#cynthia is incredible tv

[champagnemanagement]

[skuntank]

Hooboy ok. If you are a Cynthia/Diantha fan, you need to do yourself a favor and read Getaway Car by @ranger-kellyn if you haven't already. No, I'm serious, go fucking do it. Yes, right now. You already read it? Excellent. Now go read it again. GO.

Idk how to articulate how hard this fic has rocked my brain. The author has an incredible way of detailing the world and character interactions and has an exceptionally good understanding of why people do what they do. I wish I had better words to explain just how engaging this read was. This is one of those fics where, when I finally caught up, it had me going "well now what" because it had consumed my brain so thoroughly and I immediately wanted to turn around and start reading it all over again. Kind of like when I played Red Dead Redemption 2 the first time and other games just weren't as satisfying for a while after bc it set the bar so high lmao.

Basically, this is the first two pages of a short comic I have been very, very slowly working on for the past couple months based on a script that is used within the fic. I've always wanted to do a comic of my own but have never taken the plunge for many different reasons. Kellyn has been kind enough to let me use their script to work off of. In the fic, both Cynthia and Diantha perform in a crime drama TV show side by side and that show is what this comic is based on. For further context, go read the fic. : ) Hopefully, I will be able to stick with this project and y'all will see the next couple pages in another month or so lmao

[ringsreforged]

Season 2, Episode 6 - Nat's Rambles

Okay – SO – Paulina is still on holiday, and I’m obviously DYING OVER HERE (Natalie, in case you hadn’t guessed) so TUMBLR. I HAVE RETURNED.

Truly though, I don’t think I’ve done this since S4 of The 100 which probably aired 100 years ago at this point…what has this show done to me…

ANYWAY. My immediate thoughts on Season 2, Episode 6: WHERE IS HE???????

Paulina Voice: All opinions herein have nothing to do with me, so only judge Natalie for them.

Important Note: I have only watched once, in a haze of stress and emotion, so I reserve the right to delete all of this later if I change my mind on any of it.

Arondir – Hello! Nice to see you! Glad you’re joining us for the battle!

I did like the detail of confirming that not all the orcs are on board with Adar’s war, but I was mostly laughing that ‘running through the trees’ is how the show has reminded us a character exists for two weeks in a row.

Rhun – I think this was the first episode where I was like GO AWAY, RHUN, NOT NOW. Though, I want to stress that I am super excited to see the conclusion of this, probably in episode 8. The Dark Wizard, the Gaudrim, the fate of the Stoors (honestly, I’m assuming they’re all going to be massacred tbh…which…the optics…but we’ll worry about that later…). In today’s episode, it just felt a bit like ‘hey, these characters still exist.’

I did love the little snippet of Tom and the Stranger, though I felt like it could have just been included in their previous scenes. He is 1000% Gandalf, and I stand by my opinion that this isn’t supposed to be a twist or a surprise. It’s just the narrative telling the story. Destiny or friend is super intriguing to me. It’s very Luke and Yoda from Empire, but I do wonder if his destiny IS to choose his friend…and in so doing, THAT is how he finds his staff…

Nori talking with the Gund was very sweet, and her willingness to give herself up to protect everyone was super in character. Poppy and Merimac were cute (I pray to all the gods that THIS was the kiss Morfydd teased but I doubt it very much…), and Poppy wanting to fight for the Stranger made me pretty emotional. However, I have some bad news…

Guys…I think I’m adding Poppy to DEATH WATCH. And I HATE IT. BUT I CAN’T UNTHINK IT.

Moving on…

Numenor – This continues to be the choppiest of storylines this season, but I do think the broad elements are super on point. And, actually, where we end up makes the Eagle sequence make more sense in retrospect. Pharazon didn’t have things locked down, Miriel is very much still a player on the board, and Mr. Eyebrows is THE BIGGEST HYPOCRIT.

Then again, if you told me I’d see Halbrand in the Palantir I’d probably touch it too…

Ahem. Loved that detail by the way! Part of the reason I felt like Halbrand would be his Numenor form was the small scene he shared with Pharazon back in S1, while Galadriel was taking out the guards. A connection was formed then – perhaps his eyes even bored a hole – and if Halbrand rocks up as an enemy of the elves, that’ll only make him more appealing.

Everything with Miriel and Elendil was absolutely stunning. He was willing to give his life for her, she was willing to give hers for his. WHAT ABOUT MY HEART. Honestly, from the way Owen and Cynthia talked about this season, I felt like they weren’t going to get anything at all romance coded. But I’m just starting to think people in TV only see active kissing as romance, because HELLO?? THAT’S THE SCRIPT????? THAT IS ABSOLUTELY ROMANCE????

I’m very excited to watch the sequence with the sea worm again, and to really let it wash over me (heh), because I was starting to get time anxious at that point in the episode (my brain starts panicking ‘don’t end, don’t end.’ Honestly, my brain SUCKS). But it was incredible, the implications were wonderful, Elendil’s relief was beautiful, and so was Pharazon’s rage. Also, the whole sequence was UTTERLY STUNNING, WOW.

Note for the show overall, or maybe just for myself, though – PLEASE stop spoiling so much of the season through promotional material. My biggest gripe with this episode is that I felt like I’d already seen/put together 90% of it.

Anyway, I’ve left Earien until last because this was a MUCH better episode for her (though, not letting her have any reaction to Valandil’s death was CRIMINAL). To the point that I’m now reforging (heh) my thoughts on last week – who directed her to have such bratty energy last week? Weird.

Anyway, we saw much more of her conflict and fluidity in this episode. She isn’t Faithful, she believes the new order is the way to go, but she’s also struggling massively with it. Her desperate hug with her father broke my heart, I had instant tears in my eyes, but then I also cheered when she brought Miriel in! What a great surprise that was! I’m REALLY interested to see where she goes from here…I’m assuming in the finale? I was sure she was locked onto a super dark path, but she witnessed Miriel survive the Valar’s judgement…will that sway her back around?

I’m going to finish this section with something that’s maybe a bit controversial…Elendil sucks as Earien’s father!!! Now, I’m willing to put this on pacing/editing issues, because I don’t think the show really wants us to feel this way. But good god, man. HAVE A CONVERSATION WITH YOUR DAUGHTER. I really enjoyed their cell scene, but sweet lord baby jesus, these two needed a deep conversation in episode 3. Watching him turn to go when Miriel walked in, and just forget Earien was even there hurt me man…even though I enjoy the Miriel aspect VERY much…

Like, I know you’re mad at her, but you’re all she’s got left…and your pride might mean she watches you die…can you be a little kinder to her???

Dwarves being dwarves, AKA perfect – Flawless. No notes.

The initial sequence with the Durin’s and Annatar was PERFECT. Annatar being rejected (that Balrog glimpse was SO EVIL), and Baby Durin’s flicker of hope. But then the reveal that Daddy Durin is deep in the shit because he’s really just being greedy. My gooooodnesssssss. The show has done SUCH A GOOD JOB setting this up, because we know Daddy Durin isn’t this way! We feel Baby Durin’s pain!

Then Daddy Durin has his IT’S MINE moment with the ring and swats his son away. Anguish. And the anguish only anguished harder when we cut to Durin and Disa. Disa talking about her love for her father-in-law, and her own father, and then DURIN’S TEARS. UGH. UGH. UGH. I was weeping, honestly.

I feel like Durin being suss of the rings this early on is a pretty big change (don’t quote me on this) but I’m for it. Watching Disa turn back Narvi and the others (poor Narvi) was beautiful and then that I LOVE YOU. UGH. UGH. UGH. PERFECT, I SAY.

I doubt Disa has anymore bats to summon, though, so IDK how the heck they stop what’s coming next. Is Durin going to get drawn away by his desire to help Elrond, leaving Disa alone and vulnerable?

I REFUSE TO PUT DISA ON DEATH WATCH, SHOW. I REFUSE. DON’T YOU DARE.

Adar and Galadriel – I wish we’d gotten more, especially because they released a clip yesterday that I obviously couldn’t resist watching, but what we got was JUICY.

I felt that Adar knew Halbrand was Sauron back in the premiere, or at least suspected it. Getting that confirmation paints their scene with the talk of the wine, the tears, and the kneeling in such a different light. TASTY.

I’ve seen people question this, because why did Adar not try and kill him there and then? To my mind, that’s pretty straightforward. He killed him once and it didn’t stick. And last time he had the element of surprise. He knows that Sauron is powerful enough to get out of his chains/to not get caught by orcs, which means he’s here for a reason. If Adar tries to kill him, best case scenario Sauron is off the board for another few centuries, but he’ll likely take down some orcs with him on the way out. And for what? For him to just come back again?

I think Adar decided to play the long game. I think talk of Eregion and Galadriel let him know that something more was going on, and he was biding his time to act.

So, Sauron promised Adar children. Honestly, the Adar/Sauron/Galadriel dynamic that played across this episode was the stuff of my dreams. Adar is holding his own relationship with the fella up against hers, and there’s so much subtext for both dynamics. Was there romance between both? Was it solely manipulation for both? Is Adar what Galadriel might become if she succumbs?

Galadriel definitely wasn’t being entirely truthful with Adar when she mentioned that Sauron promised an army, because that was more what she thought she could get out of Halbrand. And yes, sure, Sauron might have nudged her that way. But Sauron’s true offer came later on the raft, after the army had been delivered. Adar even acknowledges that she’s not being truthful, that she needs to let go of her pride. I feel like we’ll see that play out over the last two episodes for sure…

The line that really stuck with me from a Hal&Gal perspective was Galadriel finishing Adar’s line about the world with Sauron being full of colour, and without him it’s a dull grey. It fits with how Galadriel has come across to me this season. Since Elrond shut her out, she hadn’t had anybody to open up to, and she’s certainly not being fully honest with herself yet. That dull grey speaks to how she’s mostly been…quite contained? The only moments where she’s truly come alive were with Nenya, and when she was fighting.

Later in the episode, she DOES put aside her pride. She calls Adar Uruk!!! She opens up and sees the possibility of an alliance. And I think this goes back to Sauron too. She’s had a taste of darkness and the temptation of it, she knows she’s not secure from succumbing, and so her perspective of Adar – who was once an elf – has massively shifted. However, when he asks if he and his children will be able to return to their home…we all know the answer to that.

I actually never stopped to consider that Adar would be the one manipulating/tricking Galadriel, which is silly in retrospect. Because this much better explains how she ends up in a cage facing the elves (sorry guys, I don’t think she’s bait for Sauron…she’s facing the wrong way…). I’m looking forward to watching this bit again, as I feel it was a bit rushed on first watch. I would have liked to see these two chat for a good two scenes more, honestly.

Adar is falling into the trap, which is pretty devastating, and Galadriel is the one seeing through it. Honestly, I really don’t know how things roll out in the finale. I flip from it making no sense for it to be a S1 rehash, to being sure she’ll defiantly resist, to being sure the show is setting her up to not be able to. I JUST DON’T KNOW. I wish I’d never seen those stupid leak spoilers…the promo makes me think they are real, but then we MUST be missing full context.

Adar is still on DEATH WATCH but like…a little bit less than before, honestly? Mostly because I don’t see how we have time to get ALL the confrontations into the last two episodes. When Adar goes out – and he will – he deserves the biggest death.

Random aside: I am pondering sharing something of a Haladriel ramble/rant but I’m also like…IDK if I want the hassle, so we’ll see.

Celebrimbor and Annatar

Oh, Brimby. My heart aches. The sequence with him forgetting Mirdania’s name was so heartbreaking and watching Annatar isolate him so completely was chilling. First, by taking away the other smiths, then with the illusion.

I actually don’t think I have a lot to say on this section, because it’s been rumbling along all season and we’re just about to reach the climax. Sauron is Sauron’ing his hardest in this episode.

I am now quite convinced that Mirdania is not Celebrian (I already didn’t really believe it, but it’s firmer now) and I do think she’ll die. I think she’ll either be killed by Sauron himself, or she’ll be caught in the crossfire of the siege, and as she dies she’ll make eye contact with him and he’ll just coldly leave her. I feel like there has to be some sort of climax to the whole…you look like Galadriel thing, but I’m not really sure what that could be?? I don’t think there’s going to be a lot of time next episode, so maybe that really was a one and done so the viewer understood he’s thinking about her…

Celebrimbor trying to snap on Annatar, and that flash of true rage in Annatar’s face…oh god, next week is going to be soul destroying. I honestly can’t wait and dread it at the same time. Celebrimbor has fought so hard but then comes the illusion, then comes the lure – more talk of the Valar, of his work, of Feanor and the Silmarils. CELEBRIMBOR. GET OUT, PLEASE. GET OUT.

Sauron was then absolutely buzzing at the end there, as war came, and I wonder if there are more twists to come or if things play out fairly straightforward from here. We know the elves will charge the orcs. Does that happen straight away? Is there any communication? Because it’s complicated, isn’t it? On one hand, let Adar and the orcs try to take our Sauron…but then, you know innocents are being killed. You have to save them, surely?

And that’s that, I think? PHEW.

I must say, it’s harder to get through this season being in fandom because I KNOW SO MUCH MORE and I WANT SO MUCH MORE and people STRESS ME OUT. But, at the same time, it feels nice to love something this hard again?

Let’s get episode 7 and [redacted] out of the way fast, though, yeah?

[rhapsodynew]

#On this day

Awarding The Beatles with The Order of The British Empire

George: "Brian was not invited to the palace. In my opinion, we were only allowed to invite someone from our family. He must have been annoyed in his heart. But he didn't show it."

Cynthia: "One thing was disappointing: the Beatle families were not invited to the palace for the ceremony. However, the guys didn't want that either: they were so nervous themselves that they didn't have enough to worry about their loved ones. We, their wives and girlfriends, really wanted to go with them, but the guys decided that it was better without us, since a real pandemonium of hysterical fans was expected at the palace. We watched everything on TV and were incredibly proud of them."

Tony Barrow: "The Beatles went to Buckingham Palace in John's shiny Rolls Royce Phantom 5 ("exactly the same as Elvis, but my windows are tinted")."

Barry Miles: "The group arrived at Buckingham Palace at 11 a.m. for the award ceremony in the Great Throne Room. Outside, about four thousand fans chanted "yee-yee-yee" and pressed the police, who tried to restrain them, and therefore could not prevent them from climbing the gates and lampposts at the palace.

John: "We were instructed in advance by some big guy, a guardsman."

Paul: "He took us aside and explained what we should do: "Approach Her Majesty like this, do not take your eyes off her, and do not speak to her until she speaks to you." And all that. It was pretty funny."

Barry Miles: "On this day, 189 more people were awarded, including six who were knighted."

George: "We were standing in a long queue. There must have been hundreds of people there."

Paul: "We were the only band there. Everyone was friendly to us."

John: "We signed autographs for everyone who was waiting with us to receive their medals."

Paul: "None of them said, "This is for my daughter, even though I don't understand what she sees in you!"

Barry Miles: "The Lord Chamberlain of the Royal Household, Lord Cobbold, read out the names of the members of The Beatles."

Paul: "This dude shouted, "George Harrison, John Lennon, Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr."

John: "When the names were read out and we got to Ringo Starr, we almost burst out laughing."

Paul: "The word "Starr" was a signal for us to step forward with our left foot, as instructed. It was like some kind of performance."

Ringo: "Then we bowed our heads and went to the Queen."

Barry Miles: "The Queen shook their hands, talked to each of them and attached an award."

John: "I really wanted to laugh. We were giggling like crazy all the time because we had just smoked a joint in the toilet at Buckingham Palace. We were very nervous."

George: "No, we didn't smoke marijuana before the ceremony. Just regular cigarettes. I have no doubt that years later John turned those cigarettes of ours into joints. What could be more terrible before meeting the Queen? Get high! But no, we didn't do that."

Ringo: "I was so worried that I won't remember anything anymore."

Tony Barrow: "After the ceremony, they were inspired, but nothing in their eyes, voices or other signs suggested that they were under the grass. I doubt they even took her to the palace, which was swarming with security forces of all levels."

John: "Although we didn't attach much importance to the royal family, you can't help but be impressed when you're in the palace, when you realize that you're standing in front of the queen. It was like a dream. Fine.

The music was playing, I looked at the ceiling – and it's not a bad ceiling. It was a historic moment. It's like you're in a museum."

Ringo: "The Queen was great. Of course, I'm a big fan of hers now. Obviously, she tried her best to make everyone feel calm and not nervous. When she handed me the order, she said: "I'm glad to give it to you," and I said, "Thank you."

John: "She was much more beautiful than in the photos."

Paul: "A charming woman. Cool! She was very friendly. She was like a mom to us."

John: "Just like Mom. She was so warm and sweet. She really calmed us down. I think the Queen really believes in all these things. I've always hated all these social events. All these wild events, all kinds of awards that we had to attend. It's all for show. You can see through everyone. I despise them. Maybe it's a class feeling? However, no. In fact, these people are fake."

Barry Miles: "The Beatles were awarded the Order of the British Empire, the lowest of the five categories of the order. His title ranks 120th out of 126 in the ranking system."

Ringo: "I was wondering if Brian was upset that he wasn't awarded this order. But he was always really happy for us. I think if he wanted to, he would even be knighted.

Barry Miles: "Immediately after the award ceremony, a press conference was organized in the bar of the Saville Theater, where the band members discussed their award and made comments about the protesting statements of the award recipients addressed to them."

Tony Barrow: "Brian Epstein was pleased with the Beatles' remarks that he deserved such an order."

George: "I brought the order home and put it in a drawer, and later put it on for shooting for Pepper's envelope, and Paul did the same. The order remained pinned to my Pepper coat for another year, and then I put it back in the box and put it in the closet."

John: "I keep the order in the smallest room of my house–in my office."

And closer to Christmas, John will give his order to Aunt Mimi.

What a pity that it was impossible to take pictures at Buckingham Palace!

[devilsrains]

led zeppelin, by neal preston

CYNTHIA: Part of the creation of the myth, or the notion of Led Zeppelin being bigger than life, came from the fact that they did things in a different way. NEAL: It was the way they did it. CYNTHIA: Yes. Jimmy Page was very proud of the fact this was a band that grew primarily by word of mouth. It wasn’t through a publicity stunt. It wasn’t through a bunch of TV appearances. So, you see yourself there, somehow, because of your creative ability, helping them create this kind of mystique because of your ability to capture these incredible iconic moments that most people think of when Led Zeppelin comes to mind. These moments are moments that you created. NEAL: Well, they’re moments I captured.

[numberonecameraman]

📢 Champions

When the Pokémon World Tournament happened a while ago, I was assigned to follow the contestants to get footage of them for the media. Never in my life have I met so many stuck-up, inconsiderate, and selfish people. I could talk about most of them for hours, so I’ll try to be brief.

Red was fine. He was extremely quiet, to the point he only said five words to me in almost a week of shadowing him. “Cool hat. I like it.” He also didn’t do much. He spent most of his days in the green room staring absentmindedly at a wall or playing with his Pokémon. Fine on paper, but the higher ups hated my footage since it wouldn’t make “good TV”. Not necessarily his fault but I associate the memory with him.

Blue… Imagine the most annoying teenager you’ve ever met times 10. I’m sure Blue could be a fine person in a vacuum, but since he was an “esteemed guest” at the PWT, he could essentially do whatever he wanted. I’ve never seen anyone eat as much as he did. He also loved being on camera. Every other second he would be pulling a stupid pose or asking me to record him during a practice battle. Just a pain to be around, overall.

Lance. The first words he said to me were, “Are you a fan of the Dragon Type?” That’s all he talked about to everyone and anyone he met for five days. Every second I spent with him was agony. The best part was when he challenged me to a battle right before he left and Laguna sweeped his team with Ice Beam, including his ““invincible”” Dragonite. Needless to say, he didn’t do as much bragging after that.

Steven is Lance with an off button. He loves rocks, he’s practically obsessed with them. The day we met he showed me his entire collection, which I have to admit was pretty cool. But after that, he rarely brought it up! He mostly kept to himself after that and even tried to have normal conversations with me. He also lives like a minimalist. He brought two bags to the event, one of which was entirely filled of duplicates of his standard suit. How he can afford those, I have no idea.

Wallace acted as though everywhere he went was the Nimbasa Music Theatre. Everything had to be a performance. Whether it was ordering food, talking to people, or signing autographs, every action was done with a dramatic flair. He also never stayed still for more than a few minutes. His catchphrase was, “You there [Me]! Let’s go someplace fun!”, even if it was 40 feet down the road. In his defense, a couple of them were pretty fun like the Marine Tube.

Cynthia and I seemed to share a “Let’s get this over with” attitude so we hit it off pretty well. However, despite getting along with her, I essentially became her answering machine. She would never make a decision without my input and it got old really fast. Her “body guard” Garchomp also took some getting used to. She’s a massive softie, but I think I still have rashes from her impromptu “hugs”.

I have mixed feelings on Alder. On one hand, he shot my dream of being Pokémon League Champion into the void. On the other hand, he seemed like a good person. He cared about my feelings and offered to talk with me about the Champion thing. Though that was more of a curse than a blessing. He loves to talk. A simple conversation about the weather can last up to 30 minutes. His jokes are terrible too. I want to like him, but never will.

Iris seemed like a repeat of the Blue situation at first. She was loud, bratty, and really irritating. But, as time went on, she calmed down and was genuinely fun to be around. She was incredibly mature but wasn’t afraid to be herself. Her team was awesome to see in battle too. If it weren’t for the horrendous first impression, she’d be my favorite Champion. Maybe I have a soft spot for kids.

That’s all the Champions I’ve met. I know there are others, but I can’t speak on them. From what I’ve seen, Diantha seems like a snob, the Alola League Champion is a boxer so I don’t know what to expect, Leon’s probably really stuck up, and I assume Geeta acts like my boss, which means I hate her by proxy.

[saveourpinks]

ROTPL is so so so important to me. How often can we find a good musical tv show with representation for many different communities? As a member of the lgbtq+ community (and a theatre kid) this show has helped me in so many ways.

Cynthia’s coming out scene was beautiful and unlike any coming out scene I have ever seen. This showed the pain and fear of realizing who you really are. ROTPL showed what every single person in our community has gone through or will go through.

The theatre aspect of this show was amazing. The songs, dancing, and the incredible voices of the cast was so much fun to watch and listen too. It’s so hard to find really good musical shows so ROTPL is like theatre kid heaven.

My favorite thing out of this entire show is the community it brought together. As horrible as losing this show is, the people trying to save it are amazing. I can’t believe so many people have come together to save this series. We’ve created a team to save this show and we will go down fighting. Thank you so much for this incredible show and SAVE OUR PINKS

[joemcstinky]

Screw it, here's Pokémon Headcanons

The Brainworms are gnawing into me, and I must tell my 0 followers about how epic Red and Blue are.

Red (Gen 1): Relatively new to Pokémon Training, loved watching matches on TV. Naturally gifted at battling, incredibly close bond with his Pokémon. A few weeks after becoming Champ, Red hears of Blue's loss to the Pokémon in Cerulean Cave, and goes in to avenge him. Ends up defeating Mewtwo, and instead of capturing him, they instead become friends.

Blue (Gen 1): Used to practice with Oak's Pokémon, and began his journey a few weeks before Red. Not as skilled as Red, but he makes up for it with hard-hitting attacks. Jealous of Red's skill, and pushes his Pokémon past their limit to beat him. Fails to beat Mewtwo in Cerulean Cave, and finally admits his frustrations to Red, the two getting closer afterwards.

Gold: About the same level as skill as Red, if not a bit less so. Everyone who has met Red see a familiar spirit in Gold. Travels through Johto and Kanto, before climbing Mount Silver and fighting Red. Loses to Red, though his fight with Red reinvigorates the older trainer.

Silver: Giovanna's son, who was raised an orphan. Knows nothing about his family, only the connection to Team Rocket. Slowly forms a friendship with Gold, before working alongside Lance to track down the Rocket stragglers. Learns of his father's identity, and is the one to defeat and take Giovanna in.

Blue (Gen 2): New 8th Kanto Gym Leader, despite being given an offer to join the Elite 4. Far more humble, though still a bit brash in the heat of battle. Is caught off guard by Gold's similar 'aura' to Red.

Red (Gen 2): disillusioned with battling, and has been 'missing' for a year. Only Lance, Oak, and Blue know of his whereabouts, on Mount Silver. He's taken a monk-esque lifestyle, living alone in silence, training his Pokémon. Has been waiting for a trainer to climb the mountain and face him in battle. Following his battle with Gold, he ends up getting his groove back and returns to his role as Champion.

Red (Gen 7): Many years later, Red is the Chief Battle Officer of the Pokémon League Organization. He and Blue travel to Alola to properly add the region to the League System, and after their work is done, the pair enter into the Battle Tree Tournament. He's still as silent as always, though he's far more likely to speak to Blue.

Blue (Gen 7): The President of the Pokemon League Orginazation, following Cynthia's term, who's travelled to Alola alongside Red to enter the Region into the League System. He's the one of the pair who decided to enter the two of them into the Battle Tree. Despite being older, he's somehow even more young at heart, though he takes his job seriously.

[denimbex1986]

'On October 30, 1938, Orson Welles (who would go on to write, direct and star in Citizen Kane, one of the greatest movies of all time) narrated a radio adaptation of H.G. Wells’ classic Martian-invasion novel, The War of the Worlds. The only problem was, Welles was a little too effective, a little too scary with his narration. The CBS Radio Network, a mainstay of American entertainment back then, received panic-stricken phone calls nonstop, from viewers who actually believed Martians had invaded our planet. A Midwestern sheriff wanted to pursue legal action against CBS because half his town had started running amok in the streets. It goes to show just how impactful a good radio dramatisation can be.

I was reminded of this little slice of radio history while listening to Audible’s superlative new adaptation of George Orwell’s dystopian novel1984. Written by Joe Wright, the adaptation features an original score co-written by Muse singer and lead guitarist Matthew Bellamy and composer Ilan Eshkeri, and performed by the London Metropolitan Orchestra. The all-star cast is led by Andrew Garfield and Cynthia Erivo as Winston and Julia, respectively, the young lovers whose relationship is also an act of rebellion against the all-seeing Big Brother and ‘the Party’. Andrew Scott (seen most recently in Netflix’s miniseries Ripley) is smooth and terrifying as Mr. O’Brien, Winston’s Party colleague who he suspects is secretly a part of the rebellious ‘Brotherhood’. And the inimitable Tom Hardy pitches in with a flawless cameo as the voice of Big Brother himself. The whole thing, at 200-odd minutes, is split up into seven parts.

Two things you’ll notice immediately about this adaptation — it is intensely cinematic and it takes considerable liberties with Orwell’s text. For example, Big Brother watching all of his citizens courtesy omnipresent TV screens is described as “surveillance” (a decidedly contemporary word) throughout by Garfield’s Winston. Generally speaking, the text is condensed in a way that minimises ‘third-party’ lines such as portions of police files, newspaper clippings, extracts from fictional texts and so on. The reason this works so well for this adaptation is because of the first point I mentioned: its intensely cinematic nature, thanks to Bellamy and Eshkeri’s superb original score. In almost every chapter, the score begins on an ambient, orchestral note and it keeps the sense of urgency rising with every minute, until the last one-third of every chapter signals paranoia and despair with every note of the music.

But really, this 1984 depends largely on the star power and stellar work put in by its A-list cast. Erivo, especially, is a revelation as Julia. Although I was familiar with her recent record on TV (HBO’s The Outsider is one of her home runs), this was the first time I heard her doing voice work, and she is incredible. The romance and lovemaking scenes between her and Garfield maintain a sense of fragility that is paramount to Orwell’s text.

Garfield’s big moments typically happen at the end of every chapter, when Winston is usually second-guessing the motives of Julia or his friends and colleagues, wondering whether one of them is secretly a part of the dreaded ‘Thought Police’. When he watches O’Brien during a public gathering, for instance, Winston swings wildly between pegging O’Brien as a member of the Brotherhood — and the polar opposite, his ‘day job’ as a member of the Party’s inner circles. See how the dialogue reflects this boomerang motion — Garfield’s work is cut out for him here and he expertly steers the audience between hope and hopelessness.

“I caught O’Brien’s eye. Just for a fraction of a second, but it was long enough to know. Yes, I know now O’Brien was thinking the same thing as me. I’m on your side, Winston. And just like that, it was gone. O’Brien’s face was as inscrutable as ever. Such a fleeting moment that I questioned whether it happened at all. But I know it did. And it keeps alive in me the hope that it isn’t just me…”

As the passage above shows, this is Orwell reimagined through contemporary, Netflix-era snappy dialogue. Purists might take exception to the wholesale cull of the original Orwell lines but for the purposes of a radio adaptation, I found the abridged version to be just right.

Audible’s 1984 provides a great starting point to this 20th century classic for beginners. I am quite sure that a significant portion of these listeners will go back and visit (or revisit, as the case may be) the original novel to expand their horizons.'

[waheelawhisperer]

Top 5 designs from your formative years that defined your tastes

Bearing in mind that my formative years include a range that spans from "the moment I was old enough to understand concepts more complex than hunger and crying" to "the moment I started writing this post" and that a lot of designs have influenced my tastes over the years, here you go:

Goku and Vegeta, Dragon Ball Z

As a Latino I am quite literally obligated by law to put Goku and Vegeta on this list, but I was also huge into Dragon Ball Z as a kid and I actually think that show is what awakened the love of martial arts within me that still persists today. Toriyama's aesthetic is incredibly distinctive and had a great deal of influence over my initial forays into art and character design when I was much younger. These guys end up at #1 because DBZ has done so, so much to build my perception of combat and fight scenes and scale and and just sort of how a series should work that, like... I can't imagine myself getting into anime at all if I hadn't watched this show. Given how much of my taste is drawn from anime (although there's quite a bit coming from western media as well), my personal preferences would've taken a much different trajectory in that scenario.

Jotaro Kujo, Jojo's Bizarre Adventure

I don't think any character has influenced my tastes in the modern era more than Jotaro, to be honest. He's one of the reasons many of my characters wear a hat/long coat combo and why the men in particular tend to be tall, buff, and stoic and have deep voices. He also influenced my appreciation of cool poses and characters that just beat the shit out of people with their mighty fists, as well as intelligent and analytical heroes at a time when I was used to seeing heroes just be stronger or grittier or more determined than their foes.

Samus Aran, Metroid/Super Smash Bros.

I'm pretty sure that Zero Suit Samus was the start of my irresistible desire for tall badass blonde ladies with big boobs. I have a type because of her. Let's just leave it at that.

Charizard, Pokemon

I think dragons are super cool and Charizard is a big part of why. Kid me loved Pokemon, a love which extended into adulthood, and Charizard was my favorite for a very long time. I'm pretty sure he's also where my fascination with fire powers came from. Also, the narratives around Ash's Charizard's fights in the anime did a lot to shape my perception of storytelling in combat.

The Good Hunter, Bloodborne

The other reason a lot of my characters have hats and long coats and are very gruff and stoic. Bloodborne is arguably my favorite game I've ever played and had a huge influence on my tastes and aesthetic. I particularly loved the Gothic Horror aspects of it (never been as big on Cosmic Horror tbh) and it really reignited my love for big brutal weapons that just fuck enemies up. It's also the reason the ocean is fucked up and awful in many of my original settings.

Honorable Mentions:

So fucking many not gonna lie but I'll just list a few. Funnily enough, a lot of my western influences actually come from books more so than TV/movies.

Jackie Chan - DBZ started my love for martial arts, but watching a bunch of Jackie Chan movies when I was younger grounded that aspect of my taste in something a bit more realistic than aliens who could fly throwing around energy blasts and leveling mountain ranges.

Godzilla - This is how I learned I love watching giant monsters fight. Monsterverse Godzilla has had a lot of influence on my tastes recently because I love the way he fights and the way the people making the Monsterverse movies drew from real fights between animals to build his fighting style.

I had a huge crush on Cynthia Pokemon as a kid but I had to pick between her and Samus and Samus won by virtue of timing.

Brutaka from Bionicle is cool as shit.

Yang Xiao Long from RWBY and Nearl from Arknights did not build my tastes so much as reinforce them. Hard.

Arknights in general has been one of the big influences on my original work not gonna lie.

MCU's Iron Man, Halo's Master Chief, and the Marines from StarCraft all helped codify my ideas of what powered armor should look like.

Esdeath from Akame ga Kill heavily reinforced my desire to be femdommed despite most of the rest of that series being steaming dogshit

King Arthur - I read so voraciously and from such an early age that my family couldn't keep age-appropriate books stocked faster than I could read them, so at some point my dad said "fuck it" and handed a collection of Arthurian Cycle stories written for adults to an eight-year-old and I have loved chivalric romance and knights in shining armor ever since.

There's so much more but I don't think I can possibly list them all

Thanks for sending me this. Everyone please ask more, I had a lot of fun answering the ones I've gotten so far

[inthiseternalmoment]

Journaling after taking a break

Emulators, Pokemon, Super Mario Sunshine, nostalgia, ending therapy, 90 Day Fiancé, Emmy Rossum, the future. So much has happened and I’m entering the next season of my life.

12/14/2023

I have some updates since I stopped journaling.

I figured out emulators and have been able to play games I wanted to play or played as a kid. I’ve only just started getting into my catalog of games, but already I’ve played and finished:

SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom

Pokemon Pearl

Battle for Bikini Bottom is a game I really loved as a kid and it still holds up! The game mechanics, the different levels, and the pacing. A 10/10 game for me, personally.

Pokemon Pearl was amazing - I chose to play it over Pokemon Diamond because I wanted to see how the gameplay differed. It was very similar to Diamond, except this time I was able to finish the game. This was the first Pokemon game I ever finished (beat the Elite 4 and Cynthia to become the Pokemon Champion). I caught Palkia and my team consisted of Empoleon, Haunter, Crobat, Kadabra, Palkia, and an HM Pokemon.

Emotionally I have been healing and re-connecting with my inner-child as I’ve been playing.

The current games that I am playing are:

Super Mario Sunshine

Kirby: Nightmare in Dreamland

Crash Bandicoot

Playing these games is such a trip. There are a number of other games I wanted to start but my Odin can’t play them at full-speed so I need to wait for the Odin 2 to come in.

I’ll be gifting my Odin to Aprille once the Odin 2 comes in. I originally didn’t plan to buy the Odin 2, but once I understood the setup process and the fact that the Odin 2 could handle all the PS2 and GameCube games that the Odin couldn’t, my decision became clear.

…

Another update: I’ve decided that I’ll be ending therapy this upcoming December session. This wasn’t something I was sure about until I got a confirmation that my card on file had expired. I’ve been listening for a sign on when it was time for me to move on from therapy and that was it.

It’s been a long time coming and I’m literally not the same person I was when I started. It’s almost surreal that I’m closing the book on this specific aspect of my life, but I know I’m ready for it.

…

Another update: I’ve been feeling nostalgia like crazy. I almost don’t feel I’m here fully nowadays. I’ve been feeling like I’m seeing the world as I did in Okinawa and high school and college. It’s as if all the timelines within me have begun to combine and condense within me so that they all exist as one. It’s been an unsettling and overwhelming feeling, although not unwelcome.

I don’t feel that I’m ready to make sense of what’s happening within me yet, but I believe it will make sense in time.

…

Another update: there was a Black Friday deal on MAX and I got it as a surprise for us so that we could watch 90 Day Fiancé. We’ve been doing so for a few weeks now and it’s been incredible revisiting the show and who we were the last time we watched it.

I know that many people see the show as just another “trash reality-tv” show full of drama but we see it as so much more than that.

We see courageous people making courages decisions, choosing to be incredibly vulnerable in front of the entire world. Their stories move us and we constantly talk about what comes up within us as we watch them embark on their journeys.

Even today, we were talking about how the people on the show “90 Day Fiance, the other way” were playing these roles in their lives and decided to say goodbye to it all and embark on brand new journeys for themselves. This is why we loved the original show, because we understood and were invested in the risks people took to pursue what they felt was for them.

It’s inspiring.

Tonight’s episodes led us to revisit the move to Chicago and how we felt we were similar to the cast in making that decision. I even saw a TikTok I watched during an ad-break of Fiona leaving Shameless – I had never seen the clips before because I stopped watching a season or 2 before.

I was moved to tears because we are all Fiona/Emmy Rossum. We’re all actors playing out these roles – be it mother, father, sister, brother, friend, lover, etc. It’s only when we decide that we no longer want to play this character anymore that we can experience something new and different.

Yes, the show intended to continue with YOU in it, but you always have a choice to choose differently. And when you do, it can be hurtful for the other actors around you still committed to their characters. But in the grand scheme of things, it’s a decision you have to choose for yourself if you want something more for your life.

…

With everything that has happened (there’s definitely more but for now this is all that is coming to mind), I know I am entering a new era in my life.

I don’t know what my relationship with journaling like this will be moving forward, but I know that I will journal as I feel called to it. I don’t think I will be checking in on a daily basis anymore, and that is ok.

This space was never meant to be permanent or un-changing. Just like me, it will morph and evolve over time. I can’t see where it will go, but that’s the beauty of the journey.

[chloefashionthroughtime]

Dirty Dancing

No one, not even actors Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey, could have imagined the phenomenon that Dirty Dancing would become when it was released on August 21, 1987. Even after 30 years, we're still talking about the sensual dancing, the oldies soundtrack, and not placing Baby in a corner. Here are some less-than-savory facts about the classic film, which made roughly $215 million worldwide. Wayne Knight had brief appearances in a few TV movies before starring as Stan, the resort's social director, including an uncredited cameo in the nuclear apocalyptic film The Day After. Dirty Dancing highlighted his abilities, which led to his casting as Newman on Seinfeld in 1992. The Oscar-winning song "(I've Had) The Time of My Life" was performed by Bill Medley and Jennifer Warnes. Dirty Dancing music supervisor Jimmy Ienner phoned Medley and said he was gathering songs for the film, according to Songfacts. "It sounds like an awful pornographic film," Medley added. Medley's wife was expecting a child, therefore he declined the song. Even though Medley didn't think the movie would be popular, Ienner persuaded him to sing the song a few months later. "We just went in to work together, to sing together, and little did we realise it was going to be the biggest movie of the year. "It's incredible," Medley remarked. The song eventually sold over 500,000 copies, and Medley titled his biography The Time of My Life. (It should be noted that the picture was actually the 11th highest grossing film of the year, with Three Men and a Baby taking the top slot in 1987.) Between 2007 and 2008, the UK's Living network aired Dirty Dancing: The Time of Your Life, a reality programme in which groups of dancers fought for a year-long contract with Bloc, a Los Angeles-based dance agency. The series was set in Virginia's Mountain Lake Lodge, where most of the original film was shot. Couples performed in front of three judges, including Miranda Garrison, who played Vivian Pressman in the film and also worked as an assistant choreographer. The Pembroke, Virginia resort where several of Kellerman's sequences were shot provides Dirty Dancing­themed weekends throughout the year. Dinners, a sock hop, a movie screening, a watermelon throw, group dancing classes, and a Dirty Dancing treasure hunt are just a few of the things planned. Bergstein developed the script for Dirty Dancing and had the opportunity to direct it in 1995. Let It Be Me, starring Jennifer Beals and Campbell Scott, was written and directed by her. She hasn't written or directed another film since, but she did turn Dirty Dancing into a popular stage production. Bergstein discussed the film's appeal in the former Soviet Union in a 2006 interview with The Guardian. "And it's policy in Russia's abused women's shelters when a lady comes in for aid. They cleanse and bandage her wounds first, then offer her soup. Then they take her to a seat and show her Dirty Dancing. When the Berlin Wall fell, there were photographs of youngsters wearing Dirty Dancing T-shirts, stating, 'We want what they have in the West!' 'Dirty Dancing is what we want!'"

Swayze discussed why he believed Dirty Dancing had lasted so long in an interview with AFI. "It has a lot of heart to me," he remarked. "It's not about the sensuality; it's really about individuals trying to discover themselves—this young dancing instructor feeling like he's nothing but a product, and this young girl trying to find out who she is in a culture of limits when she has such an incredible view on things. On some way, it's all about the gorgeous, quirky little girl getting the guy because of what she has in her heart."

Cynthia Rhodes rose to prominence as Tina Tech, a dancer in 1983's Flashdance, and later that year as John Travolta's dance partner/love interest in Staying Alive. Her most notable role, though, was as Johnny Castle's dance partner, Penny. She married singer Richard Marx a few years after Dirty Dancing (they've since divorced), and she briefly stepped in as the lead vocalist of L.A. pop duo Animotion, noted for their singles "Room to Move" and "Obsession." Grey appeared in the short-lived ABC sitcom (1999-2000) as a member of a Seinfeld-style gang, but the setting was changed from New York to Los Angeles. She was able to be self-deprecating, even mocking her nose job and Dirty Dancing stardom. When Arthur (Chris Eigeman) meets "Jennifer Grey," he says, "Oh, like the actress. The film Dirty Dancing. "Do you spell it the same way she does?" "I am Jennifer Grey," she says, doing a dance to prove it. "You look different," he comments. "Great nose job!" She exclaims. "Just one?" he counters. (She actually had two of them.)

Some of the film's scenes were shot on the spot. When Swayze and Grey were crawling about on the floor, getting ready to shoot the sequence, they were just having fun. However, director Emile Ardolino was so taken with the video that he utilised it in the film. Gray couldn't stop giggling while Baby and Johnny were rehearsing and he ran his hand down her arm because she was ticklish. Johnny's expression reflects Swayze's genuine dissatisfaction with the scenario. "A lot of stuff were improvised," the late Swayze stated in a film featurette. "When I'm teaching Gray and I'm irritated because I'm trying to get her to be serious and she's smiling or giggling.

Referencing:

Garin Pirnia. (2017). 14 Not-So-Dirty Facts About Dirty Dancing. [Online]. Mental Floss. Last Updated: 21 August 2017. Available at: https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/66563/14-not-so-dirty-facts-about-dirty-dancing [Accessed 22 December 2022].

[musesbymeri]

A 13-year-old Champion's first impressions of the other Champions:

LANCE -

Much more terrifying in person than on TV/online. Like, incredibly so. She still wishes she could have been the one to beat him, but she is very, very intimidated by him, and doesn't even bring up the fact that she's from Johto and would have kicked his ass had her family not moved to Hoenn.

[GENERATION 2 PROTAG] -

She's glad to see another kid in the Champ league, someone around her age that would be able to understand how much pressure is on them.

She's also slightly jealous that they were the one to beat Lance, after she spent most of her childhood wanting to be the one to take him down.

CYNTHIA -

"Can I have crushes on boys and girls?" she asked herself after getting home the day she met Cynthia for the first time.

Very intimidated by Cynthia, but also looks up to her as a powerful female Champion. Really likes the fact that she is so into the history of the Sinnoh region, and asks her questions about the connections between Sinnoh and Johto.

ALDER -

Kind of. A lot. She finds him very intense (in a good way). He also makes her laugh, which she appreciates.

DIANTHA -

"Oh Arceus, mom loves her movies would it be weird if I asked her for an autograph for my mom?"

Does not ask for the autograph, but does get a photo with her and Caroline is satisfied.

May finds her awe-inspiring, with how kind and yet how powerful she is. Much like Cynthia, May looks up to her and makes a mental note to try to be the same as they are - kind, full of grace, but can and will kick your ass if the need arises.

LEON -

"His outfit is really stupid."

She never said it out loud of course, but really, Leon, a baseball cap and that cape? Whose idea was it to have Leon be a literal walking billboard anyway?

But hey, he was the first one to notice her in a sea of Elites and other Champions, so she can't find too much wrong with him. She thinks he's very funny, and it's nice to be able to bond with someone over the intense pressure they're under as child champions.

[my-mt-heart]

😂 ok, I won't say a word.

It does make sense you being more of a TV person than a cinema one lol If you change your heart someday I have a lot of foreign recommendations to give.

If you don't mind, I'll give you some TV recommendations then:

Ted Lasso reestablishes my faith in humanity during its runtime.

Severance is one of the best things I've watched.

The Good Place is so intelligent I wanna kiss the brain of the screenwriter.

Chernobyl makes me wanna borrow the screenwriter's brain until I get near that good. It's astonishing.

Forever – 2014 – is captivating and lives in a warm place in my heart.

Everybody Hates Chris is perfect. I love it. It's funny, intelligent, captivating, the acting is incredible, the stories feel real and absurd at the same time. I grew up watching it and I can watch the same episodes I've seen dozen times and still enjoy them (my sister and I still use it as a "background noise" in our houses sometimes lol). If I could recommend only one TV show for you to watch it'd be this one. Start watching it in a lazy afternoon after lunch. It's perfect.

Lie To Me is amazingly amazing but I have to warn you it gets cancelled on season 3 (my villain origin story).

Rosemary and Thyme is very charming and delightful.

Unbelievable is incredible, a constant punch in the stomach followed by a hunger for justice.

Dead To Me is enchanting and also lives in a warm place in my heart.

Ratched is one of my favorites TV shows ever. Sarah freaking Paulson is the protagonist. I don't need to say anything else. But I'm gonna add that Cynthia Nixon is also there. The whole acting in the show is one of the best I've ever seen. It leaves you in the edge of your seat, it's so thrilling, intelligent, and gut-wretching. I love it.

The Haunting of Bly Manor is really captivating.

Ten Percent is good. In the first episodes I couldn't care less if a bomb exploded in their office and killed everyone, but it gets better and after the season ended I could not stop thinking about some of the characters I grew to care about (but the bomb could still be an option when the characters I like are not in the office).

Oh yeah, TV I can talk about all day.

Ted Lasso -- I've struggled to get into sports shows in the past, but if the characters are compelling, I could give it a shot

Severance -- I was planning to watch soon. Just haven't had time

The Good Place -- I'm with you, I appreciate Mike Schur's comedy.

Chernobyl -- It did stay with me, I'll say that.

Forever -- was right around the time I got bored of all the network crime and medical dramas :/

Lie To Me -- I never watched, but I remember it because it was on right after House

Rosemary and Thyme -- actually never heard of this one. I'll look into it

Unbelievable -- binge watched the whole thing in one day when I was sick. Super heartbreaking and frustrating, but the payoff was good

Dead to Me -- I second the recommendation! Love a strong female dynamic

Ratched -- I don't know if this is controversial or not, but I loved Sarah Paulson in this a lot more than in American Horror Story

The Haunting of Bly Manor -- One of my favorite shows!! I watched it (and Hill House) a second time just to look for all the ghosts in the background.

Ten Percent -- Haven't seen. It takes me a lot longer to find the motivation to watch a comedy.

[punz4lyfe]

I know its a little late, but, looking back, I'm I the only one who thinks we gave the Iris battle too much credit? I mean, the Dracovish we've seen Ash use, like, twice, defeated Iris's Dragonite in one move? (Especially since we've seen how durable Iris's Dragonite is to ice attacks)

I don't think it was supposed to be too much of a spectacle. Yeah, Iris was Unova's new Champion, but much like Ash, she's still a young Champion. So, combined with the fact that Ash has already battled and defeated her in the past, the battle probably wasn't meant to be THAT much of a hype, especially when compared to future other Champions like Lance and Cynthia.

The main hype of that episode was mostly directed towards Ash and Iris' reunion. I mean, Ash is also Champion, but it's not like every fight he has from here on out has to be a huge spectacle.

I've read on TV Tropes that Dragonite's powerful resistance to Ice attacks was actually a glaring issue among fans during Best Wishes and that Dracovish overpowering Dragonite with Ice Fang was supposed to be some kind of fix to that, though, this never really bothered me since I feel it shows how strong and formidable certain Pokemon are in the anime. Even still, it could be argued that Dracovish's incredibly strong bite force helped delivered more damage to lead to Dragonite's defeat, combined with its strong grip to prevent Dragonite from escaping. And it's not like Ash hasn't defeated Iris' Dragonite before. Krookodile was able to defeat him alone and Charizard pretty much played with Dragonite before N called off the battle.

[fayewoodss]

I hate the Dear Evan Hansen movie already.

I know we don’t have a lot to go off of, but the casting and several mentioned changes are enough to question the intentions of Pasek and Paul and the other producers, writers, and directors involved.

Of course Pasek and Paul aren’t the main heads of this project, but considering their past successes with La La Land and The Greatest Showman and even an Oscar nod(s), it feels like they’re trying to create a new Oscar worthy blockbuster that fits the norms of mainstream media more than the needs of the audience and the integrity of the story.

So, let’s talk about the cast.

Ben Platt. Too old. I’m sorry, but he’s beyond playing a high schooler and compared to the rest of the cast, he’s just not a convincing teenager. 

Amy Adams. Incredibly talented both in acting and singing. She has a wide array of titles, more recently working in drama and thriller. She is too cool to play Cynthia. She would, however, be great as Heidi.

Amandla Stenberg. The It-Girl. She is amazingly talented, but why does Hollywood result to only ever booking specific young Black actresses? Zendaya and Amandla are always the first to be chosen for a “racially diverse” female character.

Kaitlyn Dever. No thoughts. I haven’t seen Booksmart. Just seems like another It-Girl choice with the success of that movie.

Nik Dodani and Colton Ryan are the only ones I am looking forward to. Nik will be a great Jared and it’s wonderful we have a POC in that role. Colton will be a fantastic Connor and hopefully this will boost his career more as he was just kind of an “understudy” on Broadway and most DEH fans ignored him. (Also, Kleinphy rights, lmao.)

Now, let’s talk about Danny Pino...

I won’t be commenting on him as an actor, rather I will talk about a rather big change to the role of Larry Murphy.

Larry Murphy is now Connor and Zoe’s stepfather.

This may seem small, but it’s a change that entirely changes the dynamic of Larry with the Murphy family, especially Larry and Connor’s relationship.

Larry and Connor’s relationship is often overlooked because a lot of the fandom tends to ignore or vilify Larry. He’s the tired father that doesn’t understand the changes in his life, so he approaches them with anger and frustration. He watches his own son spiral into a severe depression and eventually take his life. The whole time, he was just as lost as Connor, not knowing what to do for his son and only ever using discipline to handle him. He comes off cold and stoic, but eventually breaks from the reality of his loss.

A stepfather can absolutely have this relationship with his stepson, however it automatically changes the dynamic of Larry and Connor. Considering how Hollywood handles mixed families, Larry being Connor’s stepfather is no doubt going to turn into a case of “Ergh! I hate my stepfather!”

On top of that, while Evan and Connor are reflections of each other, their families are supposed to differ in dynamic with the Murphys being a traditional “Nuclear Family” that appear perfect to everyone outside of them, while Evan’s family is broken and estranged. Connor feels isolated because he feel he doesn’t fit the forced perfection of his family. Evan feels isolated because he feels he’s invisible to his own parents. Larry now being the stepfather destroys that contrast and erases the very important difference in Evan and Connor’s lives as highlighted in songs like “To Break in a Glove” and “Words Fail.” Evan wants to be a part of a family that hasn’t been torn apart at one point.

We also need to look into the intention of changing Larry to the stepfather. The article breaking the news boasted of Dear Evan Hansen’s diverse cast. Not a bad thing at all and something I look forward to, but right off the bat it comes across as “we’re rewriting this character for the sake of diversity rather than the integrity of the story.”

Why does Larry need to be rewritten as a stepfather to accommodate a white passing Latino actor when they could have casted Latinx actors for Connor and Zoe and made the Murphy family biracial?

Why are the only POC cast members always the side characters in the plot?

Pasek and Paul do not have the best history of diversity in either their movies or their musicals, so this casting and rewriting of the story just feels like pandering. You can have a diverse cast without having to jump through hoops rewriting the story and the characters.

Yes, this character is Larry Murphy.

But he’s not Larry Murphy.

Changing Larry Murphy to a stepfather automatically changes his character. It changes his agency, his motives, his personality. He will not be the Larry we know from the musical or the book no matter how close they write him because now he just the stepfather. Just as the characters from Be More Chill were changed from the book to the musical, their motives, personalities, identities, looks, and so much more changed with them. Changing one important aspect of the character changes the whole character even if they share the same name.

Overall, this entire cast feels thrown together. All of these actors have differing background and catalogs of work. While it is important to break from typecasting and to branch out with actors and actor dynamics, this lineup feels like a hastily thrown together mix of A-Listers, It-Girls, TV actors, comedians, Broadway stars. You have a modern day Hollywood starlet, a cop show veteran, two recently popular It-Girls, a comedian, an understudy, and a Broadway household name all put together in a Hollywood musical.

The entire thing feels like it’s trying to be more of a teen “Coming of Age” blockbuster rather than a show about mental illness that is heartbreaking, both down to earth and anxiety inducing, and incredibly complex in nature.

I wish the casting directors and producers would have expanded their talent search and rather compiled this project with a softer and more under the radar approach, focusing on revising the story rather than changing it, casting upcoming and not yet established young actors, and not trying to push this seeming narrative of appealing to mainstream and “Academy” audiences.

Giving Dear Evan Hansen an extreme Hollywood A-List makeover only seems to take away from the rawness and the realness of the story.

So, think about it.

Are they going to do what is best for the story, or are they just cashing in on big names and pandering to mainstream audiences who just want another quirky teen movie?