#VA Vandevere

[rtfics]

Hello. Have you accepted the irresistible hotness of Michael Keaton as V.A. Vandevere into your heart?

And this clip. His serpentine smoothness in seducing Max Medici (Danny DeVito) into signing a contract with him.

Keaton is great as characters who get others to sign contracts.

I wrote a fanfic about him:

Baby, Mine on AO3.

[rtfics]

THE TRIFECTA.

Michael Keaton and Danny Devito were in Batman Returns. DeVito played Oswald Cobblepot, The Penguin.

Michael Keaton was in Beetlejuice and played, well, Beetlejuice.

Danny DeVito was in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice.

Colin Farrell and Michael Keaton were in Tim Burton's Dumbo.

Colin Farrell starred in The Penguin, playing Oswald, better known as Oz.

The Penguin had a backstory about Oz as a kid.

Oz's Mom asks him what movie his two brothers went to see (crappy subtitles):

THE TRIFECTA

[rtfics]

Keaton is drastically underrated as V.A. He's one of the best modern Disney villains.

Baby, Mine on AO3.

[rtfics]

"Baby, Mine" continues.

A year and four months ago I said I was stepping away from writing my AO3 fic, Baby, Mine.

I'm back to say I'm going to finish it.

Ever since Michael Keaton came back in the spotlight due to Beetlejuice Beetlejuice, which I love, I've been thinking about V.A. Vandevere and playing with the idea of completing Baby, Mine. But I assumed there was no one left who wanted to read it. A story really can't fully live unless it's read.

Well, thanks to several readers who left comments, I now know there are people who want me to continue. This surprised the hell out of me and made me tear up.

So on the days I'm not working on my professional fiction, when I need some fun and an escape, I'm going to write Baby, Mine. I've always known how it was going to end, so the outline is already done. There will be about 3, maybe 4 more chapters (guessing). When I'm ready to post the next chapter, I'll remove the author's notes chapters and replace them with the real chapters. So the new chapter will be Chapter 13.

This may take a while, since I'm busy.  I have to ask for your continued patience!

I want to especially thank @liquidloz for compliments I don't feel I deserve but I thankfully accept. I'm finishing this fic particularly due to you, just so you know. Anyone who gets sick of my posting about this fic has to blame her. She also writes on AO3!

I particularly want to thank @victorianwestpiano, for being a die-hard Dumbo 2019 fan when everyone else disappeared. And she writes great fanfic! Check out her stories on AO3! (I think you'll like what I do with Holt ;-)

And I want to thank every single reader who took the time to read my fic, even though it's unfinished.  I hope the story will end in a way that you feel was worth the wait.

Oh, I'm so happy to see these guys again. :-)

Baby, Mine on AO3.

[rtfics]

Why I fell for V.A. Vandevere.

In 2019 I worked in a bookstore and the junior novelization of Tim Burton's Dumbo came in. Since I was really curious what Burton would do with a 1941, admitedly racist animated Disney movie, I read the book.

It was surprisedly very good. Especially the villain, Vandevere. It explained how, at age 16, Vandevere's father abandoned his wife and son, leaving the young man to somehow support both he and his mother. Later, during the Dreamland entrance scene, Holt sort of mocks Milly's ambition to be a scientist (female scientists were very rare in 1919). V.A. immediately tells Milly, "Never let anyone tell you what you can't do."

Shortly after that, this trailer aired.

Vandevere's deep purring voice, his charisma, the villainous power oozing from him, I was hooked. And these lines were directly from the novel, which was written from the original script.

Unfortunately, "I always get what I want" and "I want my animals to be mine" were cut from the final film. In fact, all the good scenes in the novel either weren't filmed or were edited out. The trailer was better than the movie in theaters.

So when I wrote Baby, Mine, I stuck to V.A.'s backstory in the novelization and the way he was more dangerous and less silly.

[rtfics]

For the V.A. Vandevere fans. unmute

He's such a smooth, slick bastard.

IMO this is Keaton's most underrated performance. V.A. is absolutely unlike any other character he's ever done.

Note what he does in this scene: He originally speaks in a Mid Atlantic accent, the American version of Posh. In the 1920s this accent indicated culture and sophistication. Vandevere is of course a worldly impresario.

But when he talks to Max, alone, away from anyone else hearing, his accent changes. It becomes American East Coast Working Class. Vandevere is voluntarily dropping his mask and revealing that he understands Max because he's like Max. When he says "protege" in that Mid Atlantic accent again he's sharing the secret that he's as much of a fake as Max is. He knows Max's type because he is Max.

This gains Max's trust, so he feels safe signing the contract.

Critics of the movie missed this subtlety completely.

Everyone goes on and on about Keaton as Beetlejuice and Batman. But I know who my favorite character of his is.

[rtfics]

"Baby, Mine" to me when I returned to writing it after 4 years:

Me:

[rtfics]

Yes, I am fully aware that my returning to Baby, Mine is semi-subconsciously in part a way to return to 2019, which was a fun year for me, before everything went to fucking Hell in 2020, including the riot that burned down my bookstore, so, yes, I'm aware, and that's totally cool with me.

[liquidloz]

[victorianwestpiano]

New Colt chapter fic is on AO3!

Holt is just mentioned, he does not appear.

But this guy does:

Here is the link if you’re interested--->FIC

[itsawritblr]

Yes, I am going to unashamedly and unabashedly write my Ship falling deeply and madly in love in an improbably short time, joyfully being each others’ One True Love, willingly and enthusiastically being monogamous.  I’m going to write them as falling in love in spite of age gaps, height differences, economic disparities, the disapproval of their friends and families.  I am going to make them everything we wish for ourselves, and I don’t care how “unrealistic” it is.  And dammit, no one is going to shame, embarrass, or harass me into not writing it the way it makes me happy.

[itsawritblr]

Dumbo 2019 isn't really really bad, but bad enough to qualify for this.

sometimes you just need to get obsessed with a really really really bad movie. it's for your own good trust me

[rtfics]

And of course--

Happy 73rd! You don't look a day over 636!

Happy Birthday, Michael Keaton!

Michael Keaton can’t know what service he’s done me as a writer.  It’s probably just as well that he doesn’t know.

Damn straight.  I hope he never learns that he sucked me into a whole new fandom and a fanfic I thoroughly enjoy writing…

…and that he brought to life a character that jolted my novel’s protagonist back to life…

…while creating some steam…

…and representing my novel’s antagonist being pissed off about my writing Baby, Mine when he wants his story told….

…and being the best damn villain in any superhero film…

…and a truly reprehensible assassin …

…who I still want to do this with.

Somehow, he makes a scuzzy milkshake-machine salesman turned idea thief.. .

and a sleazy-looking Shakespearean constable of the night watch with zero social skills …

hot.

In case you didn’t know, he’s an excellent writer. He contributed a great article to this anthology.

It’s kinda unsettling that one person can have so much impact on another.  And I’m grateful for it all.

Happy birthday, Michael Keaton.

OOPS, how could I forget?!

NICE FUCKING BIRTHDAY!

[rtfics]

V.A. Vandevere when he first entered showbiz and V.A. 30 years later.

[rtfics]

omg, your video is fantastic!

Thank you so much for the compliment!

I hope you'll find the end of the fic worth the wait. :-)

@rtfics ‘s Baby, Mine fic has got me HOOKED on this man. Their fic is incredibly well written, and they've just returned to finish writing it, and I CANNOT WAIT! I’ve been filled with immense motivation to edit Vandevere, and my obsession with Keaton is getting only crazier. I've made 3 edits already, I’m so excited!