#add nuances to my portrayal of him when I see elements

[reginrokkr]

One of the things to keep in mind if we ever happen to ship, be it as a result of the development between or muses written or discussed (which I'm open to, even if I'm not too vocal about it) is that Dain has... a lot of baggage of his own, part of which makes him self-sabotage himself despite being a logic-driven individual because he does have moments of sentimentality and when they hit, they do hard and deeply.

[wanderinghedgehog]

The Confrontation in Les Mis (or Authority Gains Its Power as the chapter is called in the book) is such an interesting scene to me because so many adaptations present it in a way that I can’t decide if it’s wrong or just strange. Various adaptations add an element of physical aggression to it that is not present in the original scene. Essentially my problem with that is that I find it unnecessary. Exactly what any violence could communicate in this scene could easily be communicated without it. More specifically, it could be communicated more artfully without violence.

What’s intriguing about this scene is the power dynamic between Valjean and Javert and how it shifts throughout. It starts with Javert in complete control, not because he could physically overpower Valjean (which he couldn’t), but because he has the law on his side. It is fully within his rights to arrest a lawbreaker. He mostly maintains this control of the scene through the authority given to him by the government. But when control briefly shifts to Valjean, it isn’t gained through actual violence. True, he threatens Javert, but that’s the extent of it. We know he’s been able to fend off Javert because he is able to give himself a moment to address Fantine. Nothing else was required to communicate this. Additionally, a threat of violence from Valjean is intimidating enough on it’s own partially because he uses this tactic so sparingly.

Portrayals of violence in media have a very straightforward purpose, to show how an attacker gains power of someone else, even if that power is short lived. But that power is represented very plainly by physical strength, meaning that it doesn’t always effectively portray other implications and nuances of a situation. But whether this is the case for violence in Les Mis or not, I mostly don’t like it for its lack of subtlety. It often feels like action for the sake of action rather than because it would genuinely portray the themes of power and authority better. It ups the stakes to some extent, but not in a way that’s especially meaningful. The stakes of the scene were already high enough, in my opinion.

I’m gonna see if I can sum this is up succinctly. If you ask me, when a scene already effectively deals with themes of power, there is no reason to add an element that involves those themes but only in a more visceral and frustratingly straightforward way.

[ladyinbooks]

Have you read Mary Renault's Alexander series/if you have, do you have thoughts? I've only read the persian boy so far and just started Fire from heaven but I've always heard amazing things about how she wrote them

Hello lovely anon!

I'm going to start off with an apology in advance, because whoops! You've asked me something that's set off my inner ramblings quite happily here (in a good way). So I'm going to roll up my sleeves behind the 'read more' and get overexcited about this.

But just in case, the tl;dr is: yes, I have. And yes, I love the series (with a few caveats):

Let's start when young!Lady was a small, wide-eyed thing, all of 17, who had just lied on her Oxford application form, and said she'd read Arrian's Campaigns of Alexander. Then she got called for interview and thought 'Oh shit, I'd better actually read it'. So she did. And she loved it. And she kind of... ended up developing a little obsession with this bloke called Alexander.

Now, around the same time as this deceit was taking place, Robin Lane Fox's biography on Alexander was fairly accessible in most book stores. Possibly because it's really quite a readable biography, and thus had become quite popular. And so young!Lady snaffled that too, and read it. And Lane Fox's name kept coming up in conjunction with Mary Renault's (perhaps because - personally speaking - I think they have a fairly similar approach in their views on Alexander), and so young!Lady thought 'Hey! Let's read those books too!'

All of which, is a very long-winded way of saying: I read them, and I loved them at the time. (To be fair, I still love them. Hephaistion my beloved.) Renault's style of writing is gorgeous. I know for some people it can be off-putting, and a little difficult to parse (she's not what I call a 'light read' in that sense), but I genuinely love the way she constructs her prose.

She was also, I think, one of the first fictional writers to actively and openly tackle an explicit romantic relationship between Alexander and Hephaistion (most prominent in Fire from Heaven, but it's definitely still there in The Persian Boy), and although Hephaistion-as-a-concept had been kicking around before then, I think Renault made the relationship (and Hephaistion) more... mainstream, if I can put it like that?

Renault's historical research is also good. She does give a really interesting flavour of what it must have felt like to live in a Macedonian court, filled with intrigue and the kind of political machinations that resulted in heads rolling. She captures that dangerous, desperate element very well, and she makes Macedonian life accessible to a reader in a way I very much enjoy.

I think as I've got older, where my love for Renault's version has become a little tarnished is in my own inability to put aside my mental nitpickings (and this is no fault of Renault's writing!). Her Alexander trilogy writes about Alexander-the-Legend, not Alexander-the-Man. For me, there is very little balance to be had from her, and although this was a stylistic choice, I do find myself missing the nuance of an Alexander who is not, well, pretty much a perfect example of a living god. He's almost Achillean in the way Renault portrays him - far beyond us brief mortals! - and in some ways that makes his fictional character feel more inaccessible to me. Her Alexander is untouchable. Unknowable. Godlike in his abilities and driven by ambitions far beyond anything a non-heroic mortal can comprehend.

I also feel that Renault's portrayal (understandably) is a bit wrapped up in W.W. Tarn's vision of Alexander as some kind of benevolent conqueror (he wasn't), whose life's exploits were geared towards the betterment of mankind (they weren't). I need to add: this isn't a criticism of Renault! Tarn's scholarship and ideology was very prevalent for quite a while (see: Robin Lane Fox, who sort of subscribed to a viewpoint of Alexander along vaguely similar lines, I think).

My other gentle nitpick, is that very often Renault's women are stereotypes. Or caricatures. Olympias comes across as a vengeful harpy (interestingly, I think there is a lot or Renault's Olympias in Oliver Stone's film version). Again, I think it's fair to defend Renault with the fact that she's working with historical sources that can have the same biases - but even so, for me it's not particularly satisfying.

In the same vein...

Hephiastion my beloved. He does suffer from this too, I think. He's very much in the style of an 'Alexander-can-do-no-wrong' kind of character, and although that does fit the narrative purpose, it simultaneously makes me a little sad that we don't particularly get to see an active, competent Hephaistion in the way I personally feel he likely was. He's not completely reduced to the role of 'the boyfriend', but he is completely defined by Alexander - his behaviour, his impulses, his career are all attributed more to being 'philalexandros', than to any genuinely displayed individualistic motives. Again, it's not a bad thing, but for my Hephaistion-loving gremlin heart it can be dissatisfying if I don't turn off that portion of my brain a bit.

All of which is my very rambling way of saying: yes, I've read Renault's Alexandriad, and yes I genuinely do love those books - for what they represent, for what they do and just for the sheer joy of reading them. But I do have some slight quibbles. None of which are enough to put me off of them, only to say that I think as a reader I have to temper my expectations and meet the books where they are (for what they are). They are beautifully written, and I do think they do something rather unique for the Alexander mythos.

One other book I'd recommend - purely for the sheer delight of it - is Aubrey Menen's A Conspiracy of Women. Written around the same time, it's very different and deals primarily with a moment in time during Alexander's campaigns. It is a satire (not particularly historically motivated), and it pokes fun at quite literally everyone. Whilst not at all romantic in (either sense of the word) the way Renault's writing is, I do love the fact it takes aim at Alexander, and the Alexander mythos (along with a more generally satirical approach to the concept of empire building).

I also love Menen's Hephaistion, who is possibly the driest, wittiest takes-no-nonsense-from Alexander character:

Few men could face an angry Alexander and remain in control of themselves. But one of these was Hephaestion. He glanced at his friend the King, smiled and then said, "Alexander, if you continue to glare that way, the poor man will die of fright. Bathyllus," he said, "for the moment only His Majesty may wear Persian robes. Maybe one day we shall all do so. But His Majesty has not yet made up his mind on the subject."

This being the exact truth, it made Alexander angrier than ever, as Hephaestion knew it would, but with him and not with the unfortunate Bathyllus. Alexander turned his back on Hephaestion. "See that he is brought to my tent," he said, and strode away.

"See that you bring yourself to His Majesty's tent," said Hephaestion to Bathyllus. "I am in no mood for his imperial tantrums this evening..." (pg.19)

Or:

"Hephaestion," he said, "am I really as vain as you say?"

"Did I say you were vain?"

"You said I was in love with myself. Just now. When I boxed your ears."

"Ah," said Hephaestion. "Yes. You are."

"You must tell me when I get vain."

"I do," said Hephaestion.

"Yes, you do," said Alexander. "And I am grateful."

"You are usually remarkably cross," said Hephaestion. "But I shall go on telling you."

"It's strange," said Alexander. "We have conquered a world together, but our friendship is as strong as ever."

Hephaestion made no answer.

"You must find me very hard to bear sometimes, Hephaestion."

"Sometimes," agreed Hephaestion.

"When?" asked Alexander.

"When, for instance, you say things like 'We have conquered a world together, but our friendship is as strong as ever'." Hephaestion echoed exactly the touch of pomposity that Alexander had put into his voice.

Alexander smiled. He reached out and put a hand on Hephaestion's shoulder as they rode together." (pg. 101)

Hephaistion my beloved.

[zalrb]

People on twitter are criticizing Brad Pitt's portrayal of Louis in IWTV and saying the show's Louis is way better and Brad's performance was lifeless and basically he was a cardboard cut-out. I mean I hate Brad Pitt but I feel like people are being extremely obtuse. Like maybe I'm just biased because I definitely prefer the movie, but I think every actor embodied their character extremely well, especially since Louis is meant to come off as like Godric in true blood; just completely done with life. And people are saying Tom and Brad had no chemistry which is just ridiculous? I feel like since the homoerotic elements are done way more subtly in the movie (which is better IMO), people are confusing chemistry for dynamic, since the show is way more overt. Anyway sorry for the long rambling, I would really just love to know your thoughts on Louis's character in the movie vs the TV show. BTW I do think the show has great actors and Jacob Anderson is amazing, I just don't get why people always have to hate on the movie. :)

Yeah, I saw that too and last season I saw the whole "the movie isn't even that good anyway" discourse and it made me roll my eyes because I agree with you, people are being obtuse about this.. Brad Pitt's acting isn't good in the movie, like it isn't particularly nuanced, it's not like he elevates anything, and yet he does manage to capture Louis being conflicted, melancholic and maudlin

but that's also because the movie doesn't rely on voiceover so I'm seeing Louis in the sewers

I'm seeing him just done

I'm getting the sense of what his relationship with Lestat is like with scenes of them just sitting at a dinner table and Lestat throwing grapes at him because Louis is such a downer and he's also just half a second away from just ending it all

and it pairs well with Tom Cruise's Lestat who dances with corpses

and has witticisms when killing people

so we get things like this

and it works. Brad's acting actually ends up lending itself to the campiness of the movie? The scene that twitter chose to rip him apart

Lestat's amused response to "YOU CONDEMNED ME TO HELL" and Brad's "ARRRGGGH" adds a level of irony and fun because it makes it over the top in the way it should be.

The movie's Louis is anguished over his own existence and having the dark gift.

With AMC's IWTV, I know Jacob can act, when they give him the room to let loose, he does it and definitely gives insight into Louis' anguish

but my issue has always been the in between moments, particularly in season 1 because of what the showrunners/creators said they wanted to deliver and what I thought we got

so while the show wanted to dig deeper and add layers and expand him in ways that the movie didn't, because I don't feel like the show really goes there constantly while the movie did and pulled no punches, when I think of IWTV outside of the books, my mind still goes straight to the movie and not to the show, my mind still goes to that Louis because it's not dialogue.

In terms of the different Loustats, yeah the movie is subtext

and Brad and Tom had the chemistry for that, it's eroticism, it's simulating sex through how they feed etc.

and I understand wanting something more direct and overt but so much of the directness in the show is through dialogue anyway, so many times I have yelled, I want to SEE this, so that when we get to season 2 and Louis is hallucinating Lestat and in such a state that he accidentally kills a human, I'm more invested in it because there were scenes of their relationship/seduction etc. that really makes it hit home.

[dracomort]

Your fanfic has converted me to shipping Tom/Raco. I was wondering what other rare pairs interest you and why?

Mine is Draco and Dudley- there are lots of parallels between the two of them- both were bullies who were awful to Harry, spoiled by their deeply prejudiced parents. There's something about them intimately knowing what is like to be cruel and grow up in a toxic environment where your parents love you but they are awful to others and failed you in some way. I would love to see a fanfic that explores those themes and the long difficult path towards redemption.

I also like Tom Riddle/Ron- I think that there are dark elements of Ron's character would let him be drawn and potentially seduced by Tom and both share a desire to stand out and I found it really interesting that Ron's Mirror of Erised- he sees himself being Head Boy and Quiddich captain. I think that Tom can understand the desire for recognition and to have accolades. I also found it really cool that Ron could minick/speak Parseltongue well enough that the Chamber of Secret opened for him. It's fun imagining Tom teaching Ron phrases in Parseltongue. My personal headcanon is that Parseltongue can be learnt but it's extremely difficult and it would require a patient native speaker and I imagine that historically native Parseltongue speakers would prize its rarity and status and makes it easier to keep secrets within the family so they would have no incentive to want to teach others.

Sorry for the rant

Hello!

I can see the appeal of Draco/Dudley. I do think they're two sides of the same spoiled-rotten coin. And I'm always interested in more nuanced portrayals of Ron. One thing I like about him in canon is that he still has so much growing, maturing and changing to do post Book 7.

As for my own favourite rarepairs, tbh I will give any Draco or Tom ship a fair go

I suppose some particular faves are:

Draco/Neville: I think Neville's steady, down to earth nature would balance Draco's... everything. Also I think Draco is the type to complain to the manager when they make Neville's order wrong.

Draco/Sirius: Spicy 🔥

Tom or Vee/Gellert: I support this & have two fic ideas for it. Just gonna add it to the ever-mounting pile of plot bunnies.

Tom/Cedric: this is the crackiest of crackships, but I read @duplicitywrites's fic and was converted.

Snape/Lockhart: I read Draco Malfoy and the Mirror of Ecidyrue and found Lockhart's crush really funny. As a Lockhart fan, I support this.

Lucius/Bella: I ship this platonically as much as anything (how i feel about most het). Their dynamic, especially in the First War, is so amusing for me to think about. Absolute polar opposites. Was reading Order of the Phoenix recently and realised how much I like Lucius. He's perhaps the most 'reasonable' and sane of the Death Eaters, yet so casual about murdering children. You just know he's done absolutely abhorrent things.

Draco/Ginny: is this a rarepair? I feel like it was popular at least once upon a time. Anyway I like the idea of their dynamic. I think she'd crush him like a snail.

[independentzaun]

Fun little detail: Back when I first watched Arcane, I thought Sevika was a great character, but I didn't care too deeply for her. It is why I admire your portrayal so much. You not only have an immense and nuanced understanding of this woman, but you also expanded upon her in such creative ways. Nowadays, when I hear Sevika's name, your portrayal is actually what pops into my head, even before the canon version. That is how much of an impact your Sevika left on me.

As for your Silco portrayal, I know you are worried about him not yet being scary, but I think despite this current flaw, your portrayal is still brilliant. You have created a character with such passion and drive. I love how you can switch between this loving and encouraging father, which he is towards Jinx, and this calm, calculating and skilled man. You really capture his hatred for Piltover in sometimes surprisingly fun ways. I wish I could suggest how to make Silco scarier, but I don't know. It is your portrayal after all.

However, something, I would encourage you to do, is to be willing to embrace the uniqueness of your own portrayals. You are willing to adjust your Jinx to work with my Silco and I love the end result of that, but I also hope that I can do the same thing for you. I want to incorporate your version of Zaun more into our threads where your Silco is the one in charge. So don't hesitate to introduce some ideas, specific for your Silco or your Jinx to our threads. You saw how I reacted to Keyla. I always want to work with the new elements you give me because they give our rps that special little something.

anonymously tell me your honest opinion about me: Still accepting

First of all thank you so much, for all of this, and you’re awesome. I’m pleased, and honestly kind of honored that my Sevika has left such an impression on you. Makes me happy I decided to add her on as a full muse because originally she was just going to be at most a secondary because I wanted my Silco to have his deputy, and bodyguard. Obviously that’s changed, and it’s good to see how she’s been embraced by people.

As for Silco that’s nice to hear that it’s still a good portrayal. I do want to do more with him I’m just in a weird spot right now were I kind of...don’t exactly know what or how? In a weird way Silco has almost became a bit player with most of the stories he’s involved in being more heavily influenced by other “players” so to speak be it Sevika taking care of things for him, or whatever else. I adore him, and have a lot of thoughts about him still! I’m just really not used to writing a leader type muse, and figuring out how to balance with other peoples expectations and all. Which yes is on me of course, and something for me to figure out but it still leaves me questioning how. I almost feel like I need to do some shortish/quickish (by my standards) threads with him just being a chem-baron and leader and dealing with things in Zaun and all to figure him out again as well as what “my” version of Zaun is.

I appreciate the willingness to incorporate my ideas and all! Honestly… the one main thing that’s been standing out lately to me with my Silco in his main verse (which is post arcane, obvious statement is obvious) is that he’s not happy with the direction things have gone. Not because of shimmer, but because of the chem-barons becoming more greedy than ever and having to “share the air with parasites” like them and Zaun’s shifting priorities and all. As well as his increasing realization that really he just spent the last however many years of his life working towards a goal, and honestly isn’t really that much closer to it if at all. There’s a lot of room there I think for different possible story lines, and character development.

Anyways thank you very much, and I’m going to stop rambling down.

[thebad---catholic]

Why I don’t think Azula should’ve gotten a healing/redemption arc

k so I made this meme a couple weeks ago

and I got a lot (a lot? Like 10 but that’s a lot for me) responses disagreeing with my post, which is fair because there’s really only a tiny subset of fans who fit into the “if you stan villains you’re a bad person” category, and Azula’s character (like most other things in atla) is fairly nuanced. I won’t dive into her personal psychology so much, just why I was satisfied with her arc as a viewer.

Note: I’m only speaking within the context of Atla. I haven’t read any of the comics or seen Lok so for the sake of this lil post those don’t exist.

Not enough time

Plain and simple, Azula didn’t have enough time for any sort of healing or redemption. She would’ve needed at least 2 seasons based on what Zuko went through. Adding more seasons for this purpose would feel kind of pointless. Maybe they should’ve explored this in other media but not within atla as the story works best as a tidy three season bit.

Along this same vein, I’m not viewing the show the same way as I would irl. If we’re being realistic, Azula was a horribly abused mentally ill 14 year old who most definitely should’ve gotten treatment. But this is a cartoon, where standards are a little different, which I’ll talk more about in a minute.

Iroh used to be a bad person/If Zuko changed so could she

This one is more complicated for me, but basically I view it like this. In the show, Iroh and Zuko display goodness before their redemption.

We see this with Zuko especially. He is banished for trying to protect the lives of fire nation soldiers from certain death. Twice he spares the life of his rival Zhao, even after that rival tried to kill him. In season two, he saves appa, risks blowing his cover to light lanterns for Jin, saves a town from mercenaries, and even when he’s robbing, he spares certain people (the pregnant woman for example) and mostly targets the wealthy. Zuko, even at his worst, had hard limits on his morality.

Iroh is more subtle. The most clear example comes from the flashback in “Zuko Alone” where Iroh gifts Zuko a dagger from the earth kingdom that he notes is of superior craftsmanship. This, to me, shows where the start of Iroh’s arc comes from: his appreciation of the other nations. It’s been noted before that Iroh has also mastered all four elements, even though he can only firebend. Redirecting lightning comes from waterbenders- likely learned before Iroh “turned good”. Even as their adversary, Iroh respects the people of Ba Sing Se for their resilience. (This again contrasts Zhao, who was so deranged he murdered the fucking moon just to win.) Finally, the dragons. Iroh is known as the dragon of the west even to people from Ba Sing Se- this means that he spared the lives of the final dragons before Lu Tens death. Like Zuko, Iroh shows mercy even when on the wrong side. Lu Ten’s death breaks Iroh because it forces him to finally come to terms with the fact that the fire nation is built on a lie. Fire nation superiority is a lie, and it’s one he’s known for a long time.

Azula doesn’t display any of these traits. The only time in the entire series where she apologizes is after she insults Ty Lee, and I’d argue it was an act of manipulation, as she quickly uses the apology to receive praise from Ty Lee. The beach episode is the only soft side we ever see to Azula, and all of her interactions can still be interpreted like my example. Was the comment about Ursa thinking she was a monster a slip of her mask or an attempt to “perform” like the others? We know Azula is a liar, so was she lying when she said ursa was right, or that it still hurt? Or both? And, mind you, I do love how this episode explores azula more closely, but I don’t believe being a nuanced villain makes you a redeemable one. Even as a child, Azula is cruel and takes pleasure in hurting Zuko, and animals, and her friends. She’s a master manipulator who makes friends through fear and intimidation. Imo, the only reason she doesn’t actually kill someone is because Avatar was technically a kids show, though that sure as fuck didn’t stop her from threatening multiple peoples lives. There is no action of Azula that signifies an ounce of good in her.

She was abused

1) a tragic backstory isn’t the be all end all of whether or not a character’s redeemable, and 2) So was Zuko. And probably Iroh and Ozai, and probably Azulan. The fire nation royal family is fucked up. Even if Azulan was a “good” father to Ozai and Iroh he was still a dictator who was grooming them to take over.

Having Azula be a puppet in her fathers game was an incredibly mature route for atla to take. Once again, it adds depth with a realistic take for Azula’s villainy. Very rarely are individuals born evil (enter nature v nuture debate here). Some of the worst people to ever exist were victims of abuse and neglect to varying degrees. Once again, though, this doesn’t suddenly render Azula open to redemption. And from a storytelling perspective, there’s parallels between Ozai and Iroh and Azula and Zuko.

Ozai continued the cycle of abuse, Iroh broke free from it, Zuko ended it, and Azula was broken by it. These are all things that happen in real life.

She’s 14

Oddly enough this is the argument that baffles me the most. I know I just said a whole lot about real life vs fiction, but I’m gonna pull the fiction card on this one. I can suspend belief with these characters and their ages. I don’t think any 12 year old could function after waking up from a coma and finding out his entire people were slaughtered and that he only had like, six months to save the world, regardless of his upbringing and power set. I also don’t think any 14 year old could lead a trio to infiltrate a city state, outsmart the shadow leader of said city state, and manipulate and entire little army for her favor.

There’s just a point where you have to suspend belief. The characters of avatar are fantastic, but are not realistic portrayals of people in their age group. Azula could be 14 as easily as she could be 25 and nothing about the narrative would change. The same is true for the rest of the main characters- even Aang, as youthful and fun loving as he is, also has more emotional maturity than anyone in the gaang, and more than most adults i know. If you want a realistic example of a child working through trauma, try Lilo from Lilo and Stich. Not anyone from Atla

Not everyone needs a happy ending.

This is ultimately what it comes down to for me. I like Azula as a villain. I like Azula as a villain who stays a villain and who is driven insane by power and paranoia. I like Macbeth. Azula is a tragedy- and that’s what I like.

So there ya have it folks. That’s my take. I’m writing this at five am with very little sleep, so please forgive typos and whatnot. I feel like maybe I haven’t explained everything the way I wanted to, but I can’t stop thinking about this, and the great thing about this show is that it’s fun to keep thinking about.

[kanohivolitakk]

Some ramblings about Memory and why I’m happy it wasn’t canonized

Honestly the more I think about the story, the happier I am that Memory (a winner of the Memories of the Dead canonization contest) was never officially canonized. And Im saying this as someone who absolutely adores Nidhiki as a character and would've liked to see more content of him, especially one that explores his psyche in a nuanced manner.

Before we go on a few disclaimers. First off, yes, I'm aware that Memory is fan-made and that some people see critiquing fanfics as bad, at the very least unless the author personally requested it. And I completely understand that sentiment given that fanfics are hobbies and the writers may not always want critique on stuff they worked on for personal fun and passion. Thing is, Memory was not only submitted to a canonization contest, but was one of the winners. The only reason it (and the other winners of the contest) weren't canonized was because Greg wasn't allowed to visit BZPower anymore (or had it to do with LEGO quitting Bionicle g1 completely in preparation for g2, don't remember tbh). In other words, Memory was this close getting canonized, and was only left out due to external circumstances. That makes criticizing Memory fair game in my opinion.

Secondly: I actually like Memory as a story. It's well written, explores Nidhikis character in an interesting way and has a really interesting theme of how some individuals are forced into roles they didn't want to by circumstance. I think it fills in gaps from the lore nicely (especially the ending). And not only does the story use Mimic (a Dark Hunter I desperately wish was used in canon) it characterizes and uses him rather well. Him acting as a pararell/comparasion to Nidhiki is a solid way to showcase the storys central theme. All in all, it's a solid story in vacuum. Even as part of the larger Bionicle mythos I do like some elements of it and have adopted them into my headcanonverse.

That being said, I have one major issue with the story specifically regarding how it relates to the greater Bionicle canon. And that is, giving Nidhiki a "my original teammates were killed by Dark Hunters and now I desire revenge" type of backstory doesn't work for his character and arguably makes him less interesting.

First off, I understand why the writer chose to do this decision, to paint Nidhiki in a more sympathetic light. In canon, Nidhiki isn't really a sympathetic character (or at the very least wasn't intended to be one, ymmv whether or not he can be seen as one). He is selfish and his reason for betraying toa Mangai boils down to desire for glory and self-preservation. So wanting to give Nidhiki a more sympathetic backstory in order for the reader to understand why he is like that and thus sympathizing with him makes sense especially given how Bionicle doesn’t really have that many sympathetic villains to begin with and Nidhiki is one of the few who could easily be written in a more sympathetic light without making his character worse thanks to his backstory being rather tragic and there being a few hints of him being a more sympathetic character than the canon presents.

Thing is, by giving Nidhiki a desire of wanting revenge against Dark Hunters, I feel the writer misses a major part of Nidhikis character, one that could be easily expanded on to make him a more sympathetic and understandable character: his pragmatic opportunism born out of survival instinct.

Nidhiki is largely driven by pragmatism and self-preservation, by making actions that benefit him. This sense of pragmatism most likely comes from him coming from Tren Krom Peninsula: a harsh climate where you had to be pragmatic in order to survive. Pretty much everything from his characterization boils down to this survival instinct, this desire to survive taught by harsh living conditions. This is the core of his characterization and something worth keeping in mind  both when trying to understand him and writing him. And while the writer of   Memory does understand this to some extent, I feel they only saw it as part of his character rather than the main core of his characterization and driving force of his actions.

While Nidhiki loosing his teammates does add more fuel into him not trusting anyone and developing this pragmatic mindset (something Memory does pretty good job showcasing), I also feel that it's kinda unnecessary. It feels as if it exists as this big push, this big traumatic event that shaped Nidhiki's mindset into this pragmatic self-survival we see in canon and I just...don't feel that suits him. It makes more sense if rather than one big traumatic event that made him what he was it was a series of smaller events, it was him living in a place with a certain mental climate that forced a certain mindset just so he could survive.

The backstory also feels that like it exists largely to give Nidhiki a history with and grudge against the Dark Hunters which just...doesn't make sense at all when you give more context into canon. Like, if Nidhiki had a grudge against them I doubt he would've interacted with Lariska the way he did in BOADH let alone agreed to betray his team, no matter how good opportunity it felt like. Well at least it gives him one more reason to despise TSO and his organization and that’s always a plus if you ask me.

However,the main reason I don't really like this is because it feels kinda cliche and makes Nidhiki less interesting than he could be. Like, it feels that the easiest way to make your audience to sympathize with a villain is to give them a tragic backstory of them loosing a loved one that made them bitter and cynical. It just feels like a cop-out, an easy shorthand. It feels such "been there done that" and does more harm than good for Nidhikis characterization, feels like its there to make him more sympathetic through tried and true means than actually trying to understand him and what makes him tick, and building up a more sympathetic portrayal from there.

What makes this all worse is that I do think you could make Nidhiki a more sympathetic character without resorting to cliche tools like that. And thats by focusing on expanding on whats already there: his desire for survival and self-preservation. While it does make him rather selfish, its also what makes him understandable and (for lack of better term) real. While we want to talk about how self-righteous and good we are, truth is that desire for self-preservation and survival is a driving force that can override (or at the very least heavily affect) our moral compass, especially if you come from a traumatic upbringing. And like I said, the harsh survival of the fittest nature of T.K Peninsula certainly was that kind of place where Nidhiki was essentially forced to adapt a certain mindset. It’d be cool to see him slowly develop this mindset from the environment he grew up in, to have whatever potential goodness and optism he once had be eroded through him having to come in terms with the messed up nature of the world. it would’ve made him much more interesting, sympathetic and tragic character than he is in canon, all while feeling unique

That being said, I understand why the writer did the way they did. Like I said, Nidhiki isn’t exactly the most sympathetic character in canon, and wanting to give him a backstory that’s easy to sympathize with is an easy and good way to do that. It’s also worth pointing out that Memory was an oneshot, so the writer didn’t have time to go through everything Nidhiki went through before becoming part of Toa Mangai and as such, it’s easy to understand why the writer choose to give one big event that changed his mindset. I also dont think giving Nidhiki revenge motive is inherently bad (I mean its basically canon he wanted revenge against Lhikan), nor is making him more emotional and not just a pragmatic opportunist (if anything making him emotional is more than welcome in this house). But I feel that Memory just kinda, changes his character in such a drastic way that didn't sit with me, at least not completely. It kinda makes him an archetypical "I'm aloof and refuse to work with others because I lost my friends against these villains" type of character. Not only is that rather cliche that's also not what Nidhiki is like...He's more interesting as an opportunist who became such due to the harsh nature of Tren Krom Peninsula rather than your archetypical edgy shonen anime rival whos aloof because tragic backstory murder.

So yeah, Memory is a good story but I’m happy it isn’t canon because while it was an interesting take of my favorite Bionicle character, it being canon would’ve done more harm than good for his characterization as whole I feel. Also you can make a character sympathetic without having to resort to “they saw someone close to them die and desire revenge because of that”, especially when it doesn’t fit to that characters characterization as whole.

[calliecat93]

ST: TNG S5 Watchthrough Episodes 18-21

Cause and Effect: Who’s ready for the ST equivalent of Groundhog Day? Yep, we have a time loop episode. This is actually my mom’s favorite episode so I’ve been waiting for this one XD.So the episode opens with the Enterprise blown up… and after the titles we have a poker game as though nothing happened. But Crusher begins to have deja vu and as the loops continue, so do the others. So... If you’ve seen time loop stories you more or less know how this goes. Though unlike most of the oens I’ve seen where just one person becomes aware of it, while Crusheris the first the others also begin to take notice. The don’t remember everything, but they start picking up on it and figuring out that something’s up. Again, I appreciate the cast being written as competent and not stupid cause it’s very easy to do with this kind of plot. Not sure I at all understand Data’s explanation on how he figured out how to end the loop... but hey, it ended. So it was good. Nothing mind-blowing but very much enjoyable. Any time that Crusher gets prominent screentime I’m happy, but again I just appreciate the cast being intelligent. Also the Kelsey Grammer cameo at the end, Hell yes~! 3.5/5.

The First Duty: Okay Wesley, second guest star appearance. Let’s see how it goes. Which, haha... it’s not a happy episode for him. There’s been an accident at the Academy and while thankfully Wesley is alright aside from an injured arm, one of his classmates has died. Well… that’s sad. That n and of itself could fuel a story all its own. But as a hearing is held, it becomes clear that something more is going on. As it turns out, Wesley’s teammate died because the entire squadron not only performed an illegal flight procedure… but lied about it. First that it was an accident, then that the accident and his own demise was his own fault. Why? To save their own skins. Now to be fair it’s clear that they’re scared, but it doesn’t change the fact that they’re essentially lying/disgracing a dead person to save themselves. Even the kid’s own father gets convinced of this, which only adds to Wesley’s guilt. I actually felt really bad for Wesley and I kinda feel like Picard, upon confronting him, was… pretty harsh. Wesley’s actions were wrong, but again he was clearly scared and felt guilty for it. Thankfully he does ultimately do the right thing, accepting the consequences. Hopefully, Wesley can push through it and grow from it if he shows up again. My mom doesn’t like this episode I guess because of how it portrayed Wesley, but honestly? I like it for that exact reason. Welsey isn’t portrayed necessarily as bad, he’s reacting like… well… a scared nineteen-year-old. He made a major mistake, and he paid the price for it, though it certainly wasn’t the worst punishment that he could have received. While Picard was rather harsh when confronting him, it was the push that Wesley needed to do the right thing. I think that this was the kind of episode that Wesley needed, where he commits a huge screw-up and unlike when he was a regular, pays the consequences for it… it’s just a shame that they did it after he stopped being a regular. I can see why some may dislike this one because of Wesley’s portrayal, but I think it was good and was long overdue for the character without villainizing him. He’s intelligent and capable of greatness, but he’s got a lot to learn, especially after this. Let’s hope that he does. 3.5/5.

Cost of Living: It’s another Lwaxana episode folks… yay. Okay despite my complaints about her episodes, the last one’s issues I had was more due to the subject matter than the character. If anything, she was the best part of it. So maybe this time things will be better. So this time, Worf is having parenting problems with Troi trying to help him and Alexander make it work. Lwaxana is on the Enterprise as she’s getting married, to Troi’s exasperation and Picard’s utter relief, and ends up butting in. Oh and the ship malfunctions because it’s Star Trek. So… it was okay I guess? The Holodeck scene was just utterly bizzare and I’m still trying to wrap my brain around WTF just happened. To be honest, Troi is the best part of this episode. She’s trying to reasonable help Worf with his parenting issues, Alexander with his lack of discepline/responsibility, her mother marrying a guy she never met and bending agains the Betazoid traditions that she usually follows, and she’s clearly just fed up with everyone especially her mother. It makes her such a joy to watch, haha! Lwaxana was… alrigh. On the one hand, it ws not at all her place to butt into the whole Alexander situation especially since Troi was handling it. On the other hand, the episode does go more into how lonely Lwaxana is and make her manhunting/desire tog et married more sympathetic. Te previous episodes always played it mainly as a joke/a condition of her species at her age, but it never allowed her to actually delve into why she’s so desperate. How she’s fears rowing older and being all alone without someone to love her… and gosh I’ve absoluteley seen this before and it’s just sad. Consideirng that this came out the same year that Gene Roddenberry, majel Barret’s husband and of course as we know the franchise creator, has passed… I can only imagine how rough this had to be for the poor woman. But if she wad channeling that into her performance, she did a fantastic job. Also Lwaxana’s fiance? He was played by freakin’ Tony Jay. The man is a freakin’ legend the voice acting world (probably best known as Frollo in Disney’s The Hunchback of Notre Dame, by far his darkest performance yet probably his best) and it’s the first time I’ve seen him in a live aciton role. He plays a snobish asshole and obviousy the marriage falls through in the end, but he made the episode worth it! So yeah, I’m still not a big Lwaxana fan but they are trying to add more to her and overall it was fine. It’s not great, for example the Enterprise’s plot felt tacked on to fill in the runtime, the pacing was rouh, and the storylines were not at all balanced out well. But it was overall fine, though i think Half a Life did her better. Troi, some legit Lwaxana development, and getting an appearance by Tony Jay made it worth it XD 2/5.

The Perfect Mate: While preparing for a peace treaty, the Enterprise picks up two Ferengi, one of which messes with the cargo, and releases a young woman named Kamala, a mutant amongst her kind whose abilities let her become the perfect mate for any man, from suspended animation. She was meant to stay that way until the ceremony... and was meant to be a ‘gift’ to one of the sides. Yeah... that’s not at all messed up. Due to the Prime Directive, the crew can’t interfere... and we find out that there was a more complicated reason as to why Kamala was as she was. This is pretty much the TNG version of Elaan of Troyius from TOS. Kamala is completely different from Elaan, more composed and well-mannered while Elaan was more aggressive and upfront. Looking back I do feel I was too harsh in calling Elaan a brat considering the conditions she was under, but the episode certainly didn’t give he much sympathy from anyone (aside from Kirk) while they do better calling out the arrangement here. Then again it’s been months since I watched the episode so I may be remembering wrong. But it does ultimately end with Kamala entering an unhappy marriage, but she bonds with Picard and ends up acting as his perfect mate, so... hope that goes well. The whole empath/metamorph thing felt necessary as well, you didn’t need a reason to make men attracted to her for this episode to work. Which yes it only works on men, remember this is the 90’s folks. I’m kind of baffled as to why Troi wasn’t in this one considering we have another empath, that could have added a more interesting layer and justified that part. But I shall repeat what I said in Elaan when they put Kirk under that tear-induced love spell: you don’t need those elements to keep a plot spicy. The Ferengi we're also utterly pointless. While I feel that the subject is better done than in TOS and it felt more evenly paced... I’m still not a fan of it. It has more of the nuanced debate on the arranged marriage plot that I was annoyed that Elaan didn’t have... but I’m still pretty meh about it overall. it’s alright, but just that: alright. 2.5/5.

Okay folks, we’re five episodes away from finishing S5. So far... it’s only been alright. There’s been a couple of strong episodes, but overall it’s remained firmly in the average range. Maybe S4 hyped me up too much, IDK. I’m still having fun, but maybe I’m just starting to get fatigued from TNG. But we don’t have much more to go, and there’s still plenty of time for S6 to change my mind, so we’ll see how things go from here.

[aion-rsa]

Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1 Review – The Marshal

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This Star Wars: THE MANDALORIAN review contains spoilers.

The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1

The Mandalorian’s season two premiere is a well-structured example of the show’s Space Western ethos, showing deft technical skill on the part of its director, showrunner Jon Favreau, a fun menagerie of monsters, and exciting action. While it didn’t move the story forward or offer new characterization for the titular Mando, Din Djarin, or the Child as one might expect from a premiere, the show is certainly good at what it does. It’s expanding the Star Wars universe with anecdotes full of old-fashioned charm while updating creatures and aliens for today. It’s an entertaining start for a sorely needed season of escapism, even as I perpetually wish the show would go more specific and weird instead of retracing both Star Wars and Western ground. 

Where season one left off, the Mando was searching for clues as to the origin of the lovable, Force-sensitive Child known in the fandom as Baby Yoda. The very first glimpse of them in “The Marshal” sums up the appeal in the show’s odd duo: the faceless Mando striding like he could walk through walls, followed along by the wide-eyed baby in his floating bassinet. Gruff father figure and toddling child is a staple pair of all kinds of media, from post-apocalypse to comedy, and it works here by stirring together elements of both. In the dusty world of Star Wars, the Child is inherently cute and funny. It’s easy to get invested in the bond between the two of them.

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Fans looking for a reinforcement of that bond won’t really see it in “The Marshal,” though. Aside from the Mando’s surge to rescue the baby from something that isn’t specifically targeting him, the plot mostly revolves around Mando and a new hero. Timothy Olyphant of Deadwood and Justified fame returns to type as Cobb Vanth, a drawling lawman who first appeared in the Star Wars novel series Aftermath. As the marshal of the episode’s title, he’s in charge of a mining town that can’t catch a break. It’s been menaced by Tusken Raiders, mining gangs, and a Krayt dragon. In order to fight off the latter, they’ll have to team up with the former.

Last season made strides toward scrubbing the movie saga’s portrayal of the Tusken Raiders as mindless and vicious. Here, they’re a metaphor for indigenous people with their own language, traditions, and reasons for why they can come off as cruel to people who don’t live in the deep desert. Mando sums up the episode’s point of view on this: “They are brutal. But so is the Dune Sea.” It’s at least more nuanced than the original, the episode neither portraying the humans or the Tuskens as identical nor impossibly different. 

Cobb Vanth’s little arc is also muted but functional. Although he’s wearing Mandalorian armor, he isn’t one himself. Din Djarin is disgusted, ready to kill him until the Krayt dragon shows up. In the end, Vanth trades the armor for Djarin’s help. Is the lesson here that sometimes appropriation is accidental and stolen property can be earned back by astounding feats of strength? The episode doesn’t really frame it as relevant to the real world as much as it is to last season’s emphasis on the Mandalorian’s religious traditions. Seeing Vanth take off his helmet seems mildly scandalous. 

Olyphant’s winning smile, easy drawl, and Western acting pedigree mean he fits nicely into the shoes of Cobb Vanth, even if the character isn’t anything new. He does not fit as nicely into the baggy clothing under Boba Fett’s old armor, which is hilarious because a lot of other Star Wars costumes don’t fit super well either. I love the intentionally unpolished-looking parts of the saga. And yes, that’s Boba Fett’s armor, and not the last reference to the infamous bounty hunter in the episode.

As well as playing to Western type, Vanth also retreads some of the same ground as the cocky bounty hunter from season one, Toro Calican, down to the similar shots of the two of them speeder biking across the desert. Part of Vanth’s purpose is to contrast his disregard for Mandalorian and Tusken tradition for Din Djarin’s religious and cultural side. Djarin knows what it’s like to be part of a community forced to live on the margins. He can be cruel — like when he left Gor Koresh (John Leguizamo) to the dogs in the very beginning of the episode — but he does have a heart. And so, it turns out, does Vanth. It is a significant but small change, extending the lawman’s fondness for his own people out to his fellow denizens of the desert. It doesn’t feel groundbreaking, for good or ill. 

Speaking of denizens of the desert, the Krayt dragon is the highlight of the episode. First seen as a menacing skeleton in A New Hope, the monster in the flesh is frightening and cool.  It doesn’t quite look like either a Dune sandworm or a dinosaur, but you can see elements of both as well as where it got the dragon name. Swimming through the sand, it looks beautiful and strange, coming from unexpected angles and diving through the landscape. It fits nicely into the world, almost the same color and texture as the rocks. However, only ever showing its head means it feels a bit like playing with a toy with no tail at times. 

Read more

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I continue to marvel at the way The Mandalorian is shot, and how season two’s landscapes already feel more crowded and alive than season one’s, even though they are still pretty much the same deserts and cities. Close-ups on animals make the Tatooine ecosystem convincing. I haven’t talked much about the first few scenes because they aren’t directly connected to the Tatooine plot, but the crowded city and aliens are also convincing and fantastical. The music continues to add a great sense of wonder, and I loved the cameo from my favorite loud-mouthed mechanic, Peli Motto (Amy Sedaris).

And the finale does have a twist almost on par with Baby Yoda: Temuera Morrison taking on the role of Boba Fett, alive and scowling after seemingly escaping the sarlacc pit from Return of the Jedi. It’s a very brief cameo, and it’s unclear whether Boba will have a bigger role in the season than that, but it’s still a nice way to get fans talking after the credits have rolled. We wrote way more about Boba’s return here.

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Half of my metric for The Mandalorian has become “Would my dad like this?” And I think he would. As for me, I’m still rooting for the show to go farther outside its comfort zone and move the plot along instead of telling these one-shot stories. The episode firmly convinced me of the threat of the Krayt dragon, of the coolness and value of Mandalorian armor, of the beauty of the off-white Tatooine desert. I just wish it had gone to a new planet, or even dived deeper into the characters. Boba’s appearance is exciting, but we’ve seen this story in the Expanded Universe before. If this is average for season two, I look forward to seeing them really surprise us. 

The post Star Wars: The Mandalorian Season 2 Episode 1 Review – The Marshal appeared first on Den of Geek.

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[wellesleyunderground]

WU Reviews: The Problem With Apu by Shelly Anand '08 (@shellypolitik) & Shloka Ananthanarayanan '08 (@shlokes)

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Hari Kondabolu is a New York-based stand-up comic. He is also of Indian origin and therefore has a long-standing gripe with the character of Apu in The Simpsons. His hour-long documentary, The Problem With Apu, features conversations with South Asian actors, Simpsons writers, and people on the street, some of whom were genuinely flabbergasted that their favorite character on The Simpsons is voiced by a white guy (Hank Azaria, who refused to be a part of this documentary).

‘08 alums Shelly and Shloka are both Indian women living in America but with very different backgrounds. Shelly was born and raised in the American South (what up ATL alums) while Shloka grew up in Bahrain surrounded by Indian immigrants and only moved to New York when she was a teenager, where she went to an international high school. Below are their takes on The Problem with Apu, which are only two of the myriad reactions people across the South Asian diaspora may end up having to this documentary.

Shloka:

I already knew what I was getting into when I started watching this documentary. I’ve seen some of Hari Kondabolu’s stand-up so I was fully aware of the premise. What startled me was his personal story of why he hated Apu so much. Turns out, as a kid growing up in America, apparently people would just yell out “Hey Apu!” or “Thank you come again!” if they saw a brown person? I never experienced that kind of overt racism growing up (also The Simpsons wasn’t particularly big in Bahrain), so while I’ve personally never really cared about that character, this documentary made me much more angry on behalf of all the brown folk who did face discrimination because of Apu.

Shelly:

I am a big fan of Hari and was excited for him to tackle this topic in a documentary; I had seen him first address the problem with Apu on W. Kamau Bell’s show Totally Biased a couple of years ago. I definitely related to what Hari and the other featured South Asian actors and comedians had to say about growing up with the Apu stereotype. I do recall being asked if my parents owned a gas station or a 711. When my father became CEO of a company in his field (electrical engineering), a manager came up to him and said something along the lines of he thought Indian people only worked and/or owned Dunkin Donuts, to which my father responded “I’d be happy to help you find a job there.” (Go Papa!). #radbrowndad

We dealt with a lot of racism living in the South. People were always making fun of my mom’s accent--from her patients (she’s a psychiatrist) to clerks in stores--and she still deals with this racism to this day. My dad felt the pressures of assimilation and actively got rid of his accent by impersonating radio djs. People at times think he is second generation like me because he no longer has an accent and now has lived here for most of his life. The only time it comes out is when he is code switching, sitting with family and friends, in a safe space where he can be his true self. I wish I could say that “The Problem of Apu” was a thing of the past but it has gotten worse in the post-9/11 current Trump world. Even today, I have had people do the Indian head bob or do a fake Indian accent thinking it is funny. Of course, the accent and head bobs are just one of many issues South Asian kids face in the U.S. Having non-Christian religions (Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism, Islam, to name a few) made us subject to ridicule and still does to this day. And Indian food and yoga weren’t so cool when we were growing up. Our whole identity and culture was under attack. It still is today, with Islamophobia, continual ignorance over non-Western religions (Sikhs and Hindus being subject to Islamophobia because we’re brown and have turbans), and cultural appropriation of food and religion (ahem, YOGA and that chicken tikka masala bullshit, oh and don’t get me started on “chai tea”). I am excited to see not only more representation of desis on American film and television, but am grateful for folx like Hari that use their platform to address the issues us desi kids faced growing up.

Shloka:

The Problem with Apu addresses a number of problems. First, there’s the idea of how this character even came to be. There are conflicting stories about whether the writer thought that an Indian store owner was a complete stereotype, but had to concede when Hank Azaria came out with the voice and a room full of white guys laughed. Azaria himself didn’t take part in this documentary and continues to do the voice all over the place, despite a half-hearted attempt at acknowledging its racist undertones in an old HuffPo article. Then there’s the problem of representation. People argue that The Simpsons has broad stereotypes of Italians or Scottish people, so why be so fixated on Apu? 

Kondabolu’s rebuttal (of course) is that there are nuanced portrayals of Italians and Scots all over TV and movies. Whereas for the longest time, the only representation of an Indian in American media was this servile store clerk who bought into every stereotype under the sun. Kondabolu proposes a number of ways The Simpsons could redeem themselves - have a brown actor do the voice, add some new South Asian characters who demonstrate other aspects of the diaspora, or just kill off Apu and be done with the whole mess once and for all. Sadly, I doubt any of these will come to pass. When he interviews his own parents, they have a weary sense of resignation - they came to this country and did what they had to do. They think Apu is a terrible portrayal, but to them, they have fought many other battles and this question of media representation pales in comparison to their real journey to buy in to the American dream.

Shelly:

It definitely seemed like the goal of the film was for him to go head to head with Hank Azaria. I don’t know if the problem of Apu can really be resolved with respect to the show. It’s been, what, almost 30 years since the show was started? Does anyone ever watch the Simpsons anymore? The Problem with Apu isn’t the Simpsons itself, but that it started this trend where it was acceptable to mock and ridicule South Asian people for the way they talk and their professions. The film discusses how the Apu caricature made it really really difficult to be an South Asian actor in this country; most of the actors and comedians Hari interviews talk about how they  have been expected to audition for roles (btw Aziz Ansari addresses this issue really well in Season 1 of Master of None). I learned about the term “patanking” for the first time, which is the stereotypical accent, head-bob, caricature South-Asian actors are often asked to portray when offered miniscule roles (like taxi driver, 711 owner etc.)

However, I wish there was more discussion of how the caricature of Apu effects South Asian immigrants like our parents. There are many South Asian immigrants who own and/or work in gas stations and hotels. How does the Problem of Apu impact them? I know here in Georgia, there are a number of South Asians who own gas stations in rural areas and many of their lives have been threatened because of xenophobia. While the actors complain about playing gas station owners and taxi drivers, they don’t complain about the stereotype of the model minority myth, playing doctors, lawyers, tech startup bros, etc. There is an element of classism to all of this. We are fine with the model minority myth (that we are successful immigrants) but not with the prospect of someone assuming that we are working class.

I did appreciate how the documentary placed Apu in the historical context of ridiculing and mocking people of color in the United States specifically with respect to Blackface. Whoopi Goldberg is interviewed and talks blackface in Hollywood at the turn of 20th century. At one point Hari asked Whoopi if Apu could be considered blackface and she confirms that it is. I remember a couple of years ago, Popchips did a commercial with Ashton Kutcher, who literally painted his face brown and did an indian accent. I know when I was growing up, something like that would have been seen as acceptable, but celebrities like Himanshu Suri (of Das Racist and Swet Shop Boys fame) called it out and I believe Popchips ended up pulling the ad. That was really affirming for me.

Shloka:

This documentary is only an hour-long and I can see why. There isn’t really much meat to this story and after a while it does get a bit repetitive and seems to be stating the obvious. But again, I’m a liberal brown person. The people who really ought to be watching this are the ones who never will. I think it would be eye-opening for a lot of people who are oblivious to the challenges minorities face in day-to-day life. While I found myself growing bored of the Apu premise, I loved how many South Asian people from all walks of life were interviewed in this movie, from the former Surgeon General, Dr. Vivek Murthy, to comedienne, Aparna Nancherla. And this speaks to my ongoing thirst to see more brown people on TV. I don’t watch The Simpsons and I think Apu is a ridiculous character. But as more South Asians emerge on screen in shows like The Mindy Project or Master of None, they are filling a void in the media landscape that I never acknowledged before. 

While I’ve never been openly discriminated against, I’ve had moments when people made assumptions about me because I was brown or were shocked that my “English is so good.” Sometimes their assumptions are right, but sometimes they’re wrong, and it is frustrating as a minority to not be given the privilege to be my own person instead of immediately being put in a box. When I talk to a white person, I treat them like an individual being and don’t categorize them right off the bat, because I have seen thousands of different representations of white people in the movies and TV. But when a white person is talking to me, are they immediately thinking I might be like Apu and I have to convince them otherwise? What a terrifying prospect.

Shelly:

It was definitely repetitive and it also focused on just one small facet of the myriad of issues South Asians and South Asian Americans face with respect to discrimination in this country. Not only are our [assumed] accents ridiculed, but our lives are threatened because of religion [either real or perceived] and because we are from non-European immigrant community. I can’t tell you the number of times my mother has heard “go back to your country.” Hell, I was called a “foreign dyke bitch” in North Carolina in a grocery store parking lot (what a trifecta!). The mockery of the accent is indicative of a larger theme that many of us in the immigrant community face: you don’t belong here. I wish that was addressed a bit more. We also have our own dirty laundry in the community-- shadeism and anti-black racism. Not that we need to do a documentary airing our dirty laundry but identity is a complicated beast (not to mention others like caste, Islamophobia from non-Muslim South Asians etc.).

Overall, I am happy the film exists and happy that the caricature of desi folx has been placed in the context of other discriminatory caricatures like black face -- I think that link is critical to helping the desi community build foundations of solidarity with the black community and other communities of color in the U.S. I see Hari’s film as the tip of the iceberg and I’m excited to see more.

[toby-stephens]

SEPTEMBER 2017 : TOBY NEWS

‘OSLO’

‘Oslo’ opened at the Lyttelton Theatre at the National on 5th September to much anticipation and applause, gaining 4 or 5 stars from most reviews with the Independent saying that “there isn’t a weak link in the 18 strong cast”.  Con Coughlin for the Telegraph wrote, “Toby Stephens's portrayal of Rød-Larsen gives him a great deal more zest and personality than I recall, but this neatly nuanced performance is key to the pace of this fast-moving, entertaining take on the events (Rogers has said that, in order to liven up what might otherwise seem a prosaic and convoluted political process, he studied the plays of Noël Coward).”

The Financial Times had this to say of Toby’s performance, “Fully aware that three hours of intricate bargaining might be daunting, Rogers sets out in crisp and droll style. Taking a tip from Shakespeare, perhaps, he sprinkles the dialogue with gags and has his characters frequently break the fourth wall to reassure the audience and fill them in on necessary details. This brings a light touch to proceedings, ensures that we never get lost in the woods and adds to the appeal of his chief protagonists, the flamboyant, rash, but hugely engaging Larsen, played with great wit and panache by Toby Stephens, and the wise, long-suffering Juul, played with infinite composure by Lydia Leonard.”

A sentiment echoed in the Guardian, “Although Bartlett Sher’s production has an epic sweep, it rightly puts the emphasis on the individuals involved. Toby Stephens brings out the vanity and self-regard behind Larsen’s idealism, while Lydia Leonard as Juul seems a model of practical wisdom.”

The Stage writes, “Toby Stephens anchors the play as the fastidious Terje, combing a dash of arrogance with a sense of integrity, while Lydia Leonard, as Mona, is similarly superb. As the play’s narrator, she balances out a piece laden with men.”

David Butcher for the Radio Times writes, “Toby Stephens is in his element as Terje Rod-Larsen, the slightly louche (for Norway) academic who in 1992 creates a back-channel for talks between the PLO finance minister and Israeli representatives. His diplomat wife Mona Juul is horrified when she gets wind of his plan, and so – in a hilariously profane outburst – is her boss, the Norwegian foreign minister.  Bobbing around the hard men, Stephens’s Terje is a squirming dilettante, forced at times to lie to both sides to keep the ball rolling; but when a character quotes Yitzhak Rabin’s dictum, “What is a lie but a dream that could come true?” it feels like his vindication.”

The Times were also full of praise, “Toby Stephens is brilliant as Rod-Larsen, a man who knows the right thing to do but often doesn’t do it.”  Even the Metro, (who still insist on referring to Toby as “Bond villain in Die Another Day” - [when will that ever end!!!!]) said that Terje was “Played with panache by Toby Stephens”, whilst Time Out referred to Toby as being “on flamboyant form”.

The Arts Desk writes, “As you’d expect, Stephens plays Terje as a smoothie, a jovial idealist who constantly puts his foot in it, while Lydia Leonard’s Mona patches things up with quiet intelligence.”

The Express had this to say, “Toby Stephens invests Rød-Larsen with the anonymous complexity of a well-meaning, slightly naive political dilettante……evincing the perfect balance of altruism and smugness”

In The Times we read “Toby Stephens plays Terje Rod-Larsen, a Norwegian sociologist and diplomat with expertise in “organisational psychology”, and the originator of the talks. He aims for something Nordic in his accent, though it’s often barely distinguishable from the urbane drawl of the Foreign Office grandee.”

Susannah Clapp [unfortunate name] for the Guardian was a tad less impressed, “As the Norwegian prime mover, Toby Stephens is a magnetic mixture of inspired enterprise and self-promotion. He moves like a spin doctor. With perhaps a touch too much flounce. He begins to look as if he is on the brink of doing an imitation of himself: has he inherited this from his mother, Maggie Smith?”

IN TOBY’S OWN WORDS:

On returning to the British stage after 4 years:

“I know, it was a really difficult decision. I was getting a bit panicked, thinking, Christ, I really need to do something back in the UK otherwise I am just going to disappear. And this came along and it was the perfect project.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

'It's great to be back on London stage after six years away’

“It’s great coming home and to be able to work here again, while having the family settled here too.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 19 Sept 2017

On his ‘onslaught’ on America:

“It has really changed things for me”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

On ‘Oslo’:

“I was totally ignorant, I thought it was Clinton who brought them together because you saw the photos of him with Rabin and Arafat. But it was because the Americans had no part in it, really, that made it effective.”

“What the play very carefully and brilliantly does is not become bogged down in the present, or in the current politics of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.   It is dealing with a very specific period of time.”

“But that allows us to read all kinds of different things into this because it becomes about negotiation. Was it the right thing to do? Was it effective? Does it mean there is potential hope for situations around the world now? Bart said that in New York it became about Democrats and Republicans. Here maybe it will be about Brexit…”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

On Fatherhood, and uprooting his family with tutors and finding local schools:

“It is the most challenging thing that I have ever done, and also extraordinary and wonderful. It is rather clichéd but it really stopped me being such a selfish person. Before children it’s kind of easy to be solipsistic — you and your wife are in this hermetic little thing, and your own desires, wants, needs, tastes dictate your choices. Then suddenly all of that’s gone.  Since I’ve had kids I thank God that I don’t drink as I really wouldn’t have been able to cope.”

“It was a great thing for me. It made me more pragmatic about things. Quite honestly, as long as I am working, can enjoy what I do, get on with it and put bread on the table, I am really happy.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

On his children being able to watch him in ‘Lost in Space’:

“It’s not that I think I am doing something distasteful.  But I do remember going to see my mum in a production of ‘Night and Day’ in New York when I was nine or 10, the age my son is now, and there was a scene where a body double was naked in a shower. I thought it was my mum and I was mortified, distraught.”

“I saw her in ‘The Seagull’, playing Arkadina, when I was 11 or 12 and was disturbed by it, because it had parallels to my life. Not that I think those things did me any great harm; they made me what I am. But it’s very hard to get your head around why daddy is on stage with someone strange, kissing and cuddling.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

On his children:

“If they want to become actors I wouldn’t stop them.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 31 August 2017

On Sir Peter Hall:

“I didn’t know Peter when I was growing up – he knew my parents, but they didn’t really drag us around to endless glitzy parties. The only time I met him in my childhood was with Dave Allen and his wife Judith. I was very close to their children, so they would invite us around to their house in Oxfordshire. Peter came there once or twice, but I was quite young and I didn’t really understand who he was at the time.

"Later, however, he meant an enormous amount to me. He was the person who gave me my first job, and obviously those people have a special part to play in your career – they’re the one who pulled the trigger, as it were. In fact, he gave me my first two jobs: ‘The Camomile Lawn’, and then my first professional play, which was a production of ‘Tartuffe’ in the West End.

"Before he cast me in ‘The Camomile Lawn’, he took me to lunch with him at Pinewood Studios. He was lovely like that; he was very old-school, so he liked to take you out before asking you to do a play. He was so urbane. As a young actor, I remember thinking, “This is extraordinary - for my first job, to be having a meal with this man who is such an enormous figure in British theatre.” Sitting there with him, one-on-one, I was tongue-tied.

"I’ll always remember how generous and sweet he was. He wasn’t patronising. He was incredibly kind to me – it’s why I was always extremely fond of him. I’d always do whatever he wanted me to do. He’d ring you up, and even if you weren’t sure about the play, you’d go, “It’s Peter! I’ll do it.” He was always so persuasive and charming.

"He was loyal to me throughout my career, throughout his life. He used me five or six times, and I loved working with him. And Peter was always working! He was a total workaholic. Anybody who was close to him would recognise that. He wasn’t the kind of guy who would want to kick back and lie on the beach, or “hang out” at all. If he wasn’t working, he was formulating what he was going to be doing next. Not working, for Peter, was a nightmare. He said to me once, “My biggest fear is not being able to do this - not being able to work.”

"He was always planning what he would be doing four or five productions down the line. At his height, he was doing operas at the same time as everything else - he was incredibly industrious, and very driven in that way.

"The last time I saw him was at lunch with a mutual friend of ours, perhaps five or six years ago. I could tell he wasn’t at his best, and it was quite distressing. Because he had this hunger for work, and his need to be constantly doing new things, and he could see this wouldn’t be going on for much longer. But when he told me about the play he was doing at the time, ‘Twelfth Night’, he was incredible. Even then, he was still cracking the whip!”

Source: telegraph.co.uk; 12 Sept 2017

On Donald Trump:

“Trump is not the master of diplomacy and he could learn a thing or two from this play.”

Source: standard.co.uk; 19 Sept 2017

[comicteaparty]

May 6th-May 12th, 2019 CTP Archive

The archive for the Comic Tea Party week long chat that occurred from May 6th, 2019 to May 12th, 2019.  The chat focused on Chirault by Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane).

Featured Comment:

Chat:

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB START!

Hello and welcome everyone to Comic Tea Party’s Week Long Book Club~! This week we’ll be focusing on Chirault by Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane)~! (http://chirault.sevensmith.net/)

You are free to read and comment about the comic all week at your own pace, so stop on by whenever it suits your schedule! Remember, though, that while we allow constructive criticism, our focus is to have fun and appreciate the comic. Below you will find four questions to get you started on the discussion. However, a new question will be posted and pinned everyday (between 12:01AM and 6AM PDT), so keep checking back for more! You have until May 12th to tell us all your wonderful thoughts! With that established, let’s get going on the reading and the chatting!

QUESTION 1. What has been your favorite scene in the comic so far? What specifically did you like about it?

QUESTION 2. What moment of discrimination featured in the story really caught your eye in its portrayal? How do you feel about the Mage Guild’s reason about disallowing Kyrion like Teeko and Trillia from using magic in the face of these themes of discrimination?

Kabocha

Aaaah, it's been a bit since I read Chirault, but... Basically any scene where Teeko's being awesome... Bonus points if she's using magic, like on this page! http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=642 As far as discrimination... Hm. I think the fact that Ridriel was willing to go through so much to become a mage was pretty striking. While the mage's guild really doesn't like Kyrion using magic... Hmmm. That attitude doesn't seem to be a completely firm rule, especially as they learn more...~ http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=1095 I need to re-read my copies of the books when I get back home, though.

Delphina

Yeah, I'm re-reading mine now too!

I had forgotten about the page where Astrid steals the car but I love it: http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=780

Kabocha

Ahaha, Astrid's honestly one of my favorites in the mage guild. "I see no problems here!"

Delphina

Astrid is so great. Just like "yeah, I'm just gonna do what I want kthxbai"

RebelVampire

i mean tbf hes not wrong

about the car one at least

Kabocha

I'm also partial to Ridriel -- she worked so hard to fit in and become a mage.

Delphina

I'd say the most blatant scene of demon discrimination was early on where Jim used the spice that made Teeko go rabid so he could justify killing Kiran (http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=142) and then later when Kiran deduces he killed her parents this way. (http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=152) Everything else stays on the "I'm sorry, we can't actually welcome you into this part of society" brand of discrimination, but it showed that some people were definitely willing to get violent over demons and humans mixing in society.

RebelVampire

ridriel is such an interesting character because of that. i think largely because she doesnt seem to regret it all that much and accepts the sacrifices she had to make to achieve her dreams. and that just goes so against the grain of what youd expect to see

Delphina

Another classic Astrid page: http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=813

varethane

I enjoy every Astrid-troll scene XD (there's a picture floating around out there of Astrid and Kiran facing down, with the troll-face shopped over Astrid's)

also: hi!!!

Kabocha

Hiii! I almost wonder if there's a list of all the time Astrid trolled people in the comic-- But I feel like, not counting the mini comic (and the last couple chapters), that'd be nearly every page Astrid shows up in.

RebelVampire

no no

theres those pages at the end where astrid is passed out for a bit(edited)

you cant be a troll when youre passed out probably

its very sad

varethane

I'm sure if there were a way, he would find it

duskglass

(1) i can't choose a single favourite scene but the part where teeko falls through bethan is really cool visually, and i love the eventual sibling bond between kiran & teeko (and also every scene with kiran & vivian)

duskglass

(2) a lot of the early scenes with kiran also come to mind, how he's clearly resigned to not being trusted by average villagers, and constantly has to verify his identity & prove he's not a threat. and the contrast between ridriel and trillia shows how limited their options were as kyrion who wanted to also be mages (ridriel giving up her kyrion nature vs trillia going rogue)

Desnik

ohh already digging the cool character design, I'm only one page in too

varethane

Woo!

duskglass

(also i found that trollface pic!!)

RebelVampire

QUESTION 3. At the moment, who is your favorite character? What about that character earns them this favor?

QUESTION 4. What moment of magic use in the story did you like the most? What about how it was used or illustrated did you like specifically?

€heshire777

Astrid, for being Astrid

Delphina

I do love Astrid, but all said and done, I think Bethan edges him out a little in the end. I love the fact that she was just a guard in a backwoods town, compared to almost every other big super-magical character who was trained by the Hunters or Mages Guild, but she's still like "well I can hold a spear now 60% of the time so heck yeah I wanna mess stuff up with y'all!"

Teeko's got a bit of that too and of course she's ADORABLE, but since her perspective is more childlike, she literally doesn't have context to know what she's walking into when she's like "YEAH LEMME SET IT ON FIRE" and it's more about not wanting to leave her found family than going toe to toe with corrupt mages.

varethane

fun story, both Bethan and Astrid are Ascended Extras (I'm pretty sure that's the name of the trope)

I needed faces to fill a space in the plot, and then decided I liked them too much to just leave them behind-- and, oh, look at that, coincidentally there's a new-character-shaped hole in the upcoming plot....

RebelVampire

gotta love those convenient and totally coincidental character shaped holes

RebelVampire

1) my fave scene is the one towards the end where Ridriel and Trillia are fighting John has to come and break their asses up. http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=1230 i always remember just feeling such utter tension from this scene because of their relationship. like the stake of the world is at hand and yet a sibling rivalry is what stands between the world being fine and the world exploding into a thousands bits. and i frankly wasnt sure if trillia could convince ridriel that nah she was there to help. and i love that even after they agree to work together, ridriel and trillia are still basically like "i hate you" to each other. and then john is there to be stuck in the middle like the poor sap. 2) i have to go back to what i already mentioned with ridriel. she is a fascinating character because she didnt let discrimination stand in the way of her dreams. and while you could argue the path she takes is horrible, the nuance to her feelings regarding it really gets the mind thinking about the nature of sacrifice and what elements of ourselves we choose to define ourselves by. As for the Mage Guild's reasons, I mean...I get where they're coming from. But I think Rune sums it up correctly at the end when he says "my dudes its magic magic in general is dangerous"

3) Heryan. Heryan is the character I wish I could be because she is calm, collected, and knows how to play political games like a master. And she's also legitimately working towards a better future and kind of putting her money where he mouth is. She is also a badass mage. And these are all things i can get behind and I would read an entire spinoff about Heryan. A close second is Astrid our resident troll mage because he's just a nice dude and I like his broship with Kiran. He adds an element of silly yet mage skill that the main party needed in their life. Plus, I just really love Astrid's design. 4) I really liked that moment when Teeko was going to cast the fire spell but then had her mouth covered to stop her. Cause it really showed that in her childishness she doesn't always think her magic through and, like a child, will ignore the wise sentiments of her elders. And I just think overall it's use, or non-use in this case, really hammered in just how much of a child Teeko still is because her comprehension for the situations around her are not necessarily the highest.

Delphina

Yessss I would also read an entire spinoff about Heryan, she's so excellent

Delphina

And yeah, Bethan does have the feel of an Ascended Extra, and I think what appeals to me about that kind of protagonist in a high-stakes story is they have much more freedom and agency. Kiran had Specific Things He Had To Do, Teeko had nowhere else to go, so they have to advance the plot by default. But when characters aren't so directly involved and get to CHOOSE to advance the plot, they get to have personal reasons for doing so and can embody all those cool "what if"s that are closed off to the core cast.

In a situation where you have an easy out, why do you choose to do the hard thing? That kind of character is so interesting to me!

varethane

That's a neat way to look at it! I enjoyed writing Bethan a lot, though if there were one thing I could change, it'd be to explore her anger a bit more in the lategame parts of the story (because boy has she got some haha)

(also, Heryan has always been my favourite character to draw XD THAT HAIR)

Delphina

Having just finished rereading my print volumes, I think my favorite magic is when Rupa helps Teeko cast the silence spell on Trillia and Ridriel to get them to stop fighting. http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=1358

varethane

the first truly useful spell.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 5. What has been your favorite illustration in the comic so far? What specifically about it do you like?

QUESTION 6. What was a moment where a character was confused about themselves or life situation that you enjoyed? What about it was relatable, and what are your thoughts on how the character overcame that obstacle?

RebelVampire

5) http://chirault.sevensmith.net/?comic_id=1118 probably this page cause thats not only some beautiful magic, but i love the shot choices. i also love how jagged the magic kind of is and the amount of ill call them tendrils. cause it really makes the process look horribly painful and its an illustration that really made me go "oh shit" cause rather than kiran's shoes, i could put myself in teeko's shoes and understand exactly the horrifying crap shes seeing right now. 6) This one I have to give to Kiran for the whole Viraigo debacle. I actually am not sure I'd call it relatable, because ppl dont generally find out the truth as Kiran did. Yet, its the fact that its not that relatable that I enjoy. Because that just makes it horrible and it also puts you in Kiran's shoes. Cause like Kiran, you're asking who is he, how responsible is he for this mess, etc. And so even if you can't imagine it happening ot you, it's still a complicated and really thought provoking situation to be in. As for how he overcame the obstacle, I really loved the subtlety and kind of nonchalant way he handled it, for lack of a better word. Like theres no definitive him declaring "yeah I'm not Viraigo or this other person I am Kiran." It's just him kind of wordlessly accepting who he is/choosing who he is. Cause it kind of also gives the impression hes still gonna have things to work out over the years to come. But that's very true to life cause rarely do people just snap their fingers and come to a full grasp of who they are.

varethane

Re: Kiran/Viraigo, I'm really glad that impression came through! I wanted to avoid giving a definitive answer to the question of WHO he truly is, because.... identity doesn't really work that way, in real life you don't get an easy one-and-done answer. So I didn't want to wrap up that particular issue with a neat little bow-- the important thing isn't the answer itself, but his acceptance of himself.

RebelVampire

QUESTION 7. Which characters do you enjoy seeing interact the most? What about their dynamic interests you?

QUESTION 8. Who do you feel went too far and why: the Mage Guild for creating their destructive items or Viraigo’s group for trying to restore the natural order? What do you think the story says about the balance between progression and the natural order?

Delphina

I really can't put much blame on anyone except the Mage Guild here (and Jenneth in particular for murderfying people and setting fire to the library when he couldn't get his way). It really seems like if Viraigo's group got what they asked for from the beginning, they would have been happy to just release the big ol' katamari of spirits and end the spell on Arya that was keeping her a creepy crumbly living corpse. Now releasing the spirits didn't WORK and that was pretty ugly, but they realized it right away and wanted to fix it.

Tree Lady/Ria was unnecessarily extra, though.

varethane

spirit katamari!!!!

RebelVampire

“murderfying”

i approve of this word usage

RebelVampire

7) too many. too many Ridriel and Trillia because they have i think the most interesting and contentious relationship in the comic. That you want them to overcome their past issues and get along cause both have good points on where theyre coming from. Heryan and Rune because theyre like a dynamic duo to me and really compliment each others personalities nicely. Rupa and Teeko cause Rupa is the nice older brother type who just wants everybody to be happy and is willing to show Teeko how to make ppl stfu. Astrid and Kiran cause its troll vs. grump man which makes for hilarious shenanigans and interesting dynamics since they have to work together but also approach life very differently. Yet, they can come together when it matters. Bethan and Vivian cause I like how Vivian is like "Bethan probably should wear a mask" and Bethan is like "meh" and its like this weird pseudo mom daughter relationship that i can get behind and find truly endearing.

8) Uh, the answer imo is both. They both went too far. This story is literally a series of ppl saying, "What's the worst that could happen?" and then through their lack for foresight the worst was really end the world bad shit. In regards to progression and natural order, I think the story has a lot to say just in general that extremisim is bad. You go too far in anyone direction and you wind up hurting something that's going to be missed. Thus why neither side really won, because they both tried too hard for the thing they wanted. Additionally, i think the story says a lot about how our ideas of what's best for the world may actually not be the best. Thus why we need rules, regulations, codes of ethics, and so forth. Because there's a point we just go too far and blow up the world.

varethane

(Vivian will be everyone's mom if they let her.)

re: 8, it's funny because I didn't set out to make that a major theme of the story, but it is something I definitely believe in-- the importance of checks and balances. So I find it really cool that it comes through!

RebelVampire

QUESTION 9. What sorts of art or story details have you noticed in the way the comic is crafted that you think deserves attention?

QUESTION 10. Do you feel the others were right to forgive Kiran for Viraigo’s actions? Do you think Ridriel and Trillia will forgive each other? Will Trillia forgive the Mage Guild? Overall, what insight can you gleam about the theme of forgiveness from the comic?

RebelVampire

9) All them landscape shots. Have you seen them? They are amazing and like...nature looks like nature. And nature stuff is hard to do and yet i always felt very immersed within each space. Plus, there were so many just like...far back shots where you get to take in the scenery, and i feel like so many moments do these really just set a tone and the atmosphere for stuff thats about to go down. 10) Yes I think the others were fine to forgive Kiran. Cause at the end of the day what's the point of punishing something they don't even remember doing? Especially when said person did their best to help and make the world a better place. Plus Kiran feels more like...not Viraigo anyway. Like imo Viraigo is dead and all thats left are aspects of himself. And these aspects, while part of Viraigo, just arent him. I think Ridriel and Trillia will forgive each other, but i think itd be a while before Trillia would forgive the mage guild. And even if Trillia did I'm not sure she'd ever consider joining just given the long history of animosity. In general, the insight I gleam is that forgiveness is difficult and that even if you forgive, this doesn't always fix everything.

Delphina

Yeah, I think sometimes grudging acceptance and moving on with your life with what you got is about all they can do. I really want to see how Teeko's presence affects Trillia and Ridriel moving forward, because I think them having her future to focus on gives them the chance that they never had to affect demons' place in the world. I'm just envisioning both taking on Mentor Aunt roles and trying to show Teeko cooler spells than the other in escalating hilarity.

varethane

Those would be some fun little shorts! If I get some time maybe I'll look into putting something like that together

Mentor aunts hehe

RebelVampire

QUESTION 11. What do you think are this particular comic’s strengths? What do you think makes this comic unique? Please elaborate.

QUESTION 12. Which character’s growth/progression in the story is your favorite? How would you describe how they changed as a person, and what do you like about how they changed? What do you think we can learn from it for our own lives?

Delphina

I like how Bethan grew from a cool quiet fighter in a village to a cool slightly louder fighter who can fly and dissolve through walls. I too would like to be able to fly and dissolve through walls.

AshAngelV

Responding to 11, It's one of the few stories I've read that has a male and female mc that don't end up in a romantic relationship. I love their brother sister bond.

varethane

I three wish I could fly and dissolve through walls

And yeah, friendship stories that arent romancea are very important to me

duskglass

teeko is a child so one would really hope not xD;;;

tho the same could be said about all of the main cast! (we also have rune & heryan, kiran or astrid & bethan, etc) i really appreciated the lack of forced romance sideplots in chirault; it's really refreshing to see stories that focus on platonic relationships

RebelVampire

QUESTION 13. What are you most looking forward to in the comic? Also, do you have any final thoughts to share overall?

QUESTION 14. Overall, how hopeful are you for the world at the end? Do you believe the changes regarding non-humans using magic will affect the world positively? Will relations with the tree spirits be mended? How do you believe the characters’ lives wound up being?

Delphina

On a macro-societal level, I think the world's gonna be okay. With Heryan at the helm, I think the Mages' Council is definitely going to be trying harder to be more inclusive and less awful toward non-humans and the planet; she definitely seems to have hit it off with the tree spirits diplomatically so I see a lot of potential for progress there. The issues I see in the non-humans' future is that they didn't seem to have much societal organization or structure that we saw (though it was established that Kyrion lived and worked in the cities, so maybe some ambitious leaders would rise to the surface that way and advocate for more rights).

I'm really curious what Rupa would want to do now, because he wasn't a demon, right? The problem they had with him was that he was a multi-caster and could tap The Big Magic that others couldn't. How many other multi-casters existed, and how would their role change in society if Rupa decided to advocate for them? Maybe the tree spirits could teach them how to use magic more responsibly?

RebelVampire

11) i think the comic's strengths are its endearing characters who have just a lot of gray to them. nobody is just evil or good. ppl had their reasons for doing everything in the comic, and that makes for more dynamic and realistic portrayals. i think another strength is the character designs themselves as well. its just so easy to tell everyone apart, and a lot of everyone's personalities is within their design. 12) I have to go with Bethan on this one. She went from silly small town girl to victim to bitter and angry about her friend to forgiving to wanting to do more for the world. It was an emotionally rollercoaster watching her goes through all these things. Plus, its an interesting mix of choice and no choice. Cause while Bethan did make a lot of choices in regard to her path, the whole becoming incorporeal was more accident. She just learned to make the most of it. And I think that is something we can learn from it. That sometimes life says "I hate you," and is really mean. And sometimes the only way to get through it is to roll with the punches.

13) I still vote for Heryan side story. Or another epilogue montage just showing how everyone is getting along. Especially Astrid cause I support the Astrid, Heryan, Rune family unit. 14) I think the world will be fine for at least a time. Heryan seems to be reasonable and regretful of all the mages' past actions. And I think shell usher in a new era of peace with the tree spirits. that being said, everything is finite so it wont last forever. Especially if Heryan cant find a suitable replacement to her. But overally, all the changes will probably be positive, even if the amount of progress achieved in a single lifetime isnt as great as everyone would want. I'm just gonna pretend all the characters lived happily ever after for my sanity. Teeko probably became a great mage. Although I am kind of on the same page with Delphina where I'm really curious what became of Rupa. Rupa was always an interesting chara to me since he was always kind of mellow and was way less intense than Trillia. So Rupa especially should live happily ever after

varethane

The note about Kyrion society is something that I do wish I'd gone into more depth about in the story! I had a lot of ideas about it but could only show it in tiny peeks and hints because the plot was taking place outside of the cities

I hope the ending leaves people on a positive note, I wanted to show that people are working towards a better future (even if theres a lot of work to be done)

RebelVampire

COMIC TEA PARTY- WEEK LONG BOOK CLUB END!

Thank you everyone so much for reading and chatting about Chirault this week! Please also give a special thank you to Ally Rom Colthoff (Varethane) for volunteering the comic and creating it! If you liked Chirault, make sure to continue to support it via some of the links below!

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Ally’s Twitter: https://twitter.com/varethane

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[blueinkwriter-blog]

Movie Review - La La Land

One of the best things about having a daughter that’s getting older and more mature, is the opportunity to see something other than animated movies at the cinema. Today, per her request (and with her own money!) La niña numero uno treated me to a movie date. She even bought me a frozen Coke, which scored her extra brownie points! Our movie choice today was picked entirely on a whim: La La Land starring Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling.*Spoilers ahead.* I have to say, this is one of THE best films I’ve seen in a long, long time. There was such an “Old Hollywood” feel to this picture and it made me nostalgic for the movies I grew up watching as a kid. I loved musicals when I was growing up, and I now have a new one to add to my list of favorites. The original music and lyrics written for this movie are outstanding, heartfelt, fun, and moving pieces that weave a tapestry for this love story with a bittersweet ending. I love Emma Stone. She’s different, quirky, and absolutely believable in any role she takes on. Her comedic timing is impeccable and her emotion is always palpable. Gosling, while obviously an internet meme sensation is apparently gifted in more ways than for which he usually receives credit. I’ve seen him in some fantastic dramatic roles (The Place Beyond the Pines, for example) and he proved in his performance in La La Land that he is simply good across the board. The dance scenes between Stone and Gosling are probably what reminded me the most of Old Hollywood. They were iconic, graceful and make a person want to take up ballroom dancing just because they made it look so fun, easy, and like something we should do in everyday life. Sometimes in a movie like this, one element or the other is lacking. The music might be great but the story is lacking. Or the cinematography is good but the music is “meh” - after seeing this film, I now understand how it won so many Golden Globes and it was absolutely worthy of every last one of them. The story itself is one that mainly those with an artistic mindset will appreciate. There are so many nuances and subtleties that tell the story, even when the actors aren’t speaking. Details. The details give it richness and substance and keep the artistic elements going when the music stops. Artistic minds and dream chasers will relate to this story because of the very realistic portrayal of what we seek, experience and try to overcome as artists living in a world that often treats us like we’re crazy: authenticity, rejection, belief in ourselves and our passion. If there is a lesson to be learned from the story, it’s that all dreams come at a price and happy endings rarely, if ever, happen on our terms. There are impossible decisions to make when pursuing a dream, and while we might end up with something wonderful, a price is almost always paid in the process. But the journey, the beautiful tapestry that is created along the way, is itself a work of art. I can’t think of a better person to have seen this film with besides my daughter. It was a beautiful experience to share with my kindred spirit, believer-in-dreams, artistic-soul having offspring. The best song of the movie, in my opinion, was “The Fools Who Dream” - the lyrics are below. “My aunt used to live in Paris. I remember, she used to come home and tell us these stories about being abroad and I remember she told us that she jumped into the river once, barefoot.

She smiled…

Leapt, without looking And tumbled into the Seine The water was freezing She spent a month sneezing But said she would do it again

Here’s to the ones who dream Foolish as they may seem Here’s to the hearts that ache Here’s to the mess we make

She captured a feeling Sky with no ceiling The sunset inside a frame

She lived in her liquor And died with a flicker I’ll always remember the flame

Here’s to the ones who dream Foolish as they may seem Here’s to the hearts that ache Here’s to the mess we make

She told me: "A bit of madness is key To give us new colors to see Who knows where it will lead us? And that’s why they need us”

So bring on the rebels The ripples from pebbles The painters, and poets, and plays

And here’s to the fools who dream Crazy as they may seem Here’s to the hearts that break Here’s to the mess we make

I trace it all back to then Her, and the snow, and the Seine Smiling through it She said she’d do it again"

[thecosydragon]

My latest blog post from the cosy dragon: Interview with JW Golan

An Interview with JW Golan, author of the Stormfall Chronicles

What is your favourite Dragon in literature?

I will name two favourites: very different dragons, with very different reasons for appreciating each of them.

On the one extreme was the dragon Glaurung from J.R.R. Tolkien’s the Silmarillion. Glaurung was everything that you should expect from an evil, malicious dragon of legend. He was not just a great, fire-breathing monster, but a crafty, greedy, manipulator who took delight in how much misery he could inflict on others. Glaurung was the perfect embodiment of what an malicious dragon antagonist should be.

At the opposite extreme, were Anne McCaffrey’s dragons of Pern, who were depicted as partners with humanity with individual personalities of their own. Among the dragons of Pern, Ruth stands out by virtue of his intelligence and practical sense.

Why did you choose to become an author? What drove you to devote the hours needed to produce and polish a book?

As someone who has published both non-fiction, through a traditional publishing house, and fantasy as an indie author, I can say that in both instances I wrote because I had something that needed to be said. In both examples, there was a story that needed to be told, a story which fate had chosen myself to relay. In a very real sense, I was merely the conduit for its retelling. The story was already there, struggling to get outside. My only responsibility was to relay the tale to the best of my ability.

From among your published novels, is there one that is your own personal favourite?

I have released or will soon have released the first two installments in the Stormfall Chronicles. Comparing between the first two books, my beta-readers have concurred that the second novel is the better of the two. The first novel in the series really lays the foundation for everything that follows, and is a relatively short read – 300 pages in paperback versus 497 for the second book. The second book in the series, on the other hand, is where the tale rises to become an Epic Fantasy and not merely a High Fantasy.

Everyone has a ‘first novel’, even if many of them are a rough draft relegated to the bottom and back of your desk drawer (or your external harddrive!). Have you been able to reshape yours, or have you abandoned it for good?

My first attempt at crafting a fantasy novel came when I was in high school, decades ago. There are certainly elements and characters from that era which have remained with me and which found their way into my current series of fantasy novels, the Stormfall Chronicles. Many of those characters and elements, however, have evolved and changed over the years.

One of the reappearing characters of the Stormfall Chronicles, for example, is Eirlon. In his original incarnation, Eirlon was depicted as a powerful human mage. In his current incarnation, however, I have retained the character as a sage, whose knowledge and wisdom prove invaluable, but I have downplayed his own magical capabilities and have cast him as a gnome to further de-emphasize his role. On many levels, he has been overshadowed by other characters in the story. The result, I believe, is a more nuanced portrayal and overall story development.

Over the years, what would you say has improved significantly in your writing?

The most important changes in my writing abilities and style over the years have come from changes in perspective. When you’re experimenting with writing fantasy fiction as a high school student, your writing style and area of focus will naturally be heavily influenced by the novels and sources which you have most recently read.

With time, however, comes distance. And with distance comes perspective: the ability to see the larger picture of the story and how different story-telling techniques and elements can affect the reader’s experience. You become more self-aware as a writer, which places you in a better position to combine story-telling techniques and plot elements from a wider variety of influences.

Some authors are able to pump out a novel a year and still be filled with inspiration. Is this the case for you, or do you like to let an idea percolate for a couple of years in order to get a beautiful novel?

The Stormfall Chronicles was, for me, percolating for some time. The story combines some elements that I had experimented with decades ago, and others of more recent pedigree. So while it still takes me many months to compose and polish each novel, the story-arc which connects them was really developing across a decade or more.

The second novel in the series will be released in December of 2019, for example, eleven months after the first. And I’ve already begun the first draft for the third book. I’m expecting the original characters and story-arc to span a total of four novels, with material still remaining for both a prequel, and a stand-alone sequel set decades into the future.

So I suppose that for me, the ideas need to develop for some number of months or years, before the elements are mature enough to set the stories down.

I have heard of writers that could only write in one place – then that cafe closed down and they could no longer write! Where do you find yourself writing most often, and on what medium (pen/paper or digital)?

As a parent with a full-time job, I find myself writing whenever and wherever I can. Over lunch, at the table at home, while waiting for my daughters to untack their horses at the barn, wherever I happen to be.

I usually try to get my first draft down in digital form so I can begin to edit it, but it sometimes doesn’t work that way. If I have a particular scene that’s been brewing in my mind and nagging me to write it down, I’ll sometimes just write it out with pen and paper if I don’t the laptop at the time.

For editing, however, I always prefer paper medium. I need a quiet place where I can review and mark-up the printed copy, a process which will be repeated countless times before any scene is ready for my beta-reviewers to read.

Before going on to hire an editor, most authors use beta-readers. How do you recruit your beta-readers, and choose an editor? Are you lucky enough to have loving family members who can read and comment on your novel?

My teenage daughters, and in particular my two older daughters, have been my beta-readers for the Stormfall Chronicles since the beginning. They were really the audience whom I was aiming at when I wrote, and there are elements in the books that grew out of their personal experiences or the experiences of their close friends. Their added perspective has been invaluable, pointing out areas where I needed to add explanations, or scenes, or where additional atmosphere or character development was needed.

As for editing, my first published book was non-fiction, published in hardcover through a traditional publisher. It was an historical recounting dealing with a particular chapter of the Cold War era, and was ultimately published by a university press. Producing and editing a book for that audience was an exacting process. I went through countless revisions to get the manuscript ready for submission to the copy editor – who is expected to be the final step in the editing process. The copy editor is the one who formats the manuscript for the printer. If they find the manuscript to insufficiently polished as of that stage, they are expected to reject the text – not edit it for the author.

From that experience, I came away with an appreciation for how much editing and review was needed to prepare a manuscript for publication. I knew that if I could polish a scholarly manuscript until it was up to a university’s publishing standards, then doing the same for a fantasy novel should prove easily within my reach.

I walk past bookshops and am drawn in by the smell of the books – ebooks simply don’t have the same attraction for me. Does this happen to you, and do you have a favourite bookshop? Or perhaps you are an e-reader fan… where do you source most of your material from?

As someone who grew up with book shops and printed books, from before the digital age, there is a certain nostalgia for the printed medium. There are a number of book shops that I have fond memories of, most of which are long gone. I’ve had to learn to adapt to the e-reader medium, and have read a number of novels in that fashion now. But for certain books there will never be a substitute for having a hardbound or paperback copy on my shelf.

I used to find myself buying books in only one genre (fantasy) before I started writing this blog. What is your favourite genre, and have your tastes changed over time?

If I’m reading purely for entertainment, then I have an appreciation for both fantasy and science fiction – depending on what mood I am in.

I appreciate fantasy for its ability to transport us away from the everyday cares of the world we live in. That escape is a large part of I want out of fiction. I have to deal with enough real world consequences in my day job – and expect the fiction that I read to be worlds apart.

Conversely, I appreciate certain science fiction works, for their ability to comment on the world in which we live – and how technology has created new challenges and questions which humanity is still struggling to face. Which is why I am less drawn to the “space opera” genre, and more drawn to stories with a message about the world in which we live or may soon be facing.

For me, both fantasy and science fiction have a place – but with very different expectations and roles.

Social media is a big thing, much to my disgust! I never have enough time myself to do what I feel is a good job. What do you do?

Most of my social media energy is focused on either my blog page, or my Facebook page – the latter of which often mirrors whatever I have most recently posted to my blog. I do have an author’s Twitter account, but I make minimal use of it in comparison. I prefer both Facebook and the blog page, because they allow me to write at more length and in greater depth on the topics at hand.

I try to post an update at least once per week. If I’m in the midst of writing the next novel, I will usually post short articles describing my progress, or my observations about the writing process or perhaps about publishing in general. I did try to take a couple of months off between when I finished the first novel and when I started on the second, to catch up on other things which I wanted to do. Things like reviewing a novel or two, reviewing whatever anime I had been watching with my daughters, or writing short stories.

Answering interview questions can often take a long time! Tell me, are you ever tempted to recycle your answers from one to the next?

Although there is probably a certain amount of overlap in some of the general questions, I have been gratified to see many new or unique questions being raised. Coming at topics from different angles helps us to keep the subject fresh and allows for perspectives which might not otherwise have been added.

About the Author

A writer, father, and aeronautical engineer, J.W. Golan lives in New England together with his wife and three daughters.

The opportunity to write fantasy stories was once a youthful dream of his – something that he first experimented with in high school. In the intervening years, however, life happened: university, jobs, marriage, and children. Although he never completely ceased writing, he also had neither the time nor excess energy to complete a full-length novel.

It was his three daughters who reintroduced him to the world of fantasy fiction. Literature was something that all of them could share, discuss and compare – together with other fantasy and literary influences. He was able to introduce some of his favorites to his daughters, and they in turn, introduced him to some of theirs.

It was this latter experience, sharing and discussing stories and literature, that convinced him to try his hand at composing fantasy novels once again: weaving together tales and ideas that had been circulating in his mind for decades. It is his hope hope that the resulting stories and characters are as fun for others to read as they were for him to write.

from https://ift.tt/2S59yg0

[brothermarc7theatre]

"Vietgone" show #718

What makes Vietgone a worthwhile piece of theatre is how self-aware it is. Playwright Qui Nguyen pulls no punches in his portrayal of Americans, whether in the late 1960’s, early 1970’s, or modern-day. The stereotypes are brought forth in hilarious fashion during the opening scene to let the audience know that this a play where you can laugh, a play where falling in love knows no boundaries (whether in the context of an affair or war), and a play where you need to sit back and simply let Mr. Nguyen’s seriously enjoyable depiction of Vietnam refugees and military personnel wash over your preconceived notions of those descriptors. You need not have any detailed knowledge or experience to get the references in Vietgone. In fact, Mr. Nguyen is crafty enough to play off the assumptions and lack of experience most modern theatregoers bring with them regarding the Vietnam War and exposes them in a well-strung script that compels and entertains in perfect equilibrium.

(Front: James Seol (Quang) and Stephen Hu (pictured as Nhan); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Vietgone is an off-beat and eccentric play that never really settles into any one genre or mood for too long. Mr. Nguyen’s dialogue and jargon is very 2000s (though the play sans the final scene, is set in the time of the Vietnam War), making the material approachable and non-threatening, especially for American audiences. This syntactical choice does not distract from the impact Mr. Nguyen makes through the love tale of Vietnam-native/American-trained pilot, Quang, and Vietnamese refugee/single woman, Tong. Their plot is easy to follow, and the three supporting ensemble players add wonderful texture and detail to the many scenes. Tong’s mother, a vivaciously cold-hearted matron who is a two-time widow, is played with aplomb by a comically gifted Cindy Im. Stephen Hu is wonderfully charismatic in his turn as Nhan, best friend to Quang. Mr. Hu’s expression of Nhan’s desire to be all-American is genuinely endearing and energetically charged. Jomar Tagatac is a talented chameleon in his expertly crafted performances, all which hold a degree of nuance and a gravitas that shines on ACT’s Strand Theater stage. Mr. Tagatac’s turns as the Playwright sandwiches the play in superb form, especially at the end Act Two, in what is perhaps one of the most satisfying, well-earned final moments of a modern play I have seen. Mr. Tagatac does well as the gruff, chomping Captain Chambers, and has an ease to him when playing the Hippie Dude and bumbling Bobby.

(Jomar Tagatac (pictured as Bobby) and Jenelle Chu (Tong); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Jenelle Chu and James Seol lead the ensemble company as Tong and Quang, respectively. Miss Chu is a dynamite Tong, displaying well-developed elements of feminism, empowerment, courage, and confidence in the woman who makes it clear that she don’t need no man. Her eventual falling for Quang is telegraphed to the audience, but not in groan-worthy fashion. Miss Chu hurls the insults just as well as the feelings of love, whether it’s opposite her mother, Quang, or Nhan. Mr. Seol delivers a slightly static performance as the troubled pilot. The cadence Mr. Seol uses in the majority of his scene work is effective, but deadens the intensity in some instances. In the final scene, set in 2015, Mr. Seol’s Quang has aged, and Mr. Tagatac is writing the play as the Playwright (they are father and son), Mr. Seol’s acting chops and physicality are in flawless form, utilizing every word, pause, and gesture in a way that is never wasteful; ending the play on a truly triumphant note where top-notch acting and writing meet to create an artistically beautiful moment.

(Cindy Im (pictured as Huong) and Jenelle Chu (Tong); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Altogether, Mr. Nguyen’s play is good; quite good, in fact. However, there is a constant thread of spoken word/rap that intrudes into the scenes when Quang and Tong are, for lack of a better term, expressing their inner emotions to the audience. Yes, a soliloquy, but not in its traditional form. These moments, handled well by Mr. Seol and Miss Chu, don’t add to the poignancy of the script nor highlight any outstanding rap abilities by the aforementioned actors. Rather, they serve as an interrupting aside which deviates the pace and fluidity set so carefully and effectively by director Jaime Castaneda. The stellar score, composed by Shammy Dee, contrasts the often-lamenting lyrics, resulting in disconnected soliloquys for the performers; not enough to ruin what is an applause-worthy play and performance (and barely even makes its appearance in the second act), but jarring enough to ring in the memory after the bows. Brian Sidney Bembridge’s scenic design is nothing short of great, aiding the fluidity of the various locales and transitions with visual appeal and functionality. Wen-Ling Liao’s lighting design is consistently on point in highlighting moods and context. Both lighting and scenic design are complemented by Chris Lundhal’s excellent projection design, with specific attention to his font type and colorization, which add to the fun mood Vietgone bestows upon its audience.

(Jenelle Chu (Tong) and James Seol (Quang); Photo credit: Kevin Berne)

Mr. Nguyen’s themes and intentions are fully-realized in Vietgone, specifically spring-boarding off one of my favorite scenes in the play, the second scene in Act One. Mr. Tagatac is playing Giai, a Vietnamese man who is desperately in love with Miss Chu’s Tong, and their back-and-forth proposal propositions are filled with this blatant undercurrent of loving someone even when you don’t truly know that someone. This human condition is served well in the words of Mr. Nguyen, who likens this loving without experiencing or knowing to how Tong and her mother experience America based on the “travel brochure,” and how Nhan falls so hard for all the “cool shit” America has to offer. It even falls onto Quang’s shoulders when the Vietnam he left six years earlier is not the same Vietnam he thinks he’d travel back to. In the end, Mr. Nguyen leaves the audience truly evaluating both sides of the story: the Vietnam War wasn’t just about Americans losing Americans because there is a Vietnamese side to the story, too. And every person’s experience and memory is different, and that difference is to be respected, celebrated, and honored. Go see this show.

The Details:

Vietgone runs through April 29th

American Conservatory Theatre's Strand Theater in San Francisco

www.act-sf.org