she says she just might write a follow up to her 2017 New York Times bestseller, We’re Going to Need More Wine, you know, for some more frank conversation.

“There’s a lot of chapters, essays, that we left out, just because I hadn’t adequately dealt with some of that truth. I joke and say, ‘I haven’t had enough therapy to talk about that,’ and I joke, but it’s true,” Union says. “And so, I’ve gotta hold off on some of these stories and sharing, so that I’m not just putting these stories in a book and then doing a press tour, where I’m like, ’Oh, I’m not gonna talk about that. Read the book. It’s all in the book. I want to be able to tell some harder truths and share some different things, but be able to speak about it on a press tour in an effective way and be an advocate for different things that I’ve faced, different issues that I’ve gone through.”

She’s definitely open to it.

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This post was originally published on Yahoo Entertainment.