#even if it will tick off the book purists

[thenotoriousscuttlecliff]

Based on these first few episodes, it does seems like Min is going to take the place of Thom and Juilin in Mat's story from The Dragon Reborn. Looking back on her role in The Great Hunt, this is probably a much better use of her then basically being the Ringo of the Wonder Girls.

I suspect the show will go even further and have Min replace Juilin altogether during Elayne and Nynaeve's misadventures in The Shadow Rising and The Fires of Heaven. If the intention is to go full polycule later on then it makes sense to have Elayne and Min spend more time together than they do in the books. It would also work as a good parallel to have them growing closer on one side of the world and Rand and Aviendha on the other before mixing things up by then reuniting Rand with Min and Elayne with Aviendha.

And it's not like it's really essential she be sent back to the White Tower for the coup. Her sole contribution to that plotline is to help Siuan and Leane escape and you could easily just give that role to someone else like Laras. That whole storyline can work without Min so better to put her somewhere that will have more impact for her character later on.

[zeciex]

The anguish and suffering I like it, because it is what will change the dynamics of the characters with each team. What I was afraid of with the loss of the baby is this, losing Daenera with the maternal instinct and Aemond too, as a child gives them that purposeful responsibility of "this is my real family and I will fight to the last breath for them " But if it's going to do almost at the end it's like a conclusion and not during the big part of the war. At least if we take away Daenera's child we will see one version of her being in the war? I hated that Rhaenyra will spend the whole war inactive, depressed, doing nothing while others died for her. Thank goodness the show is changing that. I want the same for Daenera.

And another thing, I hate book purists, can they shut up already and stop throwing shit at a epidose that hasn't even aired yet? This is just an adaptation. Get over it.

The birth of their child does mend the rift between them and give them a common cause--to keep their child safe and well. And losing the child will create a new rift as Aemond pulls back and Daenera being the one to hang onto him for once. But in that shared grief, they also find some common ground. Aemond will give Daenera a choice; to stay with him or to go back to her mother. And Daenera will choose. There will actually be, within the next many chapters, choices that Aemond gives her and I think that's important for their relationship, especially after losing their child.

We'll also see Daenera maintain that maternal instinct as Helaena starts to lose herself to grief. Daenera will try and keep her afloat, as well as offer Jaehaera and Maelor some comfort. But we'll also see Daenera start to gain influence, particularly over and though Aemond. She will be involved with the war as much as the council of men will allow, which isn't much, but we'll see her make more of an effort once she goes to Harrenhal.

I do intend to have her be part of the political side of the war--not so much fighting in it, she might be okay with a knife but she's not going on the battlefield anytime soon, if anything, she'd be the one taking care of the wounded. BUT she will be part of a battle at some point ;)

I also intend to have Rhaenyra be a bit more decisive than what we've seen in the first episodes of the show. She might still be hoping for a peaceful resolution and she might still be indecisive/hold back but it is only because that the Greens have Daenera and she doesn't want to lose another child. That being said, there will be some minor battles and war efforts within the 7 months that happens before B&C--and some of these battles/war efforts originally happens after B&C but as they don't have too much of an effect on the overall arc/story, they can easily happen in those 7 months.

I understand why book readers want the show to be more loyal to the source material as some of the writing decisions for this season in particular has been mediocre at best and down right nonsensical at worst. Personally, I think what ticks off people the most are the writing decisions on how to handle some of the characters--Alicent and Daemon, as well as Rhaenyra to an extent. Alicents character has left much to be desired this season and half of her scenes should have been given to developing other characters because they've done nothing for the story (why the fuck did we have to see 3 AliCole sex scenes AND why did we get her depression camping trip when it did nothing for the plot?) The biggest gripe with this season is how the writers has chosen to handle characters, the pacing, and expecting the viewer to come up with plausible explanations of things that happens off screen (why did Aemond go to the brothel in the first place? What brought him there? How has his relationship deteriorated with Aegon so quickly and no its not just bullying, why wasn't Jaehaerys brought up? What was his reaction to Jaehaerys death and being the cause of it? Why did Daemon devolve as a character to have this haunted mansion plotline where he eats his mother out when he had already accepted Rhaenyra as his queen in s1)

I think many book readers miss the consistency of the characters. But, as a person that have only read snippets of the book, I also miss the consistency of the characters.

[ei-banana]

pairing: eimikosara (sfw)

wc: 800

A moment of reprieve, just the three of them.

———

“Not too tight, Miko,” Sara chastised quietly from her seated position, hand shooting from her lap to wrap tightly around one of Yae’s bracketing ankles. She leaned against the foot of the sofa, three pages into a long-forgotten fable, between legs that squeezed, under hands that roved.

Roved and tugged.

“If you would be so kind as to put that book down and engage conversation with me—” She tugged again and Sara hissed. “Ribbon please, darling.” Yae dangled her hand expectantly and the general acquiesced with a huff.

Pink chiffon, soft and smooth between her fingers and wholly out of place in her dark, frayed hair. Yae tied off the attempted braid and leaned back, hand at her chin, judging with a caustic eye. Sara squirmed with unease— the near stagnant air of the room strange against the newly exposed planes of her face— and the kitsune sighed, making to untie the evidence of her failed toil.

“Your hair is much too short.”

“I like it this way,” Sara grumbled, flipping to the next page, not a single word registering.

“And why wouldn’t you? It certainly frames your face handsomely.” The words were pressed warmly to the flush of her cheek, and so too was Yae’s sudden smirk. “But you would grow it out for me, wouldn’t you?”

“Her hair is fine, Miko,” Ei spoke up from the adjacent desk, exasperation falling airy from her lips, face hidden behind endless, age-worn scrolls. Her posture remained impeccable despite the way she swayed with the subconscious desire to recline, to collapse completely and rest. “Now I beg for your silence while I set about deciphering the ceaseless drivel before me.”

Ei threw herself into work with all the force the new resolution lining her shoulders called for, but even a god of immeasurable might grew weary. Sara frowned at the Archon’s exhaustion-addled tone, slamming her book shut and standing despite Yae’s responding noise of inconvenience. She bypassed other precarious stacks of unnamed effects— the dust covered office in utter disarray, the likes of which Sara abhorred, though Ei seemed to prefer it this way— and settled heavy hands atop rigid shoulders.

“Why don’t you come relax?” She kept her words low and consoling, all too understanding of Ei’s oft purist nature. Sara kneaded at the tensest strip of muscle, ushering in the other woman’s resolve with each roll of her fingers.

Ei relaxed her brow though she sighed most defeatedly. “I wish this ever uncertain world permitted such frivol—”

“Just take a moment, Ei, humor the brevity of our presence would you.” Yae had snuck up somewhere behind them, settling with a hum in the Archon’s lap. Ei grunted minutely, hands settling at her waist on instinct, face pinched with consternation. “Sara’s insistent on doing up your hair, after all.”

“I am?” The general balked at the claim, head cocked in confusion, frowning when Yae rolled her eyes and shook the ribbon with a look of command. Sara gripped it loosely, nodding with renewed direction. “We do this every morning, why not lean back and enjoy it a little longer?”

“If I may take up the quill in tandem—”

“You may not,” the kitsune snapped mulishly, forehead already pressed to the slope of Ei’s neck, arms binding. “You will sit here and accept our beneficence.”

Ei slumped back with a low note of disapproval, though her head lolled and her hand had long since begun rubbing circles into the lower notches of Yae’s spine. Sara smiled, if imperceptible, at the sight, twining effulgent tresses around her own deft fingers, weaving and working with meticulous focus. The wall clock above their disorderly entwinement ticked soothingly, counting away the seconds they shared in the man-made pocket of reprieve.

Sara bound thick strands with the proffered strip of pink, knotting the bow nice and perfectly neat before tugging lightly at the base of the braid. Ei’s eyes opened a most startling lilac, beckoning, beseeching the warm sort of love that flowed boundless at their very feet; Sara bent down and pressed the seal of their mouths together, laughing softly at how splendidly they collided despite the horrid angle.

“That was… nice.” The words were breathed with tentativeness against her teeth, and Yae looked up at the sound, chin tilting with silent request. A few short pecks to the faux pout, and the kitsune was appeased— to have them both so tempered was truly a feat.

Ei remained silent, almost meditative where she reclined between such loving deterrents. She had once told Sara— oceanside, deep in the swell of night, loneliness still haloing each of their downturned heads— that nothing had ever challenged her albatross quite like their insistent affections.

Such grandiose words must have rung true, for the Archon grew lax, and she smiled.

[thebibliosphere]

This might be a silly question but maybe you have an answer: I used to write a lot and enjoyed it a lot, but I stopped writing shortly after finishing grad school and now I can't seem to get back into it. What can I do to get that creative juice flowing again? (obviously "write!" is the answer, but the words just don't come to me as easily as they used to.)

Not a silly question at all! It's not uncommon for people to experience some sort of creative burnout after finishing a major task, even if that task wasn't creatively taxing. (Congratulations on finishing grad school by the way!)

The obvious answer may indeed be "write!" but depending on your source of block, it might be more productive to say "recharge your creative drive through other means."

This can mean taking your time to enjoy reading new things, meditating, engaging in media you find enjoyable, and doing things that inspire you and rejuvenate your desire to create like uh, going for walks in nature or visiting museums (when safe to do so!). If you feel you already have a good handle on this aspect of your mental health and creative process, my next advice would be to set yourself small, easily achievable goals that will give you the reward of finishing a task.

When I'm struggling, I set myself the goal of writing a drabble, which if you ask ye olde fandome purists, will tell you is a short story of 100 words.

Usually, I pick something easy and will resort to a random word generator to pick a word for me to try and base a story around. If the story grows legs and I want to keep writing beyond the original 100 words, great! Let's follow that thought and see how far it carries me.

Doesn't matter if I never do anything official with the story, sometimes it's just nice to write for myself.

This can be a great, low-pressure way of getting back into the groove that requires very little planning, plotting, or even real forethought. It's reactionary writing, and sometimes that can be easier to do than sitting down and following a theme or plot you've already mapped out meticulously. (Some people really struggle with this so if it doesn't work, that's fine too. But it can also be a good exercise in training yourself to write things spontaneously if that's something you're keen on developing.)

If you have a piece of established work you're struggling to get back into, there's also my "take your characters out for coffee" approach.

I'd also suggest maybe taking the time to read about the craft of writing, to see if that helps get your brain ticking over again. Whenever my brain stalls completely and I feel like I don't know where to begin, I like to pick up a copy of say... *spins kindle wheel*

Take Off Your Pants!: Outline Your Books for Faster, Better Writing by Libbie Hawker.

I'm a mix of both a pantser and a plotter, I'll never be able to fully follow the outlines Hawker sets. But sometimes just reading about the method of writing can get my brain ticking and mulling over story ideas trapped in my head with a fresh light.

I'm not sure if any of that is helpful, and I am sure others will have some useful advice in the comments, but I do hope that helps. Congrats again on finishing grad school, and happy writing.

[phantomato]

What is your idea for a true “Voldemort Wins” AU? I see it everywhere but mostly just to facilitate a story with a lot of sexual abuse - I’m more interested in what his view of winning would be overall.

This is a great question, anon! Thanks for sending it in. I admit, I’m definitely not interested in the darkfic AU versions of this trope.

I think Voldemort fucks off.

This is what he does when he wins at the end of book six—all of book seven is him running around the continent in pursuit of his own goal, ignoring the government that he controls, allowing puppet administrators to serve in the primary roles and delegating responsibility to his lieutenants.

Voldemort talks about wanting power as a personal, intimate thing. He never suggests a vision for his Britain. If that man has a political ideology at all, I would be shocked.

So, what the world looks like is down to who he leaves in charge (who is surviving to be given responsibility). After the first war is probably the best time for him to win, because he has most of his followers alive, they have not yet been affected by Azkaban, and the first war seemed to have less explicit adoption of blood-purity rhetoric. (Things like recruiting attempts for the Potters and successfully recruiting Snape [and maybe Pettigrew?] suggest to me that even if followers like Bellatrix held staunchly purist views, V wasn’t letting those dictate his choices.) The cronies who take over the Ministry are essentially the same people who were already in charge of the Ministry, so about all that needs to change is the rooting out of Albus Dumbledore’s political influence. After the second war is messier—fewer V supporters are still alive and stable, and the second wave of the resistance is angrier.

But it ultimately doesn’t matter much to Voldemort, because he checks in like once a year to make sure that people are still appropriately deferential and Albus Dumbledore is still dead. Magical Britain is probably ticking along like any authoritarian regime, which is, after all, not so far off from the level of corruption in place before V’s coup.

[archiveforwriting]

550 Alternative Words for 'Said'

[source]

Is it your dream, your fantasy to write a bestseller? Do you have a book in your head, but the word "said" keeps getting in the way? If we write, then somewhere along the line we'll run into the word "said," one of the most common dialogue tags. But what is a dialogue tag, you ask?

What Is a Dialogue Tag?

In writing, a dialogue tag is a group of words that follow a line of speech. They provide information about the words between the beginning and end quotation marks such as

Who is speaking (i.e. he, she, they, Danny, Lucy)

Volume (i.e. shouted, yelled, whispered)

Tone (i.e. moaned, babbled, howled)

By using dialogue tags, writers are able to explain to readers the way in which their characters are speaking and the emotions that should be inferred from the inflection of their words.

Other Words for "Said" by Emotion

Repeating "he said, she said," can get annoying, but is it smart to use a different verb? There are abundant words to use instead, yet purists believe you're probably best not using them, since readers pay such little attention to "said" it effectively becomes invisible.

A good practice to follow is that when it’s understandable who is speaking the line of dialogue, you can remove the verb completely. It's surprising how much more professional your work will look if you do. In fact, let's make a rule: if it's obvious who's speaking, don't use anything.

You should only substitute "said" if the line of dialogue needs accentuation or verbalization to convey the way the words are expressed. Gorging your story with alternative words for "said" makes your work look amateurish, so be sure to se alternatives with moderation.

But sometimes you need to indicate who's speaking, and sometimes the word "said" doesn't quite do the job. That being said, if you’re struggling to find that elusive and perfect substitute, here’s a list of words (categorized by emotion) that might help.

Acceptance

Accepted, acknowledged, admitted, affirmed, agreed, assumed, conferred, confessed, confirmed, justified, settled, understood, undertook, verified.

Anger

Accused, barked, bellowed, bossed, carped, censured, condemned, criticized, demanded, fumed, gawped, glowered, growled, grumbled, hissed ordered, raged, remonstrated, reprimanded, retorted, scoffed, scolded, seethed, snapped, snarled, ticked off, told off, upbraided.

Contemplation

Contemplated, mused, pondered.

Conviction

Addressed, advertised, articulated, bragged, commanded, confided, decided, dictated, ended, exacted, finished, informed, made known, maintained, necessitated, pointed out, promised, reassured, remarked, repeated, reported, specified, stated, told.

Desire

Attracted, requested, wanted.

Excitement

Babbled, beamed, blurted, broadcasted, burst, cheered, chortled, chuckled, cried out, crooned, crowed, declared, emitted, exclaimed, giggled, hollered, howled, interjected, jabbered, laughed, praised, preached, presented, proclaimed, professed, promulgated, quaked, ranted, rejoiced, roared, screamed, shouted, shrieked, swore, thundered, trilled, trumpeted, vociferated, wailed, yawped, yelled, yelped, yowled.

Fear

Cautioned, shuddered, trembled, warned.

Generosity

Comforted, consoled, empathized, invited, offered, proffered, released, volunteered.

Persuasion

Advised, alleged, appealed, asserted, assured, avered, avowed, beckoned, begged, beseeched, cajoled, claimed, conceded, concluded, concurred, contended, defended, disposed, encouraged, entreated, held, hinted, implied, implored, importuned, inclined, indicated, insisted, pleaded, postulated, premised, presupposed, protested, stressed, suggested, touted, urged, vouched for, wheedled.

Pride

Chimed in, circulated, disseminated, distributed, expressed, grinned, made public, passed on, publicized, published, put forth, put out, quipped, quizzed, quoted, reckoned that, required, requisitioned, taunted, teased.

Provocation

Exposed, imitated, joked, leered, lied, mimicked, mocked, provoked.

Sadness

Agonized, bawled, blubbered, grieved, groaned, lamented, mewled, mourned, puled, sobbed, wept.

Storytelling

Announced, answered, began, called, commented, continued, denoted, disclosed, divulged, explained, imparted, noted, observed, proposed, rejoined, replied, revealed, shared, solicited, sought, testified, transferred, transmitted, went on.

Uncertainty

Asked, doubted, faltered, fretted, guessed, hesitated, hypothesized, inquired, lilted, quavered, queried, questioned, shrugged, speculated, stammered, stuttered, supposed, trailed off, wondered.

Words That Indicate Sound

Breathed, choked, croaked, drawled, echoed, grunted, keened, moaned, mumbled, murmured, panted, sang, sniffled, sniveled, snorted, spluttered, squeaked, uttered, voiced, whimpered, whined, whispered.

Other Words for "Asked"

When writing an inquisitive character, sometimes the standard "asked" can become a bit stale. Try using these alternatives when you want to add some variety to your dialogue.

Appealed Begged Beseeched

Contended Entreated Inclined

Insisted Pleaded Probed

Prodded Protested Cajoled

Stressed Doubted Faltered

Guessed Hesitated Hypothesized

Inquired Lilted Quavered

Queried Questioned Wondered

Other Words for "Stated"

Instead of repeatedly using stated to express the way in which a character delivers their words, try using one of these more descriptive alternatives.

Asserted Concluded Explained Noted

Remarked Reported Specified Told

Adverbs and Phrases to Explain How Something Was Said

Okay, so despite the warning, you’ve decided you really need to use one of the words above for "said." In order to make your writing absolutely zing, you might want to go whole hog and add an adverb or a phrase to convey or emphasize exactly how the line of dialogue was said.

An adverb is a word ending in -ly and modifies a verb.

The way it works is you choose whichever word for "said" you fancy from the list above, then add a adverb or phrase after it from the list below. For example, "She promised, with a controlled smile," or "He remarked, with a gloomy sigh." But do not overdo it. Be very careful not to end up sounding amateurish.

List of Adverbs for Dialogue

Abruptly, Absently, Acidly, Angrily, Apologetically, Approvingly, Artfully

Bemusedly

Calmly, Caustically, Cheerfully, Complacently, Crossly

Depressingly, Dryly

Earnestly, Enthusiastically

Gently, Gruffly

Happily, Hotly

Impatiently, Indulgently, Informed sassily, Innocently, Inquired doubtfully, Irritably

Loftily, Loudly

Mentally shrugged

Naturally, Nodded agreeably, Not wanting to sound pushy, Noncommittally

Offhandedly, Optimistically

Pleasantly, Politely, Politely smooth, Promised in a motherly/fatherly way, Prompted gently Promptly,

Quietly

Reflectively, Roughly

Sadly, Sympathetically, Sarcastically, Sincerely, Smiled faintly, Smugly, Soberly, Softly, Sparingly, Sternly,

Tartly, Tautly, Teased softly, Tightly, Truthfully, Thoughtfully,

Uncertainly, Unexpectedly, Urgently

Vaguely

Went on loyally, Wilfully misunderstood, Without sounding unduly curious, Wryly

Xenophobically

Yearningly

Zealously

List of Phrases for Dialogue

"She said in a..."

Casual tone, chiding tone, courteous manner, curious tone, dry tone, flirtatious way, level tone, level way, perpetually tired voice, rasping tone, small panicky voice, soothing tone, voice soft with affection.

"She said with a..."

Controlled smile, fond look, gloomy sigh, note of relief, sad grimace, sad smile, sense of guilt, sigh of irritation, burgeoning excitement.

"She said with..."

Conviction, determination, fire, firm persistence, gentle remonstrance, graceful simplicity, mock astonishment, pleasure, quiet empathy, simple directness.

Other Phrases to Modify "Said"

After a moment's reflection

False cheerfulness

Friendly fashion

In quiet amazement

Made the effort to sound reassuring

Meaning the words more seriously than they sounded

Sounded slightly brittle

Stephen King on Adverbs for Dialogue Attribution

Below is Stephen King's take on the use of adverbs. His advice is to use adverbs very conservatively in order to keep the integrity of your writing intact.

"Someone out there is now accusing me of being tiresome and anal-retentive. I deny it. I believe the road to hell is paved with adverbs, and I will shout it from the rooftops. To put it another way, they’re like dandelions. If you have one on your lawn, it looks pretty and unique. If you fail to root it out, however, you find five the next day . . . fifty the day after that . . . and then, my brothers and sisters, your lawn is totally, completely, and profligately covered with dandelions. By then you see them for the weeds they really are, but by then it’s — GASP!! — too late.

I can be a good sport about adverbs, though. Yes I can. With one exception: dialogue attribution. I insist that you use the adverb in dialogue attribution only in the rarest and most special of occasions ... and not even then, if you can avoid it. Just to make sure we all know what we’re talking about, examine these three sentences:

‘Put it down!’ she shouted. ‘Give it back,’ he pleaded, ‘it’s mine.’ ‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said.

In these sentences, shouted, pleaded, and said are verbs of dialogue attribution. Now look at these dubious revisions:

‘Put it down! she shouted menacingly. ‘Give it back,’ he pleaded abjectly, ‘it’s mine.’ ‘Don’t be such a fool, Jekyll,’ Utterson said contemptuously.

The three latter sentences are all weaker than the three former ones, and most readers will see why immediately."

— Stephen King, On Writing: A Memoir on the Craft

How to Show Emotion Through Actions Instead of Adverbs

Since the use of adverbs can often make a writer look amateurish, many choose to use actions instead of adverbs to express emotion. Take, for example, the scenario below, in which a man is feeling frustrated and angry upon learning that his girlfriend has been unfaithful. In the first example, adverbs are used. In the second, actions.

"Where were you all night?" he asked.

"I was with someone else," she mumbled nervously.

"Someone else?" he boomed violently. "Someone else?"

or

"Where were you all night?" he asked.

"I was with someone else," she replied with her eyes downcast. She was fiddling with her fingernails.

"Someone else?" he said, slamming the table with his fist. "Someone else?"

It's easy to see that in most exchanges of dialogue, less is more. Let your reader imagine the actions the characters are making and infer the emotions those actions suggest, rather than telling them the emotion outright.

[irregular-artbeats-blog]

It is two and a half minutes to midnight, and the lines between fact and fiction are growing increasingly irrelevant. As the “real news” reports the latest in “alternative facts” our country is overwhelmed with an odd sense of déjà vu, like we’ve been here before but forgot to take notes. All those years preaching those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it and look where it has gotten us:

Following the virally infamous Kellyanne Conway interview on January 22nd, our country appears condemned to repeat High School English while we’re at it. Sales of George Orwell’s iconic novel “1984” skyrocketed to the top of the charts, with hopes that “It Can’t Happen Here” putting Sinclair Lewis’ satirical tale closely in the running, and Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” coming up fast.

https://twitter.com/rememberedtales/status/822469791260807168

Margaret Atwood’s dystopian moral “better never means better for everyone… it always means worse, for some” makes her novel “A Handmaid’s Tale” a favorite of recent protests, particularly the January 21st Women’s March, as the near future of 1985 approaches once more.

Save us Supergirl!

As citizens across the country discover the lessons of classic literature that they were too wrapped up in teenage angst to appreciate before it was too late, others…

tick-tock. tick. tock. tick…

Written by Alan Moore Illustrated by Dave Gibbons colored by John Higgins

You won’t be seeing “Watchmen” on any school reading or viewing lists, but as three stuffy old men from the Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences advance a very real doomsday clock, this motif draws chilling parallels.

“Watchmen” is a graphic novel in twelve parts, one for each hour on the clock, ticking one minute closer to midnight with each issue, counting down to global catastrophe in the final chapter.

“Who Watches the Watchmen?” Not Alan Moore. To him, I do apologize, for I must talk about the film. The graphic novel writer’s name was stricken from the movie credits, and at his own request, his share of the profits went to illustrator Dave Gibbons, who worked closely with the production of the adaptation.

As the character Dr. Manhattan crafts his clockwork-world on the sands of Mars pondering the nature of reality and the importance of this clock motif… the world of “Watchmen” was made by Alan Moore. A purist with a deep respect for the medium, he scripted his stories to showcase the full range of what comics could do–

if we only see comics in relation to movies then the best that they will ever be is films that do not move

“Watchmen” is told as a collection of character accounts deconstructing the super hero, and similarly, deconstructing the super hero comic. While remarkably true to the source for material considered for many years to be unfilmable… “Watchmen” is a comic about comics as much if not more than it is a comic about super heroes, and a film about comics just doesn’t capture the same effect on that front.

The graphic novels open with full page prose excerpts from Hollis Mason’s autobiography “Under the Hood” detailing his masked adventures as Night Owl, and the events surrounding the formation of the Minutemen. Under the Hood was adapted as a special feature for the Ultimate Cut of the film, directed by Eric Matthies with a screenplay by Hans Rodionoff

“Tales of the Black Freighter” is a comic within the Watchmen comic universe named in homage to the song “Seeräuber Jenny” from Brecht’s “Threepenny Opera” which tells of a ship by that name. Read by a teenage boy at a news-stand, the pirates tale Marooned parallels elements of the “Watchmen” story, serving as foil to the main plot, and to the structural commentary.

Directed by Daniel Delpurgatorio and Mike Smith, with a screenplay by Alex Tse and Zack Snyder, Tales of the Black Freighter was adapted as animated segues to preserve the meta-context. These shorts did not make the theatrical cut of the film, but edited in to the Ultimate Cut, their presence ties together a collection of stories, transitioning between the elements with a smooth sailing grace that now feels oddly disjointed in their absence.

One element of frame narrative did remain prominently featured in all versions of the adaptation– Rorschach’s entries to his journal served as voice-over narrations throughout the plot of the film, culminating in the public release of this information when this journal is sent to the press, establishing the journal as a sort of self-insert for the screenplay.

Added material completes the “Ultimate Watchmen” package with a run-time of 215 minutes. Clocking in at 7 minutes longer than Peter Jackson’s Extended Cut for “The Fellowship of the Ring” many viewers argue that vaguely metaphorical cartoon tangents interjected between key plot points pulls them out of a monotony already droning on for far too long…

Yes, of course, the whole idea is utterly inane, but to let its predictable inanities blind you to its truly fabulous and breathtaking aspects is to do both oneself and the genre a disservice.

– Alan Moore on suspension of disbelief within comic context

Others counter that these seemingly extraneous details serve as easter-eggs for dedicated fans to decipher and discuss, offering a profound respect for the source material, which is essential in maintaining a pre-existing fandom. Use of motion comic animation went one step further in preserving the source medium, but even still, this is child’s play compared to Alan Moore’s mastery of comic form.

Chapter V: Fearful Symmetry

The reasons for these eccentricities are obscure, complex, and probably not terribly interesting to anyone not utterly infatuated with comics as a medium

– from the Introduction to the Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore

Your average super hero, the run of the mill picture of perfection fighting for truth, justice and the American way, often comes packaged in a stylish and remarkably durable spandex super jumpsuit. The Klark Kents and Peter Parkers of the comic world may pass as any other mundane photojournalist, but their super-powered alter egos are instantly recognizable by their bright, primary color schemes. DC comic’s iconic Superman sports a blue suit with red cape and gold accents. Marvel comic’s rendition of the demi-god Thor is similarly decked in blue tinted armor, a billowy red cape, and gold blingage.

Villains, on the other hand, are generally associated with secondary colors, green being the most common as we are familiar with classic horror tropes like witches and Frankenstein’s monster. For characters like Spiderman’s notorious villain Green Goblin, this color runs skin deep, and the purple accessories simply make for a complimentary aesthetic. Others, like Batman’s nemesis The Joker, choose their colors for themselves in snazzy purple suit jackets and OG neon green hair gel.

An exception to the standard, super scientist Bruce Banner is heralded as an iconic Marvel hero, but turns a smashing shade of radioactive green when his alter ego the Incredible Hulk takes control. The Hulk’s rapidly expanding size shreds his human-sized clothing with every fit of rage, but his conveniently purple pants never fail, leaving this color association as a manifestation of the Hulk’s destructive nature.

Featuring bold yellow and black titling on its cover, “Watchmen” blends right in with this pattern. In typical Hollywood fashion, the yellow smiley face accented with a splash of blood red, often spotted throughout the comics subtly discarded amidst carefully scripted details… became a merchandising goldmine, featured on movie posters, DVD jackets, and Hot Topic fitted t-shirts. Yellow and black, accented in red, became the primary color scheme of the film.

John Higgins colorized “Watchmen” mainly in secondary colors green, purple, orange, reserving primary colors to highlight key elements.

John leaned very heavily toward, as you say, the secondary palette… it was the same range of colors you’d always been able to use in American comics, but it was colors that hadn’t been widely used before. I think it added a lot to the atmosphere of the comic book…it reads less obviously as superheroes

– Dave Gibbons

These off the beaten scheme colors created a sense of ambiguity in the twisted morality of this dark and gritty take on real world super heroes. Dr. Manhatten floating naked and blue is a poignant contrast to the barren pink surface of Mars, and to the secondary palette back on his Earth, where this dissonance serves to inspire fear in the inferior human race.

In an effort to bring a sense of realism to comic adaptations, Hollywood has a tendency toward muting the colors when adapting iconic costumed heroes for screen. An all powerful naked blue man is believable enough, but apparently, the colorfully costumed Crimebusters was taking it too far.

Ozymandias, named for the King of Kings from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous poem, decks himself out in gold plate draped in purple robes with matching cape and boots. Often associated with regality, Adrian Veidt’s purple and gold wardrobe is befitting for the stature of his namesake, his wealth, and his power. Fated by the poem, and parallels to a plethora of purple-clad comic villains, Ozymandias serves as example of the inevitable futility of empire. Modeled as a parody of the 1997 Batsuit, the film’s rubbery black body armor, is super generic, and offers little insight to the character behind the mask, though it does sculpt some godly ab and thigh muscles.

Night Owl trades in a red hood, matching undies, and gold utility belt, for a form-fitted brown leather body suit. Rorschach sports the same black and white mask with a brown trench coat, but his purple scarf and pants are muted beyond recognition. While toning down their color, the film amped up the violence, adding back alley showdowns with gratuitous thugs, and gory bloodbath hatchet jobs. Its dark and gritty, we get it, but when the countdown to catastrophe finally strikes midnight, we’re almost entirely desensitized to the horrors of the disaster that ensues, while the comics remain remarkably void of violence to accentuate its prevalence in the final chapter.

The Comedian keeps his blue starred red and white striped shoulder pads, but most prominently of all, Silk Spectre stands out in skimpy black and yellow, and Dr Manhattan shines a nearly blinding blue. These primary colors shine bright and bold in the feature film, but the secondary colors remain only as a muted memory of super heroes past. When flashbacks of the Minutemen weren’t seen in black and white or sepia tone, they did provide a glimpse at some of the classic costumes, colors and all.

There is nothing wrong with your television set—

This scene towards the end of the film references a reference to the in-universe source of the villainous scheme and twist ending, but while the comics openly pay homage to the 1963 episode “The Architects of Fear” with direct mention of the title, The Outer Limits opening sequence would suffice for the film, similarly overheard playing on Ms. Jupiter’s television.

https://dailymotion.com/video/x4dpm4i

Around issue 10, I came across a guide to cult television. There was an Outer Limits episode called ”The Architects of Fear.” I thought: ”Wow. That’s a bit close to our story.’ In the last issue, we have a TV promoting that Outer Limits episode — a belated nod.

—Alan Moore (Entertainment Weekly, 2009)

I kept telling him, ‘Be more original, Alan, you’ve got the capability, do something different, not something that’s already been done!’ And he didn’t seem to care enough to do that.

—Len Wein (Wizard, 2004)

Published in 1959, Tales of Suspense #2 leads with an uncredited story “Invasion From Outer Space” that ends with a similarly familiar reveal. Generally attributed to Jack Kirby, as evidenced by his signature usage of ellipses… its hard to say exactly where Alan Moore first conceptualized the idea, but this dispute would be the straw that breaks the editors back for Len Wein, who left the project due to irreconcilable creative differences.

Doomsday Clock It is two and a half minutes to midnight, and the lines between fact and fiction are growing increasingly irrelevant.

[irregular-artbeats-blog]

It is two and a half minutes to midnight, and the lines between fact and fiction are growing increasingly irrelevant–

As the “real news” reports the latest in “alternative facts” our country is overwhelmed with an odd sense of déjà vu, like we’ve been here before but forgot to take notes. All those years preaching “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it” and look where it has gotten us:

Following the virally infamous Kellyanne Conway interview on January 22nd, our country appears condemned to repeat High School English while we’re at it. Sales of George Orwell’s iconic novel 1984 skyrocketed to the top of the charts, with hopes that It Can’t Happen Here putting Sinclair Lewis’s satirical tale closely in the running, and Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World coming up fast.

Today and for the next four years: don’t let the bastards grind you down. #handmaidstale pic.twitter.com/97A8a1waKd

— Erica R Hopper (@rememberedtales) January 20, 2017

 Margaret Atwood’s dystopian moral “better never means better for everyone… It always means worse, for some” makes her novel A Handmaid’s Tale a favorite of recent protests, particularly the January 21st Women’s March, as the near future of 1985 approaches once more.

Save us Supergirl!

As citizens across the country discover the lessons of classic literature that they were too wrapped up in teenage angst to appreciate before it was too late, others…

tick-tock. tick. tock. tick…

Written by Alan Moore Illustrated by Dave Gibbons colored by John Higgins— You won’t be seeing Watchmen on any school reading lists, but as three stuffy old men from the Bulletin of the Atomic Sciences advance a very real doomsday clock, this motif draws chilling parallels.

Watchmen is a graphic novel in twelve parts, one for each hour on the clock, ticking one minute closer to midnight with each issue, counting down to global catastrophe in the final chapter.

Who Watches the Watchmen? Not Alan Moore. To him, I do apologize, for I must talk about the film, this is Movie Night after all. The graphic novel writer’s name was stricken from the movie credits, and at his own request, his share of the profits went to illustrator Dave Gibbons, who worked closely with the production of the adaptation.

As the character Dr. Manhattan crafts his clockwork-world on the sands of Mars pondering the nature of reality and the importance of this clock motif… the world of Watchmen, was made by Alan Moore. A purist with a deep respect for the medium, he scripted his stories to showcase the full range of what comics could do–

if we only see comics in relation to movies then the best that they will ever be is films that do not move

Watchmen is told as a collection of character accounts deconstructing the super hero, and similarly, deconstructing the super hero comic. While remarkably true to the source for material considered for many years to be unfilmable… Watchmen is a comic about comics as much if not more than it is a comic about super heroes, and a film about comics just doesn’t capture the same effect on that front.

The graphic novels open with full page prose excerpts from Hollis Mason’s autobiography “Under the Hood” detailing his masked adventures as Night Owl, and the events surrounding the formation of the Minutemen. Under the Hood was adapted as a special feature for the Ultimate Cut of the film, directed by Eric Matthies with a screenplay by Hans Rodionoff

Tales of the Black Freighter, named in homage to the song “Seeräuber Jenny” from Brecht’s Threepenny Opera, is a comic within the Watchmen comic universe. Read by a teenage boy at a news-stand, the pirates tale Marooned parallels elements of the Watchmen story, serving as foil to the main plot, and to the structural commentary.

Directed by Daniel Delpurgatorio and Mike Smith, with a screenplay by Alex Tse and Zack Snyder, Tales of the Black Freighter was adapted as animated segues to preserve the meta-context. These shorts did not make the theatrical cut of the film, but edited in to the Ultimate Cut, their presence ties together a collection of stories, transitioning between the elements with a smooth sailing grace that now feels oddly disjointed in their absence.

One element of frame narrative did remain prominently featured in all versions of the adaptation– Rorschach’s entries to his journal served as voice-over narrations throughout the plot of the film, culminating in the public release of this information when this journal is sent to the press, establishing the journal as a sort of self-insert for the screenplay.

Added material completes the Ultimate Watchmen package with a run-time of 215 minutes. Clocking in at 7 minutes longer than Peter Jackson’s Extended Cut for The Fellowship of the Ring, many viewers argue that vaguely metaphorical cartoon tangents interjected between key plot points pulls them out of a monotony already droning on for far too long…

Yes, of course, the whole idea is utterly inane, but to let its predictable inanities blind you to its truly fabulous and breathtaking aspects is to do both oneself and the genre a disservice.

– Alan Moore on suspension of disbelief within comic context

Others counter that these seemingly extraneous details serve as easter eggs for a dedicated fan to decipher and discuss, offering a profound respect for the source material, which is essential in maintaining a pre-existing fandom. Use of motion comic animation went one step further in preserving the source medium, but even still, this is child’s play compared to Alan Moore’s mastery of comic form.

Chapter V: Fearful Symmetry

The reasons for these eccentricities are obscure, complex, and probably not terribly interesting to anyone not utterly infatuated with comics as a medium

– from the Introduction to the Saga of the Swamp Thing by Alan Moore

Your average super hero, the run of the mill picture of perfection fighting for truth, justice, and the American way, often comes packaged in a stylish and remarkably durable spandex super jumpsuit. The Klark Kents and Peter Parkers of the comic world may pass as any other mundane photojournalist, but their super-powered alter egos are instantly recognizable by their bright, primary color schemes. DC comic’s iconic Superman sports a blue suit with red cape and gold accents. Marvel comic’s rendition of the demi-god Thor is similarly decked in blue tinted armor, a billowy red cape, and gold blingage.

Villains, on the other hand, are generally associated with secondary colors, green being the most common as we are familiar with classic horror tropes like witches and Frankenstein’s monster. For characters like Spiderman’s notorious villain Green Goblin, this color runs skin deep, and the purple accessories simply make for a complimentary aesthetic. Others, like Batman’s nemesis The Joker, choose their colors for themselves in snazzy purple suit jackets and OG neon green hair gel.

An exception to the standard, super scientist Bruce Banner is heralded as an iconic Marvel hero, but turns a smashing shade of radioactive green when his alter ego the Incredible Hulk takes control. The Hulk’s rapidly expanding size shreds his human-sized clothing with every fit of rage, but his conveniently purple pants never fail, leaving this color association as a manifestation of the Hulk’s destructive nature.

Featuring bold yellow and black titling on its cover, Watchmen blends right in with this pattern. In typical Hollywood fashion, the yellow smiley face accented with a splash of blood red, often spotted throughout the comics subtly discarded amidst carefully scripted details… became a merchandising goldmine, featured on movie posters, DVD jackets, and Hot Topic fitted t-shirts. Yellow and black, accented in red, became the primary color scheme of the film.

John Higgins colorized Watchmen mainly in secondary colors green, purple, orange, reserving primary colors to highlight key elements.

John leaned very heavily toward, as you say, the secondary palette… it was the same range of colors you’d always been able to use in American comics, but it was colors that hadn’t been widely used before. I think it added a lot to the atmosphere of the comic book…it reads less obviously as superheroes

– Dave Gibbons

These off the beaten scheme colors created a sense of ambiguity in the twisted morality of Watchmen’s dark and gritty take on real world super heroes. Dr. Manhatten floating naked and blue is a poignant contrast to the barren pink surface of Mars, and to the secondary palette back on his earth, where this dissonance serves to inspire fear in the inferior human race.

In an effort to bring a sense of realism to comic adaptations, Hollywood has a tendency toward muting the colors when adapting iconic costumed heroes for screen. An all powerful naked blue man is believable enough, but apparently, the colorfully costumed “Crimebusters” was taking it too far.

Ozymandias, named for the King of Kings from Percy Bysshe Shelley’s famous poem, decks himself out in gold plate draped in purple robes with matching cape and boots. Often associated with regality, Adrian Veidt’s purple and gold wardrobe is befitting for the stature of his namesake, his wealth, and his power. Fated by the poem, and parallels to a plethora of purple-clad comic villains, Ozymandias serves as example of the inevitable futility of empire. Modeled as a parody of the 1997 Batsuit, the film’s rubbery black body armor, is super generic, and offers little insight to the character behind the mask, though it does sculpt some godly ab and thigh muscles.

Night Owl trades in a red hood, matching undies, and gold utility belt, for a form-fitted brown leather body suit. Rorschach sports the same black and white mask with a brown trench coat, but his purple scarf and pants are muted beyond recognition. While toning down their color, the film amped up the violence, adding back alley showdowns with gratuitous thugs, and gory bloodbath hatchet jobs. Its dark and gritty, we get it, but when the countdown to catastrophe finally strikes midnight, we’re almost entirely desensitized to the horrors of the disaster that ensues, while the comics remain remarkably void of violence to accentuate its prevalence in the final chapter.

The Comedian keeps his blue starred red and white striped shoulder pads, but most prominently of all, Silk Spectre stands out in skimpy black and yellow, and Dr Manhattan shines a nearly blinding blue. These primary colors shine bright and bold in the feature film, but the secondary colors remain only as a muted memory of super heroes past. When flashbacks of the Minutemen weren’t seen in black and white or sepia tone, they did provide a glimpse at some of the classic costumes, colors and all.

There is nothing wrong with your television set—

This scene towards the end of the film references a reference to the in-universe source of the villainous scheme and twist ending, but while the comics openly pay homage to the 1963 episode “The Architects of Fear” with direct mention of the title, The Outer Limits opening sequence would suffice for the film, similarly overheard playing on Ms. Jupiter’s television.

https://dailymotion.com/video/x4dpm4i

Around issue 10, I came across a guide to cult television. There was an Outer Limits episode called ”The Architects of Fear.” I thought: ”Wow. That’s a bit close to our story.’ In the last issue, we have a TV promoting that Outer Limits episode — a belated nod.

—Alan Moore (Entertainment Weekly, 2009)

I kept telling him, ‘Be more original, Alan, you’ve got the capability, do something different, not something that’s already been done!’ And he didn’t seem to care enough to do that.

—Len Wein (Wizard, 2004)

Published in 1959, Tales of Suspense #2 leads with an uncredited story “Invasion From Outer Space” that ends with a similarly familiar reveal. Generally attributed to Jack Kirby, as evidenced by his signature usage of ellipses… its hard to say exactly where Alan Moore first conceptualized the idea, but this dispute would be the straw that breaks the editors back for Len Wein, who left the project due to irreconcilable creative differences.

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Movie Night! – 1/31/2017 It is two and a half minutes to midnight, and the lines between fact and fiction are growing increasingly irrelevant--