#and that makes alex a relatable character overall and makes the pacing of the story better‚ which is why Most queer authors tend to do this | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

shai-manahan · 1 year

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Hollowed Minds Progress Update 5/08/23

Hi! I know I failed at making a progress update last month, so first of all, apologies for that! Things have just been busy tbh and life has been too stressful that at some points I just couldn't write. It's why I've been a bit inactive here as well, and why I've been barely answering the asks I've been receiving.

I cannot report yet how many words I've written for the update so far because I haven't really taken a look at it myself, but I will do so at the end of the month if there's still no confirmed schedule by then. My eye health has just been very consistent at making my life harder as well until recently, and here's hoping I'll at least be able to function properly for a whole month🤞

Some things that will be in the next update:

For Chapter 2's Part 2:

Everything still goes as planned, except now both routes are expected to be fast-paced and action-oriented, though one is still more intense than the other.

This will be a massive one, not because of the word count but because of the variations that will play out. There won't be much issues in arranging the transitions to Chapter 3, so there's at least that, but your choices will matter a lot. So you might have to be careful with them.

One of the routes gets Alonzo actively involved, but please be assured that this doesn't mean you have to romance them. I actually encourage you all to check out both routes once they come because you'll gain more discoveries that way. 👀

Alonzo's route will be so memeworthy, I have to admit. Please try it.

There's an info dump in Chapter 2's Part 1 that I'm not really a fan of, so I'll be moving some of those to this part instead if needed.

For the overall IF:

Alex will now have a set skin tone if a lighter one is chosen for the Ripper. I will discuss this in detail soon, but I just wanted to emphasize that Alex and Ripper's mother are canonically PoC.

You will have options for your Ripper to wear contacts or glasses (or neither ofc).

You'll be able to bring a weapon with you in Chapter 2 depending on your choices so far.

You might remember a section of Chapter 1 where you can choose what your Ripper had been doing for the duration of the five months. I might reduce it to a few, just so I could have them properly recognized in the story.

There will be a couple of changes in the character descriptions in the game's stats page, with plans to make them shorter, too, for easier readability.

I will make sure you'll have saves at the end of this. So please don't be surprised if there'll be more page breaks in the future, as well as more choices (that are still as meaningful.)

In connection to above, I also plan to make the in-game descriptions snappier and easier to read while still maintaining the quality they should have. Your feedback will be very important for this, and this also applies to the beta testers (sorry I've been so silent. I swear I'll get back to you all soon lmao)

Not really too related here, but I also plan to be more consistent with my updates in the future. It's just that my irl schedule is still a huge mess, and it's very hard to be consistent when that happens.

Just a last piece of my mind. Some anons have been very aggressive with harassment the past few months, and I really have no interest for more drama right now. So if you have issues, if you think you can back your own words, send them through a DM or at least turn off anon so we could have a proper conversation.

It's honestly tiring. Being an Asian in this community can already be so tiring, so I am begging people to be mature and responsible with their words. After all, I've repeatedly said that you can always come to me with your concerns or whatever you have against me. As long as we can actually talk about it.

Anyway, that's all, and I hope the week will be good for everyone :) I have a few more things to post on Patreon tomorrow, so if you're a current patron, do look forward to that!

#hollowed minds series #interactive fiction #hollowed minds #wip #writing #hollowed minds book one #if wip #interactive novel #hollowed minds progress update #progress update #interactive game #if game #cyoa

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folkloriansolitairian · 1 year

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so here’s the thing about the red white and royal blue movie

PSA BEFORE WE BEGIN!!! I AM NOT HATING! i did like the movie, this is not me hating on it or casey mcquinston, any of the actors, producers, writers, etc. i personally think that casey is an insanely talented writer, and the actors did a phenomenal job bringing this story to life. i am simply sharing my opinion and what i would change about it! also i like to complain it is my natural instinct. now that that’s out of the way here we go

honestly i think they could have done better and we could have gotten a lot more. sososo much was left out from the books and i was honestly just disappointed by how much they changed or straight up removed entirely. we were ROBBED of the following:

• JUNE I MISS HERRR WHERE IS SHE WAAAAH

• alex’s parents being divorced and how that effected him as a person and helped him grow into the person he is

• alex’s self discovery in his sexuality

• liam and rafael luna and how they both also helped alex in discovering his bisexuality (who the fuck is miguel) (did not like that he was already bi, his path of self discovery throughout the book is really relatable and good rep imo but idk)

• the iconic cornettos scene (i know they filmed it it was is the fucking trailers WHERE DID IT GO)

• bea’s 🍃 scandal/‘powder princess’ and how much that contributes to her development and depth as a character

• BEAS FATTY FUCKING CAT WHAT IS HIS NAME I MISS HIM

• the physical presence of the emails and how vulnerable alex and henry are with each other in them and how much they reveal about not just the 2 of them but other characters too like bea and the rest of henry’s family (they just has voiceovers which i thought was kind of weird, maybe just me)

• henry talking to the cancer patient about at at wars and that whole adorable thing

• seeing alex storming the palace to talk to henry (he just appeared?? smh anyways)

• most of alexs persepective of the emails getting leaked

• the ENTIRE fake dating arc with alex/nora and henry/june (i think? read the book a while ago don’t fully remember)

• alex’s whole dilemma and eventual decision to go to NYU law

• ZAHRA AND SHAANS ENTIRE RELATIONSHIP BASICALLY!! (why weren’t they engaged)

• the historical love letters henry and alex quoted in their emails to each other

• most of the plot with the richards campaign (mostly to do with the fact that there is NO LUNA)

• overall a lot of the buildup/enemies to lovers aspect of alex and henry’s relationship

there’s probably so much more that i’m forgetting but THE POINT IS there were so many important little details from the book that was left out in the movie that i would have loved to see and it’s honestly just disappointing that we didn’t get those. it felt like they basically got rid of everything that didn’t have to do with alex and henry’s relationship which just made the movie feel very one dimensional and bland to me. the whole film just felt overall really lacking of what made me love the book so much in the first place.

now i am going to be a tad bit hateful when i say the pacing of this film is HORRENDOUS. it was so fast paced and really just did not flow at all like the he book did. a great example of this i think would be the bar scene. when i read that in the book, it felt like a really long and detailed scene, but in the movie it’s a short maybe 60 second long montage which honestly just does not do such an eventful moment from the book justice.

to be entirely honest i feel like the book would have done a lot more justice if it had gotten a tv show adaptation instead of a film. unfortunately movies have a time limit, and amazon made them cut the originally 3+ hour film down to 2 hours or less. with tv shows on the other hand, they can make multiple shorter episodes, resulting in a longer total running time, therefore giving much more time for the smaller details (listed above) that aren’t detrimental enough to the plot to keep in a limited 2 hour long maximum film, but important enough to be kept in a, for example, 8 episode long tv series, 30-45 mins per episode. it doesn’t make sense to me why it wasn’t a tv show in the first place, since it is produced by prime video, whose most popular thing rn is the summer i turned pretty, which is LITERALLY A BOOK TO TV SHOW ADAPTATION!!!!!

to put it simply, it is impossible to fit 10 hours worth of words into a 2 hour long movie, so i understand why they had to remove so many details, but as a diehard book fan it is still disappointing to not see little things like that portrayed on the big screen.

i think that the moral of the story is that books should never be made into movies and instead always be made into tv shows and we deserve the 3 hour uncut version and amazon hates gay people

thank you for coming to my ted talk

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pagebypagereviews · 12 days

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From the moment you pick up *The Family Across the Street: A Totally Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist*, you'll be captivated by its suspense-laden narrative and intricate plot. Written by Nicole Trope, this gripping thriller propels readers into a terrifying mystery nestled within a seemingly idyllic suburban setting. Trope masterfully crafts a story that is as much about the secrets that fester behind closed doors as it is about the shocking and unforeseeable events that bind families together. With its aptly woven web of lies, danger, and deeply buried truths, this book epitomizes the allure of psychological thrillers, hooking readers from the very first page. In a genre notorious for repeated tropes, *The Family Across the Street* stands out not just for its vigorous pace and high-stakes drama but also for its keen insight into human psychology. The novel addresses the intricate dynamics of trust, betrayal, and the unseen horrors that can reside just a wall away. By offering a penetrating look into the lives of its characters, Trope doesn't just aim to thrill; she challenges readers to question their perceptions of safety and normalcy in their own communities. This book effectively resolves the problem of stale, predictable psychological thrillers, offering instead an enthralling experience punctuated with a twist so shocking, it leaves a lasting imprint on the psyche. ## Plot The plot of "The Family Across the Street: A Totally Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist" by Nicole Trope revolves around the mysterious and suspenseful dynamics between neighbors in a seemingly serene suburb. The story kicks off with the arrival of the West family in their new home, stirring curiosity and suspicion in the otherwise quiet neighborhood. The core of the narrative focuses on the escalating tension between the West family and their neighbors across the street, sparked by subtle yet disturbing events. Central to the plot is how the ostensibly perfect façade of the West family begins to crack under the weight of suspicion. Suspense builds incrementally, with the author masterfully employing misdirection to keep the readers guessing about the true nature of the family's secrets. The story is punctuated by multiple twists, each cleverly crafted to propel the narrative forward and deepen the mystery. One notable twist involves a hidden past that significantly alters the reader's understanding of the character dynamics and motivations, adding layers of complexity to the story. The plot is not linear but rather oscillates between present events and past incidents, allowing readers to piece together clues over time. This structure effectively maintains the tension and pacing, making the novel difficult to put down. The climax is particularly riveting, as all the built-up tensions reach a peak, culminating in an unexpected resolution that leaves a lasting impression. ## Characters The characters in "The Family Across the Street" are richly developed, each contributing to the overall suspense and emotional depth of the story. The protagonist, a seemingly ordinary neighbor named Kate, serves as the reader's primary viewpoint into the unfolding drama. She is a relatable and empathetic character whose curiosity and concern for her neighbors drive much of the plot. Her evolution from a passive observer to an active participant is both believable and compelling. The West family members are portrayed with layered complexities, making them multidimensional and unpredictable. The patriarch, John West, is a character shrouded in ambiguity. His outwardly calm and composed demeanor hides a tumultuous past, which slowly unfurls as the plot progresses. His wife, Alex West, is a particularly intriguing character, whose initial portrayal as a submissive spouse gradually shifts to reveal a more nuanced and tragic figure. Child characters also play a crucial role, adding to the emotional weight of the narrative. Their

innocence and vulnerability heighten the stakes, making the reader more invested in the outcome of the story. Secondary characters, like other neighbors and local authorities, are sketched with enough detail to add depth without overshadowing the main cast. These supporting roles are essential in creating a believable community setting and advancing the plot. ## Writing Style Nicole Trope's writing style in "The Family Across the Street" is characterized by its crisp, succinct prose and compelling narrative voice. The author excels in creating a tense atmosphere through carefully chosen words and phrases that evoke unease. Dialogue is realistic and serves to illuminate character traits and relationships without veering into melodrama. The pacing of the book is another standout feature of Trope's writing. Short, punchy chapters contribute to an urgent, fast-paced reading experience. The use of cliffhangers at the end of each chapter keeps the reader hooked, fostering a "just one more chapter" mentality that makes the book difficult to put down. Trope's descriptive passages are evocative without being overly verbose, striking a balance that allows readers to visualize the scenes clearly while maintaining the story's momentum. Her ability to weave nuanced emotional experiences into the fabric of the plot enriches the overall narrative, making the psychological aspects of the thriller more potent. ## Setting The setting of "The Family Across the Street" plays an integral role in amplifying the suspense and drama of the story. The suburban neighborhood is portrayed with meticulous attention to detail, creating an environment that feels both familiar and unsettling. The tranquility of the setting contrasts sharply with the undercurrents of tension, making the darker aspects of the plot even more jarring. Key locations within the neighborhood, such as the West family's home, the local park, and neighboring houses, are described vividly, each contributing to the story's atmosphere. The homes become almost secondary characters, their layouts and features providing crucial context for various plot developments. The West home, for instance, is depicted as both a sanctuary and a prison, reflecting the duality of what it means to the family members. Seasonal and weather elements are also utilized effectively to heighten the tension. Rainy nights, oppressive heat, and sudden storms serve as metaphors for the emotional and psychological turmoils the characters endure. Tiny, everyday details, such as the creak of a floorboard or the rustling of leaves, are imbued with sinister significance, turning the mundane into potential threats. ## Unique Aspects "The Family Across the Street" distinguishes itself from typical psychological thrillers through several unique aspects, one of which is the dual narrative structure. The story is often told from different viewpoints, giving the reader a multifaceted understanding of events. This approach not only builds suspense but also allows for a deeper exploration of each character's psychology. Another unique element is the novel's exploration of social themes such as domestic abuse, mental health, and the hidden struggles within "perfect" families. Trope tackles these issues with sensitivity, integrating them seamlessly into the story without diverting from the thriller elements. This gives the book an added layer of depth, encouraging readers to reflect on broader societal issues while being entertained. The unpredictable plot twists set this book apart from conventional thrillers. The author employs misdirection not just for the sake of surprise but to enrich the narrative and enhance character development. These twists are cleverly foreshadowed, making them feel both unexpected and inevitable upon their reveal. Attention to small, seemingly inconsequential details that later play a significant role in the plot is another unique characteristic of Trope's writing. These details, which might be dismissed

in a casual reading, often resurface in critical moments, adding a satisfying sense of coherence and forethought to the narrative structure. This meticulous attention to detail rewards careful readers and makes the book a satisfying puzzle to unravel. Similar to The Family Across the Street: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist Book Review Pros Cons Engaging Plot The storyline is gripping and keeps readers hooked, impacting user experience by maintaining consistent interest throughout the novel. Well-Developed Characters The characters are complex and relatable, offering readers a deeper connection to the story and enhancing overall satisfaction. Shocking Twist The unexpected twist is well-executed, providing a satisfying sense of surprise that makes the book memorable and enjoyable. Fast-Paced Narrative The brisk pace ensures that there is never a dull moment, which enhances engagement and keeps readers eager to turn the next page. Predictable Elements Some aspects of the plot may be predictable for seasoned thriller readers, potentially impacting the overall sense of surprise and novelty. Pacing Issues While generally fast-paced, there are occasional slow sections that might affect the flow and potentially disengage some readers. Character Stereotypes Certain character traits might feel stereotypical or clichéd, which can detract from the initial interest in their development and interactions. Unresolved Subplots A few subplots may feel underdeveloped or unresolved, leaving readers with unanswered questions and a sense of incomplete narrative closure. Plot and Theme When considering "The Family Across the Street: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist" by Nicole Trope, potential buyers should first contemplate the plot and theme. This book falls under the psychological thriller genre, known for its gripping narratives and unexpected twists. Evaluate whether you enjoy stories centered around ordinary families with dark secrets and unpredictable outcomes. Consider if the theme of mystery and suspense aligns with your reading preferences to ensure a satisfying literary experience. Author Reputation Nicole Trope, the author of this book, has carved out a niche in the psychological thriller genre. Before making a purchase, research her other works and read reviews from readers who have previously engaged with her books. Familiarity with the author's reputation can provide insights into the quality and style of writing, as well as consistency in delivering captivating and well-executed plots. This background information can be critical for fans of the genre seeking reliable storytelling. Reader Reviews and Ratings Examining reader reviews and ratings on platforms such as Amazon, Goodreads, and other book review sites can be invaluable. Look for patterns in the feedback to gauge common opinions about the book’s suspense level, pacing, character development, and overall satisfaction. These insights help in understanding what actual readers appreciated or disliked, enabling you to make a more informed decision based on collective experiences. Sample Chapters and Previews Take advantage of sample chapters or previews provided on various platforms. Reading the first few pages can give you a feel for the writing style, tone, and initial intrigue. This strategy can help determine whether the book captivates your interest from the beginning and if Nicole Trope’s narrative voice resonates with you. Many e-book retailers and libraries offer snippets to entice readers, making this an excellent opportunity to test the waters. Genre Suitability Consider your affinity for psychological thrillers and your previous experiences with similar books. Reflect on other titles within the genre that you have enjoyed or disliked and draw comparisons. This reflection helps establish a benchmark and aids in identifying whether "The Family Across the Street" fits your specific tastes.

Knowing your genre preferences can streamline your selection process and maximize enjoyment. Book Format and Availability Investigate the various formats available for "The Family Across the Street." For convenience, check whether the book is available in hardcover, paperback, e-book, or audiobook. Format availability can influence your purchase based on personal reading habits and preferences. If you prefer listening to books while commuting or during workouts, an audiobook might be more suitable. Conversely, traditional book lovers might prefer a physical paperback or hardcover edition. Price and Discounts Look at the pricing across different retailers, including online stores and brick-and-mortar bookstores. It’s also beneficial to check for any ongoing promotions, discounts, or bundle deals. Being aware of different price points and offers can help you make a cost-effective purchase. Many online platforms offer competitive pricing and occasional discounts, providing opportunities to buy books at a lower cost. Recommendations and Bestseller Lists Consulting bestseller lists and curated recommendations from reputable review sites and book clubs can provide additional guidance. Books featured in these lists often have a proven track record of reader satisfaction and widespread appeal. "The Family Across the Street" might have gained accolades or been featured in notable lists, indicating its popularity and quality within the thriller genre. ```html FAQ What is "The Family Across the Street" about? "The Family Across the Street: A Totally Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist" is a suspense-filled novel that revolves around the lives of a seemingly normal family. Tensions and dark secrets begin to unfold when unexpected events lead to a shocking climax. Is this book part of a series? No, "The Family Across the Street" is a standalone novel. You can enjoy the story without the need to read any other books before or after. What genre does this book fall under? The book is a psychological thriller, focusing on suspense, intense emotions, and unexpected plot twists that keep readers on the edge of their seats. Who is the author of the book? The author of "The Family Across the Street" is Nicole Trope, known for her gripping psychological thrillers that delve into complex human emotions and dramatic situations. What age group is the book suitable for? This book is intended for adult readers due to its complex themes and mature content. It may not be suitable for younger readers. Are there any content warnings for this book? Yes, the book contains themes of domestic tension, psychological manipulation, and some violent scenes. Sensitive readers should proceed with caution. How long is the book? The book has approximately 264 pages, making it a moderately lengthy read that can be comfortably finished within a few sittings. How would you describe the book's pacing? The book maintains a fast-paced narrative with constant developments and suspenseful turns, keeping readers engaged from beginning to end. Is there a film or TV adaptation of the book? As of now, there is no film or television adaptation of "The Family Across the Street." The book is currently only available in written format. Where can I buy the book? The book is available for purchase through various online retailers such as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and in local bookstores. It is also available in both digital and print formats. ``` In conclusion, "The Family Across the Street: A Totally Unputdownable Psychological Thriller with a Shocking Twist" stands out as a must-read for fans of suspense and psychological intricacies. Its gripping plot, well-developed characters, and unexpected twists ensure that readers are kept on the edge of their seats from beginning to end. This novel not only captivates with its thrilling narrative but also provides deep insights into human behavior and the darkness that can lurk behind closed doors. As you turn each page,

you will find yourself drawn further into a maze of suspense that makes it incredibly hard to put down. Whether you are an avid thriller enthusiast or new to the genre, "The Family Across the Street" offers an unforgettable literary experience that is both chilling and profoundly engaging. Don't miss out on this spellbinding read that promises to leave you in awe with its masterful storytelling and unpredictable ending. Other The Family Across the Street: A totally unputdownable psychological thriller with a shocking twist Book Review buying options

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vers-1 · 1 month

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Todays ranking

Top to bottom

Evil dead

Crooks

Rats Aca Demy

Bite

Evil dead- 8/10

It’s well produced. I love a set that moves. Picture frames, puppets, set pieces. I especially liked the chair mouth and the moose. I also love maximalism, everywhere you looked was something! It’s my first time seeing the shadow being used to depict violence and I enjoyed that a lot. Music was good, acting was good. I thought pacing was good also because lots of movement was meaningful and engaging. I love horror, comedy, and musicals. But I don’t like getting sticky not fun minus 2 points. But it’s very good for a bunch of hs-ers

Rats Aca Demy- 8/10

It was perfect actually. Costumes and makeup were amazing. Audience participation, call and response is welcomed always. Plot was very nice. I’m not always into anything dramas but it was also funny so that always makes things better. Pacing was a little slow because of the audience participation tho. Like it is fun to do, but it felt a little too much at times. Like get on with the story which brought the entertainment value down a tad. I enjoyed the plot of this one more than evil dead. They set up a clear progression/plot points that they hit clearly as well. We all understood the assignment with more than enough time to sit with. It’s lower than evil dead by superficial reasons,, I love comedy AND musicals a little more. Categorically a musical has to really tank to not be above a play. Or a play has to be extraordinary to be on top.

Crooks- 7/10

Slow start, but once it started it kept on rolling. Ending was excellent. It had my favorite plot. It was funny and corny and also drama filled which isn’t always my favorite but the story was interesting to me. Like certain topics are usually big turn offs for me so when the dark material was murder and drugs I was relived and refreshed. Had my favorite character of the day. I loved every bit but the beginning of the play. It is placed higher on the list but rated lower because I was entertained more consistently with crooks but rats was more polished. Crooks was more charming though and I value charm!!

Bite- 5/10

When you think of a show by the local theatre group you see bite. Its flat seating made it difficult to watch, but not their fault. The acting was the worst of the shows, but they are very passionate. Live music is always more points. Low budget set is just show business finesse baby. A handful of excellent highlights lets them hold their head up at the end of the night. Alex’s pirouette, 12 year olds scream and major emotional moment!!, Ellie’s girlfriend in real life??, and that other guy I’m sure did something other than sweat. A lot of Alex’s bits were good and personally relatable. He’s a funny guy. There delivery was very much hs theatre reciting lines, but there were moments of embodying the character that I appreciated. A More relaxed voice that felt more like a reaction to another characters lines than just trying to get through the scene. I think it is definitely the standard show you’d expect. You go into it curious with low expectations and then go huh! That was different than I would have expected it, but it was also good or ok. Also the addition of a they/them character who looked normal and was normalized is refreshing. It’s the apocalypse babe, no time for coming out stories

Overall

Any scene with red lighting was my favorite, love seeing the descent of the psyche

I found my fringe, it’s pathetic stupid stupid men I guess

,, there’s a time and place for social commentary or political pieces for sure but not for this, not for $20

Lemonade is good, sorry

Lying is part of the festivities

In addition we will start going for first row if possible over middle seats in the seccond. We are just too little man

#48

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themovieblogonline · 2 months

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Ghostlight Review: A Journey Through Grief and Healing

Ghostlight directed by Kelly O'Sullivan and Alex Thompson from a screenplay by O'Sullivan, is a contemplative drama that delves into the profound themes of grief, guilt, and the healing power of art. The film stars Keith Kupferer, Dolly de Leon, Katherine May Kupferer, and Tara Mallen, portraying a family grappling with the aftermath of a tragic loss. The Story: A Family Shattered by Tragedy The narrative centers on Dan Mueller (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker struggling to cope with his son Brian's suicide. Dan's life spirals into chaos, marked by stress, the disciplinary issues of his teenage daughter Daisy (Katherine May Kupferer), and a wrongful death lawsuit against Brian's ex-girlfriend, Christine Hawthorne. Kupferer's portrayal of Dan captures the raw, often unspoken pain of a grieving father, making his character deeply relatable and human. The story centers on Dan Mueller (Keith Kupferer), a construction worker struggling with the aftermath of his son Brian's suicide. Dan's life is a chaotic whirlpool of stress, intensified by the disciplinary issues of his teenage daughter Daisy (Katherine May Kupferer) and a wrongful death lawsuit against Christine Hawthorne, Brian's ex-girlfriend. The weight of his grief and guilt is palpable, coloring every aspect of his interactions and decisions. Kupferer's portrayal of Dan is nuanced and deeply human, capturing the raw, often unspoken pain of a grieving father. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R1TycuGX4Mw The Good: A Journey Through Grief and Art Dan's life takes an unexpected turn when he meets Rita (Dolly de Leon), an actor at a community theater. Rita invites Dan to read for the role of Lord Capulet in their upcoming production of Romeo and Juliet, setting him on a transformative journey. De Leon's Rita adds warmth and eccentricity to the film, and her interactions with Dan are among the film's most compelling moments. Daisy, once an actor, becomes integral to Dan's healing process. Initially reluctant, she finds herself drawn back into the theater world, which offers her a semblance of connection and purpose. Katherine May Kupferer's performance as Daisy is a standout, skillfully balancing teenage angst with deep loss. The evolving father-daughter relationship provides some of the film's most poignant scenes. Sharon (Tara Mallen), Dan's wife, adds another layer of complexity to the story. Her attempt to cope by building a garden over the site of Brian’s suicide contrasts sharply with Dan's methods, creating familial tension. Mallen's portrayal captures the desperation and helplessness of a mother dealing with her grief. One of Ghostlight's strengths is its portrayal of art's healing power. The theater serves as a sanctuary for Dan, offering a space to confront his pain and find catharsis. The scenes of Dan rehearsing and performing in Romeo and Juliet are beautifully intertwined with his personal journey, adding depth to the film. Visually, the film employs a muted color palette and effective use of lighting and shadows to reflect the somber mood. The theater scenes, in particular, stand out for their intensity and the magic of live performance. The supporting cast, including Hana Dworkin, Tommy Rivera-Vega, Alma Washington, H.B. Ward, Dexter Zollicoffer, Deanna Dunagan, and Francis Guinan, enrich the narrative with their unique contributions. Ghostlight powerfully explores the varied ways individuals cope with grief, illustrating that healing is a complex and personal journey. The Bad: Pacing and Dialogue Issues While Ghostlight resonates emotionally, it is not without flaws. The pacing can be uneven, with some subplots feeling underdeveloped. Additionally, there are moments where the dialogue comes off as stilted and overly theatrical, detracting from the film's naturalistic tone. Overall: A Thought-Provoking Drama Ghostlight is an emotionally resonant film, thanks to strong performances and thoughtful storytelling. Keith Kupferer anchors the film with a portrayal that is both raw and tender, supported by excellent performances from Dolly de Leon and Katherine May Kupferer. The film handles themes of grief, guilt, and the redemptive power of art with sensitivity and insight. Despite its flaws, Ghostlight offers a compelling look at a family's struggle with loss and their journey toward healing. It is a poignant reminder of the power of storytelling, both on and off the stage, to heal, connect, and transform. Read the full article

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historyhermann · 1 year

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Skip and Loafer Spoiler-Filled Review

Skip and Loafer is romantic comedy and slice-of-life anime, written and directed by Kotomi Deai. It is based on an ongoing manga series of the same name written and illustrated by Misaki Takamatsu. This animated series was produced by P.A. Works, known for series such as Canaan, Kuromukuro, Akiba Maid War, and Aquatope on the White Sand.

Reprinted from Pop Culture Maniacs and Wayback Machine. This was the fortieth article I wrote for Pop Culture Maniacs. This post was originally published on July 16, 2023.

This series has a simple storyline. A girl named Mitsumi Iwakura (voiced by Tomoyo Kurosawa) goes to Tsubame West High School, a school in Tokyo, with the goal of becoming a rural planner in her hometown. She leaves her friends, such as Fumino "Fumi" Toyama (voiced by Sumire Morohoshi), behind. While walking to school, Mitsumi believes everything is going her way, but gets lost. She is helped by another student, Sōsuke Shima (voiced by Akinori Egoshi). Somehow, they both get to the opening ceremony just in time, allowing her to give a speech to the incoming class. However, thanks to their fast running, she throws up onto her teacher, earning her the nickname of "barf girl". And that's only the first episode.

Admittedly, I had not originally planned to watch Skip and Loafer. Reading Alex Henderson's review of the first episode for Anime Feminist, convinced me otherwise. This view was reinforced by the spring premiere digest on the same site. It described the series as a "sweet coming-of-age story" with an anxious, driven, and endearing female protagonist. The review also said the series had a "positively depicted trans guardian" named Nao (voiced by Mitsuki Saiga). After watching all twelve episodes of the first season, I have to agree with their assessment. However, there is a lot more to the show than the assessment by these reviewers.

There are hilarious moments in each episode. This is especially the case when it comes to Mitsumi's antics, or when the reality of people is hidden. This humor is not based off any tropes or common stereotypes. Even so, it makes you empathize with the characters, endear them you, and make you interested in learning more about them as people.

Unlike other anime I've reviewed this year, Skip and Loafer gives its characters depth. In the fourth episode, Mitsumi is told by slacker teacher Hanazono that student council treasurer Tokiko Takamine (voiced by Minami Tsuda) is an organized person. She is impressed and connects with her almost instantly, seeing her as a senpai. Takamine even tells her how to use her time more efficiently.

However, Takamine has anxiety hidden below the surface. She is barely holding it together and even has nightmares about missing the bus or train. I liked that Takamine learns from Mitsumi to not panic if things don't go her way, to accept what is around her, and not be tense all the time. This is something which many people can resonate with.

Somehow, Mitsumi inadvertently causes Takamine's nightmares to disappear. She even influences her to admit that everyone should have their own path and way to use their time. Overall, Takamine is very relatable, as she is generally very organized. In some ways, she reminds me of my own personal organizational habits.

The interactions between Mitsumi and Sōsuke are at the center of Skip and Loafer. They learn more about each other and cheer up one another, if one of them feels down. While there are some romantic feelings between them, they are undoubtedly good friends who support each other, even if times get tough. That is part of the great storytelling in this anime.

I further liked the series because it isn't as dramatic like Kaguya-sama: Love Is War or Yuri is My Job!. Nor is it idolish like Alice Gear Aegis Expansion and Kizuna no Allele. Instead, it has a similar same pace, and feel, to Kuma Kuma Kuma Bear or iyashikei series like Adachi and Shimamura and Laid-Back Camp. It reminds me a bit of K-On! and My Roommate Is a Cat for the same reason. However, it isn't an iyashikei series. There is a focus on the plot, characters, and worldbuilding. But there isn't an immersive visual setting, meaning that it does not fit the definition of this anime sub-genre.

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Slice-of-life series are some of my favorite anime. I still remember fondly watching, apart from those already named, Azumanga Daioh, Squid Girl, YuruYuri, Kin-iro Mosaic, and Teasing Master Takagi-san. However, Skip and Loafer isn't exactly like those anime. Not is it like Let's Make a Mug Too, Akebi's Sailor Uniform, Sasaki and Miyano, Gabriel DropOut, or Words Bubble Up Like Soda Pop. In some ways, this series gives me the same vibes as the first cour of The Aquatope on White Sand, a series also produced by P.A. Works. The second cour of that series had a different tone, as it showed the brutal reality of the workplace and how it can wear you down to nothing.

Skip and Loafer stands out because of the casual queerness shown in the series. This is especially exemplified by Mitsumi's aunt, Nao. I hadn't picked up that she was trans, because it is relatively subtle, until reading some articles about it. After that, I could recognize it being mentioned throughout the series. Nao appears to be accepted and no one bats an eye about it.

The fact that Nao is trans is as subtle, in some ways, as May Marigold stating openly that she is trans in a Volume 8 episode of RWBY, without specifically using the word "trans". There is some danger in subtlety, as everyone may not recognize it. Some series have done it better than others. I would say that Skip and Loafer does a good job of this, although it would be great to have additional LGBTQ characters.

There is more than casual queerness in Skip and Loafer. It is represented by characters that lean into "common archetypes." Nao experiences transmisogyny and Mitsumi supports her. She cares for Mitsumi deeply. She goes undercover as an "uncle", and is joined by Egashira (voiced by Yuka Terasaki). The latter thinks Sosuke is a "clout-chaser," during Mitsumi's date with Sosuke in the eighth episode. The reality is that Egashira has a crush on him and is jealous.

In that same episode, Mitsumi and her friends come over for a summer outing, a sleepover, allowing them to get even closer than they had before. She tells her friends that Nao is "biologically male" (i.e., trans), to not cause a panic. Thanks to Nao, she knows some make-up language, which gives her a leg up in their conversations. Later, when Egoshira tries to leave, Nao convinces her to stay, again showing her role in keeping Mitsumi's friends together.

The bond between Egashira and Nao is strong. In one Skip and Loafer episode, Egashira is sad that she can't talk to her at the school festival. This is after both, as noted earlier, bonded when they were spying on Sosuke and Mitsumi, during their date. Hopefully, a second season will expand on their friendship.

One of the most popular ships among fans is between Mitsumi's two schoolmates, Yuzuki Murashige (voiced by Maaya Uchida) and Makoto Kurume (voiced by Megumi Han), who are opposites from one another. Mitsumi brings them closer together, with fans praising their romantic "chemistry", including cute interactions.

The implied romantic feelings between Makoto and Yuzuki reaches a high point in the show's 11th episode. Yuzuki puts off a guy who is hitting on her and says that she dislikes it when people praise her art without looking at it deeply. Of course, Makoto does the opposite, praising the art, and makes Yuzuki blush in response.

While some may say their interactions are "yuri-baiting", referring to series which show romantic relationships between girls/women without having that "relationship come to fruition," it is more fair to call it yuri subtext. For one, Makoto and Yuzuki have unresolved feelings for one another and aren't a couple. Their feelings have not been realized. Yuri subtext is all over the place in anime, from Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha to Mahou Shoujo Madoka Magica. It differs from more directly-shown love like that between Anis and Euphie in MagiRevo or one-sided love shown in Alice Gear Aegis Expansion.

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Mitsumi is a sympathetic character because she isn't good at athletics, similar to Mako's worries about athletic events. This serves as a way for Mitsumi to bond deeper with Sosuke, who accepts her for who she is. Sports, and their emphasis, are a major part of Japanese culture, like it is in the U.S. Those who don't conform to the "norm" to be ridiculed. In this series, the difference from the norm is portrayed as acceptable. It is fine to be less social, quiet, and not like sports.

One of the best parts of Skip and Loafer is how Mitsumi connects with her classmates, either Sosuke, Yuzuki, Makoto, or Mika Egashira. The latter is nervous, at first, at interactions with nasty male classmates. She even has a mental list of those who are mean to her and vows revenge on them for what they did to her.

As a result of their friendship, Egashira's attitudes change. Her crush on Sosuke strengthens, even as she feels left behind as Sosuke appears closer to Mitsumi than her. She is hiding inner conflicts and trauma, implying she has low self-worth.

Her desire to go through schooling, to help her hometown of Ikajima, is admirable. Throughout the series, she has a connection to Ikajima since her childhood friend, Fumi still lives in the town. She doesn't have many lines in the series and so few, that no one even bothered to add her to the show's Wikipedia page. She is someone that Mitsumi can vent and talk to. This all comes to a head in the ninth episode when she visits Ikajima and has a fun time with her middle school friends.

The romantic comedy themes of Skip and Loafer shine through in the show's sixth episode. Mitsumi begins believing rumors about Sosuke, thinking he is a "bad boy" who skipped school and faked being sick. After he tells her to not believe the rumors, she realizes that she is in love with him, and tells Fumi she feels the same way about Sosuke as Fumi did about her friend as well.

This plot is interlaced with Mitsumi's work in the school's student council. She becomes the student council secretary alongside Takamine. She encourages the latter to work with the new president-elect, Hiroto Kazakami (voiced by Junya Enoki), telling her that all we can do is hope it pays off some day. This is diametrically opposed to what is shown in Ippon Again!, that hard work can lead to success. This idea has been questioned in recent years.

Not everything is puppies and roses in this series. This is made clear when Ririka Saijou (voiced by Minako Kotobuki) comes out of nowhere at the end of the seventh episode. She is said to be a "childhood friend" of Sosuke. Ririka is more than that. She is a model who sneers at Mitsumi, calling her a "circus act". She even declares that he can't have a high school life because of an incident four years before in which he, apparently, showed bad judgment. In essence, she blackmails him.

This doesn't stop the growing romance between Mitsumi and Sosuke, however. In fact, in the ninth episode, she expresses her enthusiasm, and gives him three squid crackers from her hometown, because she feels bad for him. Although he feels he doesn't "deserve anything", their interaction brings a smile to his face. As such, Skip and Loafer is saying that rather than beating ourselves up over our mistakes, we should take chances instead.

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The last three episodes are some of the strongest in the entire series. While the preparation for a school festival is not a new plot in anime, the play is pertinent in today's world that reactionaries are stronger than ever. It is about a person who falls in love with fascists and joins them because of romance, even turning on his own family!

Some Jewish fans have even stated that anime has a "Nazi problem" and is anti-Semitic due to Attack on Titan, Angel Cop, Fullmetal Alchemist, Hellsing, and Jojo's Bizarre Adventure, and Hetalia: Axis Powers characters. These views remain controversial, with the argument that Western viewers are misinterpreting plotlines through a distorted lens.

Back to Skip and Loafer, Sosuke's role as a friend shines through. He cheers up Mitsumi, thinking back to his bad childhood, and tries to make sure Mitsumi doesn't hurt herself. They end up talking and having a fun time together. Understandably, Mitsumi feels bad that she allowed Sosuke to be picked for the play. After all, he didn't want an acting role. Again, this shows the power of peer pressure and "need" to be socially accepted. In fact, Sosuke worries that people only see him one way and he can't do anything to "ruin" that perception.

Sosuke ends up shining through, in the 11th episode. He does an amazing performance, impressing his half-brother Keiri and his mother. He ends up enjoying himself. The series says that he should be grateful to his brother, who has been considerate of him, rather than dismissive. However, Ririka's arrival threatens to destroy it all!

The Skip and Loafer series finale brings this to a head. In an act of intimidation, Ririka falsely accuses Sosuke's mother of making Sosuke act for her again. This causes Sosuke's mother, and Keiri, to leave. Even so, Mitsumi bravely defends Sosuke from Ririke, standing between them both, like an anteater. As a result, Sosuke realizes he can act for himself, rather than doing it for others. He is comforted when he forgets his lines at the end of the school play.

In one of the most powerful scenes in the entire series, Sosuke stands up for himself. He says that he can't make up for what he did to Ririka. Even so, he refuses to follow the same self-destructive path as her, noting that he is enjoying school life. As an olive branch, he offers to do anything to help her move on. Predictably, Ririka is infuriated.

She lashes out, declaring that Sosuke is selfish and narcissistic, and says the same about his mother. She doesn't want him to get his life back and wants to continue manipulating him. As a result, she pushes him away, arguing that Sosuke and his mother can do what they want, but to not show his face to her again. After he thanks her, this shocks her to the core.

Although the series finale might be beginning the "redemption" of Ririka, she is not a sympathetic character. Her pity crying and admission that the scandal, and losing her job, was partially her fault (rather than Sosuke), makes her toxicity that much worse. She is an awful character who treats others poorly. Even her friend, Chris Fukunaga (voiced by Yuusuke Nagano), tells her to not guilt-trip Sosuke. He adds that it is her sole fault her grades sucked. Whether she reforms herself, takes responsibility for her actions, understands her harm, and doesn't cause any further harm, or not, hopefully she is out of Sosuke's life for good.

The Skip and Loafer series finale wraps up loose ends. President Hiroto gets more depth. He tells Takamine that he was expected to be the best from an early age. His family had high standards for success. This causes Takamine to develop a crush. As the school festival ends, there is a touching scene in which Sosuke and Mitsumi realize how much they mean to one another. Mitsumi is undoubtedly more in love with him than ever. She closes out the episode, encapsulating her story of wanting to become a government official in her hometown, and how she got there.

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The show's colorful and vibrant animation really sticks with you. Some series are flat and don't have expressive animation. Skip and Loafer is the exact opposite of that and has a distinct art style. As such, the series is that much more appealing.

The same can be said for the series' voice actors. The voices of Mitsumi, Sumi, Sosuke, and Nao, who are Tomoyo Kurosawa, Sumire Morohoshi, Akinori Egoshi, and Mitsuki Saiga respectfully, are talented. Kurosawa is known for her roles in Cutie Honey Universe, Astra Lost in Space, BanG Dream!, and Wandering Witch: The Journey of Elaina.

Murohoshi lent her voice to characters in series such as Princess Jellyfish, Little Witch Academia, and Violet Evergarden. Egoshi has voiced characters in Shirobako, Kino's Journey: The Beautiful World, Fruits Basket, and many others. Saiga is known for roles in Cowboy Bebop, R.O.D the TV, Maria Watches Over Us, Ouran High School Host Club, and Yurikuma Arashi.

Minami Tsuda, Yuka Terasaki, Maaya Uchida, and Megumi Han, who voice Takamine, Egashira, Yuzuki, and Makoto, have done many recognizable roles. Tsuda voiced Mei Aihara in the ever-controversial Citrus, Terasaki voiced Babel in Gargantia and Akari Hyūga in Bloom Into You, and Uchida lent her voice to Sharo Kirima in Is the Order a Rabbit?, Catarina Claes in My Next Life as a Villainess: All Routes Lead to Doom!, and countless others.

Han has voiced characters in series such as Komi Can't Communicate, RWBY: Ice Queendom, The Dangers in My Heart, and Oshi no Ko. Junya Enoki and Minako Kotobuki, the voices of Hiroto and Ririka, are known for roles in anime such as Heroines Run the Show, Wandering Son, and Your Lie in April.

The last frame of the final Skip and Loafer episode says, "see you tomorrow", implying a possible continuation. If a second season for the series was ordered, which is unlikely, romance between Sosuke and Mitsumi will blossom. The same may be the case for the bond between Makoto and Yuzuki, possible growing feelings that Takamine has for Hiroto, and other relationships between characters. In the process, Mitsumi's trans aunt, Nao, will likely have a significant role.

Skip and Loafer can be streamed on Crunchyroll and is available for purchase on Prime Video.

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joesanimationblog · 2 years

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Final Outcome Light and Shadow Reflection

As I was ill over the Christmas break I had very little time to lose, this meant I needed to plough ahead to complete my films. The first film I completed was the Oog Ooga Ooog Ooog film.

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I'm really happy with how this film turned out, I think the introductory section of the tree exploding and the cavemen inside the cave could be expanded upon to improve the overall flow of the narrative but I think this stands well as a completed narrative. I took the time to correct many of the line breaks which I discussed with Alex and maintained the humour which I had worried could be lost through the change in pacing.

As far as answering the brief goes I feel I was successful. Lighting is used to draw attention to characters and their relation to fire. It is also used to emphasise moments in the narrative, for example the first time we see the fire. The use of shadows and dark tones throughout this project allowed the white lighting and bright neon fire to pop and this gave it a lot of strength in the story. Animated backgrounds were used for some of the shots to create more dynamic lighting and make the fire believable. Overall I think my use of lighting as a tool was successful in serving the story I was trying to tell.

As mentioned the start feels a bit bland and if I had more time I think I would set the scene of the cave with shots of the outside world contrasted against the cave, maybe using an insect moving around the world or something as a macro perspective. I think that I prioritized the right thing in making the ending section as good as it can be as if the ending was flat, no matter how good the setup was the film would still suck.

Visually I think this is my strongest project. The contrast and rim lighting helps bring out the characters from the dark backgrounds and the shading gives the world depth. The only visual change I would make is using the original texture style but ultimately that is a lot of work, time and effort... for not much of an improvement so I am happy I decided to go with this simplified shading style. The rim light colour is really nice looking, it gives an almost neon aesthetic to the whole animation and helps establish the characters positions in relation to the fires.

I am not really happy with the consistency of my backgrounds as this is something which had to suffer to meet deadlines and going forward ill try to either use fewer backgrounds or simplify them more.

Overall I think I succeeded in what I set out to create, a "haha cavemen say oog and are scared of fire in the dark" type of comedy film which used light and shadow to emphasise the power of nature and the absurd interaction between cavemen and fire/lightning.

Bibliography of assets used (Audio).

The cover of "What a Wonderful World" was recorded by my good friend Serafin Schroff specifically for this film. I also paid for a karaoke version of the song to use in the future if I am unable to buy licencing rights for this cover of the song and want to use it outside of the MA submission.

This includes assets not used in the final cut, all versions and animatics are covered in this list.

Electric_zap_001 | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/electric-zap-001-6374/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Fire | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/fire-6699/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Heavenly-army | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/heavenly-army-24611/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

HQ Explosion | Royalty Free Music - Pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/hq-explosion-6288/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Large fire burning Sound FX (2022) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5dWNMBDHXI (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Munching food | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/munching-food-73994/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Owl Hooting | Royalty Free Music - Pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/owl-hooting-48028/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Rain & Thunder Sound Effect - Short (5 minutes) (2016) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4cI5PCGMAGE (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

sound of thunder and lightning effect (2022) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5HZfMHE_xaM (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Thunder Sound effect (2012) YouTube. YouTube. Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T-BOPr7NXME (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Thunderstorm | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/thunderstorm-14708/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Tribe drum loop | royalty free music - pixabay (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/tribe-drum-loop-103173/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

Whoosh the edge | cinematic trailer sound effects (no date). Available at: https://pixabay.com/sound-effects/whoosh-the-edge-cinematic-trailer-sound-effects-125410/ (Accessed: January 22, 2023).

#Reflection #Final Outcome #Light & Shadow #Vimeo #Practice 1

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knickynoo · 3 years

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I loved your recent post about Marty and his ADHD! It was soo spot on. And, I saw in the tags that you mentioned Alex Keaton and how you believe he’s not neurotypical either. Care to elaborate? Do you have any headcanons about neurodivergent™ Alex? I’d love to hear your thoughts! :)

Oh, hey, thank you! Marty having ADHD seems to be one of the most common headcanons in the fandom, so that post was a lot of fun to work on.

As far as Alex goes...yes, I will elaborate, BUT I'm putting it under a cut because ya girl is really going to E L A B O R A T E.

I've mentioned before that I think Alex's overall personality/demeanor comes from a variety of different places. Some parts of who he is are likely caused by all the pressure put on him to be a high achiever, due to being so academically gifted from a young age. Other parts are due to being overly coddled and spoiled by Elyse and Steven. Still, there's probably a part of Alex that genuinely enjoys being difficult and getting a rise out of people. Then, there's the obvious anxiety he struggles with, which even MJF has talked about in some interviews when discussing how he approached playing a guy like Alex.

"Giftedness" & anxiety are already included under the umbrella of neurodiversity but in Alex's case, I actually think there's even more to it than that. Yeah, Alex is a funny character whose actions/words are so often played for laughs. He can also be a really irksome character when he's dishing out the sarcasm and being selfish. But I also can't help but look at Alex and think, This guy is just so not NT and he is struggling, somebody Help Him. And since Alex P. Keaton is one of my favorite characters AND I love to analyze/ do deep dives AND the topic of neurodiversity is a particularly strong interest of mine... well, here you go....

Mans is autistic.

• Difficulty with social cues and "reading the room". Seriously, there are so many instances of everyone around him all being on the same page about something or dealing with something serious, and Alex walks in and just proceeds to miss every single cue people throw his way. Two scenes that pop into my head, in particular, are the Reflective Pajamas one and the Clam Puff one, lol.

• He frequently struggles with putting himself in other people's shoes: Alex is certainly shown to be a compassionate person. He can recognize when people are hurting and will do the right thing, but sometimes he needs some help to get there. It seems that a lot of the time, all he knows is how he feels or thinks about something, and it doesn't occur to him that another person could be experiencing it differently. Then, once Steven, Elyse, Ellen, etc, break the situation down for him and explicitly say things like, Hey, that person's feelings are hurt because... or Here is the exact reason this person is angry... Alex is finally able to connect the dots, which usually leads to him being like, I hadn't ever thought about that/ I didn't mean it. (Of course, there are also times where Alex is just purposely being a jerk, but I'm not focusing on those)

• Specific, intense interests: Politics & economics, obviously. It's made well-known that Alex has been completely fixated on these two areas since he was a toddler. He's prone to enthusiastic, overly detailed discourse on the topics and either doesn't care or can't pick up on when people are growing bored at listening to him.

• Also, can we talk about how it's established that Alex's favorite toy as a little kid was a box? Like, he carried it everywhere, played with it, slept with it, and was devastated when it fell apart. Idk, I know kids can be attached to random objects, but it's just interesting that Alex is noted as having been enamored with a box. I'm just picturing little Alex, ignoring all the toys he has in favor of just sitting and staring at a box, and his parents are like, Yeah, this is normal.

• Highly intelligent, bordering on genius/prodigy (He was doing long-division at like, 3 years old) but has difficulty connecting with peers & making friends: This is most prominently shown in "A, My Name is Alex," where we see glimpses of various events in his childhood. In the scene where Alex meets Greg, we learn that Alex spends recess inside, helping the teacher plan her lessons rather than going out to socialize with his classmates. He's bewildered at Greg's invitation to come play, meaning he likely spent the majority of his childhood on his own due to being considered an outcast by his peers and just generally relating more easily to adults. (He also mentions taking night classes at a local college at age SEVEN. So like. If the long-division story and night class thing are taken to be actual facts of Alex's childhood...we're looking at something similar to hyperlexia/hypernumeracy here. This kid must have been bored out his mind having to sit through elementary school if he was that advanced)

• Very literal at times/ misses sarcasm: Interestingly enough, APK is very fond of being sarcastic but doesn't do so well when he's on the receiving end of it. Someone will make a joke or spin the sarcasm towards him for once, and he'll either just stare blankly like ???? or smile/thank them and they're like, Yeah, that wasn't a compliment, or, I was kidding.

• Black and white/ inflexible thinking: This might be the biggest one. Alex is super concerned with rules and ensuring that everyone is following them correctly. There's right and there's wrong, with no gray areas or middle ground as far as he's concerned. My favorite instance of this is in the episode where the family goes to visit Steven's mother and Rob, Alex's uncle, is telling a story of how Steven got in trouble as a kid for refusing to put his name in the upper right corner of his test papers. Everyone around the table laughs...except for Alex, who is deeply troubled by the information.

Just...Steven's delivery. The way he pauses and stares at Alex before replying with a ridiculous punishment that obviously didn't happen, but Alex shows no signs of being aware of or amused at the joke and is just glad his father faced the consequences of his actions. It's great, and a prime example of Alex's preoccupation with "the rules."

Another good example (& one that crosses into the empathy category as well) is "Big Brother is Watching", where Alex exposes a cheating scandal at school (that involves Mallory) and then can't wrap his mind around why everyone is angry at him when he gets the students who were involved suspended. He spends half the episode saying things like, But cheating is wrong. It's wrong and I told the truth about it. I did what's right. You (Steven) told me to always tell the truth, which I did. WHY PEOPLE ANGRY???

And so Steven has to basically spell it out and be like, You got those students suspended, Alex. They are upset with you because of this. They were exposed publically, which embarrassed them, and people tend to not like being embarrassed.

And Alex is like, Oh.

• Repetitive behavior/movements: Most often seen when Alex is distressed or scared, his mannerisms definitely stand out in many scenes. He paces, taps his foot/bounces his leg, rubs his hands together or over his lap, rocks back and forth, and avoids eye contact. I made a post about this a short while back because it really is interesting (and a testament to how well the character was played). There are moments where Alex is completely confident and "calm", and you can see that reflected in the way he carries himself. But whenever he's upset or anxious, you'll start to notice a variety of the things listed above.

So. Yeah. All these things considered...I headcanon Alex as possibly being autistic?? Which is not a take I've ever seen anyone else mention (and I seriously doubt anyone working on the show had this angle in mind at all) but watching through the series, my radar just goes off when it comes to APK.

I have no idea how this will be received. (If anyone even reads it because wow, this got away from me).

Thanks for the ask. As you may be able to tell, I enjoyed being able to spew out my thoughts.

#family ties #alex p keaton #apk #asks #do you see why it takes me so long to answer asks sometimes?#I'm out here writing an essay #I guess it's good that so few people I actually know watch/are fans of FT #because they would not have the option to keep scrolling and ignore me in situations like this #BUT! I was recently watching FT with someone who is new to the show #and I had said nothing about anything relating to this post or my thoughts here #after enough eps that they were able to get the full picture of Alex #they said ''You know...Alex could be autistic''#and I was like !!!!!!!! YOU SEE IT TOO

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eastofthemoon · 5 years

Text

So, this is something that I’ve been thinking of doing for awhile. There have been a few new shows that I have been watching mostly because I enjoy the found family feels to them. Since today is Valentine’s Day, I figured I would post this list for the people who don’t want to see romantic love and rather focus on the platonic kind.

So, here we go:

The Owl House

Summary:

Luz is a self-assured teenage human girl who accidentally stumbles upon a portal to another world instead of going to Reality Check Camp. When on the Boiling Isles, which is made from the remains of a dead Titan, she befriends the rebellious witch Eda the Owl Lady and an adorably tiny warrior named King. Despite not having magical abilities and having to pose as a witch due to the prejudice towards humans, Luz pursues her dream of becoming a witch by serving as Eda’s apprentice at the Owl House and ultimately finds a new family in an unlikely setting. (copied from wiki)

Why I like it:

This is a new show and only about 5 episodes of it have aired so far, but I’m really enjoying it. The characters are fun, the world is both creepy and fun and we’re slowly getting into an actual plot but every episode so far has been useful in setting up more of this world. Also Eda is a badass character and is now becoming one of my favorite witch characters.

If you enjoyed Gravity Falls then I would definitely recommend this show since it has a similar humor and style, which isn’t surprising since Dana Terrace (the creator) worked on Gravity Falls and Alex Hirsch even does voices for two of the characters.

With that said, one of the minor things I like about this set up is that Luz the human girl isn’t stuck there. She does have the option of going home whenever she wants and her mother isn’t worried about her since she believes she’s away at summer camp. It’s nice not having that detail weighing over the character. Anyway, the found family vibes are just jiving in this show, and the characters are just fun.

Highly recommend.

Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts

Summary:

Kipo Oak, a thirteen-year-old girl, is searching for her father after being forced to flee from her underground city. To do so, she travels through an overgrown post-apocalyptic urban wasteland ruled by sentient mutant animals ("mutes"), together with her new friends Wolf, Mandu, Benson and Dave.(copied from wiki)

Why I like it:

I’m not usually one to go with post-apocalyptic stories, but this one has a very whimsical vibe which is more my jam. Kipo is a great character, but so is the rest of the cast. I love Kipo’s relationship with the jaded Wolf, but Bensen and Dave also add to the fun. (I will say for Voltron fans that Shiro and Wolf could relate in dealing with traumatic experiences).The world itself is very bright and colourful, but also has a very fun villain in Scarlemagne. He gives me mega Ratigan vibes if that’s any indication.

And one thing I appreciate is that the show does not bait people into thinking a particular ship is going to happen. Nope, this group is all family/friendship and I love it for it.

Add to the fact that this show has a terrific soundtrack and it’s a great watch.

Infinity Train

Summary:

Hard to describe the plot for this one without spoilers, but basically a girl named Tulip struggles to deal with her parents divorce and ends up on a mysterious train where each cart is it’s own mini world. Also, she gets accompanied by One-One a both happy and depressing robot, and the King of Corgis.

Why I like it:

Out of my recommendations this one is strangely probably the darkest of the four. It’s not a show I would recommend for little kids to watch. The show so far has two seasons which flow into each other despite having a different main cast for each one. Some could read a ship into the second season, but I think the cast for both seasons leans towards a more family/friendship feeling.

The characters for each season are enjoyable to watch, especially Atticus the Corgi King, to the point you feel your heart strings tug due to events that happen near the end of each season. Also One-One is just hilarious to watch.

It’s hard to go deeper without spoilers but the best way to sum them up is the first season has a strong Wizard of Oz/Alice in Wonderland tone, while the second season has a more Pinocchio style to it. It’s a kooky little cartoon that I hope gets a book three because it’s such an interesting set up and since each season is only 10 episodes, that are each only ten minutes, it also doesn’t take long to watch it.

Amphibia

Summary:

The series chronicles the adventures of a self-centered 13-year-old Thai-American girl named Anne Boonchuy. After stealing a mysterious music box on her birthday at the advice of Sasha, she is magically transported to Amphibia, a wild marshland-themed lilypad-shaped island full of anthropomorphic frogs and giant versions of smaller animals. She soon meets and befriends an adventurous 10-year-old frog named Sprig Plantar who will guide her to be a true hero while discovering the first true friendship of her life as she lives with the Plantar family. (copied from wiki)

Why I like it:

Another show where, if you enjoyed Gravity Falls, then you would enjoy due to similar tone in the humor and mystery - likely because the creator Matt Braly also worked on Gravity Falls. Gee, it’s like that show started a trend or something?

What I like about this show is that you not only get to see character development for Anne, but you get to see her bond with both the Plantar family, but also with the frog community as a whole. The plot might be a bit slower paced compared to the other shows on this list, but it has cool monsters and Sprig is very enjoyable to watch. Not to mention that there is an intriguing mystery going on that makes you curious to stick around. It also explores what exactly makes a good or bad/toxic friend, especially for a teen like Anne.

I will say there are a couple of characters that get crushes on some side characters, but the show mostly focuses on the family and those crushes are just mostly a background detail. Overall, a cute show that’s nice to put on for background noise if nothing else.

#animation #my recs #the owl house #amphibia #infinity train #kipo and the age of wonderbeasts

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soyouareandrewdobson · 4 years

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Alex ze Pirate “Mini Review” 1: About Male Abuse

Alex ze Pirate is in my opinion the WORST “comic” series Dobson has ever written up until this point (date for archives: June 2020). Sure, I agree with people that his “hot take” comics on Star Wars Fans, political issues and virtue signaling for the sake of making brownie points are worse overall cause they are uneducated propaganda that give insight in how much of a loathsome human being driven by spite he genuinely is, but Alex “offends” me as someone who enjoys fiction. It may not be the worst thing ever written, but it just does so many things wrong in terms of storywriting, storytelling, presentation and creating fictional characters, I can’t help but wonder what went wrong that Dobson even remotely thought this thing would be a “successful” comic series to establish him as a creator. Cause I can tell you, having read the likes of Don Rosa’s work on Disney, Hilda, Cleopatra in Space, Spirou, Asterix, One Piece (of which I will talk a lot in my next few posts) and many more, I can confirm by comparison that Dobson’s pirates as a published comic would have only one use on the public shelves: alternative for toilet paper during the COVID-19 epidemic

Believe me, I would love to write an in depth analysis of everything wrong with Alex ze Pirate, from the lazy artwork up to even the publication history of this trainwrack. But doing so would take a lot of time and there is one individual part of this I think deserve at least extra attention. Something that in my opinion embodies quite well a lot of things I consider wrong with this comic. So before I am going over Alex in its entirety (and believe me, the day will come) let me just talk within the next few posts about one certain aspect and story of the comic, that genuinely got me to loath this comic to the core: Sam the Cabin Boy and “his” own individual story Dobson drew in three parts around 2010.

For starters, lets talk who Sam is: Sam is one of the main characters in the comic and actually the first person who joined Alex and Peggy in the initial pages of Legends, the “original” form of Alex ze Pirate.

See, back in 2004, Dobson released Alex ze Pirate in form of a single comic volume called “Legends” which features Alex trying to recruit a crew. The thing is around 78 pages thick and based on what I saw pretty terribly paced. For comparison: When Luffy in One Piece got his crew together, he spend multiple volumes and at least three minor story arcs to get Zoro, Nami, Sanji and Usopp to join him. All while also giving us good insight into the kind of people his new crewmates were (especially Sanji’s and Nami’s backstory got to me), defeating the likes of Buggy and Captain Black, meeting Dracula Mihawk and defeating one of the biggest bastards Eichiro Oda ever created in form of Arlong. What is the story how Sam joins the crew? An orphanage organizes an auction and sells kids off. Which I assume was even illegal in pirate times, so kudos for already showing us how despicable the world of Alex ze Pirate is to begin with and how much it deserves to be nuked in some sort of alien invasion.

Sam also doesn’t really get anything to do when he is introduced, just helping Alex escape on a small boat. Which is weird because he does not know her at all, she is just some stranger who bought him off and has no means to keep him in check, so why even bother following her and not let the mob get rid of Alex?

Anyway, I wish I could tell more about Sam’s involvement in Legends, but I don’t have really more than some scans of it in the beginning and near the end. So I don’t know his involvement in the rest of the volume. I also can’t say how he plays out in volume two, because that does not exist at all. Cause for reasons I will never understand, Dobson just abandoned the idea of telling a “coherent” and ongoing story with Alex ze Pirate and instead went to his colored one page comics/strips with it, turning it into what some people called “Garfield with Pirates” (which I consider a genuine insult towards any newspaper comic out there, even something as Boondocks). And the first thing we see of Sam in “classic” Alex ze Pirate?

The perverted dwarf of the crew showing of his shota underwear so that Alex and Sam stop bickering who is the cutest, leaving him embarrassed and humiliated.

Which kinda sums up his role in the comic to a t. Cause this is what Sam is: He is the buttmonkey of the crew. And honestly, I would not have a total problem with Sam being a buttmonkey, if a) he wasn’t it all the time, b) he would actually do something to deserve any form of humiliation and c) if the other characters in this comic itself would not be some of the biggest assholes I have ever seen, who get away with abusing the poor lad.

See, here is the problem: In a crew featuring a choleric homophobic soulless ginger

A black rat person who wants to fuck the ginger even without her consent

A furry abomination that has the same brain wavelengths as Chris Chan

And a perverted dwarf who tries to impersonate Happosai from Ranma 1/2

Sam is the only decent person in the entire crew. He works hard, he even questions the morality of his friends at times, he is honest, he is not perverted, almost good to the point of childish innocence and he has a very humble “goal” which is he wants to own his own piece of gold. Not even a big pile of treasure, just one single coin would be enough for him.

So he is likeable and relatable. In fact, if anything goes by, he may have been one of the most popular ones in the comic. And yet he is the one who gets constantly abused by “fate” and his friends, because as Dobson would say it, he is supposed to be the buttmonkey. There is just one problem: People do not necessarily like buttmonkeys.

I can primarily speak only for myself here, but I hope what I have to say resonates with others too. See, I get it: A character who is the butt of a joke can be fun. Like Daffy in Duck Amuck. But there is a fine line where a character being humiliated for the sake of a joke is fun (and perhaps even deserved because of his own shortcomings or deeds/actions that make the humiliation sort of kharmic, like lets say Johnny Bravo) and a character being humiliated to the point it feels disproportional, unfunny and mean spirited if not outright sadistic, can be crossed. Take Meg Griffin from Family Guy for example whose only “purpose” for existing within the last 12+ years is to get shat on by her family and the writers. People have no idea for a plot with her, so what do they do? Have her father physically and emotionally abuse her, fart in her face for what is supposed to count as a joke and then add additional insult to it by acknowledging that they are only doing this, because they have no other idea for her and think abuse is fun. Let me just tell you from experience, it is not.

And that is essentially what Sam is: He is the Meg Griffin of Alex ze Pirate, used by his creator as the butt of very unfunny jokes, even if he does not deserve any of the things said or done to him. Want to see some examples?

How about the description Dobson gives Sam within the introduction of one of his volumes, showing how little Dobson as the creator even cares for him.

Why is he called an unworthy “slob” if he is the only one who actually works? Shouldn’t a slob be someone like Dobson, who can’t even take care of himself anymore? Also the confirmation that he was kidnapped at the age of 16. And as we have no clarification how much time passed between Legends Vol. 1 and anything afterwards, that means that in a way Alex is a child abuser.

And now, here some examples by the rest of the cast. Like Uncle Peggy framing him for all sorts of his perverted actions and even trying to kill him for no apparent reason?

Alex trying to kill him with chicken pox…

…Destroying all his worldly posessions which is hilarious because he is a poor orphan…

…Essentially describing him as worthless because he was born with an Y-chromosome…

… doing the kind of thing Dobson claims women would never do to man, using their sex appeal to hurt them…

…forcing him to do some unnecessary and rather petty work for her in a physics defying manner (seriously, the way he holds the axe does not compute with how he swings it. Try it out yourself)

… stealing his food and just being a cruel sadistic cunt to him just because it is fun.

Which is “funny” in so far as that there are a few comics indicating she would jump his dick and ride it like a little pony if she could.

By the way, Talus and Atea are not better. None of them calls Alex out on her bullshit on average, Atea uses Sam to trigger traps in one story arc…

And Talus, the closest to a “friend” he is supposed to have, once for no apparent reason made him dig through his litterbox

And don’t get me even started when the characters decide to gang up on Sam, to the point he gets sexually harassedor is called to be less worth as a human being than the dirt you find in your belly button

Fuck’s sake, even in fanart everyone gangs up on him, even the freaking big bad of the story everyone is supposed to hate or be afraid of

Bottom line, Sam is an abuse victim played for laughs in this comics. And just to clarify, I do not think this was Dobson’s intention. But if the character is undeservingly the butt of jokes for the majority of over 120 strips, it turns nasty. The way Sam is treated, I just find disgusting and indictive of just how unlikable any other character in this comic is to the point I do not want to see this being turned into a proper “franchise”. And I assume others were disgusted by it too, cause Dobson eventually decided to make a story more or less addressing the treatment Sam receives, while also attempting to prove that deep down the assholes with starring roles in this trainwrack care for him. How did this play out? Well, I am going to talk about it, so likely not well. If you want to see the details, grab yourself some popcorn and take a toilet break before we tackle part 2 of this thing.

#andrew dobson #so you are a cartoonist #sjw #comics #comic #webcomic #alex ze pirate #sam the cabin boy #legends #tom preston #disgusting #male abuse #unfunny

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aion-rsa · 4 years

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Superman & Lois Episode 5 Review: The Best of Smallville

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This Superman & Lois review contains spoilers.

Superman and Lois Episode 5

This is the first episode of Superman & Lois that maybe felt like it was spinning its wheels a little. To be fair, this entire season has been unfolding at what can best be described as a deliberate pace. It’s an understandable decision since the entire concept of this show is meant to take fans of the Superman mythos pretty far out of their comfort zones, so there’s still a lot of heavy lifting that has to get done each week, especially as we get used to the Kent family, the Cushings, the history of Smallville, and more.

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That isn’t to say that “The Best of Smallville” is a bad episode, or a boring one, or even a rote one (it’s way too early for this show to have any kind of real episodic “formula,” other than those big reveals that it saves for the final moments each week). If anything, this shakes things up a little by adding flashbacks to Clark’s teenage years at key moments in the episode. And those, just like everything else relating to Clark’s history on this show, are handled with real care and reverence for everything that has come before. But I can’t help but feel that several of the beats we get in this episode, from Jonathan continuing to lose to the troubled home life of the Cushings, is stuff we’ve already been getting in previous episodes, all while the Morgan Edge story continues to just kind of lurk around the outskirts, just like the character himself.

Fortunately, this is Superman & Lois we’re talking about, and this show’s core four (not to mention its terrific supporting characters) make every moment worth watching. I have already written endlessly about how truly endearing Tyler Hoechlin’s Clark Kent is, and I’ll continue to do so. But there’s one thing Hoechlin does with Clark that I’m not sure I’ve ever seen another Superman actor do quite as effectively, and that’s how he makes Clark’s uncoolness not a put-on or an affectation, but as a genuine component of the “real” Clark Kent.

It’s hard to explain, but hang with me for a minute. It’s generally assumed that any time Clark is being “uncool” or overly earnest about something, it’s part of his “disguise.” And with many actors, especially the legendarily perfect Christopher Reeve, that was absolutely the case. The key to a truly great Clark performance always seems to come in the moments when he lets his guard down, and you realize that this is the “real” person, not the “Clark who has to pretend he isn’t Superman” shine through. Hoechlin does this effortlessly, and as dad-cringe as his entire opening enthusiasm about the Smallville Harvest Festival is, it’s real. He doesn’t have to fake this for his family, it’s really who he is. It’s great and I don’t know how many other leading man types who have played this role over the last 20 years or so who could actually pull this off so easily.

Anyway, that was quite a digression. Sorry about that.

I singled out Jonathan’s struggles this episode for some mild criticism above, if only because we’ve been watching this kid’s life unravel pretty much since the first episode. It is, perhaps, a little TOO convenient that he gets dumped by phone the same moment his brother is setting up his first ever date. And maybe this is the kind of thing they could have saved another episode or so instead of letting it come so soon on the heels of his football struggles.

But both of these kids are just so damn good that it’s tough to fault it. Jordan Elsass makes Jonathan perhaps the most likeable character on this show, even when he should be (as Sarah points out) a completely insufferable jerk. I know there’s speculation out there that Jonathan will be driven to villainy by his pretty ordinary teenage struggles, and I just don’t see it happening. These are both good kids, and even when they screw up, it’s pretty clear that their heads are screwed on straight. I’d just like to see Jonathan catch a break soon, though.

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They’re definitely playing the long game with Jordan, too, and Alex Garfin manages to imbue him with the almost wild-eyed wonder of someone who really just can’t believe his good luck…all without either lording it over or condescending to his suddenly unlucky brother. I’ve always felt that empathy is a secret Kent superpower, and Jordan’s got that by the boatload.

Lois and Chrissy are a surprisingly delightful pairing, and so far this show has managed to resist the rest of the Arrowverse’s tendency to “do a journalism” here, even as we see these two starting to dig a little deeper into whatever Morgan Edge is up to. Still, the fact that Lois literally can’t even write for the Smallville Gazette at the moment isn’t doing my or anyone else’s misgivings that they’re sidelining her any favors. It’s great to see Lois in these other contexts, and Elizabeth Tulloch is nothing short of the best screen Lois this century, but I can’t help but think that there’s something being missed with her story so far. (That being said, her thoroughly annoyed “go faster” to the boys at the Harvest Festival was a terrific, and intimidating fun moment.)

Those flashback sequences, though! Just as I love it that Jon, Jordan, and Sarah are all actually believable as teenagers (coughSmallvillecough), I like that they fully leaned into awkward 15-16 year old beanpole Clark and not some already filled out heartthrob type. Clark leaving home THIS early feels like a slightly new wrinkle for the Superman mythos overall, and I’m especially interested in seeing if we’ll see how some of this developed down the road.

I look forward to seeing Wolé Parks’ Captain Luthor continue to develop, but it would be nice to see if they give him enough screen time soon to give us anything beyond “seething, barely contained rage.” I’m also very curious to see if there’s any nuance they can build into his Lois twist, so that she doesn’t just become another object of fixation for the character. Similarly, it’s time for this story to show us a little more of its hand with the Morgan Edge/X-Kryptonite stuff, because sometimes a slow burn is just a fizzle, y’know?

I appreciate this show’s commitment to its family drama first storytelling, and I get that if we show Superman in action too much it will a) not be as special and b) eat up the FX budget so the moments we DO get won’t look quite as good. But I’d like to see a little more, and I certainly hope that more of Superman’s rogues’ gallery becomes open for business at some point. Yes, I get it, so many of those were utilized on Supergirl already, and I don’t want this show to fall prey to the “villain of the week” tedium that The Flash occasionally slips in to. I’m sure there’s some middle ground that won’t lose what makes this show stand out from its peers.

Metropolis Mailbag

Right out of the gate in this episode we learn that Smallville was established in 1949. It certainly was! While it was clear early in the Superman mythos that he wasn’t from Metropolis, and had grown up on a farm, and Superboy was established as a character in 1945, it wasn’t until 1949 that Clark’s hometown actually got it’s name, in the pages of Superboy #2.

Martha Kent giving Clark the sunstone crystal is a new one. Usually, so much of Clark learning about his heritage is tied exclusively to his father(s). Either the crystal itself calls to him (in which case, it’s Jor-El) or it’s Jonathan telling him the story of how he was found. This is the first time I can think of where it’s Martha really speeding Clark along on his journey to becoming Superman, and it’s about damn time.

On that note, their conversation about Clark being “sent here for a reason” is very much a nod to Glenn Ford’s Pa Kent talking to Jeff East’s young Clark in Superman: The Movie.

I assume he’s leaving here because the sunstone crystal told him to head north so it can build the Fortress of Solitude, but let’s ALSO not forget that Supergirl established early on that Clark was a member of the Legion of Super-Heroes in the future, so…this might be the time!

Spot anything I missed with these Superman Easter eggs? Let me know in the comments!

The post Superman & Lois Episode 5 Review: The Best of Smallville appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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theres-a-goldensky · 4 years

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BL Show Review Series - Until We Meet Again

The next show I am going to review is (spoilers) my favorite BL to date. It’s called Until We Meet Again, and it is fantastic.

Disclaimer that these are my own opinions, and I don’t know where the BL community as a whole stands on these shows. If I disliked a show you loved or visa versa, no disrespect is intended!

MASTERLIST OF BL SHOW REVIEWS

Mild Spoiler Warning and TW: brief mentions of suicide and homophobia

Until We Meet Again Rating: 9 / 10

I’ve put off writing about this show, because I’m finding it hard to articulate all of the reasons why the whole thing works so well. First of all, it needs to be said that whoever did the casting should get whatever the Thai version of an Emmy is, because every person involved in this show is so, so good. The standout, however, is Fluke as the main character, Pharm.

Fluke is, in my humble opinion, unequivocally the best actor in the Thai BL world. So much of the emotional work is done by him, in a show that is very, very emotional, and he carries the weight of the narrative really well. This man can cry on cue, and I swear he can make himself blush on cue too. You believe every second of his performance, and he makes Pharm very likable, relatable, and sympathetic without tipping over into helpless damsel territory.

Part of what makes the character so good is the quiet but firm way that he sticks up for himself. When Alex, the popular drama club president, starts to flirt with him, instead of running to Dean or meekly tolerating it, Pharm smiles politely and rejects him in a way that leaves no room for confusion. And when Dean does something that Pharm is uncomfortable with, Pharm forgives him with the gentle caveat that he never do it again. It’s said kindly, but you understand that Pharm means it, and Dean understands that too.

Anyway, that’s a hundred words just about how much I love Pharm, and we haven’t even talked about the main relationship. See, this is why I haven’t written about this show yet.

A quick overview of the show is that back in the late 80s, two university-aged men named Korn and In fell in love. However, their fathers disapproved, and Korn’s father was a mob boss who had tight control over his son. In despair, Korn kills himself and In, sick with grief, follows.

(left: Korn, right: In)

Then, cut to modern times, we meet Pharm and Dean, who we quickly understand are the reincarnations of In and Korn, respectively. It’s Pharm’s first day at university, and while he’s there doing all the introduction stuff, he meets his future best friends, Team and Manaow, and locks eyes with Dean.

Dean and Pharm both feel this connection, and their relationship is the sweetest, softest, kindest thing you will ever encounter in one of these series. Dean is a taciturn third year who is the president of the swimming club. He has plenty of female admirers, but he’s been looking for someone all his life. When he finds Pharm, he knows that his search is over. He is so gentle with Pharm, who is dealing with PTSD from In’s memories. At the same time, Dean doesn’t play any games. He makes it clear that he likes Pharm and wants Pharm to like him back. He never tries to hide his feelings with Pharm or anyone else.

(left: Dean, right: Pharm)

Ohm, who plays Dean, has less to do than Fluke, because Dean is not the primary POV character of the show, and he’s much quieter overall. But what he does well is watching Pharm and touching him like he is the most important thing in the world. He’s open with his affection and never gets hostile or aggressive the way characters often do in these stories. He’s a big guy, but he’s very kind.

Korn and In’s story is told through flashbacks that are mainly meant to mirror Dean and Pharm in the present. It’s hard to watch their happiness when we know how it’s going to end up. Earth plays In, who patiently and insistently chases after Korn. His smile is like sunlight. Seriously, he is a gift, which makes it all the harder to watch him go through so much pain. Korn is much more stoic. I think of all of the characters, he’s the one I had the hardest time connecting with. He keeps a very stern face most of the time, but by the end, it still hurts seeing him suffer.

One of the key things that makes this drama different than other BLs is that it has a genuinely compelling plot. We get to watch as Dean and Pharm navigate their new relationship while trying to piece together what is happening inside their heads. They also need to figure out how much of what they feel for each other is them and how much of it is because of Korn and In’s memories. The story went places I truly wasn’t expecting at times and kept me interested the whole way through.

The supporting characters on this show are also great. The secondary couple is Pharm’s friend Team and Dean’s friend Win. Win is the vice president of the swimming club, and Team is a junior member of the club. They immediately have that playful, fighting vibe between them that is really fun to watch.

(left: Team, right: Win)

Win’s character has lots of tattoos and piercings. He looks like a bad boy, but just like Dean, he’s actually very nice. He’s more mischievous and outgoing than Dean though. This makes him a better match for Team, who isn’t afraid to match Win’s attitude and return his teasing back at him.

Oftentimes, the secondary pairings bore me a bit, but I loved, loved, LOVED Win and Team. They are getting their own series next year, and I cannot wait for it.

Something else I want to point out about this story is that there are no Evil Female Characters. No clingy ex-girlfriends or scheming, jealous love rivals anywhere to be seen. But there ARE female characters, and they’re all great. Manaow, Pharm’s other best friend, is the main one. She’s played by Thai BL mainstay Sammy. Manaow is loud and friendly and supportive. She also gets her own boyfriend, though I wish we saw more of that relationship (give it to us in the sequel, pleassssse). Dean’s sister Del quickly joins their group of friends as well. Then there’s the less prominent members of Pharm’s cooking club. Female family members who also play big roles in the narrative.

The show isn’t without its faults. The one BLARING example that comes to mind is product placement. Until We Meet Again has the most blatant and annoying product placement I have ever seen. It almost feels like the show is stopping and having the characters give full commercials mid-episode. I refuse to mention the names of the products, but they are highlighted in a ham-handed way that is even more crass when you contrast it with the quality of the rest of the show. The worst one, by far, is at least relegated to a sort of mini-story after the episode. It involves one character encouraging another to go to the sponsored clinic and get cosmetic work done. The whole thing is not just gross but also out of character for both of them. I’ve pretty much erased it from my mind. Capitalism can burn.

The other thing is that occasionally the pacing drags a bit. I enjoyed it, but the director lingers 5-10 seconds too long on some shots, especially those involving eye contact. This is normal for BLs, but not to this extent. There’s an almost-kiss scene that drags on for nearly a FULL MINUTE in an early episode. At this point, I’ve rewatched the show so many times that I know when to hit the skip 10 secs button to move things along at a faster clip. But the first time I watched, I was like, “OK, I get it. They’re looking at each other and remembering events from their past lives. You have thoroughly conveyed this.”

But those are comparatively minor gripes and didn’t detract too much from my enjoyment. Watch this show. Have tissues ready.

And if you’re interested in fanfic, I put together rec lists for multiple BL shows including this one that can be found here and here.

MASTERLIST OF BL SHOW REVIEWS

(Send me an ask if you have a show you’d like me to review - with the understanding that I will be completely honest - or if there’s anything you think I forgot or got wrong in this review.)

#until we meet again #uwma #bl review series #ohmfluke #deanpharm #dean x pharm #bounprem #winteam #win x team #kornin #korn x in #cooheart #kao x earth #thai bl #bl recs

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twentiethcenturymoviesandtv · 4 years

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Growing Pains: The Characters

No matter what medium, characters are an integral part of storytelling. Whether it’s a book, stage play, movie, or a television show, the audience will likely not stick with it if they should happen to think the Eight Deadly Words:

“I don’t care what happens to these people.”

While it’s important to develop good characters in every form of storytelling, it is perhaps the most crucial to get them right on television.

While a film can distract from it’s lackluster characters with interesting visuals, a fast-paced storyline, and some neat twists and setpieces, television rarely has that luxury. Produced with a smaller runtime, on a smaller budget, television episodes tend to be character-based. With the exception of anthologies, most television shows have a set number of cast members that the audience follows through multiple episodes. This means that the characters in shows must be versatile enough to be interesting in multiple stories, and multiple types of stories, and be able to grow and change at a slow, but steady, rate. As a result, writing for characters on television can be hard.

Even when the said characters are a family from a Domestic Sitcom.

Like I said, characters are a vital ingredient in television. They are the people that we come back to every week, and often, they are the reason we keep watching. The characters make or break a television show, and as such, it’s incredibly important to create a main cast that the audience enjoys spending time with.

Luckily, the way to do it isn’t as hard as it might seem.

I’ve mentioned before that the secret to creating main characters (especially for television) is to mix two components: relatability and entertainment.

As with all fiction, television is an exaggerated version of reality. Even the slice-of-life sitcom scenarios have to be a little bigger, a little more extreme than our normal lives in order to be entertainment. But the audience tends not to buy it unless there’s that dose of reality, that relatability within the stories and characters in that we can see ourselves reacting in similar ways, or recognize elements in our own lives. This is true of writing for plots, but it’s also true of writing for characters.

Which brings us to our question:

Are the Seavers good television protagonists?

What a great question, I’m so glad I asked! Let’s take a look.

The Seavers are, to some degree, a family that any of us might know, or in some ways, be. They fight, make up, grow and learn as much as any family does, and as such, the audience identifies with their dynamic. They react to events, not as a unit, but as individuals within a family unit, and their separate personalities and interactions with one another make for engaging stories and development.

But, like I said, they are individuals, not a unit, and we have to look at them as such, starting with the patriarch of the family: Jason Seaver.

Jason is a psychiatrist, a dad, and a Reasonable Authority Figure. While not infallible, Jason does whatever he can to be fair with his kids, and, being exposed to them often, combined with his practice gives him an edge on knowing how to get them to behave. He’s interested in knowing the roots of the behaviors, and tries very hard to understand his family. He’s more likely to concoct an ‘outside the box’ method to reign in his kids, but he’s always respectful of their feelings, and tries to bring the family together. He is the heart, ready to take charge when necessary.

Of course, being a ‘grown-up’ does not automatically make him a complete person. Jason also grows and learns throughout the series, and comes with struggles of his own. There are plenty of episodes where he deals with decisions like whether to go back to work, or stay at home to support his wife’s career, or is forced to contend with things like his mother’s second marriage. As such, he’s a relatable character, more than just ‘The Dad’, but a person in his own right. This element is shared by his wife, Maggie Seaver.

Maggie is a reporter, a mom, and, surprisingly, another Reasonable Authority Figure. Again, not infallible, but in a different way than her husband. Maggie is a little more prone to laughing at her family’s antics, and being a little more quick to jump to action than Jason’s “Wait for the teachable moment” strategies. She’s more of the disciplinarian between the two, a devoted career woman, and is on the more cautious side.

She has her share of problems too, such as dealing with an unexpected pregnancy, harassment in the workplace, and her father’s death. Again, she is more than ‘The Mom’, and continues to grow throughout the series. She’s a more rounded character, a person for the audience to relate to.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the parents on the show is how they work together and interact. As it turns out, the show was originally going to be more focused on the parents, until Mike turned into the Breakout Character of the show. The ‘grown ups’ don’t always agree, and approach parenting in different ways, but they endeavor to work together as a team, with a genuine relationship. Sometimes they fight, but they are typically supportive of one another, and handle problems in a mature way that tends to more closely reflect real life rather than other ‘zany’ revenge or ‘lesson teaching’ plotlines of other Dom-Coms. They do genuinely want what’s best for their kids, and the audience gets to watch them watch their family grow up and expand in a way that’s resonant with how real parents deal with their own families.

As a result, Jason and Maggie work well as sitcom protagonists, being different enough from each other to spark conflict and struggle, but affectionate and loving enough to patch it up before it gets too ugly. Their relationship comes across as genuine, and they grow enough as individuals that it’s satisfying to watch them throughout all seven seasons of the show.

But, of course, there’s a lot more to the Seavers than the parents. Let’s talk about the kids.

We have to start with Mike.

The oldest kid and the Breakout Character (similar to Michael J. Fox’s character, Alex P. Keaton, on Family Ties, except a polar opposite personality), Mike Seaver is most parents’ mildly annoying nightmare. Not bad enough to be a ‘bad kid’, but nowheres near good, Mike was a middle-of-the-road teenager. He got into trouble, came home after curfew, lied, attempted to cheat, and was overall, kind of a self-centered brat early on, but he typically knew where to draw the line (see the drug episode, “Thank God it’s Friday”), and didn’t get away with the bad things that he did do.

As time went on, Mike grew up and out of a lot of his problematic behavior, becoming more responsible and mature. (Some of that was affected by actor Kirk Cameron’s conversion to Christianity during the show.) Even early on, there were signs that Mike not be so much of a troublemaker, where he did show a hidden heart of gold underneath the cocky, snarky exterior. Typically the funny-man of the kids, Mike was always ready with a quick-witted joke, (usually at someone else’s expense, especially his siblings) which made him a fan-favorite early on. The show is an excellent showcase of his development from problem-child to responsible adult, getting a job and moving out. But he wasn’t the only one of the kids to change.

Carol, second oldest, was the brain of the family, and she knew it. Bright, studious, hardworking, and just as much a Deadpan Snarker as Mike, Carol was typically the Only Sane Man of the kids, the most likely to realize when something was a bad idea. Occasionally suffering from self-esteem problems (being ‘nerdy’ in the 1980s was akin to having the Black Plague, according to teen media), Carol was more cautiously adventurous than her brothers, wanting to see the world and learn as much as she could.

She too grew up. Throughout the series, Carol learned that academics wasn’t everything, and grew into a more rounded individual, taking risks, exploring, and becoming a responsible adult, changing through experiences both good and bad. Occasionally self-righteous, sensitive, and intelligent, Carol was a fine, and relatively realistic example of the high-school smart-kid in the real world.

That leaves only Ben, the youngest.

From a young age, Ben was rowdy, rambunctious, rascally, and (I’m almost out of R words, help) a royal pain to his siblings. Initially rather gullible and apparently insistent on taking lessons the wrong way, the trouble Ben got into in the beginning was mostly due to the fact that he was just naive (Inviting a homeless kid in for Christmas Eve, calling a porn hotline repeatedly, etc.), but as time went on, Ben became more of a problem than Mike had been, getting himself into bigger trouble. As the youngest and the most perpetually childish, more and more lessons were milked out of Ben than any of the other siblings, and as such, he had to screw up more than they did.

He got more than his share of focus episodes too. Episodes like “Birth of a Seaver” included large subplots where Ben had his own big moments, dealing with the death of a stranger, and then the new life of a family member, in a rather interesting way. Other episodes focused more on his learning hard truths, such as the unfortunately accurate Aesop: Sometimes, cheaters prosper, but honesty is better for the long run.

It’s difficult to say that the kids ‘got along’, because for the most part, they didn’t. They fought, squabbled, tattled, and got each other into trouble quite often. By the same token, they also knew when to help each other.

Like I said earlier, the one thing you can say about the Seavers is that they felt absolutely genuine. They deconstructed character types and sitcom plots regularly, and the family’s interactions felt real. They weren’t totally saccharine, and they weren’t unbelievably nasty to one another either. They were different from one another, (different enough to get different stories out of them for seven years) but came together when they needed it. At the end of the day, despite the personality conflicts, disobedient kids, and unfortunate events, the Seavers loved each other, and felt like a family.

And that’s what made the show really work.

The characters had to grow and change, albeit slowly, because that’s how life works. Growing Pains was a sitcom depicting exaggerated family life, and as such, the characters had to be memorable, as well as learn and grow. By the end of the show, these are not the same people that we started out with. Out of necessity, they had to grow up. And that’s a good thing.

Thanks to the familiar format and personalities, the audience enjoyed tuning in every week to watch and laugh along with a family that we related to, that we understood. Almost everyone can find at least a part of themselves in at least one character, and we recognize the interactions in our own lives and families.

In the end, the Seavers are good sitcom protagonists, because they hit that combination of entertainment and relatability nearly perfectly, with just the right consistency to tell stories full of heart, comedy, and tragedy, and to make it work for seven years. They felt real, and after all, that’s the point of good characters.

Thank you guys so much for reading! Join us next time as we discuss Growing Pains and the culture. If you have anything you’d like to say, don’t forget to leave an ask! I hope to see you all in the next article.

#Television #TV #TV-G #Growing Pains #80s #Comedy #Family #Alan Thicke #Joanna Kerns #Kirk Cameron #Tracey Gold #Jeremy Miller

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hobbitsetal · 4 years

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5, 10, 14, 18

5. What is the perfect environment for you to write in?

all by myself, or when Alex is busy working; dictating into my phone while driving; pacing and muttering like a crazy person; doing chores and then sprinting back to my laptop when inspiration for the next two sentences strikes, because apparently motion is the key to writing.

10. Do you enjoy writing dialogue, exposition, or plot the most?

answered!

14. If you were stuck on a desert island with only two characters, which would you pick?

ooohhh....Malachi/Cahan would be the best survivalists, I feel like, as well as being pretty chill, so I’d say them. I personally am hilarious, so I don’t need Mandel, Ifan, or Rhys Windlow, but I am not a healer type, so I’d say Priya.

...and i give decent relationship advice, so Priya and Cahan it is XD

18. What is a line/scene you’re really proud of? Give us the DVD commentary for that scene.

because we all know I’m extremely proud of literally everything I write, I asked you what you’d want to hear about and you chose this one!

~~~

When Cahan opened his eyes, he was lying on the floor. His head hurt horribly. His back burned. He hadn’t even thought about the beating he’d taken when he had attacked, but the stripes were making themselves felt.

He lay still for a while, drifting. Some part of his consciousness was assessing his injures (reopened scabs on his back, what was most likely a black eye, an assortment of bruises, and his ribs hurt), but most of him was absorbed in dreamily watching dust motes drift in the sunlight.

Eventually, he became aware that Tiras was watching him. The Sarkinian sat perched on his desk. The chain that connected Cahan’s collar to Tiras’s belt trailed on the floor between them. Tiras had one hand to his own neck, rubbing gently where the chain had dug in. He couldn’t understand Tiras’s expression. It was thoughtful, almost sad.

“You’re in love with her,” he said.

Slowly, painfully, Cahan dragged himself into a sitting position and leaned his pounding head against the wall. Even if he weren’t distracted by pain, he doubted he would have understood who Tiras was talking about.

“Priya. You’re in love with her. I saw your face when Kovar carried her out. And here I thought I’d seen you at your most desperate when you were begging for that worthless brother of yours.”

Dimly, Cahan knew he should argue somehow, pretend ignorance. Something. He simply sat, looking back at Tiras. He was too tired to feel alarmed. Alarm wouldn’t change anything. Tiras had killed Mandel for flirting with Tressa. Of course he would kill Cahan for loving Priya, even if that love were nothing more than a private and personal tragedy that could never be realized.

“Does she have any idea?”

He mustered up from somewhere the strength to feel a little angry. How dare Tiras look at him with pity? How dare he ask about Priya as if he had any right to Cahan’s inner life?

Tiras nodded, as if Cahan’s frown were all the answer he needed. “Of course not. I should’ve guessed, honestly. You can’t communicate and you’re not one for dallying. Honest courtship or nothing, hmm? It’s probably just as well for your own sake, Landless. The way she leaped in front of Kovar…Let’s just say you wouldn’t have had much of a chance even if you could talk.”

~~~

I liked writing this opening because of the challenge of capturing that dreamy, drifty feeling of coming back to consciousness. Granted, in this case it’s not a fun drifting, since Cahan is waking up from being beaten unconscious, but I suspect most people have experienced that moment of waking up slowly and focusing on nothing in particular, until you notice something that makes you aware you’re fully awake. Personally, I think writing should always tap into something relatable in some way, to keep people grounded. Sometimes it’s as small as waking up.

I also enjoyed sprinkling in another hint about Tiras and Cahan’s past dynamics--not really friendship, but certainly more friendly. There’s an element of “I know you and I know how you think” in this scene that runs deeper than recognizing each other’s battle tactics.

This also incorporates some of the narrative payoff from killing Mandel (sorry, y’all): Mandel’s murder for loving Tressa highlights the danger Cahan is in for loving Priya, even though it’s not something he expects ever to be anything more than unrequited pining. It also conveys (not that y’all needed telling) how much he loves Priya, that Tiras considers his fear for her life to outstrip even his love for his own brother, for whom he sacrificed his voice. And now that I’ve phrased it like that, you’ll appreciate the consistency of Cahan’s sacrificial nature.

I don’t really know why writing Cahan as just too tired to feel anything was satisfying. Maybe because it lends to the overall quietness of the scene (almost said “muted feeling,” but that seemed a little on-the-nose). It balances out the action of the preceding chapters, eases the tension in one way while pulling it taut in another, and let’s be real, appeals to the whump side of me.

And I love having the villain of the story express that Priya isn’t aware of Cahan’s love because Cahan has tried not to make it known to her. I love that he knows how honorable Cahan is (won’t express feelings he can’t reasonably act upon, lest he put Priya in an uncomfortable position), that he can read Cahan’s facial expressions so accurately, and that the taunt he chooses to level is unintentionally ironic, since readers know Priya broke up with Ifan the day before.

okay and yeah, the recurring “everybody can see how much Cahan loves Priya except Priya” is kind of entertaining to write.

#my writing #Mute #ask games #Cahan Windlow #Priya Baltien #Lotaan Tiras

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