#but also. well. okay whatever i should go read more histories of the french revolution and the idea of the state language before i start

[quatregats]

Desperate need to make Mariette Breton versus knowledge of French revolution's general stance towards minoritized languages* FIGHT

* - this is probably an insufficient term for the language dynamics of the period but I digress

[inkandpen22]

Time is Irrelevant (1/?): The Mystery of Psychology

Pairing: Eleventh Doctor x Female!Reader 

Warnings: None

Word Count: 1.7k 

Part Summary: Y/N is an undergraduate student double majoring in history and English. While she’s cramming away at her research paper she’s approached by a rather peculiar man. 

Masterlist

“History, like love, is so apt to surround her heroes with an atmosphere of imaginary brightness.” 

                                            - James Fenimore Cooper, The Last of the Mohicans

I’ve never imagined myself as one of the greats. They’ve lived before my time and their legacies will outlive me long after I’m gone. The greatest task I can accomplish is do them justice by telling their stories. I must immerse myself in their lives and hope to influence others with their work. I’m merely the surface that the puzzle of history rests upon. Over time, I’ve collected facts from as many historical periods as possible and have memorized them.

I’ve always found history easy to retain. I believe it to be a blessing. Once I’ve heard, read, or watched any kind of information about history I’ll remember it for the rest of my life. My gift made the subject easy for me in school. I also excelled in English. Words resonate with people for generations, they’re needed to retell history. A simple sentence or everyday speech may end up in every history book across the country. Words are equally as influential to our history as our actions. Hence why I’m a history and English double-major. With history comes life lessons, valuable lessons that can only be learned from past experiences. English, words, can impact an entire generation or many, thus influencing history. By telling the stories of the past, I hope to better the future.

___________________________________________________ 

As I review the archives on the Crusades in front of me, my fingers tap against the table to the beat of the music coming from my earbuds in the otherwise silent archives. Many of my friends have never understood how I’m able to read and listen to music at the same time. What can I say? I’m talented. Disregard the fact that I’ve read this book fifty times over so I could practically recite it from memory. I’m kinda mixing wars here by listening to Hamilton while reading about the French and Indian War. Oh well, there are no rules against the action. 

Suddenly, there is a tap on my shoulder. I assume someone must be able to hear my music and is asking for me to turn it down. I close my book as I remove one of my earbuds and peer over my shoulder. I lift my eyes and meet the gaze of a rather handsome individual. 

“I’m sorry is it too loud?” I apologize. 

“Not at all,” he assures me with a gentle smile and I take note of his accent. “I was wondering if you could point me in the direction of information on the French Revolution?” 

The gentleman is lucky, an average person wouldn’t know the archives by heart. I’ve spent nearly every day up here since the early days of freshman year. 

“You’re on the right floor so good job.” I joke and point my finger towards the proper section in the middle of the room near me. “Most of the books on the French Revolution that I’ve been able to find are over there but there are more throughout the library upstairs. Nonetheless, those should be a good start.” 

He grins, pausing for a moment as he stares me in the eye.  “Thank you.” His focus travels to my book sitting on the table. “The Last of The Mohicans, good choice.” 

He leaves, as quickly as he appeared, towards the section I suggested. That man is something else entirely. He’s likely a professor considering he’s down here and his considerably formal attire. Only a professor would wear a bow tie. Then again, he appears awfully young. A TA perhaps? That wouldn’t explain his accent though. He could be a visiting professor. Plus, oddly enough, he knows of my book, not many people I know do. 

I pop my earbud back in and dive back into reading. The whole interaction was short but interesting nonetheless. I’m not sure what it was about him but he was different than most. It could be that he had this awkward charm and I’m not used to people being so polite. For a young man, he seemed old fashioned. His wording was more articulate, could be because he’s British. Normally a guy would say ‘uh hey so like, could you…. um…  show me where the books are for the French Revolution or whatever it’s called? If they have an audiobook or DVD that’s cool too!’ 

Okay, that’s it, I can’t focus after that guy talked to me. I’ve read the same sentence five times over. It’s best just head home, it’s getting late anyway. 

The sun is setting as I make my way back to the apartment. I take the more scenic route by the original brick buildings from the colonial era. Mainly because I like the brick path, especially now that it’s fall and the leaves coat the ground. I’m not surprised to see some boys playing football on the lawn in the center of campus. My first thought is how American they appear, with the crisp leaves scattering the ground, everyone in their duck boots, and playing football. I feel as if I’m in a Lands End catalog.

On the way home, I stop by the student union to fetch a late dinner to take home. I shuffle through the music on my phone, trying to find the perfect playlist for the walk back. I approach the door to the building and the person ahead of me holds it for me as I stare down at my phone. 

“Thank you” I mumble absentmindedly. 

“Oh well hello again!” 

I look up and believe it or not it’s the same man from before. I take notice of his exquisite eyes, their long lashes, and his multicolored uniqueness. I’ve never seen anything like them before. They’re like marbles. A warm chestnut shade toward the cornea but then fades into a ring of emerald that transitions into a deep ocean blue. He has every possibility in one. 

“Oh hey!” I respond politely, “did you find the book you were looking for?” 

He shows me the hardcover book in his hand. “Yeah, thank you so much for your help earlier!” He holds out his hand for me to shake, “it’s nice to meet you...” 

“Y/N,” I answer, accepting his hand. “It’s nice to meet you too!” 

I’m not the kind for such formal introductions. In this day and age, there are rarely introductions just frequent run-ins until everyone becomes acquainted. 

The gentleman stares at me for a second, visibly deep in thought. He continues to hold my hand, but I’m too awkward to remove it. Then, snaps himself out of it, parting from my hand. “Beautiful name,” he compliments, charmingly.

Normally, I would imagine girls swoon over a compliment from a man with his foreign accent. American girls love a pretty English accent. Yet, his attention makes me feel on display. I’ve never been fond of physical compliments. I never know how to respond to them. 

“Are you meeting someone?” I ask.

He looks confused but realizes I’m referring to the building. “Oh! No, no I’m here to get something to eat.” 

 This was nice, but now I’m over being polite because I’m starving. Plus, I’ve been in the archives practically all day working on my research paper for Medieval History for I’m beyond tired. 

“Oh okay…” I stumble over my words, “well, it was nice to you!” I nod, preparing to walk away.

“Would you like to join me?” He asks abruptly before I’m able to escape. 

It’s ironic, I’m a mess and he’s wanting my company. The image of me schlepping around this ten-pound backpack wasn’t off-putting to him, really? 

 “Awesome!” He declares, not giving me the chance to decline his offer before he ushers me inside. “I’ll meet you over there after you get your food!” He adds, pointing over to a specific table. 

I was really looking forward to eating in my bed at home, but I can’t decline anyone and risk hurting their feelings. Sticking to my word, I head over to where he instructed after I grab my usual sushi order. Sure enough, he’s already seated at the table. I notice the fact we’re in the far back corner separated from the workers or the other few eaters this time of night. I place my bag next to me on the floor as I get situated. 

“You like sushi?” He inquires. 

I sway my head from side to side, “Americanized sushi. The traditional raw fish I’ve never tried.” 

He chuckles lightly, “one day you’ll have to try it. It’s surprisingly not as bad as one might assume.”He speaks so smoothly. Does it come naturally or does he have to work at it? 

“One day,” I sigh with a smile. I would love to see the world and experience everything it has to offer. Yet, I’m a poor college student with responsibilities. 

“What’s your major?” He asks, creating casual conversation. 

“I’m a double major, English, and history,” I nod. 

He raises his eyebrows, appearing amazed. “Impressive!” 

“What about you? What do you do?” I’m purposefully vague enough with my questions because I still don’t know whether he’s a student or a professor. He could pass as a graduate student and that’s what has me stumped. 

“Oh uh...” he stammers, rubbing his hands together in his lap. “I’m a doctor.” 

He’s a professor then. I’m having a social dinner with a professor... is this allowed? “Oh okay,” I try to remain unfazed. “What is it that you teach?” 

I’m assuming he must teach history considering the search for the French Revolution book. Then again, I don’t know of any English professors in the department. The topic isn’t really one for some light reading. He could be required to take a history course, though I doubt it. 

“Psychology,” he rushes out an answer. 

Do I ask or is that too bold? Then again, I’ve never really cared about superficial social standards. 

I lean forward in my chair, resting my arms on the table as curiosity appears on my face. “If you don’t mind me asking, why were you looking for books on the French Revolution earlier?” 

He hesitates as if he’s evaluating my question. His features go blank then shift to sternness. Did I say something wrong? Was I not being polite when I asked that? 

“I was picking it up for a friend,” he answers plainly, questionably. 

I don’t believe him, not for a second. I’m no expert in psychology but his eyes glanced to his right while his voice went up a little at the end of his sentence. He’s lying. My heart quickens and I do everything in my power to remain calm. I’m going to play along and act oblivious. Perhaps, he has a good reason for lying.

“I was just wondering because you said you were in Psychology,” I say light-heartedly, waving my hand to dismiss the matter. 

He sighs deeply, placing his napkin on the table. “They said you’d be hard to fool.” His eyes meet mine with a smirk as he leans back in his chair. “You don’t miss a thing do you?” He snickers. 

His words are so ominous they make my breathing hitch as I drop my chopsticks. 

“What?” I calmly question, reaching for my back slowly. 

In a swift movement, he grabs my hand on the table and points a metal shiny thing at my face. I attempt to yank myself free, but he just squeezes tighter. I look into the light radiating from the buzzing object. Then, suddenly, my sight goes dark. This can’t be good.

_____________________________

Masterlist

[fatilightwood]

Our story

You can read it on Ao3

Chapter 2

Chapter 3: The date

Thomas kept glancing at his phone, the hours didn’t seem to passing fast enough. It was still early to meet Alastair, still he didn’t want to mess things up by losing himself in the book in his hands and arriving late.

Almost an hour later, Thomas decided it was time to go. He took his belongings and got out of the library. As he strode out of his campus he couldn’t help but felling nervous and excited.

He arrived at the bar and saw there was no trace of Alastair. He stood there watching the students walk, and it occurred to him that it was funny how sometimes you could tell what they were studying. That made him thought what was Alastair studying? Maybe if he knew it would have been easier to walk to his faculty and wait for him.

Thomas checked the time on his phone. Then distracted himself reading some announcements of his classes. When he was done he returned the phone to his pocket. And then he saw him, Alastair was meters away from him. He walked so elegantly. Wow. Where the hell did that come from? He had never thought that a person could walk elegantly. Still, it was true for Alastair.

Thomas waved his hand when Alastair’s eyes rested on him. He smiled. And Thomas felt himself smile too.

“Hi.” Thomas said.

“Hey.”

Then they stood there in silence for a few seconds.

“Shall we go?”

“Lead the way.”

Thomas started to walk. Alastair was at his side.

“It’s really close, you know. One of my friends took me there sometime and I really liked the place. Hope you will too.”

“Do they have donuts?”

“Yeah.”

“Good, I’m craving donuts. You’ve earned a point but you need a lot of those for me to tell you that you’ve got excellent taste in coffeehouses.”

“I think I do. Just think, cozy place, lots and lots of coffee, tea, desserts, smoothies, crepes, ice cream. Oh, and muffins.” Alastair watched him to get more and more excited as he talked.

“Okay, okay, you’re in the right way. I just need to see this for myself.”

When they arrived Alastair stopped and stared at the beautiful coffeehouse. The place had a beautiful double glass door. Green pastry walls were surrounding it. He could see people sitting and chatting animatedly. Thomas pushed the door open and let Alastair enter first. He thanked him as he walked in. There were cushions that looked extremely comfortable, chairs, and even puffs. All of them were also green.

“Come here.”

Thomas guided him to the back of the store. “Let’s go upstairs”

They were floating, Alastair thought. Then laughed internally. They weren’t floating but it certainly felt that way. They were standing on a hanging wood platform. He liked how he could watch people outside the coffeehouse through the glass door, and the other clients when they came in. It was crazy to think that a tiny stair could lead them there. So much crazier to think that only a piece of wood held them. Oh God, Alastair said to himself, I hope we don’t die on our first date.

Easy, Alastair, he told himself. First, this date, then we’ll see what happens next. But he was distracted from his thoughts when he saw that Thomas couldn’t stand properly, he had to bend down so he wouldn’t touch the ceiling. Alastair couldn’t help but smile and he took a seat on the nearest table. Alastair hoped the other table there wouldn’t be occupied. Even though they were in a public space and he wouldn’t be uncomfortable with people in the other table he loved when he felt like he had all the space to himself. Thomas sat in front of him.

“So, how is my evaluation going?”

“This is really good, but if we fall you’ll get an F.” Alastair said, grinning.

“Mm, are you calling me heavy?” Thomas said, amused.

“Well, you certainly are gigantic. You can’t even stand up without touching the ceiling.”

Thomas blushed. He was used to the jokes but somehow now it felt different. He wasn’t sure why. Was it because he just met Alastair or because he had said it with admiration? But in the moment Alastair smiled and shrugged, his heart skipped a beat and he knew immediately they were both.

He also knew he wanted to erase the first. He needed to know more of Alastair.

“So, about your notes, how did that end? And, what are you studying? I don’t even know what the notes are about.”

“I obviously finished them. And I must say it’s—” Alastair cut himself off. The waitress came with their menus.

They both said thanks and when she left Alastair took a notebook out of his backpack.

“As I was saying, it’s really offensive,” he said, feigning hurt. “But you’ll be the judge. Oh, and I study art history.”

Thomas took the notebook and began looking at the pages. Alastair’s handwriting was pretty. History and theory of European art, said in the first page. Thomas was impressed. He had always liked art, but now that he met an actual student of art history he thought he was in a disadvantage. Surely Alastair liked art so much more and also knew more about it.

He reached the final notes and saw something about architecture from the French Revolution. And at the beginning of the penultimate page he found a few messy words. They contrasted so much with the neat handwriting that started in the next line. Thomas signaled those words to Alastair.

“Yeah, that was when I was falling asleep. So I decided to stop writing.”

Thomas smiled. “You didn’t tell me that you almost fell asleep in class.”

“Sh.” Alastair said, as if Thomas were telling a big secret. “It wasn’t relevant.”

“It would be fun to watch, though.”

“We’ve been here for less than ten minutes, I haven’t ordered and you’re already making fun of me.” He said laughing. “And I don’t think the professor would think so.”

“Oh, that happened in one of my classes just like two weeks ago, fortunately the professor is actually cool, so he didn’t scold him. And, you should check the menu, trust me, there’s a lot of options.”

Alastair stared at his menu, impressed. There were even more options that the ones Thomas had said.

“Don’t look so smug, Thomas.”

“I’m not doing anything.” He said innocently.

“Whatever.”

Thomas barely contained the smirk on his lips.

When the waitress came Thomas asked for a croissant and an iced tea. Alastair told him that carrot cakes were his favorites so he wanted to taste one, he also asked for a coffee, and a donut. When the waitress came with their orders, Alastair took the sugar from the table and poured at least 3 spoons into his cup.

“Yeah, I don’t like when my coffee resembles my soul.” Alastair said when he saw the fun look Thomas was giving him.

“Oh, God, yours must be so dark.”

“Don’t worry, it’s been getting lighter and lighter.” Alastair said, winking.

They talked about nothing and everything. Thomas told him he was studying psychology, he also told him that he thought many problems could be solved if only all people would care about their mental health as much as they care for other things. He told him he has known his friends since they were very young and that he loved reading but in the past few months he hadn’t been able to read as much as he would’ve liked. Alastair told him it was understandable and that it was a matter of time to be able to do everything you wanted, or at least, most of the things you wanted. It happened to almost everyone at the beginning of college. He also told him he played the piano, that he had always loved art and found interesting the evolution of it and the role it had across the time, that he also liked to draw from time to time but wasn’t very good at it and that he lived with his little sister.

They also told each other their last names, laughing when they realized they had talked and talked and just knew their names. It was so easy. Thomas thought he was going to be a nervous mess. Unfortunately, a few minutes later he thought he was initially right, because his calmness didn’t last much longer. When Thomas told Alastair he wanted to get a tattoo, he ran his fingers through the skin in his forearm.

“Would it be big? Or is it going to be something tiny?”

Thomas didn’t answer immediately. He only had thoughts about the soft fingers on his skin and the shiver they were leaving behind. Alastair retired his hand, he closed his fist as if saving the memory.

“Oh, something in the middle, I think.” He said quietly. “I don’t think it will cover my entire forearm, but I also don’t want it to be tiny.”

“So, no one could catch Thomas Lightwood with a half inch umbrella tattoo in his wrist?” He joked.

Thomas tapped his finger against his chin, as if thinking.

“Nope. Maybe with an arrow, though.”

Alastair smiled. “I never thought about getting a tattoo but I think if I would, I’d get one of those, so I could say that I have a tattoo.”

They laughed, and continued talking. And too soon for their liking it was getting dark. They paid and said goodbye to the owners.

Alastair stopped himself from inviting Thomas to his apartment. It was rushed, he knew, they just had a first date, why would he make things awkward? But he also knew he had thought about it because he’d like to continue talking to him. And really, there was another reason why it wasn’t a good idea, he had things to do at home and he made sure to tell Thomas that casually, just in case Thomas wanted to make the same suggestion. Would Tom want to invite him to his apartment? He didn’t know. What Alastair did know was he liked it when Thomas offered to accompany him to the bus stop when he said that though his apartment was close didn’t want to walk.

When Alastair’s bus came, he stood on his tiptoes and kissed Thomas goodbye on the cheek. Thomas stood there, speechless, and only recovered the capacity to move when he saw Alastair seated. Thomas waved at him, and saw the other boy smile.

Then the bus began to move, and Alastair gave him a last glance. When Thomas couldn’t see the bus anymore he started to walk to his own apartment.

Alastair laid his head on the glass. His mind was racing. He knew he should stop but it wasn’t easy, the thoughts just kept coming. Even if he had invited Thomas, what was he going to do in the apartment? To watch him study? And do his assignments? Alastair wasn’t sure why he hadn’t invited Thomas to his apartment, perhaps it was a combination of everything, even Ariadne’s worry about Thomas being a serial killer. Alastair grinned a little. He wasn’t a serial killer, he knew that. What he didn’t know was if Thomas Lightwood would break his heart.

Chapter 4

[mrsacklesevansmgk]

Cursed - Chapter Three: Lana

Word Count: 3179

If anyone wants to be tagged, let me know :)

Catch up here

“The moon was so beautiful, that the ocean held up a mirror” – Ani DiFranco

“Hey Teeg’s, I’ve gotta go back to my locker…grabbed the wrong book,” I said, holding up my Classics book to show her, “You go on ahead and nab our seats.” I turned and walked back towards my locker, only realising once I got there, that I was supposed to be showing Adam around school and that included walking him to his next class, and in that moment, I felt bad. I dumped my English and Classics books in my locker, grabbing the right book this time and made my way towards Ms Kirkpatrick’s class. I walked into class still in a daze, found my seat next to Tegan and looked up into a familiar face. Adam was sitting there staring at me. I must have looked like a deer in headlights, as a smile quickly appeared on Adam’s face, which morphed into a chuckle when I didn’t smile back.

“Are you stalking me Adam?” I asked, while staring down at my books.

He chucked again and replied with a cheeky tone of voice, “No Lana, I’m not. But thanks for showing me around the school! I would have gotten lost otherwise.” The smile widened.

I tried my best to ignore him and his smile. But my teenage girl brain had other ideas when I felt my heart flutter a bit in response to his smile. “I uhhh…” I began. “You ‘uhhh’ what?” he replied. “Oh, you know, it’s Monday; it takes a while for the brain to kick in,” I said, nodding with commitment, hoping that the joke I had cracked at my own expense would be enough to break the tension I was feeling.

I pulled open my History textbook, again seeking solace in my schoolwork, I realised it was a crutch I used quite often in life; not that there was anything wrong with that. I pulled out my notes from last week’s class and started going over the key points from the lessons. I had this OCD way of taking notes. I would literally write anything and everything, then go back over the notes during study period or in the evening and make 10 key points, and colour code them based on whatever logic I had worked out for that class and then at the beginning of the next class I would go back over those 10 key points to refresh my memory.

As I read over my notes, my mind easily wandered away from recapping the French Revolution and towards the person sitting next to me. Without even noticing, I was no longer reading my notes, I was looking at Adam; not just out of the corner of my eye, but full on, body turned, looking at Adam. What the hell had gotten into me? Luckily, he didn’t look up. I couldn’t imagine how I’d be able to explain getting caught staring at him for the second time this morning. I did, however, manage to peel my eyes away from him and back to my notes, only to feel his eyes burning into me mere seconds later. There was something about his eyes. It felt like they were hiding a small little world behind them, and I was both intrigued and eager to find out more.

For the first time in months, History seemed interesting; not because of the topic, but because of Adam. We didn’t talk much, just random polite conversation, but there was something about him, something that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. Adam seemed genuinely interested in anything I had to say. Being the younger and much less-prettier sister of the amazing ‘goddess-like’ Eleanor, I was practically ignored by the majority of the student population, not that I minded. But with Adam, it was almost like ‘Eleanor who?’

Once again, the hour flew by, and the bell rang signaling the end of the second period. I stood and smiled a goodbye to Adam and joined Tegan as we made our way back to our lockers. The boys were already there, waiting, impatiently, might I add. I managed to open my locker and dump my books before Justin grabbed me by the elbow, pulling me into a nearly deserted classroom. What the hell? I thought, and I was just about to ask him when I saw the look on his face. Justin liked to pretend that he was easy going, that nothing bothered him and that he didn’t take life too seriously. But I knew him better than that. Something was really bothering him, and I was sure I was about to find out.

“Everyone is talking about you! Don’t you know?!” he said as his eyes blazed into me. He looked really frustrated, and like a storm was brewing inside.

I stood there dumbfounded. What was he talking about? Everyone was talking about Eleanor and her college celeb boyfriend, not about me, her unpopular, boring sister.

He stared at me with questioning eyes and waited for my response. I couldn’t even comprehend what he was saying, let alone have the ability to form an answer to his question. He took my silence as a ‘no’.

“They’re all talking about you and that new kid.” I continued to stare blankly at my one of best friends. He had never cornered me in such a way before, was he jealous or is it something more? I wondered.

“Who is talking about what?” I asked, still looking confused. “Yeah, the new kid, he’s in my class…I talked to him. Mr Lord asked me to show him around school, make him feel welcome…What’s the big deal?”

“Uhhhh,” Justin said. He looked frustrated that I just wasn’t getting what he was trying to say. “Just that he is the hottest guy this school has ever seen and that YOU seem to have caught his attention, despite Lydia, Marie and their clique throwing themselves at him every chance they got!”

I cracked a smile. This was one of the weirdest conversations that I had ever had with Justin…and that’s saying a lot because we talked about some weird things! “Pfft, what are you talking about? I sat next to him in a few classes, Mr Lord volunteered me to show him around. I barely know him. I don’t know him. People need to mind their business.”

Justin wasn’t really interested in hearing what I had to say. It was like he was on autopilot, filling me in on everything he’d heard about the new kid and myself over the past two hours. I had never, and I mean NEVER, been the topic of any gossip before at this school. Not with Eleanor around! I knew she wouldn’t be happy about this. Not only had she been relegated to “old news” in less than an hour, but she’d also been bumped from being the hottest topic by none other than her ugly duckling younger sister. Knowing her as well as I did, there was going to be hell to pay at home this evening...she would be unbearable! But also, I know that she isn’t going to stand for it. Her name would be back on everyone’s lips by tomorrow morning, she’d make sure of that!

As Justin continued rattling off an embellished version of events, my brain began processing what he was saying. It was a bit over the top, but that’s how rumours work. They start off innocently enough and then as they pass from one person to the next, the story morphs into something completely different, and the next thing you know, the rumour is so far removed from the truth. Justin was still rattling on, but I knew he’d have to stop and take a breath sooner or later, and that moment was coming.

“Justin! Stop!!” I rushed out! “You’re making such a big deal out of this. I never thought you’d be one to feed into the rumours and gossip around here; let alone, rumours about me. You should know me better than that!!” I said, “Nothing happened between Adam and me. We talked. We sat next to each other. Nothing more, nothing less. Now stop this nonsense and let’s go! I want to grab some morning tea!!”

I walked away, done with the conversation. Just as I was about to grab the door handle, I heard Justin say “Okay, okay! You’re right, I’m sorry I got carried away! It’s just that everyone was talking about it, and I felt like I was the last to know! I felt like I’d been left out of my best friend’s life...even if for only a few hours. But now I can see how things were blown wayyyyy out of proportion!!”

I turned around and gave him my biggest smile, “I’d NEVER leave you out of my life like that! The second anything noteworthy happens in my life, you’re the first person I tell!” He walked over to me, and I gave him a bit of a side hug, which was awkward considering how tall he was. “Now, let’s go!!” and I dragged him out of the classroom and back towards our group of friends. We had about ten minutes left before our next class, so I made a beeline for the cafeteria. There wasn’t much of a line, but the few minutes I spent waiting to be served resulted in at least a half a dozen random looks, followed by hushed whispers behind hands. Soon enough the whispers were no longer hushed, but loud enough for me to hear; things like “Ugh, why her? She’s so bland and boring!” or “Look at what she’s wearing. She’s such a freak!” It didn’t faze me though, I expected nothing less from the sheep at this school.

I was almost at the front of the queue, but I hadn’t decided what I wanted. I turned to Justin, who was also eyeing up the menu. We decided to split a fruit bowl. Justin offered to make the order while I waited outside, away from the staring, whispers and comments. As I waited outside of the cafeteria, the comments got louder and meaner; the sheep of the school weren’t hiding the fact that they had a problem that I seemed to have Adam’s attention. I looked over towards the field, I felt like I needed to be in an open space, less suffocating place. As I contemplated my next move, I looked up and seen Adam sitting at a nearby table. Obviously, he too could hear the comments and that was the tipping point. I needed to get out of here.

I dashed towards the field. “Wait, Lana!” I heard from behind me. But I ignored whoever it was and pushed past a large group. Luckily for me, most people were heading back to class. I rounded the corner by the gym, but I hadn’t been watching where I was going and ran straight into the last person, I wanted to see…Adam. Weird, I thought, how did he get ahead of me? I looked up, fumbled out an apology and attempted to dash around him but I wasn’t fast enough. He gently took my elbow and pulled me back to face him. His touch was similar to the way he had helped me earlier in class and much gentler than Justin had mere minutes earlier. I sighed heavily, mostly out of frustration more than anything. I didn’t want to be there; I didn’t want to be at school; I most definitely did not want to be standing here talking to Adam, because I knew this would just fuel more gossip. I could literally feel the eyes drilling into me. What I did want was to be back in the meadow, listening to the stream and the birds and staring up at the sky through the trees. I wanted to be in my safe place.

It was at that moment that Justin caught up with me, stopping just to the left of my shoulder and staring wide-eyed at Adam and then at Adam’s hand on my elbow. “Lana there you are!” Justin said, “What happened?” He continued to stare, and neither Adam nor I responded. “We’ve got class!” He prompted as he looped his arm in mine and pulled me away from Adam’s grasp. For the second time since I’d met him a few hours earlier, I looked back to see Adam standing where I’d left him, staring after me, with a look of pure confusion on his face.

Justin and I ran towards the Maths Department. Maths was one of my favourite classes, but that’s only because it was one of the few classes that I shared with Justin. And right now, I need my best friend, Justin! I don’t think I would have made it through class knowing that everyone would be staring and talking about me. For as long as I could remember, I was fine with being in the background and never being the centre of attention. We were just about to enter our classroom when we saw Lydia and Marie walking down the hall, whispering, of course! The closer they got, the more of their conversation we could hear. And surprise, surprise! They were talking about yours truly! They looked up at me and then towards each other and giggled loudly. I decided I was going to ignore everyone and get on with class; they were probably just jealous that they weren’t in the same classes as Adam or that he was being friendly with me and not them.

In class Mr Pattinson was rambling on about algebra or something like that. I tried to pay attention to him but with Justin there, I just wanted to talk to him like we usually did in class. I could feel everybody’s eyes on me, watching and waiting for something to happen. I grabbed a scrap piece of paper and scribbled a note to Justin in my sloppy handwriting.

Why is everyone acting like this is such a big deal? Just because he talked to me?! What’s so great ‘bout that?!

I quickly handed the note to Justin and watched him read it out of the corner of my eye. He picked up his pen and scribbled something and handed it back.

Maybe it’s because he is the new hot guy, and they want to know why he’s talking to you instead of fawning over them. I don’t know! Like you said, you were just talking, no big deal. It’ll blow over soon, don’t worry about it.

Justin was right. Well really, I was right. This is what I’d been saying all morning. It was nothing. No big deal. It’d all blow over by the end of the day.

The rest of the day went by quickly. I spent the lunch hour sitting in the sun on the field with Justin and Tegan as we watched Dillon and Felix play-wrestle not far from us. The heat from the sun felt good against my back, but I was regretting my wardrobe choices this morning; I was also kicking myself for not grabbing my sunglasses. After lunch I had Classics and I finished up my day with a study period. I sat through Classics feigning attention. I had long since mastered the ability to look like I was engaged and paying attention, when in reality I was completely zoned out. I paid no attention to the whispers, comments or looks that came my way and I didn’t notice if Adam was in any more of my classes. I didn’t even care at this point. If I wanted things to blow over then I had to stop feeding into the drama of it all, I had to stop waiting for him to show up and make things awkward again.

Independent Study was probably my favourite ‘class’ and it wasn’t even really a class. Pretty much we went to a classroom and sat in silence for about an hour because we were supposed to be ‘studying’ or catching up on homework. Usually, I spent the hour listening to music, writing in my journal or writing letters to my friends, but today I needed to actually get some study done. I settled into my usual seat at the back of the class and immediately switched playlists. I needed less ‘emo’ and more ‘calm.’ I needed to focus on my History essay. I quickly glanced around the room. One half of the mean-girls were here, Marie sitting 3 desks to the right, 2 rows ahead. She was far more tolerable with Lydia, but still had a bit of a mean streak. I got stuck into the essay – some days these things flowed out of me, today was one of those days.

I don’t know how long it took, but soon the essay had been forgotten and I was staring out the window daydreaming when something caught my attention out of the corner of my eye. I’d seen something white fluttering by. I glanced around the room but couldn’t figure out what had caught my attention. I picked up my pen again and re-read the last sentence I’d written when I noticed a small white folded piece of paper sitting on my desk. I glanced around the room again, with a look of confusion on my face, hoping to figure out where this piece of paper had come from. This time I noticed a familiar figure sitting a few desks away. It was none other than Adam. Why hadn’t I noticed him before now? Or had he only just turned up? I gently unfold the piece of paper before me.

Is it just me or is everyone here really nosey? They just keep staring at me as if I have a tattoo on my face! What other classes did you have today? Well, I hope you write back. It’ll give me something to do because it is quite boring having no study to do in independent study. - Adam

As I read the note, I could feel him watching me and laughing at my facial expressions. I looked up and he was looking at me then looked at the paper, waiting for me to reply. I picked up my pen and started to write: Yes people here are nosey, but you’re the new kid so it happens. I’m sure you heard the whispers at the cafeteria. You and I are the talk of the school. It’ll blow over, I don’t care what people think anyway. As for now I’m going back to my music! Enjoy the rest of your study time.

I finished writing and added a little smiley face at the bottom with its tongue poking out. I folded up the note and tossed it across the table to him then turned up my music and smiled to myself. Leaning back into my chair I let my music take me away. I closed my eyes and it felt like I was in my little meadow again lying in the grass.

[ofmenoetius]

✖ ▒ OH, WHAT A COINCIDENCE! i was just thinking of [ PATROCLUS SON OF MENOETIUS ]. most swear their resemblance to [ SEAN TEALE ] is unmistakable, but he has / they have been around since the [ BRONZE AGE ]. it is rumoured that the [ DEMIBOY ] was born in [ OPUS ] in the year [ 1205 BC ], even though they don’t look a day over [ THIRTY ]. what a shame, though: they were once famed for being [ HONEST ] and [ PASSIONATE ] ; yet now, they seem more and more [ RESERVED ] and [ MERCURIAL ]. but while [ PATROCLUS ] spends their days working as a [ HARPIST FOR THE LONDINIUM SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ], they are already notorious around town for [ UNSENT LOVE LETTERS ADDRESSED TO NO ONE ; BANDAGED FINGERS AND CALLOUSED HANDS ; A BEAT UP OLD FLIP PHONE ; THE FAINT SCENT OF COFFEE AND CARDAMOM ]. when you live forever, you might as well make the most of it. 

hi, hello –– i’m bella + also the worst !! this is my baby patroclus who’s one part powerpuff girl, two parts physical embodiment of the eyeroll, and generally just has really bad frown lines from being in a Bad Mood for like thousands of years or whatever. ( will not get botox sadly, someone convince him ) anyway –– i am here for every single plot of every single kind !! just like this and / or hmu on discord @ halaldaddy#3725 !!

TASK ONE : THE RUNDOWN

▼ STATISTICS.

full name: patroclus, son of menoetius.

moniker / nickname: officially goes by patrick in 2020, and he has the fake ids to prove it. generally isn’t the biggest fan of nicknames. 

titles: tbd.

gender && pronouns: demi-boy && he / him + they / them. 

dob && age: april 24th, 1205 BC && really old –– about 3224 years old, give or take, but he’s been thirty for a really long time. 

place of birth: opus, greece. 

previous residences: opus, athens, larissa, cape town, cardiff, inverness, paris, milan, caracas, && londinium –– in that order. 

zodiac sign: taurus. 

ethnicity: white && venezuelan. 

sexual orientation: demisexual. 

romantic orientation: homoromantic. 

occupational history: perpetual soldier, squire, orange farmer, lutist, revolutionary, boxer, harpist. among others. 

▼ PHYSICAL APPEARANCE.

face claim: sean teale.

height: 185 cm && 6′2. 

physical build: mesomorph && visibly muscular && painfully straight back from years of his father’s voice still stuck in his head. ( it’s 2020, maybe he really should go to therapy for his daddy issues, but how do you tell a therapist your dad died before the trojan war ?? asking for a friend. )

eye colour and shape: dark brown && hooded, really long lashes which he does oil at night && also lines his eyes with kohl. it’s habit. 

hair colour and style: dark, cropped, usually trimmed neatly. 

usual expression: bored, reluctant smile.

accent and speech style: heavily accented english, but it’s impossible to pin down where he might be from. speaks spanish and greek with more ease than he does english.

distinguishing marks / characteristics: both ear lobes pierced, gold studs in both. a shield tattooed on his left flank. plenty of scars –– one across his right eyebrow, scarred && calloused hands, a very large scar that refused to heal right on his left shoulder. 

clothing style: anything he can find, really ; athletic for the most part, but smart button-downs ( always button-downs, never button ups ) for work. 

jewellery and accessories: a thin, gold chain around his neck ; his an engraved ring hangs from it, tucked away. a deliberate collection of rings on his fingers: a curved edge, yellow gold signet ring from a third-generation foundry in greece ; a classic medusa ring picked up in florence during the renaissance ; a turquoise inlaid silver signet ring ; a silver plated band, worn on his left thumb.

▼ FAMILY.

father: menoetius, deceased ( thank fuck ). 

mother: philomela, deceased. 

siblings, if any: myrto, his sister. 

extended relations: none that he knows. 

significant other(s): achilles && only achilles. it could only ever be achilles.

children: none, except his –– 

household pet(s): he has two tabby cats named menelaus and ajax ( just a little fun joke for himself, okay –– don’t @ him. ) 

▼ FAVOURITES.

colour: gold ; every shade. 

weather: storms –– it reminds him of mornings spent inside, the air sticky and humid, sweat on his upper lip and a laugh on his tongue. 

food item: he’s a vegetarian –– he always has been, especially since he didn’t always have food, especially during the 1100s. so yeah, patroclus isn’t exactly picky –– anything veg and vaguely edible’s fine –– but he does love a vegan burger ( normal cheese, please ). the perks of the 21st century. okay, and he loves green olives. 

beverage: he’s a stereotype, he loves red wine. ( fine, he hates wine –– he likes tequila. )

time of day: late at night, late enough that the streets are quiet and the air feels thin and he can breathe deeply. 

television genre: not that patroclus has time to watch tv –– plus he’s got one of those old picture tube tvs from the dinosaur era –– but he loves a good underwater documentary. and shark week. and the history channel –– he likes to catch what they got wrong. 

favourite era lived: he’d do anything to go back to the day before he died –– anything. to say a proper goodbye, to say all the very many things he’d never said because he thought he had all the time in the world. but also, he really loved the ‘70s in londinium.

▼ PERSONALITY.

hobbies: boxing && reading && falling asleep in the sun. 

pet peeves: people talking in circles && liars. 

phobias: patroclus doesn’t like drowning. he’s died of drowning once && come back from it, but he absolutely hated it. he’ll take anything over it. 

allergies: coffee. which is fine, because patroclus likes green tea anyway. ( well, green tea with like three whole spoonfuls of honey. )

mbti type: isfj – t.

enneagram type: 

35% the challenger.

48% the skeptic.

22% the peacemaker.

positive traits: passionate && honest && loyal && dependable.

negative traits: reserved && mercurial && blunt && pessimistic && headstrong && forlorn.

morning routine: goes for a run every morning before dawn, goes to a boxing class, has breakfast at the bookshop on the way home, and gets to work at least an hour early. it’s boring and it’s too familiar and patroclus wouldn’t change it –– he’d rather have predictable than the alternative. he’s tired of losing people and places and old routines, so he’s holding on to this one until he has to move again in another twenty years.

beauty routine: nothing really ; patroclus keeps his beard neat and his hair trimmed. he oils and curls his lashes, oils his beard. he misses baths –– big baths that you could sit in and just stay in until you pruned. but he only has a shower in his apartment now. 

sleeping habits: patroclus hasn’t slept through the night since before his first death ; nowadays, it’s a few hours of sleep at a time, and plenty of nightmares to keep him company. the good thing is, he’s very used to waking up early –– rather than tossing and turning or watching his ceiling until dawn, he’s up and out of bed. 

oldest belonging: he doesn’t have anything –– nothing. patroclus always leaves things behind, always. it’s easier that way. and sure, he regrets it sometimes. but there’s no use crying over the past, right? not when he has an endless future. 

living space && home: it’s small –– it’s really small. but it has bay windows, a shitty little terrace with doors that the wind knocks open, and plants everywhere. there’s a kingsize mattress on the ground, one set of sheets total and they’re made of cotton-silk. orange, of course.  

INTRODUCTION : tw death ; tw war .

his childhood wasn’t pretty. patroclus was born too skinny, too weak –– maybe not sickly, but he wasn’t wanted. he wasn’t loved. he was born into a war, and his war was his father. his war was his father’s shame. so when he killed another by accident –– in anger, in frustration, by mistake –– his father was more than happy to ship him off ; and somehow, that was the greatest gift his father could have ever given him. thanks, dad. 

it’s been so long, everything feels like a dream. it feels too sunlit and too warm to the touch. it feels too easy. and sure, he can’t remember all that much about it. but he remembers achilles. he remembers being so happy that he felt sick to his stomach. but he doesn’t remember hector’s knife in his stomach or dying that very first time. but he remembers waking up to hades in the underworld, and he remembers the sickening realisation that he could never go back ever again –– he was here, and he was alive, and he still had to leave everything he once knew behind. 

patroclus didn’t want money or fame ; he’d only ever wanted a love to call his own and a place to call his home. and since he’d lost both already, he was tired. so he went off to work on an orange farm, right at the edge of the world –– or well, the edge of his world. he was still in greece, news travelling to them every few months or years, and it was alright. he was away from the rest of the world, labouring under the cruel sun and sleeping into the cool night, and waking up to do it all over again. he smiled at the kids on his way into town and gave them an armful of oranges each. and then when people began to wonder whywhywhy he wasn’t aging, patroclus moved on to the next village –– and then the next, and then the next. 

it was 1465 + he was in florence when he saw a lute again –– a laugh escaping him before he could start to remember when he last laughed out loud. it reminded him of home, of a long time ago. so he began to play for money and food and a place to stay. and it took him all over the world –– meeting people who’d die before he’d reach his next destination and learning things he’d never be able to forget. 

going to war became a habit. the crusades, the gallic wars, the jacobite rising, the war of the roses, the french revolution, the seven weeks war, world war i, the russian revolution, world war ii, and so very many more –– patroclus wasn’t really fighting, but he was trying. he was trying to make sure some good came out of them, that there was some death that he could stop, some blows he could take if it meant another lived. but at some point, he just couldn’t keep doing it anymore. his heart hurt and his nightmares followed him in the daylight. 

now, well –– he’s a harpist for the londinium symphony. patroclus has been her for all of about 12 years now ; he doesn’t want to move, not yet. but throughout his many, many lifetimes, he’s perfected and loved the harp –– it’s the only thing he recognises in this brave new world, and he’s going to hang onto it for as long as he can. 

WANTED CONNECTIONS.

survival of the stubborn: a mentor, someone patroclus met after a long, long time of being immortal, but someone who taught him to stop being completely miserable and enjoy the time they have. if it wasn’t for this person, patroclus probably wouldn’t have lasted all that long.

death becomes you: immortal friends ; the gang, the squad. the ride or dies –– so to speak. they can go decades without talking or meeting, but they get together again every fifty years and know they can rely on each other. plus, they can literally whatsapp each other now –– like, what. 

orange you glad to see me: he worked on an orange farm in greece after their first death in about 1200 BC, and met this person there. maybe this person owned the farm, maybe this person was just a guest of the owners, maybe they also worked on the farm, or maybe they just met each other in the village nearby –– but they met again years and years and years later and it was a lowkey lightbulb moment of oh, so i’m not alone out here for patroclus !! 

please turn the music off: musician friends + members of the orchestra ( mortal or immortal ) + anyone who’s into music and they might have met each other over the years !! perhaps a mentor or maybe they even totally hate each other, but just about any type of music relation !!

encore, encore: patroclus worked / played in a few different courts over the years –– always the lute or harp –– so this might be someone he might have played for !! 

tequila’s my best friend: drinking buddies !! what it says on the tin. patroclus is a miserable drinker, usually ends up spilling all of his secrets, sometimes ends up breaking things. 

the war followed me back home: patroclus served in plenty of wars until 1950 –– far too many, with new names and new titles and new ranks every time. to do some good in the world. or maybe they were just chasing their first death at hector’s hands. either way –– this is someone they might have served with !! could be a commanding officer ; a fellow soldier ; or even a doctor / nurse !!

old enemies, new friends: people he just doesn’t get along with. at all. ever. they’re always hated each other, maybe they even killed each other a few times, but just some sort of enemies !!

more to be added !!

[preraphaelitepunk]

Fictober19 Day 15: Obligatory Crepes Scene

Prompt #15: That’s what I’m talking about.

Fandom: Good Omens

Characters: Aziraphale, Crowley

Rating: General

Warnings: None

“Tell me this,” Crowley said. “How exactly were you planning on ordering these crepes — the ones you simply had to have, the ones that nearly got you killed because you came over here dressed like an aristocratic ninny? Your French is appalling. It’s execrable.”

Aziraphale shrugged. “I usually get by with pointing and gestures.”

“’S’funny, though. I’d’ve thought you’d be fluent.”

“I can read it, of course. Speaking it, though,” here, the angel shuddered delicately. “That’s another matter entirely. Too many silent letters, too nasal. Too French.”

“You remember you’re not actually English, right, angel? You don’t have to adopt their national rivalries.”

This earned him a cool glare. “Don’t be ridiculous, Crowley. I simply think that a word should be spelled how it sounds.”

“Right. Because English spelling is so straightforward. It isn’t even standardized; it’s all phonetic, with all these extra Es and Us and effs for esses. Can’t even hiss properly in writing, just gets spelled as ‘ffffffff.’ Hardly the same effect. And don’t even get me started on ‘ye’ being pronounced ‘the.’”

“Ooh, that’s quite interesting, really. The wye in ‘ye’ is actually a descendant of the thorn letter —”

Crowley tuned out and just enjoyed watching the angel. Even in his ridiculous revolutionary getup, he was adorable, and the way his eyes sparkled as he lectured about the history and theory of spelling lit up the room ten times better than the candle on their table. He was such a dork, and Crowley could never let him know how much he loved him, but it was enough just to sit and bask in his delightful, silly, challenging, maddening presence.

Well, it wasn’t really enough, but it would have to do.

They were sitting in the creperie, and Crowley had just ordered for them in easy, colloquial French: crepes with sugar and lemon for Aziraphale, and a strong coffee for himself. The restaurant was surprisingly swanky, given the revolution going on outside. There were clean tablecloths, real silver cutlery, obsequious staff. Crowley guessed that a lot of chefs for the aristos had suddenly found themselves out of work, and were recreating the upper-class dining experience as best they could for the masses. He’d even had to miracle a last-second reservation to get their table.

“— and as to your complaint about lack of standardization, I have high hopes that Mr. Johnson’s excellent ‘dictionary,’” Aziraphale somehow managed to pronounce the quotation marks, “will lead to great innovations in the field.”

“Well, as a demon, I probably should be on the side of spelling chaos, but I’m also incredibly slothful, so anything that makes my life easier is fine by me.”

“I thought you didn’t read, dear.”

Crowley waved a dismissive hand. “Not as such, no. Not a big reader, me. But it’s not like I’m illiterate, angel. Just have better things to do.”

A waiter arrived with their food, distracting the angel from whatever huffy rejoinder he was about to make about the joys of reading. Aziraphale leaned over his crepes and gave a long, savoring sniff; it was like a benediction. “Absolutely delightful.”

Enjoying the heat from his coffee cup soaking into his fingers, Crowley watched as the angel cut off a bit of the crepes and brought it to his mouth. Pink lips parted, accepted the fork inside, closed, curled in a blissful smile. “Mmmm. Marvelous. Completely worth the trip.”

“Yeah, I’d wanted to talk about that, angel. Try to be a little more circumspect in future, okay?”

“Whatever do you mean?” Aziraphale’s bright eyes had turned slightly worried.

“I mean don’t go wandering blithely into potentially deadly situations. Be a little more careful.” Secretly, Crowley adored playing the dashing hero, bursting in at the last second to save the angel in distress, but deep down, it also terrified him. What if, one day, he couldn’t get there in time? What if he missed his cue altogether? It would save Crowley a lot of wear and tear on his nerves, and a lot of sleepless nights, if the angel would stick to getting into less deadly perils. Tripping and letting Crowley catch him, saving him from a nasty fall, sounded about right: just enough danger to get the adrenaline going, minimal risk of discorporation, and with the added bonus of getting to hold Aziraphale in his arms, however briefly.

“Oh. Well, you turned up to save me, so everything’s all right. Here, have a bite of my crepes! They really are most excellent, and the sauce —”

“That’s what I’m talking about, Aziraphale! Everything turned out okay this time, but you can’t always count on me happening to be in the neighborhood to save your hide. You just go waltzing into these ridiculous situations, and one of these days it’s going to get you discorporated.”

Aziraphale softened. “You worry about me?”

“Wha — ngk, smrfl — no, of course I don’t worry about you. ‘M a demon, we don’t worry about other people. Entities, whatever. I’m just saying it would be inconvenient if you were discorporated. Who knows how long they’d take to issue you another body, and in the meantime, what happens to the Arrangement? I’ll be stuck doing all the work.”

“Of course, dear.”

“Whoever came up with ‘fools rush in where angels fear to tread’ obviously never met you. I can’t think of any blessed danger you wouldn’t meander into, your nose in a book or your head filled with thoughts of crepes.”

“Pope.”

This non sequitur stopped Crowley mid-rant. “Pius VI? What about him? Not very popular with the rebellion, I know.”

“Alexander Pope, the writer. Essay on Criticism. He’s the one who wrote that ‘angels fear to tread’ thing you mentioned. And I thought he was a very charming and witty man, and admirable. He overcame so many difficulties in his life.”

“Please don’t list them all, angel.”

Aziraphale huffed, then relented and glanced warmly up at Crowley through his lashes as he cut another bite of crepes. “Oh, all right, I won’t. And I’ll try to be more circumspect in the future.”

Somehow Crowley doubted this, but he felt a little better. Aziraphale would try to be careful, and Crowley would keep a discreet eye on his activities so he could intervene when the angel’s definition of “careful” diverged a little too widely from how his blessed Samuel Johnson’s dictionary defined it.

For now, though, he could relax a bit, enjoy his coffee — the French had gotten rather good at coffee, actually — and watch the angel eat.

[On AO3 at https://archiveofourown.org/works/20843936/chapters/50051924]

[postmodernmulticoloredcloak]

Supernatural stars cover EW to celebrate 300 episodes (and an epic reunion)

Samantha Highfill

January 16, 2019 at 12:00 PM EST

“REUNION TIME!”

Jared Padalecki is making an announcement. It’s early December, and he and his Supernatural costar Jensen Ackles are preparing for their final two days of filming the 300th episode (Feb. 7) as demon-hunting brothers Sam and Dean Winchester, respectively. As they walk onto the Men of Letters set on a rainy Thursday, they come face-to-face with Jeffrey Dean Morgan, a personal friend and the man who brought Papa John Winchester to life in the show’s pilot (and left the show after season 2). “It’s the culmination of 300 episodes,” Padalecki says of Morgan’s return. After all, John’s disappearance kick-started the brothers’ road trip.

“DAD’S ON A HUNTING TRIP, AND HE HASN’T BEEN HOME IN A FEW DAYS.”

Standing in his little brother’s college apartment, Dean Winchester first uttered those words in the pilot, and in doing so, launched Supernatural’s — and the brothers’ —  first big mystery. “I had a good feeling about the show just reading the pilot,” Ackles says. “It had grit, the characters were well-written, and the story had miles to go.” Although he couldn’t quite predict how many miles the journey would be.

Supernatural premiered on The WB in 2005 and has since become the longest-running show in The CW’s history. The idea was simple: two brothers hunting monsters from urban legends, the kinds of things you’d hear about while sitting around a campfire. Bloody Mary? They killed her. Hook Man? Yep, him too. But it didn’t take long for the writers to understand that they might have to broaden the scope of the show if they wanted to get 20-plus episodes (much less 300). “We quickly realized that [conceit] would run out in a hurry, so even early on we expanded our horizons of what the show could be,” executive producer/co-showrunner Robert Singer says. But just how far could they stretch? And would they even get the chance?

Despite surviving the 2006 WB–UPN merger that created The CW, it took years forSupernatural to land on solid ground. “Bob Singer and I were fighting for the show’s survival at the ends of the first three seasons,” says creator Eric Kripke. “We’d have a meeting with the network that we informally called the ‘explain-why-we-should-give-you-another-season’ meeting.” And yet there was something about those conditions that felt right for a show about two humans trying to save the world from superhuman forces. As Dean recently said in a season 14 episode, “Impossible odds—feels like home.” But the land of impossible odds isn’t simply where the show (and the Winchesters) lived in those early years. It’s where they thrived. “In the beginning we almost mischievously wanted to see what we could get away with,” Kripke says. “There weren’t a lot of genre shows on The CW. It was mostly Gossip Girl and 90210. We were always like the goth kid at the back of the class that no one really wanted to pay attention to. So on this little weird horror show, we really got to push some boundaries that hadn’t been attempted in TV. There was no one saying, ‘That’s too crazy.’” So they took risks. They wrote a Groundhog Day-style episode called “Mystery Spot” that saw Dean die more than 100 times in one hour. They created “Hollywood Babylon,” an episode where Sam and Dean investigated a haunted horror-movie set. They produced “Ghostfacers,” an episode shot to look like a reality show about ghost hunting. “We always felt like we were on tenterhooks a little, but it helped us in a way,” Singer says. “We said, ‘If they don’t like us, let’s be bold.’ ” And in season 4, they made perhaps their biggest, boldest decision yet: They introduced angels (and therefore a much more religious story line) into the fold, which Singer identifies as the show’s biggest turning point. “I was concerned that would be a bridge too far,” Padalecki says of the angelic decision. “I wondered, ‘Are we going to turn o a lot of the people that came here to watch a scary movie?’” Kripke himself had fought the idea for years, until a pre–season 4 epiphany came to him while he was washing his face, of all things. “I realized the supernatural world was unbalanced,” Kripke says. “There was only evil. So I walked in the writers’ room on day one of season 4 and said, ‘Okay, there’s going to be angels…but they’re dicks!’”

Thus began what Kripke, who’s since created Revolution and co-created Timeless, still believes is one of the best hours of television he’s ever written: the season 4 premiere. “Lazarus Rising” introduced Castiel, the show’s first and longest-lasting angel. “Right before my scene, [then writer] Sera [Gamble] said, ‘Your life is about to change,’” remembers Misha Collins, who plays Castiel. He adds with a laugh, “I was like, ‘You’re so full of yourself.’” But Collins’ life did just that when he shifted from being a guest star to a series regular as his character survived multiple deaths — and even a brief stint as God — to become someone Sam and Dean consider family. “Angels completed the mythology,” Kripke says, and with them, the show was able to build to what writer-turned-showrunner Gamble refers to as the “regularly scheduled apocalypse” at the end of season 5. It was good versus evil. Michael versus Lucifer. Dean versus Sam. And for a while, everyone believed it was the end of the show. But when the network gave them a renewal for season 6, the writers were left to figure out what the heck comes after an apocalypse. The answer? Anything they wanted.

“A benefit of genre is we have such a huge runway in terms of ‘anything can happen,’” then writer and current co-showrunner Andrew Dabb says. “A medical show is limited in the scope of what they can do. We’re not.” So the next few seasons saw Supernatural push even more boundaries, with alternate realities, meta episodes (“The French Mistake,” anyone?), and new villains. That’s not to say everything worked, but that’s the beauty of a long-running show with a devoted audience — everything doesn’t have to work. “Fans would forgive sins of certain episodes because they love watching Sam and Dean,” Singer says. Because saying Supernatural fans like Supernatural is like saying Dean likes pie. It’s not about liking it. It’s about loving it. “I don’t think we have casual fans,” Singer says. “They live and breathe this show.” The #SPNFamily gathers all around the country (and globe) for multiple conventions each year, and every July they ll the largest venue, Hall H, at San Diego Comic-Con. It’s those fans who are devoted to Sam and Dean, even when their Impala might take a wrong turn. “The show’s ability to evolve and adapt is what’s led to it lasting 14 years,” Dabb says, adding, “Theoretically there are still a bunch of Leviathan out there running around that we never dealt with, but we don’t talk about that.”

Limitless options and viewer forgiveness aside, there is one rule the show has to follow — outside of standards and practices, that is. “I credit Bob Singer for instilling from very early on the idea that the show can go anywhere as long as the characters stay true to themselves,” former showrunner Jeremy Carver says. “The core of the show is the bond between the brothers.” With Sam and Dean as its foundation, the show can make episodes like season 11’s “Baby,” which was shot entirely from the perspective of the Impala, or season 13’s “Scoobynatural,” an animated crossover with Scooby-Doo and the gang. “One of the fun takeaways of watching Supernatural is that if you can imagine it, there’s probably a little town somewhere in America where it’s happening,” Gamble says. “It’s unlike any other show, really, in the history of American television.” And 14 seasons in, it’s still finding ways to surprise fans by, say, bringing John Winchester back.

“DAD?”

Standing next to his little brother in the Men of Letters bunker, Dean can’t believe what he’s seeing. This time he’s not enlisting his brother to find Dad, because Dad has come to them. And he hasn’t changed much. His beard has more gray in it and his face is thinner, but it will surprise no one that John comes back with a rifle in his hand. (Sorry, Walking Dead fans; the rifle came before Lucille.) But John isn’t the only one who’s changed. Standing across from him, Sam and Dean are no longer the kids who crammed toy army men into the ashtray of the Impala, or even the young men who went looking for him in the pilot. They’ve grown up. Their lives, quite simply, have changed. The same can be said of the actors themselves. In fact, Ackles is currently two years older than Morgan was when he filmed the pilot. “That’s how full circle it all is,” Morgan says. “Like a father would be, I’m very proud of the guys. It makes me get choked up because they’ve done so well here. Episode 300? That’s unheard of.”

As for how John comes back, let’s just say things get weird — don’t they always? — and there’s an altered reality at play. “Our guys are put in a position where they essentially can have a wish granted,” Dabb says. “They’re actually expecting something else, but [John’s return] comes from a place of want by Dean. The need for closure is really what brings John back into their lives.” But John isn’t the only person who comes back into their lives. As with any altered reality, not everything changes for the good. Without getting too specific, whatever brings John back also causes the return of Zachariah (Kurt Fuller), the no-BS angel who saw Sam and Dean as nothing more than thorns in his side. (Like Kripke said, angels are dicks!) Speaking of angels, this reality also affects Castiel in… certain ways. This time the boys are dealing with a different (though not entirely unfamiliar) version of their friend.

But for Morgan, who’s been asked for years about returning, it has always been about bringing John back in the right way. “The relationships between these three men were so open, so if I was going to come back, it would be nice to have some closure, especially with Sammy,” Morgan says. And before the hour’s over, both boys will get a moment alone with Dad. “This episode gives Sam a chance to forgive,” Padalecki says. Ackles adds, “For Dean, the whole episode is a dream that he doesn’t want to wake up from. But he knows he has to.”

Back in the bunker’s kitchen where Padalecki declared “reunion time” just hours ago, Sam and Dean are sitting around a table sharing a bottle of whiskey with their father and catching him up on everything he’s missed. Yes, they’ve saved the world (more than once). Yes, Lucifer has a son. But most important, John’s late wife, Mary — the woman he spent his life trying to avenge — is alive. Right then Mary rounds the corner for the moment she never saw coming, but in a strange way has always been waiting for. “Everything’s right in the world in this bubble of time,” Samantha Smith, who plays Mary, says of the couple’s reunion. “It’s very romantic.”

But as the Winchesters know a bit too well, all good things must come to an end. And when this is said and done, Sam and Dean will return to their life, driving down crazy street next to each other. Because despite the show hitting 300 episodes, nobody’s ready to call it quits just yet. “I don’t think we’re ready to throw in the towel,” Ackles says. “We’ve still got a little gas in the tank.” Put another way, Sam and Dean still got work to do.

[catescher]

Common mistakes in Worldbuilding (Part 1)

Okay, first off: This is advice and personal. With that, I mean that this isn’t ironclad and it’s stuff that annoys me. Furthermore, this is geared to Fantasy, simply because it’s the genre I’m most familiar with. Some of it is also applicable to Sci-Fi, but I won’t guarantee everything. And please keep in mind - I was, am and will be guilty of all those points.

Alright. Mistakes in Worldbuilding. I won’t say that those grievances I will present you in the following entry are the devil but you should know what you’re doing when you’re doing something. Just saying.

Also, some of these complaints/rants/thoughts/whatever you might call them sometimes contradict each other. Sue me.

This is a two-parter, because, as it turns out, I have a lot to say on some topics. More will follow early next week.

Rules and Research

Photo by freddie marriage on Unsplash

A) DID NOT DO THEIR RESEARCH

Sorry. Major pet peeve incoming.

Also, please sit down and listen, especially those who say research is not necessary because Fantasy World.

For God’s sake, research is important. Even in Fantasy.

But why?

Say, you have a monarchy and a lot of political stuff going on. You know, fun stuff: assassination, rebellions, revolts, revolutions, and so on. But, and here is the question: How would that influence the king/queen/emperor for example? Is there an heir already lined up? Is there a council, does the monarch actually have power and is not a figurehead? How is the monarch legitimated? Mandate of the Heavens (Chinese Emperors), a descendant of a god (Japanese Tenno, founding date isn’t correct by the way), elected (Germanic Tribes or certain persons of influence in the Holy Roman Empire who voted for the Emperor) or simple power (tyrannis)? Absolute power for the monarch or is he kept in check by a constitution, the people or a parliament? How is it decided who inherits the throne?

And all of that above, as well as politicians, monarch’s parents, and even more people and offices would play a part in a plot about a rebellion against a monarch. But for all those nuances to feel real, whether the rebellion, the monarch or even both are justified in their actions, you need to do a bloody lot of research. Not to mention things like race, gender, and everything you (hopefully) haven’t experienced such as war, a specific sickness, mental sickness, and so on.

I mean, it’s not just worldbuilding. Research makes for a better story overall, even if it is only some minor detail.

Photo by Alex Iby on Unsplash

B) MAGIC AND WHATNOT

So… Magic. Fantasy world. Goes together like peanut butter and chocolate.

Or at least it should.

I mean, does magic influence your world somehow? You have magic floating around, so how is it making life easier or harder or different?

Consider magic-based transportation methods, teleportation for example. Why bother using airplanes or cars if you can just click your heels and be wherever you want to be? So you need to think about it in terms of economy and practicality: Is it a service that costs a shit ton of money? Can only few beings/persons use it? Does it have limits when it comes to distance? Why doesn’t everyone use it? You’ll need to keep that in mind when not only building your world but also while writing your story as in “Why wouldn’t the Big Bad simply teleport to the McGuffin’s location and destroy it before it destroys him?”.

On a related note: Magic should have rules. Brandon Sanderson wrote about it for example. How it looks like in his books I can’t say, I have yet to read any of his books.

But still: Do your characters only need to snap their fingers and can break reality? If they can, why haven’t they revived everyone the Dark Lord killed? This is why you need rules for your magic, to not resurrect someone if you want to - or, at least, not without an appropriate price to pay.

Let’s call it a drama-preserving handicap. Otherwise, your book would be over in a paragraph with a powerful wizard.

But overall from my experience in writing? Restricting magic from becoming too overpowered it feels better or more real- as much as a world with magic can be.

Photo by Joel & Jasmin Førestbird on Unsplash

C) THE WORLD’S RULES AND MORALITIES

On a related note: What kind of rules do your world/society have? Do they have any, for example, morality? Sure they do.

What I mean with this is that outside of magic, your world has specific rules or phenomena. I mentioned resurrection above and to continue this line of thought, are there rules and laws against it? Why are they in place?

An example for not only resurrection but also against using powers to create gold, is in the manga Fullmetal Alchemist in which it is forbidden to use alchemy to turn other stuff into gold. Why? Because it would crash the economy because gold would become worthless if too much of it would exist. A rule that makes sense when someone just has to clap his hands to have some gold on his hands.

How about societal rules? Political Rules? Unspoken laws everyone adheres to because of immense social or religious repercussions?

On a related note: Even if you based your world on a medieval European One (wherever you may choose exactly) does not mean it should inherit its rules completely. With that I mean that a sexist culture can exist in your world but making a reboot of what we commonly view the Middle Ages as so it’s basically an alternative history version of it? Come on, guys, we are writers! We are supposed to be creative!

As for a slightly different topic: What do you call a French Braid if there are no French in your world? Serious question - how do you describe it or how do you call it otherwise? Same thing with other similar named concepts or objects. I mean, do you still call it Braille if it is in another world with no Mister Braille to create it? How do you describe it? Calling it Braille still sounds weird to me.

Perfection and Flaws

Photo by Simone Hutsch on Unsplash

A) UTOPIAS

Of course, your world can be perfect. No bad things ever happen, no racism, sexism, or xenophobia, no wars and if there is a war it’s against someone who deserves it. The king is just, it has a stable economy and everyone lives happily ever after.

Sounds great. Utopian.

Seriously, give me a break. This is boring. A utopian society won’t exist, for fuck’s sake. Humans are too flawed for that. I’m not running around screaming realism all the time (I hope) but this won’t fly for me. Also, it takes a lot out of the conflict - why would there be conflict if the world is so great? No matter the world, the political system or the society - for someone there is going to be a flaw in it. There will be injustice. There will be bitterness. There will be rebels. There will be people who defend the status quo.

Photo by Phil Goodwin on Unsplash

B) A PERFECT HISTORY

History seems pretty clear-cut if you open a history book at times. But in truth, it is a mess. Take school books about WWII for example - depending on the country the book is from it might tell a completely different story with a different focus on certain events. Some Japanese schoolbooks at times, for example, leave out or whitewash certain events during WWII which are barely in use. With certain events, I refer to the hideous war crimes Japan committed to make it clear. Germans, however… let’s just say I had about one school year worth of learning about the Third Reich in history alone, not to mention other subjects. Still seems like a miracle they haven’t managed to cover it in Maths as well.

In any case, how history is represented can be vastly different, it’s not always clear-cut and one true version. Sometimes, three people have six different opinions about one historical event.

This is for the retrospect. Now for the actual happening history and events.

Take one event - be it a new law being introduced or a conflict happening - and people will have different opinions on it depending on their personal worldviews, religion and who they are. They will comment on it, protest it if they want to or full-heartedly support it for a reason or another. Furthermore, event A does not necessarily lead to event B and then to War Z. It’s not linear or single-minded.

Photo by Joel Filipe on Unsplash

C) DETAILS MATTER

Details such as a nomadic tribe living in wooden huts in the desert. I hope you see what I mean.

To spell it out:

1) They are nomads. Nomads don’t settle for long, so they don’t need stationary buildings.

2) It’s a desert. No wood, or at least not enough to justify building wooden huts.

Okay, this what it is: It doesn’t make sense. Nomads are more likely to have a tent or something easy to move around than a “normal” building. You need to keep a lot of details in mind, how they live. You need to pay attention to this kinda stuff.

Another detail that is often missed out on relates to stuff like basic economy or infrastructure. Who makes the food they eat? Why does it seem that everyone eats the same no matter if they are in a desert or on top of a mountain? Details like that matter a lot because the reader can suspend their disbelieves only for so long.

On a side note, conservation of detail is annoying but it’s important. If you established a rule in your world - such as revenants being killed by nailing them with silver in the heart - you can’t just go ahead and use iron or behead them. If you need to break established rules, you need to know your rules and then break them consciously.

[thecostumeplot]

Episode 9: Emma (1996) & Emma (2020)

Both  

Welcome to The Costume Plot.

Jojo

I'm Jojo Siu.

Sarah  

And I’m Sarah Timm. We're professional designers with a passion for costume design and the performing arts. Our podcast does contain spoilers. Accompanying slideshows for each movie are linked in the episode description.

Jojo

We hope you'll join us every other week as we delve into the wonderful world of costume design in The Costume Plot. [music]

Jojo  

Okay.

Sarah  

All right. Hello!

Jojo  

Hello!

Both  

Welcome back...

Jojo  

...to The Costume Plot. I'm Jojo.

Sarah  

I'm Sarah. It's good to have you here.

Jojo  

We're so excited.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

Today we're going to do something a little different. We're going to actually compare two movies. There's a lot of remakes, actually, recently. In the movie world, there's a lot of old movies that are getting revamped and redone. So we decided to take one of these movies and take two different takes on it and kind of break down how they do costumes and how we feel they were successful. Or maybe not so successful.

Sarah  

Yeah, and this is... so, we're both doing "Emma." I'm doing the 1996 Gwyneth Paltrow one. And Jojo is doing the recent one. And yeah... I love Jane Austen a lot. And I love watching any-- pretty much any version of Jane Austen adaptations, I'm on board. It's It's always a good time. And it's always gonna be pretty to look at.

Jojo  

Mmhmm. I do love the Regency era... period.

Sarah  

Me too.

Jojo  

I think it's a really lovely period. And it's a really nice silhouette on guys and girls.

Sarah  

Yeah, I agree. I agree. Okay, so I'll jump in. I'm going first. So yes, like I said, this movie is from 1996. It was directed by Douglas McGrath. And the costumes are by Ruth Meyers, who works a lot. She did "The Golden Compass" and "Ella Enchanted" and "The Addams Family." And she's been nominated for two Oscars, and one of them was for this. And then the other one was "Addams Family." She hasn't won any Oscars, but she's been nominated, which is always a big deal.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

I didn't realize that this movie had been nominated for Oscars, but like, it kind of makes sense. Like, a period drama is always gonna attract that attention, especially for the costume design Oscar.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So our setting is, of course, England in the early 1800s. The novel was published in 1815. So that's about where people usually put it in time. And I couldn't find any interviews with Ruth Meyers about this movie, I think because it's old. So if there were any it'd probably be in a magazine and not online.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

But I did find one site that was like-- it was-- it's a blog, like a costuming blog. And they were comparing a bunch of different versions of "Emma." And I'm not going to say the name of the blog, 'cause it doesn't really matter. But they said that for this movie, the costume designer "abandoned historical accuracy..."

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

...which I thought was a hilarious thing to say. And also, I disagree. Because what she meant--what this person, the blogger, meant--was that like, a lot of the fashions are more like five years away from where they're supposed to be. And I'm like, "that's not exactly 'abandoning' accuracy." It's just kind of... fudging it a little.

Jojo  

Because realistically, they wouldn't have worn whatever is right at the-- the climax of that era anyways?

Sarah  

Right. She was picking out specific little things being like, "Well, this was from 1812, specifically, so it wouldn't..." and I'm like, "but that's still within 10 years!" Like, that's pretty darn good. It's not like they're all in mini dresses with their hair down. [both laugh] So that was... it was just like, that was kind of an extreme thing to say, I think. Because "abandoning historical accuracy" and picking something that's about five years away from where you set something; those are two different things.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

It's just very funny and nitpicky.

Jojo  

Very different.

Sarah  

So this is the Regency era of fashion, which is one of our favorites. We love it. It's very inspired by like, classical Greek styles. So the silhouette is very relaxed. It's like a column. We've really gone away from the big, crazy silhouettes of the late 1700s. So like, Marie Antoinette style: lots of surface decoration, and crazy colors, and huge wigs, and giant skirts; those things are of the past now, and we're in a more... I don't know, simpler, much simpler silhouette. And part of that is because of the French Revolution. And those big crazy fashions were associated with like, the French aristocracy and royalty. And no one wanted to be associated with that anymore. So it was like they had to swing in the completely opposite direction to get away from that period.

Jojo  

I love the little history lesson we're getting.

Sarah  

[laughs] Well, you know, it's for people who might, you know, hear "Regency" and be like, "What's that again?" You know.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

It's Austen times. That's a-- that's an easy way to remember.

Jojo  

It's typically around the years of, I would say, 1810-18, maybe latest 1820. But probably be even a little bit before that.

Sarah  

Yeah. Yeah. I think people say, like, 1805-ish.

Jojo  

It's like 1816 or something like that.

Sarah  

Yeah. Once again, we're not experts. [both laugh]

Jojo  

And really, I mean, if you think about history of costume, everything kind of did overlap. Nothing ever just stopped right at a certain year.

Sarah  

Right, exactly. So yeah, I don't think that this movie is inaccurate, in a glaring way. I think whatever liberties that Ruth has taken serve the story and help evoke the emotions. And the blogger called it an "impressionistic" view. And I think that that's kind of accurate. It's-- you know, you want to evoke the feeling instead of making it a carbon copy. And so this first picture I have is a good example of it. This is Miss Bates. And she's like, the spinster. That's what they call her. You know, she's an old maid.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

She's unmarried, ergo... she is dressed a lot older than our leads are. She's wearing a much darker color than all the other young ladies wear. And everything is a lot fussier-looking. And she has another look. Let's see... yes, this one is from much later in the movie, but she's wearing a mob camp, which I read is usually associated with married women. But I think probably if you're like-- if you've decided you're an "old maid..."

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

...you can probably wear a mob cap because you're like, signaling to everybody that you've given up? I don't know. [both laugh]

Jojo  

It does look kind of Amelia Bedelia in the image that you've given us.

Sarah  

Oh, poor Miss Bates. Yeah. And this color is like... it's just an oatmeal, kind of sad taupe and...

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

But I will say that this is this particular one, this beige one, is a good example of looking for historical accuracy in the character that the audience is supposed to see as mumsy or old.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Because she has a long sleeve on, and a lot of Regency dresses should have a long sleeve, and there are not a lot of long sleeves in this movie.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And she has a higher neck, and a lot of Regency styles have a low neck, but I think for everyday, most women would probably choose a higher neck than we're seeing in this movie.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I mean, it's communicating what it's supposed to communicate. Also, I felt really bad for her. I feel so bad for Miss Bates.

Jojo  

[laughs] I do too. They definitely made her look like a super nerd in this movie.

Sarah  

This actress is really good, though. I don't know her name. But like, there's that scene where they're all at the picnic and Emma makes fun of her. And she was so good in that scene. I feel like I should look up her name and shout her out. Hold on one sec. Just 'cause like she...

Jojo  

Do a little IMDb on her. Yeah, it's funny because I did not look back at the old "Emma" when I watched the new one to prepare for this. But it is interesting seeing even just the comparison as you're going through. I'm like, "Oh yeah, that's what she looked like in the original movie."

Sarah  

Okay, so this actress's name is Sophie Thompson. Great job Sophie.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Yeah, actually I wanted to watch yours too. But then I like... procrastinated and put it off, and I didn't feel like watching two "Emmas" yesterday. So...

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

I was like, "I'll just watch it later."

Jojo  

I know, I was gonna say, I was like, "that would be a lot, to compare the two." But it's cool to be able to see the before and after, or the... the first and the latter? [both laugh] Whatever you wanna call it.

Sarah  

The nineties and the now.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Alright, so let's move on to Emma herself, played by Gwyneth Paltrow, of course. I picked this pink look, for when she's doing archery, because I liked... it looks really billowy and tent-y in this shot, but it's just because it was windy, I think. She has this little... thingy holding up her skirt for archery?

Jojo  

Oh, interesting.

Sarah  

Which... I thought that was interesting and kind of fun. And you can see her shoes which is... also fun. [both laugh] She's wearing a little buttoned-up boot. And the color I think is... I don't know, like, a little bright. Here's another picture of it. I mean, it looks pretty washed out in this picture. It's like a pastel pink. I like the stripe on it a lot.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

She wears pretty much all pastels and whites in this movie, and it really gives her that youthful air. She also doesn't have a lot of surface decoration, trims, like... not a lot of sparkly stuff, not a lot of jewelry. And that gives her sort of the... she kind of doesn't have a care in the world, you know? She just kind of throws something on and goes about her day, because she's kind of frivolous and spoiled. But in a youthful, naive kind of way.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

So I think that the clothes fit. Also shout out to the hair in this movie. I think the hair is excellent. I have a couple pictures where it goes kind of 90s.

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

But like, this one, it's pretty dang good. She's got her center part. She's got her little curls coming down.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Pretty good! Lots of times, the place where you see the era that the movie was made is in the hair.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Which is always so fascinating to me. This is a cloak she wears. I liked this a lot. It's like, the party where she goes, and then Elton--Mr. Elton--like, assaults her in the carriage. [both laugh] Side note, as I was watching this movie I remembered I have already covered "Clueless," which IS "Emma."

Jojo  

Yep. Yep.

Sarah  

[laughs] It's so funny how "Clueless," it hits the exact same story beats. It's amazing.

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Yep.

Sarah  

I love that movie. Anyway. [laughs]

Jojo  

Also isn't... I'm trying to... yeah, it is Alan Cumming for Mr. Elton in this movie! [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah, it's Alan Cumming. I love him. He's--

Jojo  

I do too.

Sarah  

Listen, anytime he's on screen, I'm like, "he's welcome."

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I love to see him.

Jojo  

I forgot he was Mr. Elton. I do love him as as Mr. Elton in this movie.

Sarah  

Mmhmm. So this is one of the examples of the hair getting a little bit 90s. It looks kind of like a 90s prom updo.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

I think it's because there's no part and it's pulled a little tight.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I think that Regency styles were a bit more relaxed than this.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

But I also pulled this because I like the cloak. But I'm also unsure of what this fabric is. Like, is it supposed to be fur or is it supposed to be high pile velvet?

Yeah, I was thinking about that-- or like, a velveteen or something?

Jojo  

Yeah.

I don't-- it is a little strange. It's hard to tell.

Sarah  

Yeah, it looks like a really plush blanket. Like, my mom is really into blankets like this right now.

Jojo  

[laughs] Love it.

Sarah  

So it looks exactly like those. [laughs]

Jojo  

She just needed to be warm!

Sarah  

Yeah, I mean, it's in the snow. So it makes sense. I like the big hood.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

That's fun. I liked it, you know, I didn't dislike it. It was just an interesting fabrication choice.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And then here-- so, she wears so many clothes in this movie that I had to just kind of grab a handful and then just let the rest go. And I don't have a lot of specific stuff to say about...

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

...any of the individual looks after this. It's just kind of like, "Look at this! Look at that! Look at that!"

Jojo  

[laughs] "It's pretty!"

Sarah  

So this is one of her first looks, it's a nice white. She wears a lot of white. And then we have Harriet over here, who's very youthful, and even more naive than Emma.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And then this is another one. Like a green-y brown-y plaid with a red wrap. Very pretty. This is a party look. I like this one a lot. It's like a sheer with... it's like a chiffon with a satiny stripe in it.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And we're seeing once again, she's wearing jewelry but it's very simple jewelry. She's got her sort of 90s updo again. Don't have much to say. [both laugh] Then, I like this one. This is them in the carriage, and she has this little, like...

Jojo  

Capelet?

Sarah  

Capelet! Yes, that's the word. [both laugh]

Jojo  

I was like, "is that what that is?"

Sarah  

I was making a little motion, like...

Jojo  

[laughs] I did love that.

Sarah  

I like the fringe on this a lot, it's very pretty. I don't know.

Jojo  

Oh, I thought that was just an eyelet lace. That's cool.

Sarah  

It's like a lace with fringe hanging down, like a little...

Jojo  

Oh yeah, that's super nice.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

For those of you looking at this on Instagram, please zoom in.

Sarah  

Yeah, zoom in, zoom in. Also these are screenshots, and like, this is as HD as this movie gets. Which is not very.

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

Do I have anything else to say about her? No. And then this is one that she wears to go to tea with Mr. and Mrs. Elton. I like the color of this. And the sort of, like, taffeta of it.

Jojo  

Ooh.

Sarah  

Also I like whatever...

Jojo  

That's a lovely green.

Sarah  

...whatever trim is happening on the neckline and on the sleeves. What is it? ...Unclear. It's pretty. It just looks like a little dashed line. But it's like...

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

...it's like a cord or something, maybe? Piping? Really skinny piping?

Jojo  

Maybe. I wonder if they did an actual basting stitch, or you know, a running stitch but with... with some kind of cord?

Sarah  

What's that called... couching? Couching is like when...

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

...when you sew around a piece of cord.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Yeah, it looks kind of like that.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Okay. My thing for this one is gonna be kind of short, because it's just kind of like, "Pretty! Great. Love."

Jojo  

[laughs] That's okay. That's kinda how I feel.

Sarah  

Yeah. [laughs] Here's some Harriet. She didn't wear a lot of things that I was super, like, "gotta talk about it." I do like this plaid number. It's got these really pretty frogs on the closures.

Jojo  

Oh yeah.

Sarah  

Which, if you don't know, frogs are closures that are made of cord and they're little knots that hook-- that loop into each other. I've made them before, it's very hard.

Jojo  

They're used on a lot of Asian garments as well, as closures.

Sarah  

Yes, yes. This is where she was in the rain.

Jojo  

Or, I should say, Chinese garments.

Sarah  

Yeah. Yeah, specifically. Yeah, I had to make them for... I had to make frogs for "M. Butterfly," I think. It was really difficult.

Jojo  

Oh, you MADE them?

Sarah  

Yeah! [laughs]

Jojo  

Interesting.

Sarah  

We made the-- we covered the cord, and then you have to wrap it and stitch it in place. It was... I don't... I didn't like it.

Jojo  

That's intense.

Sarah  

I don't want to do it again.

Jojo  

[laughs] "I didn't like it!" [both laugh] I will say, the plaid on this does remind me a lot of the kind of color palette that they used in "Clueless."

Sarah  

Oooh, yeah!

Jojo  

For that character.

Sarah  

I also like how it's on the bias. The lines are going at a diagonal. It always makes it more interesting.

Jojo  

Great job, construction team, for lining up those lines!

Sarah  

Yep, it's perfect.

Jojo  

It's beautiful.

Sarah  

We love a good pattern match. Here's a shot of it standing up. So it doesn't go all the way down. Like, it's just the... oh, is it a jacket?

Jojo  

It might be a Spencer jacket.

Sarah  

It might be a little Spencer. Yeah.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Little cropped jacket. Oh, and I was gonna talk about bonnets. So, most of this movie, Gwyneth Paltrow is not wearing a bonnet when she's outside. And as we said in our last episode, in most periods, if you went outside, you had a hat on.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And...

Jojo  

And gloves.

Sarah  

Yes. Oh, I think that blog I was reading said that bonnet-less women were-- that was a look that was reserved for prostitutes? And I was like, "Really?" [laughs]

Jojo  

Well, I think it was kind of like a point of shame. I mean, it's the same as like, military men wearing their hats out of respect, right? You know, when they're uncovered by a roof, they're supposed to have some sort of a military hat on. So I think it's the same thing with women at this time? There was this idea of needing to wear one to show your piety or your status, I guess.

Sarah  

Yeah, yeah. It's so funny. That's such a foreign idea now.

Jojo  

Right, right. 'Cause hats are just so not a thing. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah. But like, even as recently as the mid 1900s, you know, 1950s-1960s, people were still... if they were dressed up, if they were leaving the house, they were wearing a hat and gloves.

Jojo  

Mmhmm. Yeah.

Sarah  

And it's so funny how quickly that that kind of just like left our public...

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

...you know, rules. Or our consciousness.

Jojo  

It's interesting to think about how that transition must have happened, too. Because the first people to not wear hats probably looked like they were being disrespectful. Or, you know... or a prostitute. [laughs]

Sarah  

Well, yeah, and that would probably be like... yeah, counterculture of the 50s and 60s. I feel like those were some of the first people to really do that. And like, they were definitely seen as disrespectful. As like, hooligans, you know.

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

Hippies, or like, beatniks, or whatever.

Jojo  

Anyway.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

Side note.

Sarah  

I also think that the bonnets are a little bit small in this movie. Most of the time when I've seen this period, they're a little bit larger. But I'm also not sure if that's wrong or not. It's just like, what I've seen.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Usually. What do I have next? Oh, this is Ewan McGregor. Forgot he was in this movie.

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

He plays Frank Churchill.

Jojo  

I forgot about that, too.

Sarah  

And I haven't talked about any men yet. But I will say he is a big contrast to the other men in the movie. He is a lot flashier, a lot more of a dandy. And it's like, his long, wavy hair, his fancy top hat. He just-- he looks like he's always really caring about what he looks like. Sort of like a fop. Is that what we call it? I don't know.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

This is a good example of this. It's what he wears to the party, one of the many parties in this movie. [laughs] I feel like they're always going to the party. It's like a burgundy velvet coat with a lovely patterned waistcoat underneath.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

I think it's beautiful. And then I want to talk about Mrs. Elton, who is very silly.

Jojo  

Oh, Mrs. Elton.

Sarah  

She is a great contrast to all the other women in the movie, because she is kind of... she's rude. And she's kind of like-- I saw her described on the Wikipedia article for "Emma" as "nouveau riche," which means that she's recently wealthy, so she's kind of like, tacky about it.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

So she wears much darker colors than everybody else, which is an automatic way to contrast her.

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

And then her hair is also like-- I don't know, it's exaggerated in a way that makes her look comical.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

And these, like-- this style with the curls on the side, it's totally period. But it looks-- compared to the other women, it looks much more exaggerated.

Jojo  

It's almost heading a little into crinoline era.

Sarah  

Yeah. I think that when the curls move over the ear is when that's... a thing. I don't know, though. Somebody tell me if I'm wrong.

Jojo  

Regency era still had some of the curls over the ear. But it was starting to move kind of around the back of the head and the side.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

I think, in the crinoline era. It was kind of more ringlets all the way down.

Sarah  

Yeah. Like, yeah, that's definitely a hairstyle I associate with "Christmas Carol."

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

Oh, and she has this really weird bonnet. Get ready for this bonnet. [both laugh]

Jojo  

Oh yeah! I did forget about that one.

Sarah  

Look at that!

Jojo  

It looks like she's surrounded by a clamshell. Like it's about to eat her head. [both laugh] And she's the pearl coming out of it.

Sarah  

Also, this actress is doing a great job doing crazy eyes in this movie. [both laugh]

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

She's really selling it. This is a picture of the whole outfit. So like, compared to everybody else, she looks very silly.

Jojo  

Yeah, it literally looks like an oyster shell on her head.

Sarah  

Yeah, I've never seen a bonnet like this, if I'm honest.

Jojo  

[laughs] That's a pretty unusual one.

Sarah  

Yeah. I like her dark green outfit, though. It's pretty. She wears a lot of jewelry too. So that's another way that she contrasts with Emma and with the other women. She's like, very tacky and exaggerated. But that's... that's fun. That's fun to look at.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

All right. And then I'm just gonna finish up by talking about Mr. Knightley. And I don't have a lot to say. He just looks really good. [laughs]

Jojo  

Yeah, this I do love this rendition of Mr. Knightley.

Sarah  

He's good. He's really-- he's handsome, but kind of like in an understated way.

Jojo  

Yeah, I think that's one of the things I loved about him. I randomly saw... I can't remember what I was watching. I was watching something else completely unrelated. And this was like, years after this movie came out. But I recognized him because he was playing a completely different character. And I was like, "why does this guy look so familiar?" And then I realized this was the last movie that I'd seen him in, and I was like, "oh, duh!" [both laugh] But yeah, it's so weird to see them out of the element that you're used to seeing them in.

Sarah  

I feel that way about the guy who plays Mr. Darcy in the Keira Knightley "Pride and Prejudice."

Jojo  

Yes!

Sarah  

He's in "Succession," which could not be...

Jojo  

I have not seen that.

Sarah  

...a more different character. He plays an American guy who's like a total... I don't wanna say "twat." [both laugh] But he's kind of... kind of a putz.

Jojo  

I saw him in-- I don't know if you've ever seen "Death at a Funeral."

Sarah  

Yeah! That's an older one. Yeah.

Jojo  

Yeah. He's in that one. And that's the other thing that I remembered him from. So I was like, "This is so weird."

Sarah  

He's so dashing and so handsome in "Pride and Prejudice," and then it's like, you take him out of the Regency outfit and you're like, "oh, okay." He's just a guy.

Jojo  

"Oh, you're not as cool."

Sarah  

I mean, no offense, he's still handsome. But he's extra handsome in "Pride and Prejudice."

Jojo  

That's kind of how I felt about this Mr. Bingley. Or... not Bingley. This Mr. Knightley, as well. I'm mixing all of my Austens now.

Sarah  

They all end in Y! Bingley, Darcy, Knightley.

Jojo  

Yeah, yeah, exactly.

Sarah  

Yeah, so he's in cool tones for most of the movie, which is, you know, nice. Like it. This picture is from when they're dancing. And I love how every Jane Austen movie has to have a dance scene where they're like, you know, touching hands and making eye contact as they kind of... step around each other.

Jojo  

[laughs] Yeah. It's all about what's unsaid.

Sarah  

Exactly.

Jojo  

And the almost-but-not-quite-touching.

Sarah  

Yep. Flirting in an 1815 kind of way.

Jojo  

[laughs] Yes.

Sarah  

And you can kind of see Mrs. Elton behind Emma over here. And she's wearing this very like... her dress kind of has a cape?

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

It kind of has a Grecian-like red drape that goes around the side, which I thought was fun.

Jojo  

Oh, yeah, yeah, I can see that.

Sarah  

I didn't pull any pictures of it. I think it's because I had too many pictures. And I counted all my pictures to make sure I could fit them in an Instagram post. And I deleted some.

Jojo  

That's good.

Sarah  

Yep, I learned my lesson.

Jojo  

I was trying to do that with mine too. I was like, "Alright, how many can I fit in one square?" [both laugh]

Sarah  

Exactly. And then-- yeah, so this is just from the final scene and he looks great, and I liked it. The end.

Jojo  

The end! [both laugh] Yay, Emma 1990s!

Sarah  

That's your 90s "Emma." I hope you enjoyed my really not-thorough analysis of it. [both laugh] Truly I was watching it and I was just like, "I don't know what to say except these are pretty."

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And I like 'em.

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely. I feel like, you know, this movie in particular is very much about like, "how do we make these characters look pretty?"

Sarah  

Yeah, and I mean, Emma's world is-- like, the book opens by describing her as selfish and sheltered. So it is kind of like you're making a fantasy world. And I can see that in the sort of pastels and the dreamy landscapes and stuff.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

That was definitely successful in this version.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

All right, so...

Jojo  

Yay!

Sarah  

Your turn.

Jojo  

Do you mind if we take a quick break?

Sarah  

Yeah! [short musical sting]

Jojo  

So of course, we are still covering "Emma," I'm going to be covering the 2020 version of this movie. And this actually, this movie was actually a directorial debut for Autumn de Wilde. So she is typically a photographer and video artist. She's done a lot of music videos. She's also taken a lot of really famous celebrity photos. So that's kind of what she was known for before. And she also does a lot of movie posters. So actually, all the movie posters for this new version of Emma were photographed by her as well.

Sarah  

Oh, cool.

Jojo  

And that's actually-- it's a pretty clear visual that you see throughout this movie, like you can definitely tell it's from like a photographer's eye. And the visuals are very much about like, "how can we make this the most picturesque scene ever?" It's very apparent throughout this movie. The costume designer for this was Alexandra Byrne, who we have met before, she again did "Murder on the Orient Express," which we covered before. But she's also done "Mary Queen of Scots," "Doctor Strange" a lot of the Avengers movies, "Guardians of the Galaxy," "Elizabeth: the Golden Age." And so in terms of her variety and her scale of stuff that she's done, she's pretty used to this large scale, grand scale of things.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I would probably say this is probably a smaller project for her, if anything. So one of the things I wanted to talk about... we've already talked about the setting, this is still England, we're probably between 1815-1820 or so. One of the blogs that I was looking at was called Willow and Thatch. So these are a couple of the things they were talking about with her costumes. They said, "Alexandra Byrne's thoughtful choice of various Regency era garments and textiles give us a better grasp of each character's role in the story," which was very accurate. And then "throughout the period drama we are treated to visually pleasing dresses. Their production's overall palette is pastel, as if the mood board started with a box of macarons," which you absolutely see with this. It's definitely a delectable delight of treats. The iconic white muslins of the Regency are everywhere, as are small scale printed cottons. The first image that I have here is, of course, my favorite. It's the first Spencer jacket that we see her in. And not only is the cut and the silhouette of this Spencer jacket accurate, but you can kind of see here, I've placed it side by side with an actual museum piece. Which is... basically it was essentially copied from this museum piece that was an 1817 garment at the Chertsey Museum collection. So this is kind of like the perfect example of how a costume designer sort of simplifies an already existing garment, or kind of changes up small details. So that we're not directly copying an actual garment that exists, but that we're putting our own spin on it without completely just scratching a new idea or... you know, because none of this is like original ideas. It's talking about real garments that exist in a real time. And I love that the costume designer really tried to honor the accuracy of the time period by doing that. So that she kind of still took her own take on these details and then was still able to make it this beautiful garment. So not only is the piping pretty, you know, it's pretty similar to the original. Obviously she simplified the collar of this coat. And you can see it's a lot more busy up top.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

And that's one of the things I think that you'll realize with this newer version of "Emma," which I found really interesting, because she doesn't keep her in all pinks. She does have quite a variety of different colors that she kind of wears throughout this movie. But there is a sense of... she's always going to be done up very fancy. I think the costume designer talked a little bit about how basically she has, I think... sorry, I totally didn't write this down, which was me being unprepared. But Willow and Thatch also mentioned that there's, I believe, five or six total like Spencer jackets, and another six, what they called "pelisse." Which is another... it's spelled p-e-l-i-s-s-e. And it's also a formal type of outerwear that was worn during the Regency era. Which is basically kind of fitted on top, and it sort of still meets at the empire waist. So right under the bust, but then it actually flows all the way to the floor. So the Spencer jacket is sort of a shortened version of that without the tail-- the long, you know, floor length coat, part of it. And then the pelisse is sort of a longer version of that, with that same idea of the fitted top.

Sarah  

I didn't know that word. Today I learned.

Jojo  

Yes. So one of the interesting things about all of those outerwear things was that the blog actually talked a lot about how the costume designer really took the time to understand what this woman's real closet would have looked like. She's someone who is wealthier, she's someone who comes from an upper class, she would have had the money--you know, the spending money--for shopping, that would have been common at this time for ladies of her age to be going out and buying all of these things. And one of the other things that I do love about the way Autumn has directed this movie is that she shows a lot of that "behind the scenes" of how people get ready.

Sarah  

Mmm.

Jojo  

And how people actually dress. So like, there's a scene where we see Emma actually getting a pelisse tailored to fit her. So she has, you know, they show the unfinished pelisse coat. It sounds like I'm saying "police coat."

Sarah  

PO-lice, yeah. [laughs]

Jojo  

But... it's like a pel... pelisse.

Sarah  

Pelisse.

Jojo  

I don't know how to say it properly. I'm probably saying it wrong. But the pelisse coat basically is left there with all the tailoring...

Sarah  

The tacks.

Jojo  

...stitching.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

That's in there. And then it also shows the pleating and all the different details that are on there as if she's getting it finished. And in the next scene, they show the finished coat after she's gotten it completed. So like, it really shows you that process of not just Emma's clothes, but also the world around how these clothes are made. There's a scene where they even show Mr. Knightley, how he gets out of his clothes and then puts on his next outfit.

Sarah  

Ooh.

Jojo  

So yeah, there's just a lot of like fine details. I think Autumn, as a photographer, is always paying attention to these things, I'm sure. And so you can see that detail is applied in the rest of the movie as well. So I've wanted to start with this because I do love the Spencer jacket. I think it's just so attractive. And it's so beautiful. And the fact that this much detail went into this. And even then, she's "simplified" this from the original. It just goes to show how much detail went into those garments at that time, because those were things you were wearing on a more regular basis. And the Spencer jacket was not meant to keep you warm, it was a typically a lighter fabric, or it was a lighter garment. So the fact that this is something that would have been worn probably out in public much more often than, say, a winter coat, it means it's getting a lot of screen time, for lack of a better word.

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

So onto the next one. This is just another outfit because, again, we talked about bonnets with the old "Emma" as well. And bonnets were a very big feature in this movie, she's pretty much always seen with a bonnet anytime she goes outside.

Sarah  

Wow!

Jojo  

So again, really, really accurate to the time. Really paid attention to the world and how they lived and what they would have been wearing. This is also just another really quick zoom in of this beautiful sleeve.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

Like, look at the way they've layered that, it's pretty incredible.

Sarah  

That's amazing.

Jojo  

And then the other thing I wanted to focus on, too, was just that attention to detail with the inside of the bonnet being covered in lace. Because most of the other ones... I mean, all the bonnets have a certain layer of lace on the interior of the brim. Which you'll see in a couple of the other photos I'm gonna pull up. But the fact that her entire interior is just lace on top of that pink is pretty incredible.

Sarah  

Pretty luxurious.

Jojo  

As are a lot of her other bonnets. It's just kind of... I think that's where she kind of over accessorizes, is on her hats.

Sarah  

And lace is expensive in this time.

Jojo  

Yes, very much so.

Sarah  

I feel like bonnets are usually like the first thing to go in these kind of movies.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Where people are like, "We want them to look beautiful to a young, modern audience."

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

"So the bonnets looks so stuffy and weird. So we're just gonna take away the bonnets." So, it's so interesting that this is a movie full of bonnets! [laughs]

Jojo  

Yeah, definitely. So this was the next image I wanted to focus on. And again, this is a better example of a pelisse. So you can kind of see, it still has that sort of fitted top that we saw with the Spencer, but it continues down onto the sides here. Some of the pelisses actually closed in the front, this one just happens to close over the sides a little bit. But I do love this color. So this one, actually, was really important. Because one of the things that the costume designer did was she contrasted Emma's character to show her wealth by putting her in that fitted pelisse. And then for the Harriet Smith character, they actually put her in a red cape. So the red cloak was actually considered and called a "riding hood."

Sarah  

Hmmm.

Jojo  

Basically, that's what it is. But that was actually a typical standard for country outerwear. And so they actually showed a picture of a watercolor that was... I can't remember who it was written to be by on the website. But basically, it depicted life in the Regency era. So it was a whole book of things that people would wear, you know, the habits of that day. So the accuracy of just taking those garments, that not only put Harriet Smith at a very different class level from our main character, but also took accurate clothing from that time period. I just... again, kudos to this costume designer, she really did her research for this. And I love that she did kind of marry the idea of being as historically accurate as possible, while still taking her vision as a costume designer to a different level.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

The other thing that you'll see here, and you don't really see it in this image, and I didn't choose to focus on it specifically, is that they're in pretty much the similar color palette. But you can see that underneath, Harriet is actually wearing kind of... it's like a Spencer jacket shape. But it's actually a knit maroon cardigan.

Sarah  

Really!

Jojo  

So I just found that really interesting. Again, kind of just making... and we've talked about this in the past, how kind of knitwear--or sweaters--tend to make you a little bit more casual. Or it kind of brings down the classiness of a garment? I don't want to say that, because that's not necessarily always true. But there's a softness about knitwear that is not going to give you the same effect as something that's a little more structured, like this pelisse.

Sarah  

It makes you a little more homespun, a little more country.

Jojo  

Yes. And that is very much what Harriet Smith is. I mean, even in the way that her bonnet is decorated. It's so simple next to this ginormous, you know, velvet thing that Emma has on.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

This is probably one of her more simplified hats, which I just thought was kind of funny. But you know, again, it's such a striking and very saturate image that we see her in here. And I think that's one of the things that really characterizes this movie, in comparison to the old "Emma," is that it kind of feels like they've like pumped up all the colors, and it's much more saturate than the Gwenyth Paltrow version.

Sarah  

And do we think that that's like a... 1990s versus a 2020s thing? Like, the ideal of...

Jojo  

It could be. I do feel like, I don't know, I can't remember. I'm trying to remember if it was like, we just didn't have a lot of saturated colors. Like it just wasn't a thing to be super vibrant in the 90s?

Sarah  

I just-- I think that that one, you can definitely see... the 90s--a lot of 90s fashion--is really streamlined, you know, like Cher's white dress in "Clueless" that's literally just a tank top.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

So, that kind of thing, I could see the 90s in the 90s "Emma."

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

So I wonder... I'm looking for the 2020s. I'm like, "What are the hallmarks of the 2020s in this movie?"

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

I feel like we won't know until 10 years from now, you know?

Jojo  

That's true.

Sarah  

But it's interesting to think about.

Jojo  

And I will say, you know, as we've been looking at a lot of the recent things that have been coming out, the other thing I was thinking about when you said that was "Bridgerton," right?

Sarah  

Yes!

Jojo  

It's a lot of that same... it is pastel, but it is that kind of "macaron color" world, where it's a lot of candy colored pastels, you know?

Sarah  

That one's making a big splash because of how bright the colors are.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

And then this... that made me think of that Hulu series about Catherine the Great. Is it just called "Catherine"?

Jojo  

Oh, yes, "Catherine." Uh-huh.

Sarah  

Where she wears that hot pink gown. So like...

Jojo  

Or, is it called "The Great"?

Sarah  

"The Great." That's what it is. Thank you. [laughs]

Jojo  

Yes. Yeah, I know what you're talking about. But yeah, I think that's definitely coming back in, especially with period stuff. Like, we're seeing a lot of that period, but we're amping up the color so much more.

Sarah  

That's how we're making it look modern now, is by like putting a colorful twist on it.

Jojo  

Yeah. Which is so fascinating!

Sarah  

Yeah!

Jojo  

You color forecast, I guess.

Sarah  

But I love it. I love it because I love color. So I'm all for it.

Jojo  

Me too. So again, I think... you know, same thing. We apply the same kind of color saturation to the menswear as well. And this is our Mr. Knightley, who... I think they made him a little bit more rugged than the previous Mr. Knightley, which I love. Johnny Flynn plays our Mr. Knightley in this version.

Sarah  

I love him.

Jojo  

And again, I didn't show these pictures because it's a whole scene that happens where he gets into this outfit. And it's like, he comes from walking because he walks everywhere.

Sarah  

Aww.

Jojo  

So there's this whole thing about how he doesn't take carraiges because he just likes to walk outside instead. And so he comes into his house. And then he gets... like, the first scene, we see him and he starts off naked, and then he's putting on all of his clothes. So you literally see him put on, you know, his shirt first. And then his servant actually helps him put on his ascot. And then you see him put on the vest, and then you see him tuck the shirt into the pants, and then button up the front fly pants. So it's like you see that whole process, and then you see his servant, help him get his final coat on. And I love that the director has honored that process, because that is a part of what they were doing every day to get dressed. And that was a part of who they were, and a part of their society. And all of that made that culture. And why, that whole idea of flirting and dancing, all of that was part of that world. Like, they didn't have TVs to just sit around and watch like we do. So...

Sarah  

They spent a lot of time getting dressed. Getting dressed was like a big part of your day.

Jojo  

Yes.

Sarah  

So I like that.

Jojo  

And it also goes to show his wealth, because he has a servant who helps him do all that. And he does live in this huge Abbey. And one of the biggest things that happens at the end of this movie is that he says he's willing to give all of that up so that he can stay with Emma. Because he knows she'll never leave her father's house, and her father will never leave his house. So it's this huge sacrifice, because you've seen all of the things that he's giving up, and you see the wealth and the prosperity that he lives in. And all of that goes to show, like when he puts on this final layer of his coat. It's this... I mean, I can't do it justice in this photo. But it's this beautiful, buttery, almost orange-yellow?

Sarah  

Caramel.

Jojo  

That is... yeah, it's a very beautiful caramel color. So when he first puts it on, he is wearing this dark navy blue underneath. And then he's got this complimentary yellow on top. Again, it just goes to show the level of wealth, the level of prosperity that he comes from, and he's a very educated man. So everything is very clean, and everything is very put together. Even when he walks to Emma's house in the first scene after he's gotten dressed, he talks about how basically he's walked through an entire field, and his boots have been left un-muddy, you know. So it's just this whole idea of his persona, like there's this very clean... he's very put together, he takes very good care of his appearance. And that's something I think a lot of this film focuses on, is the idea of each person and how they interact with everyone else. We talked about Emma being this, you know, kind of naive and sort of spoiled personality. And I feel like with Gwyneth Paltrow's version, it's a little bit more pithy? Whereas I feel like this version, Emma is very... I don't want to say "sociopathic," but it's almost like she just doesn't know how to empathize. Like...

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

...she just constantly gets annoyed at everything. And she's very like, "Well, you're not meeting my standard." And she just doesn't know how to interact. Like, she knows how to help people, because that's what she likes doing. But it's always for a specific reason, or there's always some kind of motive behind it. So I think-- I talked to a few friends who saw this movie after having seen the other "Emma," and a lot of the criticisms were that she just wasn't likeable. And I was like, "But that is kind of who her character is," to a certain extent, until we get to the end.

Well, she shows a lot of growth over the course of the story. So...

Yes.

Sarah  

...it's okay for her not to be likable in the beginning, because we need to see her learn her lessons, you know, and grow.

Jojo  

Yeah. And I think the other reason, maybe, that I like this movie a little bit more was because I also felt like I could relate a lot with this version of Emma. [laughs] Which sounds really bad. But like, I think I tend to have that mentality. Sometimes I'm kind of like, "Well, why can't you just do this?"

Sarah  

Oh, yeah, same. [laughs]

Jojo  

And I think that's very much how she's portrayed in this movie. It's that kind of like, "Well, you can't be right, because I'm right." [laughs]

Sarah  

Right, right. Yeah.

Jojo  

I think, you know, when she does finally get to that point where she's able to change, you see more of that redeeming factor, I think, at the very end. And even at the end, when they have their whole final talk, there's this cathartic moment between the two of them where they're both kind of like, "I know that you can never accept me because I'm this way. And I do all these things, I've lectured you, and I've been so blunt and blah, blah, blah," and then they still come together and say, "But I still love you, in spite of all that."

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So, again, I just felt like it was a really good portrayal of that relationship. Okay, so moving on. So this was the image that I meant to talk about earlier, where it's that watercolor scene of what they wore that time. And it was those white muslin dresses that were so iconic of the Regency era, and then those red capes that they talked about. So it was typically worn by students, which, in Harriet Smith's case--particularly in this movie--they basically have her because she hasn't... basically, they don't know who her parents are. And she doesn't find out until the very end who her father actually is, because she isn't of age yet. So she's very young, she's kind of student age. And so there's a couple scenes where they actually show Harriet Smith walking into a... it's like, it's not really an orphanage, but it's basically like a boarding house, I guess. Or a board house. And all of the students, anytime they walk outside with the teacher, are always in these red capes. So it's this line of basically like the Madeline girls, you know.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Where they line up in two lines, and they all wear the red capes and walk around.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I wanted to put that in there, just because I think it does... [zooms in too far] Ooh, didn't mean to do that. [both laugh] Because it does show just the accuracy of the research that this costume designer took from. And there's a couple different looks, too, that are kind of like that. So then the other costume that I really wanted to focus on... one thing that I haven't mentioned with this movie is that there's... I think this has been kind of the case with a lot of recent movies. "The Favourite" is another movie that kind of does the same thing, where it takes a period and then makes it very comical-- kind of a parody, almost, of that period. While trying to be...

Sarah  

I would love to talk about "The Favourite" in the future.

Jojo  

Huh?

Sarah  

I would love to talk about "The Favourite".

Jojo  

Oh, yes. Yes. Absolutely.

Sarah  

The costume design in that movie is so interesting. And like, the story behind it is so... anyway. So cool.

Jojo  

Side note! [laughs] Next movie. But I do love that in this particular version of "Emma," Bill Nye... he is basically the comic relief. Like, there's nothing at all serious about him. And I kind of just feel like the director was just like, "Just be yourself and just do whatever you want!" Like, that's kind of how I felt with this movie. Because half the time he's, like, jumping down the stairs, and he sort of just makes this very comical idea of, like... doing his Bill Nighy thing. Where he sort of just says something, and then it kind of just disarms you a little bit. And then he kind of just moves on, as if he didn't say it. [laughs]

Sarah  

God, I love him.

Jojo  

One of my favorite looks for him is this. It's like loungewear. And you can't-- there's a couple other pictures, I'll show in a second, where it shows the full length. Because this only shows you the top. But I love that the costume designer just made him blend into his background to become his wallpaper, or his chair.

Sarah  

Yeah!

Jojo  

And it really goes to show that he really is attached to this house, like he has become a part of this house, he will never leave this house. He was born and will die in this house. And he will become part of the house eventually, you know? So it's this idea that he's already starting to kind of blend in. And there's a couple moments where he kind of... he asks his servants to place fire separators... or like, they're room separators. But he has two different levels of room separators. So he's got the regular ones. And then he's got a kind of knee-height one. So there's a couple scenes where he's just like, surrounded by room separators. [both laugh] But he's created his own little room, and he's sitting in this chair and everything is sort of this over-patterned brocade. So he's just kind of blending into his own house. [laughs]

Sarah  

That's wonderful.

Jojo  

But the other thing that I wanted to say about this magical garment is that it's not just the vest that matches, but it looks almost like a long smoking jacket.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Obviously it kind of is double-breasted, kind of buttons over itself, but it actually reaches the floor. So then the moments where he basically comes into a room--there's a couple scenes where he either runs into the room very quickly, or he jumps down the stairs--he's in this look. So you kind of just see him sort of create a little Superman cape with it. [both laugh] 'Cuz it's just this long garment. It's so Bill Nighy, and I feel like it works really well for his character.

Sarah  

It's interesting because it's almost like it's a robe or a dressing gown. But I've never seen a robe or dressing gown with this style of collar. This very Regency menswear collar. So interesting.

Jojo  

Definitely not. Yeah, if anything, I feel like this might have been one of the looks that might have been more of a design... created look? As opposed to some of the other ones. Because I'm not sure how much historical accuracy was taken from this particular look.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

So some of the other things that I wanted to focus on--and most of these I'm going to go through pretty quickly--but this was that kind of jacket I was telling you about, where they really show the tailoring. And you can see, a couple of her coats... there's a few of them that have this same kind of tuck-pleating that's in the back in a radial fashion. I dunno... how do you describe that? It's like small pinched tucks in the back of the clothing that you can top stitch over?

Sarah  

They're like a little... a little pinch, and then you sew it.

Jojo  

Yeah.

Sarah  

Like a tiny little seam. If you need to know more just Google it. [both laugh]

Jojo  

But again, you also have the Instagram photos.

Sarah  

Yeah, you can see it.

Jojo  

That kind of gives you an idea of what I'm talking about. But she actually has this on two of her coats, on the yellow one that's in the cover photo for this movie, as well as this blue one. But she features that a lot, because a lot of the fullness that was happening from the 17th century--rather than being pushed out and kept full, like it was at the end of the 1700s--because we're going more column-like, all of that fullness was actually nicely pleated into the back. And so that's where all of that fullness ended up. So it kind of gave you almost a little train in the back.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So you see that with a lot of her pelisse coats.

Sarah  

That's also a way to add visual interest without putting a bunch of trim on something. It's just using the fabric and manipulating it.

Jojo  

Mmhmm.

Sarah  

It's a way to make it look designed, but it's not fussy or complicated. I mean, it was probably was complicated to put together. But it doesn't look complicated. You know what I mean?

Jojo  

Right. It looks simple.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

So another zoom in for one of her other Spencer jackets, this gray one, which I love. It's just... I think the sheer amount of detail on this is just beautiful. And even just the small pleated... epaulets?

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

They're not really quite epaulets. But it's like a sleeve puff that she's added on her sleeves. And she also has that same ruffling around her collar as well. So you can see it on her neck. Very, very delicate.

Sarah  

Like a cupcake liner, almost.

Jojo  

Yeah, exactly. So this is when she first meets Trank... Wow, can't talk. [both laugh] This is when she first meets Frank Churchill, or at least sees him. She hasn't officially met him yet. But I wanted to focus on just the detail of this coat, and just it showing the wealth and the prosperity that she comes from. As well as the-- again, the lace interior of her bonnet. Just... everything is so put together in this look.

Sarah  

Beautiful.

Jojo  

Then for this look, I wanted to show the comparison between Harriet and Emma. So Harriet, at this point has started to dress a little bit nicer. One of the things I was reading about on the same blog--that was kind of going through and sort of analyzing all of these historical accuracies--they talked a lot about how during this time, women actually would have worn a colored slip underneath.

Sarah  

Oh!

Jojo  

Because the white was actually the iconic dress of that time.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So rather than wearing a colored, you know, white frock, they would actually have the color underneath for the slip. And then the frock would always be white on top. So it would allow for that color to show through. And it would be a much more subtle version of that colored version... frock, I guess.

Sarah  

That's so interesting.

Jojo  

So I love that they kind of showed this comparison between the two of them. We're still keeping Emma in her pinks. And likewise, they both have their outerwear, their gloves, as well as their bonnets that they're wearing everywhere. Harriet is obviously much more simplified in the... like, just the level of over-the-top that she's wearing. Specifically in their bonnets, I wanted to focus on how much more accoutrements Emma has on her bonnet in comparison to Harriet. And also just the fact that where Harriet has placed this bow makes her look even younger than she already is, in comparison to Emma. Whereas Emma's kind of more gathered look is much more classical, and it looks a little bit more mature, which... we kind of see that relationship between the two of them. What else did I write on here? Nope. That's all I had to say about that one. [both laugh]

Sarah  

Great!

Jojo  

Okay. Moving on to the next one. One thing they did mention in that, which I guess I should have mentioned... they were talking about how, you know, it's possible that Harriet didn't necessarily get all those for herself. Maybe they were things that either she got as a hand-me-down from Emma, and then she figured out trims and things that Emma maybe would have suggested when they go shopping.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Which is very common, I think, in this time, because clothing was so much more precious. It wasn't just fast, quick fashion, like we have today. Where, you know, once it's done being used, you just toss it.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

Most of these dresses, you would either hand repair it yourself in order to fix it, or you change something up, add some new fabric, to try and make it more updated. As opposed to completely throwing out the whole dress and just saying, "Alright, well, time to buy a new dress."

Sarah  

Yup.

Jojo  

Because no one really has the money to do that.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

So I do love that that could have been like a little backstory for Harriet, where she got some of these dresses. Because some of her dresses do look like they could be older versions of what Emma wore earlier in the movie as well.

Sarah  

That makes sense. I mean, clothing being disposable is a very new idea. Right?

Jojo  

Yes, very much so. Okay, so then for this one I really just wanted to pull this scene because... again, it goes back to that whole candy striper... you know, like pastel that we were talking about. Each of these girls is, you know... these are the girls--are the students in the boarding house that Harriet is staying with. But I love that amongst all these girls, she's the one wearing the most atrocious looking outfit.

Sarah  

[laughs]

Jojo  

I mean, it's just so mismatched. Like, she's got this very multicolored cardigan sweater.

Sarah  

Yeah, thats...

Jojo  

This isn't the best image of it, because it was literally... like, I took a photo of the screen. So it's a little more kind of warmly washed out.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

But I love that you can see just how different she looks in comparison to even the girls around her. Which, you know, she's not that much lower class than maybe some of these girls are, but because she has no parentage, and because she doesn't know where she came from... the idea is that Harriet Smith's status is just so far below everyone else in that town. Because she has no way of knowing where she came from.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So yes, I just love that this is such a huge contrast to everyone around her. So that's why I pulled that image.

Sarah  

That's fun. It's very different looking.

Jojo  

Let's see. Okay, so the other thing that I wanted to focus on, too, was not just how this... you know, because this is probably one of the more muted palettes throughout this entire movie, in comparison to everything else. And this is when they're actually visiting Miss Bates's house, and they're first seeing... I just forgot her name. But... Jane! Jane Fairfax. [laughs]

Sarah  

I got SO confused. I had to have the Wikipedia up the whole time, because there's so many characters.

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

And this happened to me when I read the book, too. I listened to it as an audiobook and I was like, "...WHO?! I forgot who all these people are!" [both laugh]

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

There's a lot of characters in this story.

Jojo  

So Jane Fairfax, in this movie, is the one that basically ends up marrying Frank Churchill. And so there's this whole hidden marriage that they have. But Miss Bates, I believe, is Jane Fairfax's cousin, or aunt, or somehow related to her. And so Jane Fairfax basically comes to the house, and Miss Bates as the town gossip... and interestingly enough, in this movie, she is not quite as plain as the one in the 90s version. But the way that they've made her kind of dull and not quite so interesting, I guess, is to put her in these like really tiny... I want to say "prairie flowers." I don't know if you know what I'm talking about. It's a very prairie-look pattern.

Sarah  

Like a.... what's it called? Is it called a "ditzy" floral print? It's like when it's teeny tiny?

Jojo  

Oh, I don't know if that's the official term.

Sarah  

I'm gonna look it up. Google it.

Jojo  

Maybe someone out there can tell us as well. [both laugh]

Sarah  

Is that her on the left?

Jojo  

Yes.

Sarah  

Oh, okay.

Jojo  

So Miss Bates is the one that's to the very left. So Harriet Smith is in the middle, and she looks quite miserable here. Emma, interestingly enough, you know, this is the first time we really see her in this kind of plaid gingham. But I love that even here, she's kind of the most... the most nicely decorated, I guess, out of the three. Like, this jacket actually gets recycled quite a few times on Harriet, because it's probably the one coat that she owns. And then Miss Bates, a couple of her other scenes, she's always in something pretty dull and pretty muted or understated. Until Emma's wedding, where she's in a slightly more turquoise color. But most of her other looks are very similar to this, they all have that kind of really tiny floral print.

Sarah  

So I googled it, and "ditzy" refers to a very small scale print. And it's most commonly used for florals. So I don't know if that was a term at this time, but it is now.

Jojo  

Right. Okay, cool.

Sarah  

So now we know.

Jojo  

I'm learning new things too! [both laugh] So I do love that one of the things they feature on Miss Bates quite often, they do put her in this. And it's not quite a mob cap, but it definitely looks a little bit more like the mob cap that they had in the 90s movie as well.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

Which, again, you can see a lot of the same translations, in terms of costumes, are copied over from the 90s version of "Emma," but they kind of updated it, they changed a few things. And I think she also tried to honor the historical accuracy a little bit more. But one of the other things that I find really great on Miss Bates is that they always have her in this kind of... it almost looks like an Elizabethan collar.

Sarah  

I was gonna say that.

Jojo  

But she always has this kind of like crazy frou-frou thing around her neck.

Sarah  

It's like a ruff.

Jojo  

Yes. But it's like... it's not a uniform ruff like you would see in the Elizabethan era. It's very organic and kind of just flies all over the place every time she talks, which is very much like her personality.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

In this movie, she talks so so much and the whole idea is that she's constantly annoying Emma, and she's, you know, she's kind of... I don't want to even say she's the town gossip, because it's not like anything she says is malicious. She just likes to share information about herself.

Sarah  

She talks in the book way too much. I would space out. Like, it would be five minutes. A whole monologue.

Jojo  

[laughs]

Sarah  

I was like, "is this really in the book? I can't believe it."

Jojo  

I imagine that that's how these conversations must have felt, with whoever this real person was that Jane Austen was maybe inspired by.

Sarah  

[laughs]

Jojo  

But yeah, anyways, I just wanted to show this comparison of the three characters, because it really does go to show how much costume can, you know, identify character. And very quickly give us that first five second impression.

Sarah  

I mean, yeah.

Jojo  

Just from looking at this image.

Sarah  

She looks so different from the other two women.

Jojo  

Yeah, yeah. And in terms of class, you can already see the distinction between the three ladies as well. So I did want to point that out in this particular image. So I'm not going to spend a ton of time on this one, because I actually wasn't super hugely a fan of this dress. I didn't think it was ugly or anything, but I did... this is the dress that she basically goes to the first ball with. And it's... I believe it's Frank... no, not Frank Churchill's ball. It's another ball. There's so many balls in this movie.

Sarah  

[laughs] Like I said, they're constantly at a party.

Jojo  

Again, she doesn't wear this for very long. But I wanted to show this. So this is actually the museum version, I believe. And then they kind of essentially recreated it in the version that was used for the movie. So you can see very clear, like, she's definitely copied this dress. Almost exactly. But the other thing I wanted to mention here... nope, didn't write notes about this one. [both laugh] Sometimes that happens! But I think one of the things I wanted to say was that during this time, they mentioned that knitting was also created. Because the bobbinet machine... oh, I did write it down! So in 1809...

Sarah  

Oh!

Jojo  

This is the fun fact I wrote down, the mass production of line netting was available, because John Heathcoat created, or invented, the bobbinet machine.

Sarah  

Oooh.

Jojo  

So it allowed for this kind of colored net that was used on the top layer of a lot of these dresses for this time. So not only was he able to get it in color, because it was be able to be mass manufactured much more quickly. But he was also able to create netting much more quickly. So again, just the idea of just having the accuracy of the time period, having history really imbue itself in this costume design and in the process of research. So I did love that.

Sarah  

I love the museum one, it looks almost like it's glowing.

Jojo  

Yeah. Yeah

Sarah  

I love that effect. It's so pretty.

Jojo  

Yeah, and you don't quite get the same effect on her dress...

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

...but I can see where she kind of tried to get that same idea. And obviously, having the layer underneath, it could have just been the fabric that she chose for this particular image. This is also just an Instagram image. It wasn't actually from the movie.

Sarah  

Right.

Jojo  

So lighting doesn't always do us any favors, unfortunately.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

All right. The next one I wanted to focus on was her ball gown dress, and this was for Frank Churchill's ball. So she's got this beautiful... again, going back to that cream-colored, the iconic white dress. In this case, it's actually not a muslin, it looks like it's almost a chiffon or maybe... not really sure, maybe an organza on top?

Sarah  

Mmm.

Jojo  

It doesn't look like it kind of drapes as well, but I love that on this one, there's such a three dimensional effect with the leaves that she's got on here. And the flowers, the three dimensional flowers also continue on the hem of this dress.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So it kind of encircles the hem. But I love, love this image, not just because it also showcases the traditional tuxedo on the men, but also just the kind of ethereal quality of the white on her. And even though this isn't the climactic dress that she wears, for any reason, the fact that this is the ball that she's trying to dress up for Frank Churchill--because she still thinks he's in love with her and doesn't know about Jane Fairfax yet. But yeah, so, I just love this image. And it's just so beautiful. And again, hair, I think we're pretty accurate in this time period as well. Or, the hair designer.

Sarah  

Looks lovely.

Jojo  

And again, just those small ringlets in the front, and even just the ringlets in the back.

Sarah  

There's... it's such a tight little curl. Really pretty.

Jojo  

Yeah, and she definitely uses that a lot in this movie for all the characters. So then, again, this is not in order. This is kind of just by whatever is on my Google Drive. [both laugh] So I love this idea for Frank Churchill because, again, it's almost like this watermelon idea. We talked a lot about green and that pink.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

When they're combined, it does give us that watermelon effect. And so this is when she first gets introduced to Frank Churchill and they're finally talking. So she's back in her kind of pink Spencer jacket, and then he's in kind of a complimentary, almost sage-colored green, as opposed to a brighter green. But I love that he's got this little pink popping out and then his vest is actually pretty elaborately embroidered.

Sarah  

Mmm.

Jojo  

And I love that the colors have been combined in this way. Because it definitely... it's their way of showing him as the dandy, without being crazy over-the-top, because most of his other coats are just... I would say just as colorful as even, say, Mr. Knightley is. Because Mr. Knightley has some pretty rich colors on him.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

But I think they tried to kind of give him that dandy effect by adding other things, like embroidery and topical surface treatments and textures. So one of the last dresses... this is actually the one that basically she gets proposed to in, by Mr. Knightley. And I love that we've returned to this kind of green, and the embroidered delicate, very detailed idea on her dress. We still have that white. But now instead of having the color underneath and showing through like we did in some of the other scenes, we have this new embroidered idea on both her puff sleeves, as well as on the actual skirt itself. We're also bringing in some, I think, more contemporary color palettes because we've got this kind of ombre dyed belt, which probably was not common during that time.

Sarah  

It's beautiful, though. I love that little touch.

Jojo  

I do. And it's interesting because, you know, we talked about her being more mature and having a more classical silhouette. But this is actually one of the times where she actually has a bow, but it's kind of off the side. It's not right in the dead center, like we saw with Harriet. So, a couple other photos of the dress. So this is the last scene of her talking with Harriet. So yeah, it's interesting because, again, this is also the period--or the point in the story--where Emma has finally kind of realized that she's made all these, you know, kerfuffles, with all of the matchmaking that she has been trying to do. She's messed everything up. And she's finally realized that, you know, she was standing in the way of her friend this whole time. And so now she's trying to be sacrificially out of the way.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

While also trying to come to terms with her own love for the same person.

Sarah  

Yep.

Jojo  

So again, that whole delicacy of the green and the flowers in particular, that motif--even though it does kind of hit a little bit more... the nail on the head--but this idea of growth, that she's trying to become this new person, that she's trying to understand from a different perspective and not just look at her own selfishness.

Sarah  

Also green versus pink. It's like green is more earthier, it's more natural, so going away from girly, frilly into more natural--of nature--colors. I mean, pink occurs in nature, obviously. But you know what I mean.

Jojo  

Right.

Sarah  

Like, it's almost like she's more grounded.

Jojo  

Yes, yes. Literally. [both laugh]

Sarah  

Literally. Like a tree.

Jojo  

Okay, and then, of course...

Sarah  

Oh my gosh.

Jojo  

...some of the final images, I just wanted to focus on her wedding dress. But yes, her governess at the beginning, Miss Taylor, we see her wedding in the beginning. And it's much more like... she's dressed much more down to earth. It's a very country wedding. Like, you can just see the level of sophistication that Emma has in this image, as opposed to Miss Taylor. And then I love that they've put Johnny Flynn in this beautiful rich blue.

Sarah  

Gorgeous.

Jojo  

It's like a blue velvet, for his tail coat, which actually he does wear quite a lot of that color--his vest underneath that caramel, buttery-yellow coat that he had on earlier is also in this kind of same color palette. So I love that the costume designer has put him in these really yummy colors that really contrast, and kind of compliment, his hair as well.

Sarah  

Mmhmm.

Jojo  

So I think she did a great job with that, so... good on you. [laughs]

Sarah  

He also has beautiful blue eyes. So I think that...

Jojo  

Yes.

Sarah  

...putting him in a blue that kind of echoes his eyes, that's very nice.

Jojo  

Yeah, absolutely. So just really briefly, I just wanted to touch base on who becomes Mrs. Elton. And so in this case, obviously they've still made fun of Mrs. Elton. She's this, you know... like we mentioned, very she's recently come into all this money... with this crazy hair. Like, they've literally created a bow and slicked it back in her hair.

Sarah  

It looks like... like a "hair show" hairstyle. You know?

Jojo  

Yeah, absolutely.

Sarah  

You've seen hair shows, right? Yeah, it looks like that.

Jojo  

Yeah, like I almost thought this was an actual fake bow that they put on top of her hair. And then I realized it was literally like they had slicked and like...

Sarah  

Shellacked.

Jojo  

...it almost looks like they glued hair? Around the shape? And then just left it there.

Sarah  

[laughs] Yeah. Wow.

Jojo  

So yes, they've obviously used a little bit of the curls on the side to indicate the time period, but like, the bow up there is just... it's just so out there.

Sarah  

It's so wacky-looking. [laughs] I love it.

Jojo  

And the fact that she, again, has these crazy eyes. And it kind of just looks like she's this weird goldfish with all these orange colors she's got underneath. [both laugh] So yes, I just wanted to focus on her because, you know... Mr. Elton, in this case, is already hilarious enough, but then he's got this even crazier, kookier wife now that has to rein him in. But yes, casting wise, I think this movie did phenomenal. Costume wise, it's so beautiful to look at. So if you haven't seen this movie, I highly recommend it. And it's also pretty historically accurate. So yes, that's my take on the 2020 "Emma"! Woohoo!

Sarah  

Yay! Great job. I'm excited to watch. I've been like meaning... like I said, I'm a procrastinator, and I never get around to watching movies. I've wanted to see it since it came out.

Jojo  

Oh, you and me both. [laughs]

Sarah  

Yeah, so I should watch it this week.

Jojo  

This is why we're friends, Sarah. [both laugh]

Sarah  

I just like... probably a lot of people can relate to this. But I'll be like, "I don't have te mental capacity for a movie right now." So I'll instead watch, like, six hours of TV. And it's like, how is that different? It's not. [both laugh]

Jojo  

I feel like I'm the same way. It's like I have to be in the right mood for a specific movie. [laughs] It's harder when it's a show, where it's like, "I have to find out what happens next!"

Sarah  

Yeah, that's true. Yeah, shows just... they keep you hooked.

Jojo  

Yep, yep.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

All right. So that's our episode for "Emma." Hopefully, you enjoyed the side by side comparison.

Sarah  

Yeah!

Jojo  

And if you have seen both movies, you can let us know whether you feel like we were accurate or not accurate, or just tell us more about some of the things we had questions about.

Sarah  

Yeah.

Jojo  

All right. Well, that's all we have for today's episode. I'm Jojo.

Sarah  

I'm Sarah. Thank you so much for listening.

Jojo  

Yep. Bye!

Sarah  

Catch you the next one. Bye!

[OUTRO]

Jojo

Thank you for listening to The Costume Plot! You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram at @thecostumeplot. If you have a question, comment, or movie suggestion you can email us at thecostumeplot@gmail.com.

Sarah

Our theme music is by Jesse Timm, and our artwork is by Jojo Siu. Please rate and review us wherever you listen to your podcasts.

[andie--forrester]

journal entry 001

Dear Chris no no no 

Well now I don’t know how to start this off. 

July 2, 2017. Bright blue sky, some clouds, bright white and fluffy. Hot, and I’m already sunburned from last week. When do I get tan??

They told me to start writing in this, but it’s weird because I haven’t done it in more than a year now and I’d really rather not write to something that doesn’t exist or someone I don’t expect to read this anymore because now I have real people and this is moot. But I don’t like to talk about the stuff they want me to talk about so I guess they think I’ll dump it all out here. But I’m actually just tired of it being in my head and existing in my consciousness at all so why would I waste any more time on it, writing or talking? They say letting it out will help but writing stuff here won’t make it stop, just like it didn’t when I wrote before. It’s better for me to just carry on and try to ignore all the bad stuff that happened, some day I think I’ll be happy enough to not ever think about it. But apparently they don’t agree with my theory and I’m just being nyeve naive and uncooperative incooperative uncooperative. Whatever. 

I told them I won’t know what to talk about so they gave me assignments which is kind of cool because it feels like going to school but also not cool because I’d rather write about history or other school stuff and NOT living in a horrible person’s house for twelve years it’s like what do you expect some Chronicles of His House type shit where I detail everything that happened since I was seven because that’s not gonna happen. 

Today’s Assignment: Write an essay on how Marie Antoinette’s early life and marital situation led to the lifestyle of luxury that angered French peasants and incited a revolution. HA I wish. 1) What scared me most twelve years ago? 2) What scared me most five years ago? 3) Two years ago? 4) What scares me most today? Not as cool as the prompt I came up with. I should be in charge of writing assignments.

1) What the fuck do they think I’m gonna say obviously it was Him!! Twelve years ago I was eight and I’d been there for like nine months so I knew Him but not that well. I didn’t know how to make things work better for me yet. There were little tricks like making popcorn and smiling with my teeth that I didn’t figure out until later so for like two years He was never nice and I just got in trouble a lot. So yeah it was scary. Surprised?? No???? Okay.

2) I guess five years ago I would’ve been most scared of everybody forgetting me. It had been almost eight years since it happened and I was still there and by then none of the news channels were trying to find me and it was just kind of like hello does anyone still care I’m still here I’m not dead please find me. I just wanted someone to find me and I felt like no one even thought about me anymore.

3) Two years ago I was eighteen and mostly scared I’d never get out. All I ever thought about was being away from Him or being trapped in there or dying in the stupid fucking basement fuck fuck fucking asshole was so fucking inhumane I just wanted to leave and I didn’t know how to stand up for myself like I just let Him treat me like shit like less than shit I just let him and I was afraid it’d never stop because I thought I couldn’t stop it and I just wish I knew I was strong but He made me think I wasn’t fucking fuck I can’t believe I fell for all His shit I wish I’d made Him suffer more when I had the chance.

4) Now I don’t know. I’m scared when things make me feel like I’m stuck again. Like I don’t get why stupid movies and yelling and sometimes squeaking beds or the basement makes me all weird and upset and I don’t want literal inanimate objects to be stronger than me but sometimes they are and that’s not a good feeling. Also there are gaps in things I remember and I can’t tell if it’s because everyone forgets some stuff from when they were little or because my brain is hiding it. But I remember so much bad stuff, it’s like what could be worse than what I can remember already?? I don’t know. Not that much scares me anymore, only stuff that’s already happened and I don’t know how to get rid of it. Oh and sometimes I’m scared that when I get out into the real world I’ll be too dumb to get a job and succeed but that’s not a priority at the moment. I try to ignore that because usually I feel really good about myself and I’m happy but sometimes His voice is still kind of there so that’d be nice to stop since I hate Him and don’t care what He thinks anyway.

This really brought down my mood, why do they want me to be sad? Fuck this!! I want to be happy and I am happy until they make me think about this shit. I’m not trapped anymore, I’m done with that shit and I’m free and I’m gonna enjoy it. I’m going to go sit outside now. Maybe I’ll write an essay about Marie. OR WHATEVER I WANT!! I can do that now!!! 

- Andie

[anonymoustalks]

Do you know what happens when a man has nothing left to lose, feels like his country has betrayed him, and has a whole lot of anger

(6-17-20) You both like politics.

You: heyo

Stranger: Hello

You: anything on your mind?

Stranger: Not really

You: anything you're interested in then?

Stranger: Talking about Politics

You: sounds very general

Stranger: Yeah

You: do you have a political leaning?

Stranger: I am a Fascist

You: ahh

You: hmm...

You: I have a feeling you sound familiar

Stranger: Alright

You: hmm... I save my omegle conversations so I hope you don't mind me digging back a bit

You: are you on omegle a lot?

Stranger: I don't keep count

You: 

(6-14-20) You both like politics. You: heya Stranger: Hello You: anything on your mind today? Stranger: No You: fair enough ^^ You: any issues that you care about? Stranger: Not really You: is there a reason why you like this tag then? Stranger: To talk about Politics You: mhm anything particular about it? Stranger: Anything You: mhm do you have a particular political leaning? Stranger: Fascist You: ohh interesting You: why fascism, btw? You: I never really understood it Stranger: Because it aligns with my values You: your values being… strength? authority…? Stranger: Strength, Honor, Spirituality, Race, Masculinity

You: just the beginning

Stranger: Okay

You: sound familiar or nope?

Stranger: I didn't read it

You: oh okay

You: anyhow how was your day?

Stranger: Fine

You: mhm anything you're planning in the upcoming weeks and months?

Stranger: No

You: mhm

You: any goals that you have?

You: or dreams?

Stranger: To follow God

You: right

You: Okay, would you be interested in talking about masculinity?

Stranger: What about it

You: I'm just curious about your views on it

You: like that and fascism and things

Stranger: Masculinity is embracing the biological and spirtual truths of being a man

You: what are the spiritual truths of being a man?

Stranger: Men are meant to be leaders

You: mhm can you give some examples of masculine men and not-masculine men?

Stranger: hold on

Stranger: A Masculine man is a man that lives his life with discipline. He does not indulge in pleasure, and he does not allow his emotions to rule over him. He is a master of his body and of his mind. A masculine man enjoys violence and aggression and knows when and where to use them, he also knows when and where to be gentle. He follows God with all his heart and takes care of his family and people.

You: why is enjoying violence and aggression?

Stranger: A non-masculine male is pacifistic, indulges in pleasure, succumbs to his emotions, does not follow God, does not want a family

You: I guess I'm curious about the violence-pacificism dichotomy

Stranger: Because violence and aggression are a man's first love

Stranger: All men are natural predators

You: I'm not totally sure that I understand ^^

Stranger: Our natural instinct is to compete and fight

You: mhm okay

Stranger: Instead of repressing this instinct like the modern world would have us, instead we should embrace it

You: hmm, what would society look like if it were embraced?

Stranger: Like most of human history until it started becoming more liberal

You: hmm

You: idk I don't really like war

You: although I think I remember you saying you believe war is inevitable

Stranger: War is to man as maternity is to woman

You: Do you think war is good for society?

Stranger: Yes

You: how so?

Stranger: War is spiritual nourishment for men, without it, a large part of what it means to be a man is lost. War is essential to many functions, such as preventing over-population, creating opportunities for heroes to show their quality, as well as the acquisition of resources

You: can I ask you a hypothetical scenario?

Stranger: I suppose

You: so imagine that you are the emperor of a big empire

You: your empire has everything it needs, is wealthy, and lots of things are good

You: but you have smaller countries on your bordder

You: would you invade them just because you can?

Stranger: Yes

Stranger: What is the point of an Empire if not to rule the world?

You: I see, what if they are a different race/ethnicity/culture?

Stranger: They will be enslaved

You: why?

Stranger: Because they are not one of us

You: hmm

You: why is it necessary to rule the world again?

Stranger: Because if you do not rule the world, eventually the world will rule you

You: so what if the scenario was changed, and keeping your empire as is will leave things stable and continue to be a golden ages for many years

You: but trying to invade is risky and a chance of failure

You: would you still try to take the risk?

You: for... idk, glory?

Stranger: A coward spends all his time worrying about failure, because spiritually that is what they have doomed themselves to

Stranger: You cannot have ambition without risk, to be worried about failure in such a context is ridiculous

Stranger: As Tacitus once said

Stranger: "Great Empires are not maintained by timidity"

You: idk I think I'm just imagining some of the board games that I play. There are certain offensive moves that are good, but others when people are too greedy and they overextense

You: *overextend

Stranger: And

You: idk, isn't waging war constantly liable to overextension?

Stranger: You think too much about risks and failures

Stranger: Do you think great men in history would have achieved anything if all they did was sit around contemplating "what if this happens!!!!" "oh no!!! what if that happens!!!!"

You: idk, I think many people had goals

You: and sometimes war was a means to achieving their goals

You: but it gets a bit convoluted if war itself is your goal

Stranger: Nobody is saying war itself is the goal

You: aren't you saying that war is good? And countries should wage war if they have an opportunity for it?

Stranger: How is that remotely near the same thing as saying war itself is the goal

You: Mhm... I just don't see an objective behind war you advocate for, I guess?

Stranger: I already stated them

You: prevent overpopulation, provide a platform for heroes, and acquire resources?

Stranger: Yes

You: mhm......

You: hmm, what if in this hypothetical scenario, your empire isn't overpopulated, and your empire has plenty of resources?

Stranger: There are always rivals with resources. Even if we do not need them now, they do, and we should not tolerate that

You: ^^ I guess I don't know how to respond anymore

Stranger: I am not surprised

You: why is that?

Stranger: Because you are an organism of the modern world

You: mhm, I guess so

You: I think we have several fundamental differences in views that are just hard for me to surmount

Stranger: The modern world has blinded you people so effectively you cannot even recognize when you are being conquered. The Negro revolution is conquering the United States and nobody is noticing

You: sure go on

Stranger: Truly the Anglo-Saxon must be the most pathetic race from Europe

You: out of curiosity what is your heritage?

Stranger: Spanish

You: I see do you distinguish between spanish heritage and idk... french heritage when you imagine your state?

Stranger: Yes why wouldn't I

You: it's confusing because "white" often gets blurred together here

Stranger: There is no white identity in Nazi Racial science

You: are there races that you are more sympathetic to and friendlier to?

Stranger: Mine

You: do you distinguish between spanish-american and spanish?

Stranger: I don't know what you're talking about

You: I guess I'm trying to imagine if you somehow became the leader of the territory of land presently known as the United States

You: what would you do?

You: who would you consider your citizens?

You: that kind of thing

You: and I guess who you would enslave?

Stranger: I would not be a leader of any territory here, I do not care about this place

You: what do you care about?

Stranger: Following God

You: hmm... so you're not interested in fascism in a physical geopolitical sense?

Stranger: Where are you getting that from

You: idk you said you were interested in fascism

Stranger: Interested in Fascism?

Stranger: I am a Fascist

Stranger: What do you mean

You: for most people in the politics tag, usually that means they wish their country were fascist or socialist or whatever

Stranger: I don't really care about what happens to the US

Stranger: I don't have any connection to it

You: is there any country you have a connection to?

Stranger: Spain

You: I see, were you born in spain?

Stranger: No

You: oh have you been there?

Stranger: No

You: hmm...

You: do you speak spanish?

Stranger: Yes

You: oh okay ^^

You: was your mother an immigrant? I don't remember if I asked you before

Stranger: No

You: do you want to move to spain one day?

Stranger: Yes

You: oh okay

You: and become a spanish citizen?

Stranger: Obviously

You: cool, I didn't know that about you

You: I guess I feel like I understand a little bit better, I think

Stranger: You will never truly understand because we do not live in the same world

You: right, I wouldn't really pretend to say that I understand

You: but it's nice to know that you want to go to spain

You: do you have any distant relatives in spain?

Stranger: Yes

You: uncles? cousins?

Stranger: Yes

You: that's nice, are you in touch with them?

Stranger: No

You: oh, are you thinking of reaching out to them?

Stranger: No

You: so you're thinking of going to spain alone?

Stranger: Yes

You: hmm, a sudden question popped up in my head, but I feel like I would know your answer

Stranger: Alright

You: Are you doing okay?

Stranger: Yes

You: idk, sometimes I feel a little bit worried, more so today than last time I guess

Stranger: I do not feel worried

You: yeah, I wouldn't think you would feel worried

You: I really hope things go well for you

Stranger: I do not think you fully understand what that would look like

You: It's okay, don't worry about it ^^

You: even if you find it amusing I guess

Stranger: You will regret hoping things go well for me one day

You: sure ^^

You: did you have any interesting conversations today on omegle?

Stranger: This was the first one

You: ahh okay... I think this was my third or fourth today

You: hmm, I think I am probably a bad person

Stranger: I do not believe in good or bad people, only good or bad decisions

You: weirdly, I think I probably think something kind of similar

Stranger: That isn't what you said

You: I know, it's similar but different

You: like I don't think people are objectively good or bad

You: but I think everyone has their own sense of good and bad

You: and the objective good/bad doesn't exist

Stranger: I believe in an objectively good choice and objectively bad one

You: mhm, but you don't believe in an objectively good person and an objectively bad person

You: have you been religious your entire life?

Stranger: Most of it

You: When did you have the revelation that you were doing X things for the wrong reasons?

Stranger: All the time

Stranger: Improvement never ends, correction never ends

You: but I thought one day you decided to stop going to church. Why didn't you stop earlier?

Stranger: Because I did not get the revelation yet

You: I see...

You: what was the revelation like?

You: when you got it?

Stranger: I don't remember the date

You: so one day you just decided you were going to go to church?

Stranger: Re-read what you wrote

You: weren't sorry

You: typo

Stranger: I just realized I was going for the wrong reasons, that's all there is to it

You: okay

You: does your mom still go?

Stranger: She never went

You: really? that surprises me actually

You: for some reason I had imagined that you came from a religious family

Stranger: I don't

You: mhm how did you learn everything about christ that you did then?

Stranger: Reading the bible, following Him and experiencing the life for myself

You: What was it like when you first started reading the bible?

Stranger: It was a very long time ago

You: mhm

Stranger: I remember being filled with God's love

You: wow

You: I don't think I ever really felt that way

You: I think I mostly just read the children's versions when I was younger

You: I think the first time I tried reading it was a bit hard for me to understand

You: I also remember being scared by some of the stories too

Stranger: I never felt that way

You: mhm I didn't go to Sunday school for very long

Stranger: I never been to anything like that

You: idk, I don't have a lot to say about it

You: Do you write much at all?

Stranger: No

Stranger: Unless you count omegle conversation

You: well, only if you count it I guess

You: I'm just wondering if you formulate all of your thoughts in your head

You: or if you process them some way

You: I remember you saying that you read a lot of books too

Stranger: I don't read a lot of books

You: D: I remembered wrong?!

Stranger: I read the bible and sometimes other things

Stranger: But I've only fully read about 3 books in my entire life, I don't like reading in general

You: Oh...

You: I must have been mistaken then

You: I thought you mostly trained and read during your day?

Stranger: Yes

You: so you mainly read the bible?

Stranger: Yes

You: oh...

You: I thought you read many things

Stranger: The bible and military history / strategy, anthropology, nutrition and exercise, and that's about it

You: Do you read about military history online or something?

You: if not in books?

Stranger: Yes. Online is free

You: ah okay

You: are there websites you like for reading about these things?

Stranger: Wikipedia

You: mhm

You: ohhh

You: I feel like you would be a good person to ask

You: what do you know about the kosovo war?

Stranger: A fair amount

You: what is your opinion about it?

Stranger: I hope Serbia will retake that land and expel the Albanians

You: I met a serbian today on omegle

You: he said the wikipedia article is biased against them

Stranger: I can recognize bias

You: mhm

You: I guess that's a nice coincidence I guess

You: the serbian I met wanted to immigrate to the US and become a navy seal though

You: idk if that made a lot of sense to me though

Stranger: It is best not to dwell on things other way and instead worry about yourself

You: mhm I guess so

You: I just find omegle entertaining possibly?

You: why do you go on omegle?

Stranger: Because I can disconnect and not worry about people knowing how to contact me

You: Ahh what are you trying to disconnect from?

Stranger: The conversations

You: (brb I want to find a blanket)

You: what conversations?

Stranger: ..the conversations on omegle

You: you want to disconnect from the conversations on omegle?

You: I'm not sure if I understand

Stranger: You seem kind of retarded

You: yup you told me that last time lol

Stranger: I am saying I go on omegle because there is no risk of a person wanting to be friends with me, I can just disconnect when I am done

You: ahh okay

You: yeah I can relate to that

Stranger: In real life people will want to be friends

You: I knew someone once who felt that friends are a liability

Stranger: I don't consider them to be a liability, I just don't have any use for friends

You: hmm

Stranger: You are a liberal right

You: lol

Stranger: Yes or no

You: if I was stupidly stubborn and didn't answer, would that annoy you?

Stranger: A conversation requires communication

Stranger: Are you not here for that

You: mhm yeah, but I just find it amusing that similar patterns arise since the last time we talked

Stranger: Why would you purposely withhold political views in a political conversation

You: I'm sort of moderate-left

Stranger: Are you American

You: yup

Stranger: And are you okay with the current witch-hunting against conservatives in this country

You: mhm I don't like witch hunts

Stranger: You realize what they're creating right

Stranger: Anyone that wasn't a radical anti-leftist is sure going to be one tomorrow

You: mhm it is deeply polarizing times ^^

Stranger: They want to take jobs away from people as punishment for not following the current political agenda of neo-liberalism

Stranger: Do you know what happens when a man has nothing left to lose, feels like his country has betrayed him, and has a whole lot of anger

You: violence

Stranger: Not just any everyday bar fight violence

You: do you feel this way too?

Stranger: I probably would have if I never bothered mastering my emotions

You: mhm

Stranger: Random violence never accomplishes anything except cyclical retribution

You: so you want something purposeful?

Stranger: My philosophy is that if you're going to strike at the enemy, strike them in such a way that they will never recover

Stranger: Otherwise what you're doing is just another pathetic form of suicide

Stranger: What would I gain from driving into a group of protestors

Stranger: What would I gain from shooting up a mall

Stranger: Nothing, and it would tear my soul apart to have destroyed innocent people in such a manner

Stranger: But I am used to having nothing left to lose, and this situation is not new to me, I can adapt

Stranger: Others wont, others cant

You: right

Stranger: And they will be driving cars into groups of protestors

Stranger: And they will be shooting groups of people

Stranger: People who otherwise would be mumbling to themselves about gay marriage and niggers and go to work the next day and leave everyone alone

Stranger: Has had everything taken away from them and are now a weapon

You: how would you fix things?

Stranger: "fix things"

You: if trump suddenly called you up and asked for your advice

Stranger: I would tell him there is no going back

You: when was the turning point?

You: or the critical mistake?

Stranger: The turning point was social media

You: so go back to idk 2000 something and ban social media?

Stranger: That is obviously not possible, hence no going back

Stranger: Social media has destroyed the art of language and communication

Stranger: Political arguments and disicussions are no longer about understanding one another

Stranger: They're about who can have the most witty comeback

You: mhm

Stranger: All that is left is violence

You: can you explain the link between social media and jobs?

Stranger: People are getting fired from their jobs for publicly expressing they don't care about black lives matter

Stranger: And the narrative around it, is "silence is complicity"

Stranger: "White" people in this country are being conquered by the Negro

Stranger: And they are fine with it

You: do you live in a liberal state?

Stranger: No

Stranger: I used to

You: oh

You: I feel like I haven't heard too many people getting fired from their jobs for not saying anything about blm

Stranger: I said for expressing they don't care about it

You: ahhh okay

Stranger: For not actively supporting it

You: mhm... it's a scary cycle, I think

You: managers/owners feel like they are responding to public image

You: and workers take the brunt of it

You: I guess it is the same with police officers too

Stranger: Your people aren't leaving room for anything other than violence, because it is what they want

Stranger: They think they are on a crusade

Stranger: They think they are righteous heroes

Stranger: Fighting against the evil white racist system

You: mhm

You: yeah I think it's sad

Stranger: When a person convinces themselves that they are oppressed without any real evidence, they cannot be convinced they are not oppressed with evidence

Stranger: They do not want to communicate

Stranger: They do not want to understand the other side

Stranger: They are nihilists that hate themselves and hate the world

Stranger: And they want to see others suffer like them

You: mhm... I think people are most attuned to their own suffering

Stranger: Not unlike the 'incel' mindset

You: and do not see the suffering of others

Stranger: They have turned suffering into an olympic competition

You: mhm I don't agree with that

You: but yeah I think there may be an extent of wealthy liberals empathizing with their friends and making it an issue

You: but it diminishes the experiences and suffering of other people

You: but wealthy liberals and powerful in american cities

Stranger: Suffering itself isn't a big deal

Stranger: These people have convinced themselves that any amount of suffering is the result of an oppressive system

Stranger: There is no accountability

You: in my mind I think there's some difference between "equality" views and "equity" views

You: I think many liberals prescribe to equity views, meaning that since idk there are not enough black americans attending college, therefore affirmative action should happen to help make the numbers more equal

Stranger: It doesn't make any sense to me

You: mhm... yeah, it is pretty different from you worldview, I can see that

You: I think it's similar in spirit to views like "nobody should starve" or "everyone should get healthcare"

Stranger: I don't see how it is similar

You: like one way is to think about redistribution of tax money

You: an equal distribution of tax money is like everyone getting $10 of value

You: but under progressive systems, poor people get more

You: because the idea is that all human beings should have a favorable experience in life I guess

Stranger: I cant relate

You: yup

You: there was an opinion article I read today

You: about a mother asking her sons

You: "In life you can choose between loving only your family/close ones, or loving as many people as you can. Which do you choose?"

Stranger: Yeah why would anyone choose anything other than family or close ones

You: XD for me I think I am closer to the latter haha, which is why you scoff when I wish for your best lol

You: but I think I find personal fulfillment out of that

You: at least, that is the way for me personally

Stranger: How bizarre

You: I told you before that I didn't really value myself that much

You: I think I get a lot of my meaning in life from how much I am able to bring value to other people / the world

You: in either case, that's not really important

You: but I can understand holding your family and close ones precious, even at the expense of making others your enemy, I guess

Stranger: Who said making them the enemy

You: I think you saying "war is inevitable" kind of stuck in my mind lol

Stranger: Are you suggesting you love your family and go to war with everyone else? That doesn't make any sense to me

You: huh? no?

Stranger: That's what it seems like to me

You: I am saying I understand the impulse of prioritizing your family at the expense of everyone else -- although that's not really my own view

Stranger: But it isn't at the expense of everyone else. I don't have the power to affect others

You: hmm, but if you did though?

You: Like if you somehow became a billionaire due to fate?

You: or if a ton of power landed in your lap?

Stranger: A billionaire?

You: idk I was saying random examples

Stranger: But that is the point

Stranger: I am not either of those things

Stranger: So others are beyond my purview

You: yes but your are ambitious and destined for great things?

You: *you are

Stranger: You're not understanding me

You: ordinarily I would presume that you seek power

Stranger: I am not

Stranger: in that

Stranger: posititon

Stranger: RIGHT NOW

You: right

Stranger: Explaining myself gets me so violent

You: sorry

Stranger: Many things get me violent, I am just a violent person

You: is that bad?

Stranger: Not for me

You: I am trying to comprehend if you are trying to hold back on your violence or not

Stranger: Of course. I am always holding back violence, anger, sadness, happiness, indulgence of all manner

You: I think I am a little confused again

Stranger: You are retarded, most things in the world are bound to confuse you

You: well I remember you saying that fascism is about masculinity, and masculinity is defined by violence

You: yet also you are holding back from it

Stranger: And I also said knowing when and where to use it

You: ah okay

You: is there a reason why emotions must be held back?

Stranger: Because they might take over

You: mhm okay

You: are there any emotions that you resent?

Stranger: I do not resent any emotion

You: I know you did not ask for this, but I wish your life could be filled with happiness

Stranger: I just don't have a desire or need for happiness

You: yes, you said that last time

You: you said some things I really appreciated today

Stranger: Lol

You: I mean seriously

You: the part about people driving into protesters

You: I thought it was powerfully said

Stranger: Well it is the inevitable conclusion of a population with nothing left to lose

You: mhm, but I'm just thinking about when they lost so much

You: I mean, it was before blm too

You: it's been happening for decades

You: it's been a slow and gradual thing I think

Stranger: When they freed the slaves without any kind of plan on what to do with them, they essentially dammed the country

You: I'm just thinking I guess

Stranger: This kind of behavior is endemic to American culture

You: usually the way I think about racism is that I think of it as scapegoating. But what do you mean?

Stranger: The "not my problem" and just handing things over to someone else

Stranger: They had no plan in place on what to do with slaves once they were free

You: I don't think the winner of a war is obligated to have a plan, are they?

Stranger: General Lee was right when he said Negros could not be freed yet

You: if the north won against the south, can't the north just say "fuck you"

You: ?

Stranger: To black people?

You: no to the south

Stranger: Because that's what happene

You: the civil war was to some extent an ideological war

You: the north won and enforced its ideology and left the south to pick up the pieces?

Stranger: Yet again you don't seem to follow

Stranger: And I'm running out of patience

Stranger: Let me put this in simple terms

Stranger: They opened the cages and told the nigs "Go do shit, we don't care" and now they're all living in fucked up conditions

You: mhm, I don't think people honestly cared that much

You: I have a cynical enough view that I think people do the minimum necessary for them

You: whether it is for publicity or something else

Stranger: They should have all been shipped off back to Africa

Stranger: It is the same mistake Europeans make with immigrants from the middle east

Stranger: "Just drop them in and they will integrate"

You: there was that view historically but I don't think it was mainstream enough

Stranger: Doesn't work out that way

You: liberia happened

You: in either case, I think leaders just try to appease the masses

Stranger: That's what happens in a democratic environment

Stranger: Public image is more important than competence or principles

You: I think of the salem witch trials. Doesn't matter if a person is a witch (or if witchcraft is real). Lynch someone and if it makes people happy and then they will do it

You: I mean this is what I mean by scapegoating too though

Stranger: They should all have been sent to Africa

You: Idk they were given a choice

You: some went to liberia and others didn't

Stranger: It shouldn't have been a choice

You: I think the plantations would have been devastated economically

You: soon after the civil war, many former slaves stayed employed by their former masters

You: just under a different name

You: there wouldn't have been the manpower to run the plantations otherwise

Stranger: Yeah I think it's worth it to not have today's problems

You: ^^

You: I dunno, I think there are many problems

You: automation hurt a lot of manufacturing america

You: as did the shift away from coal

Stranger: Alright listen

Stranger: I don't care about that

Stranger: Because none of that contributed to this BLM nonsense happening today and white people bowing down to them

You: um, but jobs and employment?

Stranger: Nevermind

Stranger: Those things would not exist if there were no black people here

Stranger: Do you not get that

Stranger: There would be no BLM

Stranger: There would be no culture of compromise

Stranger: or white guilt

You: but there would still be automation and china and environmentalist hippies?

You: kentucky miners still no job?

Stranger: What does that have to do with BLM

You: it doesn't, I just think that the anger would be focused onto something else

Stranger: And?

Stranger: I'm talking about BLM

Stranger: I am talking

Stranger: about

Stranger: BLM

Stranger: I am only

Stranger: talking

Stranger: about

Stranger: BLM

You: I don't know if I'm wrong

You: but I see a lot of anger

You: what are people angry about?

You: are they mainly angry about blm?

Stranger: Man

You: are they mainly angry about liberals?

Stranger: I don't care what people are angry about

Stranger: I am telling you I hate BLM

You: Okay

You: sorry

Stranger: When people say sorry it makes me think less of them

You: I don't really mind if you think less of me

You: in a way I say it for myself, so you can think of it as me being selfish if you want

You: I think I don't fully understand where all of your anger and hatred comes from

Stranger: It comes from me living in a situation I never created but have to be part of

You: isn't that all of us in a way?

Stranger: I don't care, I am answering the question

You: oh okay

You: would you be bothered if I changed the subject? ^^

You: is there anything that you like?

You: or love?

Stranger: Everything I mentioned that I read about

Stranger: And women

You: you mentioned you are not masculine unless you want a family

You: why do you like the idea of a family?

Stranger: Because that is how you grow your race, and continue your lineage

You: so it's a kind of honor/pride thing?

Stranger: It's a natural part of existence

You: hmm... and what do you love about women?

Stranger: Their physical beauty, and their nurturing nature

You: why do you like their nurturing nature?

Stranger: It is attractive, it is also a signal they would be a good mother

You: the girls whom you were attracted to in the past; were you mainly attracted to their appearance or their personality?

Stranger: Well it starts with appearance and continues with personality

You: what parts of personality?

Stranger: Their confidence, sense of humor, independence, and self-awareness

You: oh... that surprised me in a sense

You: I guess it seems different from the nurturing nature kind of thing that I imagined?

Stranger: Well I can detect a nurturing side to a woman without finding it personally attractive, since I am not a needy person

You: okay, so you're interested in the nurturing quality, but you don't personally like it?

Stranger: I personally have no use for it

You: why do you like confident/humorous/independent/self-aware women?

Stranger: Because that is a person I can spend time with and get along with, and makes them a reliable wife

You: (also is it late for you?)

Stranger: It is only 11pm

You: oh okay

You: I feel like it's been hard for me to get a sense of the things that you like, outside of your faith and beliefs

Stranger: You could just ask

You: can I ask then? ^^

You: (I am shameless lol)

Stranger: I have nothing to hide

You: so what do you like outside of your faith and beliefs?

Stranger: That is too broad and vague

You: and working out and military-things

You: mhm I guess it's just hard to imagine not having anything that you look forward to, etc, etc.

Stranger: I look forward to a lot of things

You: such as?

Stranger: Getting stronger

Stranger: Fighting

Stranger: Marrying a beautiful woman

Stranger: Building a strong family

You: These seem like very cerebral goals

You: btw how will you know when you meet someone that they are the right one?

Stranger: You spend time with them

You: and...

Stranger: What do you mean and

Stranger: Do you not know how relationships work

You: like you just magically know?

You: of course I do

You: but I mean, there's just passion and then something deeper too

Stranger: So why are you asking

Stranger: You meet someone, you spend time together, and grow together

Stranger: It's simple

You: okay

You: hmm

You: ^^ you are difficult haha

Stranger: How

You: idk, for me to connect to, I guess

You: sometimes I wonder if I have a kid and if they are like you, how I would connect to them

Stranger: You don't need to connect to your children

Stranger: Just need to prepare them for life

You: funny because someone else I spoke to said the most important thing was to give them love and support lol

You: not that I take either really particularly seriously I guess

Stranger: Love and support wont teach a person how to survive

You: mhm... do you believe in mental health issues?

Stranger: Everyone has a "mental health" issue. This is why you master your emotions and discipline yourself, so that even if the issue is there, it wont have any affect

You: mhm

You: I've just seen a lot of people collapse and break apart after leaving home

Stranger: Because they are weak

You: maybe

You: but what if they are your child?

You: leave them behind if they are weak?

Stranger: If they are an adult, yes

You: what if they are technically an adult, but in your eyes they are still a child?

Stranger: That doesn't make any sense

You: it means that someone is like idk 18 years old, but you still think they're immature

You: unrealistic

Stranger: There are plenty of people in their 40s I consider immature, it doesn't make me view them as a child

You: fair enough

You: a person I was talking to today too said something similar too

You: holding your children's "freedom" paramount

Stranger: Freedom?

Stranger: Once they're an adult their life is their own business

Stranger: It's not about a respect for freedom

Stranger: They're just no longer my responsibility

You: I guess

You: If it were me, I wouldn't stop worrying about them though

You: I think I have a little bit of a micro-managing habit

You: or tendency perhaps

You: but it may be part of the way I grew up

Stranger: Yes

You: I feel like it will be hard for me to let go

Stranger: Yet again more proof that mastering one's emotions is imperative

Stranger: Now you are controlled by your habits

You: why is it bad to want the best for your children?

You: even if they are an adult?

Stranger: When did I ever say it was bad to want the best for them

You: you said you would leave behind your child if they are weak if they are an adult?

Stranger: Yeah, weakness is a choice

You: oh...

Stranger: Their life is their responsibility at that point

You: yes it is, but I feel like I would want to do everything I can to continue doing something

Stranger: Why

You: because they are important to me?

You: as a parent, you won't be around forever, and you want them to live a fulfilling life?

Stranger: That is their responsibility

You: sure, but I don't care

You: even if I have to cheat I would want to give them what they need for a fulfilling life

Stranger: Cant relate

You: yeah sorry

You: I think we are just extremely different

Stranger: Yes we are

You: do you ever find anyone similar to you?

Stranger: I did once

You: and?

Stranger: It didn't work out

You: huh? you mean romantically?

Stranger: Yes

You: oh...

You: Do you mind if I ask what state you're from?

Stranger: Florida

You: Hmm... I feel like I have weird deja-vu that I asked this before

You: wait how is it only 11 pm in florida?

Stranger: I do not live in Florida

You: oh

You: I think I feel weird and baffled I guess

Stranger: Most people that preach diversity often do not know what to do when confronted with actual different people

You: Hm? What are you saying that I should do?

Stranger: Do whatever you feel is best

You: Hm, I think I am just doing whatever I want though?

Stranger: Doesn't matter to me

You: I think I ran out of words though

You: I guess I am just trying to figure out how to process this

You: what I should take away

Stranger: Process this?

You: yup

Stranger: It is just a conversation

You: mhm, and I think about the conversations I have and digest them?

You: that would be processing?

Stranger: I suppose I am quicker

You: sure

You: btw why do you bother talking to me?

You: I feel like I annoyed you a few times

Stranger: Because I am taking a break from other things

You: it's a pretty long break

Stranger: Yes

You: you don't think this is a waste of your time?

Stranger: I have already done whatever I needed to for the day

You: hmm, I feel like normal people have better things to do than spend an hour or more on omegle

Stranger: What am I supposed to say

Stranger: I have finished everything I needed to for the day

You: idk you could something... more enjoyable, I guess?

You: did you play games growing up?

Stranger: Yes

You: you don't now?

Stranger: I do

You: what games?

Stranger: Military strategy games

You: eu4?

You: is that what it's called?

Stranger: No

You: hmm... total war?

Stranger: I have played total war games before

You: i don't know any others lol

Stranger: Alright

You: I've never heard you talk about your father I think

Stranger: You do not hear me talk about anything unless asked

You: mhm true enough

You: is there a reason why you're open to me asking so much?

Stranger: I am open in general, I have nothing to hide

You: do you have a good relationship with your father?

Stranger: I have not heard from him since I was 8 years old

You: did he leave?

Stranger: My parents were divorced

You: ah... do you know much about it?

Stranger: My father was lazy and not very helpful around the house, and had mental disorders he gave into from the Vietnam war

You: ptsd?

Stranger: He just had anti-social tendencies like me but was too weak to master them

You: oh...

You: antisocial as in the psychology definition or the mainstream one?

Stranger: The actual definition

You: oh I didn't know

Stranger: How could you, I never told you

You: mhm

You: were you diagnosed with it?

Stranger: No, I do not claim to have any disorder either, I said tendencies

You: mhm okay

You: did you worry about it a lot in the past?

Stranger: No

You: do you know if your father is doing okay right now?

Stranger: I have had no information about him since I was 8

You: mhm... and it sounds like you don't have a very close connection with him either

Stranger: How could I have a close connection to him

You: I don't know, I guess before you were 8

You: but common sense would dictate that you didn't have a favorable relationship

Stranger: I did not really care about the situation much at the time, I still do not

You: right

You: how was your mom... during the years thereafter?

Stranger: Fine

You: do you know much about gangs?

Stranger: I know that they tried to recruit me a few times, so I told them to suck my dick

You: ah okay

You: I was just thinking about it because I read a news article

You: of a freshman at the university I attended

You: was stabbed by three teen gang members

You: was just reflecting on it today

Stranger: Gangs are scum, and if it was up to me the members would be rounded up and boiled alive

Stranger: But of course that is not saying much considering that is my solution to many things

You: the kids were like 13-14 years old

You: tried to mug the girl

Stranger: I am not interested in hearing more

You: sorry

Stranger: Boil them alive, that is all I have to say

You: do you believe a lot in revenge?

Stranger: No

You: hmm... so justice then?

Stranger: Yes

You: What if your sense of justice differs from the letter of the law?

Stranger: It already does, and is one of the reasons I stay away from many situations

You: ah okay

You: but you are interested in politics?

You: or is that just an omegle thing

Stranger: I am thinking this is the last time I talk about politics to anyone online, and will only do it in person

You: okay, sorry

Stranger: Sorry for what

You: idk I feel responsible for giving a bad experience or something

Stranger: It has nothing to do with you

You: oh okay

You: I think uncomfortable things are probably good for me

Stranger: Lol

You: for some reason I find it funny when you "lol"

You: you do it very sparingly

You: I think you remind me of darker things

Stranger: What are you talking about

You: nothing that matters to you, I think

You: I am probably rambling I guess

You: I guess I am thinking about self-esteem

You: yours seems to be quite strong

Stranger: Yes it is

You: mine is not lol

Stranger: I am not surprised

You: I am not surprised that you're not surprised lol

You: I think what is nearly impossible for me to comprehend is how you're so confident that you are destined for greatness, etc

You: or well, relate to

Stranger: That is because you view it as something to aspire to rather than something that is inherent to one's station in life

You: mhm... do you believe that you are born with self-worth?

Stranger: I do not consider myself destined for greatness because I am great, that is simply what God has mandated for me

Stranger: I do not know what you mean by born with self-worth

You: mhm... this is a cynical thing to say, but basically like born "worth" something

Stranger: Worth what to whom

You: essentially born "great"

Stranger: I do not see it that way

Stranger: God saw what my life was going to be like and the kind of man I would be, so He decided to confer upon me a great responsibility

You: hmm

Stranger: I separate greatness from the person

You: but you use language like "I am great"?

Stranger: I do not claim to be great

You: um, I'm confused

Stranger: It is not me that is great, it is the responsibility that God has given me that is great

You: I feel like that kind of thinking hasn't been always very effective for me

You: i.e. "I have great responsibility" therefore "I have self-esteem"

You: for some reason I end up drifting back to thinking about some kind of abstract intrinsic sense of self-worth

Stranger: I do not have self-esteem because of great responsibility, I have self-esteem because I have been very independent most of my life and am confident in my abilities

You: hmm, I lack self-esteem because I don't like myself a lot, but in terms of objective performance and abilities I think I am doing okay but somehow not appreciating.

Stranger: If you do not like yourself then simply become better and worth liking

You: I need to try harder

Stranger: Then do so

You: Do you spend a lot of time reflecting about yourself?

Stranger: Introspection has always been a pastime of mine

You: Hm... I don't do it enough

You: it's much easier to think about other people and other things

You: to the extent of avoiding thinking about myself I guess

Stranger: That is strange to me

You: I have a younger brother

You: it is easier to give him advice than to think extensively about my own faults

Stranger: If that is the case nobody will take your advice seriously

You: mhm there's different kinds of advice I guess

You: emotional advice is probably not my forte

You: okay, I think I will probably go to bed and think about this

You: thanks for giving me things to think about

Stranger: Alright go do that

You: goodnight, best wishes with everything!

You have disconnected.

[chrisgis4680-blog]

Module 2

So I am to guess we were supposed to include readings on the paintings of the day two reading, but obviously I already wrote a whole bit on that so I will direct you there if you wish to read about them haha. 

I really enjoyed “The Mask of Anarchy” though it took me a few times to reread bits to get the gist, I still think it was a much easier read than some of the other poems we have had to read. Like the next one I will be writing about. I think the rhythm and overall set up just really helped make this poem an easier read. I may get overwhelmed by a massive pile of words in one clustered form. When I read it I thought Hope was actually the one who did the speech. The analysis stated that they are not sure who is doing the speech, but that it seems to be a woman, and honestly the whole time I just assumed it was Hope, so that is what I am going to go with. It seemed to me that hope was lost until she saw anarchy then happened to find her voice. To which I thought the author was maybe praising anarchy. But then in class we clarified my whole four horsemen theory of them being bad, and it was actually the high up people who were under the masks if I remember correctly. Which helped a lot because the analysis confused me, making me think anarchy died and that anarchy was basically everything that was evil in the world. Then I could not tell if it was good or bad again, and I just got all mixed up. Also I quite enjoyed the last line as a general. Hope basically just does a mic drop with the final line, “Ye are many -- they are few.” Not that I have never heard that before, but at the end of the poem, it is simply amazing.

Okay I was not so in love with “Ode to the West Wind” I absolutely read this wrong at first I think I read the title wrong (I cannot for the life of me remember what I thought it was) so because of that I thought it was about a barren wasteland at first, then there was suddenly a tree and I was just all messed up. After reading it again I actually still did not get it. I am not one for huge vague metaphors. I thought the leaves were ideas and the wind spreads the ideas in autumn, during which the ideas just die. Then new ideas were born in spring. Oh I just got to the end of my notes, I thought it said Wild West Wind. That is where I got the desert visual from haha.

Foot seemed to love this poem way more than I ever could. Foot clarified that the leaves were not ideas, but indeed the seeds of revolution. I just did not see that at all, but maybe it made more sense in the context of history. Even the analysis language was rough for me. I really try but if I am not interested my eyes read the page and my brain does not process.

The Communal Luxury was kind of hit or miss for me throughout the book. First off I found it really frustrating that Ross used a lot of French and did not bother to translate it. This being because, well I am reading a book and you should translate so I don’t have to look it up, and the fact that (as every language teacher in the history of the world has mentioned) Google translate does not actually translate all that well. I think the history bit of the commune in the book was rather helpful. Though the documentary helps explain a lot, Ross does dive into the real root of the commune more than I have seen people dive into the explanation in the past. Plus she really helped me understand the whole cannon thing from the documentary because it was kind of confusing in the film honestly. I thought it was really cool that the people who met in the “clubs” had their own language for wanting to talk about things they were not legally allowed to talk about, like bread for property and such. I think this was really clever. Also I am torn between being upset and also kind of amused at the fact that the government did not bother to send their “spies” to the radical women’s clubs. On one hand, obviously women should be seen as more of a threat than they are, but on the other hand it is kind of funny that they weren't seen as such, then they turned around and were basically the whole reason the commune was able to take control of the cannon in the first place. So HA to you government. But not that that has changed either, like basically everything else I have learned about politics in the last several years.

As (hopefully) a future teacher I find everything Ross explains about education to be fascinating. I get super excited when she and the film talk about girls being allowed to learn actual trade skills and things instead of sewing and cooking and other crap like that. Though those things are important if one wants to learn them, girls should have the same opportunity as boys. I think i remember either the book or the film saying something about there still being a separation in schools for girls and boys, but hey it was the nineteenth century, even modern thinking of that day can only go so far. Also I appreciate that Peltier was a schoolteacher and an artist, because well obvious reasons. All these different people with different occupations gets me thinking a bit about things, like why aren't there more people involved in the government that actually experience it? All we have is business people and lawyers and they are great, but maybe a teacher should have a say in the school system because they know what the heck they are doing, and maybe a banker or whatever should say things about the economy. I think part of this was some of the basis of the commune. It was just regular people trying to make up government that worked based on their experiences. Though it obviously did not work out in the end, because well everybody has different opinions, I feel like if maybe you got the right group of people together shit could get figured out. Obviously the problem is who picks the right people? Look at who technically gets picked now. But say in the commune where you start completely over without the corruption and the greed, at least you have a fighting chance of figuring it out.

Though the documentary was kind of weird and a little hard to follow, it was not altogether a horrible film. It probably could have been shorter honestly. I found the concept kind of odd but interesting. I may or may not have thought I was crazy and had to double check when the TV was invented to confirm this haha. But overall it was pretty informative. Though I was confused by the weird and sudden change from the actors acting in the film to actually talking about the film in town hall meetings I did see the point. I will probably say this over and over again throughout the course, but I think pretty much all of the radical politics is almost always relevant to today’s day and age. There have alway been the governed who have all the power and suppress all the little people and the little people will always hate it and sometimes try to change it. I just can’t help but wonder if the elites will always have all the money and power if a revolution just winds up putting a new powerful person back into power the same way they tried to get rid of the last one. Though the commune seemed to be revolutionary and this new amazing thing, history still always repeats itself and I feel we never get out of the governmental lock of the elites vs the poor, especially while the poor stay uninformed and stupid about it.