#hirsch so help me you have no idea what you have done to teenager me and my angsty little au

[spinji]

Hi mom, this is Billy

[ingek73]

For Meghan Markle, leaving Britain must seem more and more like the right choice

Afua Hirsch

The Duchess of Sussex, a woman of colour, has faced relentless media attacks – and had no protection from the palace

Published: 17:54 Friday, 05 March 2021

‘The media has used Meghan’s private life for a feeding frenzy.’ Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Racism is a lucrative business. When it comes to Meghan Markle, the media’s strategy is transparent. Tabloids pillory her with a range of mostly ludicrous allegations – her baby bump is too prominent, her avocados are not “woke”, her earrings are drenched in blood – and then networks double up with manufactured debates in which anti-racist commentators try to push back on those narratives.

It’s no wonder that, in the teaser for his forthcoming interview with Oprah Winfrey, Prince Harry referred to history repeating itself. We saw a similar strategy of obsession and vilification play out with his mother. The genius of it then and now – from a tabloid perspective – is that they as perpetrators are also the major beneficiaries, as their endless coverage racks up clicks and newspaper sales.

Knowing this, and being aware that this discourse is rarely designed to achieve progress or change, has made me reluctant to continue entering the fray. I have not answered the literally hundreds of calls I’ve received recently from broadcast networks, asking me to comment first on the state of Meghan’s womb (presumably the entire nation feels entitled to have a view), and then on her decision to speak to Winfrey.

There is the general obsession with celebrities and royals, and then there is the particular shape this obsession takes when the object in question is a woman of colour.

It’s hardly breaking news that the British media is often driven by deeply racist instincts. You never have to look far to illustrate the point. “Do you look at [Meghan] and see a black woman? Cause I don’t,” said LBC host Andrew Pierce. “I see a very attractive woman. It’s never occurred to me.”

The idea that being attractive and being black are mutually exclusive has a long history in Britain. The very first time I was interviewed by a newspaper, aged 18, I was asked to comment on Jeffrey Archer’s view that, in the past, “your head did not turn in the road if a black woman passed you because they were badly dressed, they were probably overweight and they probably had a lousy job”. (At the time Archer was the Conservative candidate for mayor of London.)

Pierce simply offered us an up-to-date example of how, confronted with Meghan – a black woman he does consider attractive – commentators reconcile this apparent anomaly by reclassifying her as not black at all. And so that cycle continues.

So does the one involving the character assassination of women of colour as a kind of sport. The Mail on Sunday was willing to break the law – as a recent high court summary judgment established – and to take its attack on Meghan to a new low. Having obtained and published a distressing handwritten letter from Meghan to her estranged father, the tabloid deployed a handwriting expert to reveal that her penmanship shows her to be, “a showman and a narcissist”, “self-aware” and “self-oriented”, someone who suffers from “anxiety”. It would be strange not to suffer from anxiety, wouldn’t it, when the media is using your private life for a feeding frenzy, and the institution capable of shielding you – in this case, Buckingham Palace – has decided to sit back and watch?

Indeed, the palace has decided that this precise moment – days before the Sussex’s highly anticipated interview with Oprah Winfrey is broadcast – is the right time to launch an investigation into allegations of bullying made by former royal aides against Meghan three years ago.

Bullying allegations must be taken seriously. That should have been the case for home secretary Priti Patel, who was found culpable of abusing senior civil servants and has just paid out £340,000 to one of her accusers. Yet despite being accountable to the electorate, her political career seems unscathed by this. Clearly she plays a useful role for Boris Johnson, who has consistently protected her, even when she was found by his independent adviser to have broken the ministerial code, which is normally a resigning offence.

It’s richly ironic therefore that the media – which has relentlessly bullied Meghan, including most intensely during two periods when she has been pregnant – is now consumed with these latest allegations that she herself is a bully. It’s also not without context because – as numerous black women have attested of their experiences in white spaces – we are frequently perceived as threatening.

I have my own painful memories of how, as a teenager, younger children at my school said they found me “terrifying”, and how I was dubbed “Scary Spice”. Being biracial did not exempt me from being perceived as frightening simply because of my physical appearance.

It’s difficult to compare these personal experiences to those facing Meghan, because she has become a fixation of the global news media in ways few of us can imagine. She is in this position because of her relationship to the palace – a unique institution that creates global superstars who are not elected, not accountable to the electorate. In her case, she no longer even lives at the taxpayers’ expense.

And yet there is so much the palace could have done to provide Meghan with the same shielding that other senior members of the royal family enjoy. For Prince Andrew, who has faced allegations of involvement in sexual abuse, a palace spin doctor even tried to enlist the help of an online troll to discredit the prince’s accuser.

I would condemn the idea of discrediting Meghan’s sex abuse accusers; except she doesn’t have any. I would criticise Meghan for visiting Saudi Arabia, as other members of the royal family have on many occasions; except she has never set foot there.

Instead, she reportedly wore a pair of earrings gifted by Prince Mohammed bin Salman, whose track record of extreme human rights abuses, including authorising the murder of Jamal Khashoggi and the dismal war in Yemen, has not prevented our nation from selling him arms. I doubt the royal family will open an investigation into this particular allegation anyway, since doing so would offer an inconvenient reminder to countries in the former empire – now its Commonwealth friends – of how much of royal treasure was stolen from them.

I would criticise Meghan for furthering Prince Philip’s current state of ill health, except – contrary to the suggestion of one royal commentator – it has nothing to do with her whatsoever. If Meghan can be linked to murder for wearing jewellery, I dread to think what she’d be blamed for were his condition to get worse.

The greatest irony in all this, of course, is that Meghan left Britain – as I suspect we will discover with some clarity when her Oprah interview is broadcast – to get away from the toxic and racially motivated media obsession with her. And yet even in its remarkable track record of denying her the basic human expectations of privacy, the media are outdoing themselves all over again in proving that her judgment was right.

Afua Hirsch is a Guardian columnist

[wendip-week]

Wendip Bits from the GF Complete Series Commentary/Lost Legends Comic

Hey all!  @ddp456 here!

So, in between helping Kenzoe64 with the last few pages of the Protector comic and working on chapters of DBR3 (yes, I swear it’s still coming) I’ve had a bit of a secret project I’ve been working on (and to be honest, I’m kinda surprised no one else beat me to it)

Over the last few months, I’ve had a chance to rewatch Gravity Falls through the newly released Complete Series Blu Ray set, and for this, listened to every commentary created for each episode, as well as those made for the special features disc (which forgive me if I’m wrong, but was for the BD set, right?).

While the tracks give a HUGE insight on all things GF, it also unveils the curtain on many things Wendy and Dipper related; some things I guessed correctly from the very beginning (see my personal notes for bragging rights), and some, well, that kinda shocked me, and left me uncertain about a few details.  But I’m getting ahead of myself.

As you can guess, think of this as a dissection of the commentaries given, focusing on our favorite duo from the series, and afterwards, I’ll include a few questions of my own.  Fair enough?  Let’s get started:

(Tidbits in the first few episodes)

-Alex Hirsch states that Dipper’s crush on Wendy was always meant to be a big part of the series.

-Hirsch wanted to drop Wendip hints in the first episode (Tourist Trapped), but Rob Renzetti (Supervising producer director, creator of My Life As a Teenage Robot) talked him out of it, saying that he was doing it way too soon.

-The age difference between Dipper and Wendy was the very first conflict that came to mind in the writer’s room, so therefore, it was used.

-The persona of Wendy herself was crafted like that of a “cool camp counselor” so that she could do cool adult stuff, and be able to do “kid stuff” as well without being out of place.

(The Inconveniencing)

-The Cold Open for Episode 5 (Roof Time!) was created at the last minute because the writers realizes that the Wendy/Dipper connection really wasn’t justified.  The roof sequence was to make not only Dipper fall in love with Wendy, but the audience as well.  (D’aww!  - Editor’s note)

-At the end of the episode, the second “Zipped Lips” motion between Wendy and Dipper symbolized many things.  It shows that Dipper (despite lying) is accepted by Wendy into her social circle, and given her friendship.  Her lying to the other teens is just as important, as she does so without Dipper asking her to.  This was done to make Wendy as real as humanly possible, showing that she is just as cool as Dipper (and we as an audience) make her out to be.

-Hirsch often laments on the fact that they didn’t do a full “Wendy-themed” episode.  He explains that the point of many episodes is that a said character “learns a sin” and they were afraid to do so with Wendy, in fears that it would ruin her chemistry.  (more on this later - Editor’s note)

-They foreshadow the conflict over Robbie and Dipper (involving Wendy) and recognizes that things weren’t always realistic (e.g. how Dipper can beat up the Multi-Bear, but how he was deathly afraid of Robbie).  Hirsch’s reasoning is that the audience seems forgiving with such exaggeration as long as everyone appeared to stay in character ( again, more on this later - Editor’s note)

(Double Dipper)

-Originally, Double Dipper had nothing to do with Wendy (GASP! - Editor’s note)  The original premise was about Mabel trying to set up a party so she could mingle with the citizens of Gravity Falls, and make new friends, and Dipper, being the anti-social opposite of her, tries to prevent this at every turn, only to fail.  It was only when at the last moment, someone suggested to have Dipper’s story be about Wendy.

-During the slow dance scene, the animators specific added a shot of Wendy from Dipper’s POV so that we (the audience) could understand and feel the same anxiety that he did at that moment.

-At the dance of the episode, Hirsch and the rest of the crew theorize about what happens when Dipper goes back inside the Shack at the end of the night.  He specifically asked, “Do you guys think he asks Wendy to dance?”  The rest of the crew disagree, saying they can picture Dipper trying to dance on his own, and Wendy cheering him on, sprinkling confetti on him from afar like in the beginning of the episode. 

(Cute, but what about this? 

is it non-canon, now?  Did the commentary happen before the real Journal 3 was written?  Or is it presumed that Dipper lied in the journal?  What the fuck?  - Editor’s note)

(Irrational Treasure)

-Going off on a tangent, Hirsch describes Dipper’s crush on Wendy as “creepy” and “over-the-top.”  He details that it’s Dipper’s seriousness that leads to misfortune, and for that, he takes a lot of lumps. 

-The Zodiac is mentioned here, and the writers explain that the Ice wasn’t always related to Wendy.  The symbol was random.

-And as a cute sidenote, the “binkies” that the Pines twins have at the back of their heads were taken from the same ones that the Mario Bros. have.

(Time Traveler’s Pig)

-Alex Hirsch goes hard on Dipper here.  He explains that Dipper has a very naive, yet forgivable, but wrong idea about romance.

-He feels that Dipper would die a thousands deaths to have Wendy feel the same way about him.

-Dipper is desperate to have this perfect moment, this perfect day with Wendy, because he believes that he’s not perfect on his own (told ya’ all! - Editior’s note)

-Hirsch says because of this, Dipper doesn’t deserve to get what he wants.  This idea of how the world works shouldn’t be rewarded.

-He adds that creating the lessons above was the hardest part of writing the episode.

(Fight Fighters)

-Hirsch knew that the “crush” angle was getting old, but he loved the story presented here.  He says that “Dipper’s heart was in the right place” when defending Wendy against Robbie.  (again, take that, internet!  - Editor’s note)

-Hirsch was blown away by the internet’s response to the episode, shocked to see how many people have had a negative reaction to it.  At this point, Jason Ritter (voice of Dipper) responses, “What?!  Love doesn’t die, guys!

-Alex goes into how he doesn’t care for “shipping,” that the “Wendy/Dipper” stories come from need for conflict, but not from character relationships.  With Wendy involved, Dipper is motivated, desperate, and will do the most insane things.

-He agrees with internet that the crush wasn’t really going anywhere, but he loved the W&D scripts that kept coming in.

-Robbie’s calling out Wendy like a dog (C’mon, out, girl!) was ad-libbed by TJ Miller.

-Hirsch believes that if left alone, Robbie would have never fought Dipper.  He was jealous that his girlfriend was going off on all these weird adventures with this kid.  (Wait, so there are untold Wendy/Dipper adventures out there?!  - Editor’s note)

-The height difference between Wendy and Dipper literally comes from Alex’s real life (and his twin, Ariel, was taller, like Mabel), where he was the smallest kid in class, and his science partner in school was regular sized, and also, his secret crush.

(The Deep End)

-The episode was always meant to be a non-serious, low-stakes piece.  Dipper’s having a good time with Wendy was not meant as romantic, but as friends.

-Wendy was originally meant to have a two piece bikini, but the network made them change it (So, wait, it wasn’t a homage to the Sandlot’s Lifeguard Wendy? - Editor’s note)

(Boyz Crazy)

-Hirsch regrets not clarifying the Robbie/Wendy/Dipper portion at the end.

-He insists that the hidden message in the song was mere coincidence.  Wendy was not hypnotized. 

-He sees the situation as follows:  Dipper is jealous that Wendy is into Robbie’s music.  For this, Dipper figures there has to be a sinister reason for this. 

-Robbie definitely stole the music, but didn’t know that the message was there.  Hirsch says as a child, he was personally fascinated by rock bands having hidden messages in their records.

-At this point in the commentary, Ariel Hirsch chips in, saying that in the end, “Dipper wasn’t thinking about Wendy.”  Jason Ritter (Dipper himself) agrees, “He’s only thinking about calling out Robbie.”    (told ya’ all x3.  - Editor’s note)

-Alex Hirsch’s quote about the hidden message: “Backward messages can’t control people’s behavior because you can’t understand them!”

-His notes on Stan and Dipper bonding in this episode: “Both would rather believe that there is a huge conspiracy rather than they’re bad with women.”

(Land Before Swine)

-Hirsch says as side-notes that Wendy had a running bet with Grunkle Stan about who would eat the corn-unicorn first (he didn’t bet on Waddles).  Also, he says that Ford has a fear of women because after a bad experience involving someone being freaked out by his six-fingers.

(Gideon Rises)

-Hirsch admits that Gideon’s speech to Dipper is bullcrap.  Dipper has beaten plenty without the aid of the Journal 3, but his insecurities make him believe otherwise.

(Scary-oke)

-Wendy has two cut scenes that are shown in the Special Features disc.  At the beginning of the episodes, she (along with Soos) is interview by the news and she is chided for using the word “Jerkface” on live TV.  She then goes into a huge rant about her “freedom of speech.”  The second shows that Wendy was given the blow-horn by Mabel to be the official hype person of Scary-oke.

(Into the Bunker)

-ITB won an Annie award?!  (Didn’t know that - Editor’s note)

-Hirsch wanted to keep the Dipper/Wendy crush going, but could see that the audience was getting tired of it.  The writers decided to have Wendy become a member of the team and go on adventures, choosing to have Dipper deal with heartbreak sooner than later.

-It was considered to be the third priority for the second season.  (Reveal Author, Revisit Switch in the Woods, and Kill the Crush)

-Speaking of, the Bunker’s staircase was taken from the video game classic, Myst

-The script for “Into the Bunker,” was given to Matt Chapman (of “Homestar Runner”/Strong Bad fame), because all of his GF scripts happen to have heartbreak in them, earning him the nickname, “Shipwrecker.”

-Wendy and Dipper’s movie night/Cold Opening was the very last thing to be added to the episode.  They needed something to tie Dipper’s investment to both the adventure at hand, and the Wendy crush

-In this, Dipper’s confidence grows by defeating Gideon, and when Wendy says she doesn’t need guys, it brings him to turmoil by the impossible and hopeless.

-The symbol room was originally the “Gonna Die” room.

-This episode is in Alex Hirsch’s top 5 GF episodes, because of its darker tone.

-He details:  there are so many good moments in this episode where Dipper is suffering at the hands of this girl that’s so much cooler and so much beyond what he could even understand.

-The GF team knew that this had to be a stand-out episode for Wendy.  We had to spend a lot of time with her, showing that she could hold her own and make a valuable addition to the Mystery Crew.  Hirsch regrets not doing that more.  For this, every time Wendy is added to the team, she’s awesome.

-The most amount of takes in the entire series was the “Dipper crying over dead Wendy” scene.  Hirsch explains that it was a hard thing to sell, and a really vulnerable moment.

-ITB’s ending was one of the hardest endings to write.  The commentary says they rewrote it 5 times to get it right.

-An idea used was “Love is temporary, but friendship is real love?”  (Hell, that’s what I use about 90% of the time - Editor’s note)

-The line “Don’t be itchy.” was added super late to the script.  The team tried to avoid as many cliches as possible.

-The first time the Wendy/Dipper confession scene was watched in animatics, Hirsch and crew felt that it was “too romantic,” like a romcom.

-In the Special Features disc, we see a sneak peak of the deleted scene.  In this, Dipper goes in on a rant of despair, pledging to Wendy that he’ll try to avoid the Gift Shop from now on, and that she’ll never have to talk to him again, before she stops him and tries to calm him (Dude, Dude, it’s okay...)  (Poor baby... - Editor’s note)

-The scene was meant to reflect Alex’s own puberty, which wasn’t romantic, but nightmarish. 

-”It’s meant to be terrifying for Dipper.  His heart is in his throat as he has to have this talk with Wendy.  He’s frozen, waiting for it to pass, and Wendy can see this pain, and she’s doing everything she can to show him, “Nothing’s different.  Everything’s normal.  You’re normal.  These feelings are normal.  I’m a couple years older than you, and I’ve seen this.  I’ve been around the block.  We all go through it.  You’re going to be okay.”

(Kinda wish they went this route instead of the whole “age” thing.  It’s beautiful - Editor’s note)

-It couldn’t be a “will they/won’t they” situation.  The real question was “will they be friends after this?”

-The writers could see a very legitimate path where Wendy is like, “Dude. you’re creeping me out.  Maybe we should take a little time from each other because this is not healthy, etc.”  The fact that she was so beautiful and cool and treats Dipper so well shows that she IS the awesome kind of person that Dipper thinks she is.

(The Golf War)

-A quick note about Dipper and relationships.  Dipper’s normal social fear melts away when he’s around someone he hates so much.  Someone like Pacifica brings out pure sass and rage.   (HA! - Editor’s note)

(Little Gift Shop of Horrors)

-There was a possible story being tossed around where Wendy gets a tattoo and gradually, it overtakes her/she becomes the tattoo herself.  Alex Hirsch loved the idea of a living tattoo, stating that it’d fit with Wendy’s rebellious teen nature, and that she’d learn a lesson at the end of it.

-The writers passed, saying that Wendy is very hard to write for.  When we see her, she’s cool and controlled, and for a short story concept, finding that depth to make it valuable would be difficult.  Plus, they didn’t want to be compared to Moana (or the fact it’s almost exactly like a Goosebumps story? - Editor’s note)

(Society of the Blind Eye)

-Hirsch and the writers loved the Wendy/Mabel scene because there’s not many of them throughout the series.  To them, it was great to show Wendy as the “cool, older sister.”  Hirsch dug Wendy’s complete disregard of boys.  “Don’t worry about them.  Yeah, whatever, they’re a dime a dozen. I’ve had so many boyfriends...”

-The writers discuss what kind of man Wendy would end up with.  “He’d have to be something - some kind of specimen.  She’s so confident and having a good time, comfortable in her own skin; if a guy’s cool, she’ll be “Yeah, I’ll try it out,” and when she’s bored, “Yeah, no thanks,” leaving a bottomless scar inside their heart,” going on to cite Robbie as example.

-Alex Hirsch added the line about Wendy’s being stressed 24/7.  It’s obviously not what she shows the world, and yet, it shows how you can vaguely see it there.  (Tell me about it - Editor’s note)

(Blendin’s Game)

-Alex Hirsch’s view on family:  “Friendship is thicker than water, and family’s something you can create.”

-Hirsch’s further thoughts on shipping:  He tells the writers that it’s meaningless.  He rather ask if they have a compelling story instead.  He doesn’t care about love, saying “Love isn’t the end - it’s a story turn.”

-A member of the writing cast was going to comment on the baby Wendy and Tambry scene, when she was interrupted, and the point is never bought up again.   (Dammit! - Editor’s note)

(Dungeons, Dungeons & More Dungeons)

-Hirsch debated about having a scene where Dipper reveals his real name to Ford.  The consensus said no.  The same happened for “Dipper and Mabel Vs. the Future.”

(The Last Mabelcorn)

-Originally, the episode was going to be a Wendy-eccentric episode involving her family and her relationship with Manly Dan.  On top of that, she was going to gain magical weather powers as well.  The team decided against it, not wanting to be compared to the movie, Frozen, as well finding it hard to balance considering Wendy’s grounded character.

For this, they made it up to her by having Wendy (and her influence) take over the episode after the first third.

(Roadside Attraction)

-The Special Features disc shows an alternate opening that doesn’t showcase a Dipper/Wendy angle at all.  Dipper asks a group of ladies to borrow a quarter and instead, gets beaten up for it.  Mabel and the gang figure from this that Dipper needs help talking to women.

-The whole point of the episode (to Hirsch) is that Dipper gets advice from Stan when Dipper is only trying to move on, while Stan has no idea what he’s doing, stating he is not a role model by any means.  The lesson is not to present false affections and learn to hear other people’s feelings.  “Stan lives alone for a reason!”

(Dipper & Mabel Vs. the Future)

-The Mabel/Wendy scene was created so that if someone as cool as Wendy doesn’t like High School, it immediately changes Mabel’s perspective on the matter.

-One of the Government agents were originally going to offer Dipper an apprenticeship/”advanced learning path,” in due to all of his discoveries and research.

-Hirsch figures that Ford’s speech towards Dipper is similar if not the same that he gave to McGucket.  Ford takes advantage of hero worship - it’s not so much as he needs an apprentice, rather to have someone that’ll do anything he says.  (So where are those people that says Ford doesn’t have a mean streak in him? - Editor’s note)

-Upon Dipper rescuing Ford, Jason Ritter laments on commentary, “If only Wendy could have seen that moment...” to which the room explodes with laughter.

(Weirdmageddon Part 1)

-Hirsch explains: “Wendy is the most grounded character in the series, so in this ungrounded scenario, she is able to make the most of it.  She can handle just about anything.”

-Wendy’s speech to Dipper was struggled with for a while.  It had to be a speech not about Dipper’s self-confidence, but about how he needed Mabel back (which the writers says there’s truth in)

-The live action Wendy and Dipper scene (with Jason Ritter and Linda Cardellini) had lines cut from the final version (Son-of-a-...  Editor’s Note)

-The Gideon/Dipper speech represents the full completion of Dipper’s Wendy arc.  It’s a real-life lesson that Hirsch says many people in real life still don’t get.

(Weirdmageddon 2: Escape from Reality)

-A deleted scene in the Special Features disc expands on the beach scene, where Mabel zaps Dipper, Wendy, and Soos’s ruined clothing into gaudy swimwear (though Wendy has a cute flower in her hair ala Hawaiian).  They go to the beach and Wendy begins to admire the hunky volleyball players, leading to a jealous Dipper.

-Alex Hirsch explains that the fantasies offered in Mabelland aren’t fantasies, they’re easier outs.  Wendy’s is teen rebellion rather than facing reality.  Soos’s is the dad he always wanted.

-With Dipper, what was originally going to be behind the door was Ford and the offer of the apprenticeship.  They would go off on adventures and discoveries, only to stumble upon a now-alone Mabel, growing up in High School, and having a real life.  Hirsch axed the idea, believing that Mabelland, and by extension, Bill Cipher, wouldn’t show the downside of any fantasy, rather Dipper would have to discover it himself.  For this, the writers had to go back to “the Wendy Well.”   (Special note: we at @wendip-week have to use the phrase, “Wendy Well” more often - Editor’s note)

-Earlier versions of the episodes had different “Wendy wants,” including one where we find her writing deep poetry.  The writers go on about her fantasy, saying that it couldn’t be a “perfect guy,” because she’s self-realized.  But at the same time,  they admit that Wendy “exhibits destructive character flaws that she has to get over.”  They add, “She really loves that aimless teen rebellion, that it’s hard to turn down all that chaos.”   (So, why the hell didn’t they make an episode about that?!  And I wanna see Poet Wendy ASAP! - Editor’s note)

(Weirdmageddon 3: Take Back The Falls)

-Alex Hirsch:  “Gravity Falls was always meant to have a bittersweet feeling to it.”

-Weirdmageddon was about giving everyone a hero moment.  Part 1 was Wendy and Dipper’s.  Part 2 was Mabel, and the Mystery team as a whole.  Part 3 was the Stan twins and the town united.

-Jason Ritter marvels at the Wendy and Rumble sequence, noting how all the other characters are fighting  with machines, and yet Wendy is going at it bare-handed.

-Weirdmageddon was approved to be a made-for-TV movie, but Disney demanded another 3 episodes for regular air.  The team declined.

-There was never an official plan for the Zodiac.  It was something the team made as a tease, but after seeing fan response, they knew they had to do something with it.  Linking Wendy with the bag was a last minute decision simply because of the scenes involving her and ice throughout the series.

-A quick note about the original quote of the Llama, versus the final one given by Larry King, “Llamas are dumb, blonde, beautiful, and they spit!”   (BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! - Editor’s note)

-Hirsch is a big believer in visual aid.  The Pines twins changed on the inside, and he wanted something to show that on the outside as well.  Mabel got to keep Waddles, and for that, Dipper received Wendy’s hat, as a symbol of their friendship.

-Rewatching the scene, Jason Ritter says that he believes Dipper never takes off Wendy’s hat, and is too shy to tell anyone its origins.  (”When people ask him, he’s like “Don’t you worry about that...”)

-Alex Hirsch says the switching hats idea came from a storyboarder’s sketch, in which he said, “That feels right.”  (Uh-huh.  Just a sketch... - Editor’s note)

The Wendy’s note scene was meant to be ambiguous about two things.  The first being “Mystery.”  It gave Dipper one last question to ponder in his head.  (Had to do one last tease, eh?  Editor’s note)

-The second was “Endings.”   “Did something just die here?  Are all these things we love really gone?”  HIrsch says not quite.  “Endings are new beginnings.”

A few neat points of interest (non Wendip related)

-Jason Ritter is a HUGE gaming fan, where he was able to name almost all the references in “Fight Fighters.”  He also played and completed the Gravity Falls 3DS game twice (where Alex Hirsch admits he never has...)

-Hidden in the Double Dipper episode, there is a secret commentary track, where Jason swoons over Wendy for part of the episode, only to be interrupted by his clones (including one that had to camp out for “The Legend of Zelda - Breath of the Wild)

And lastly, I want to address the new comic, Lost Legends.  While it didn’t have a hint of Wendip in it:

(sorry, fam, Wendy making a crack about Dipper wearing a skirt doesn’t cut it for me.  And didn’t mean to mooch. @fereality-indy. - I couldn’t find a real scan)

But it does contain two other important pieces of information (besides Mabel getting her just-desserts).

The first is a code that gives the hint, WENDY'S MOM: IN ANOTHER DIMENSION?

Such a thing would explain a ton.  One would guess that Wendy and her family believes that her mother just vanished, meaning she could have abandonment issues.  (and yes, kids, such a thing can affect how people have relationships)

And to add to the tease, there’s a second hint as well in the first story:

(and thank you, GF Team for giving me another canon point to add to the Protector comic by stating the BES still exists!)

But back to the task at hand, we see that the far right vital has Wendy’s mom’s memories.  Is this in conjunction with the above point?  Or its own theory?

Hopefully, this plot point is exploring in the next piece of GF related media.  All I can guess is this, if Wendy’s mom really is stuck in another dimension, the Pines better pray they didn’t have anything to do with it...

The only other interesting thing to note is that at the end of the second story, Wendy makes an comment about “overthrowing the government,” which kinda sounds like the cut scene from “Scary-Oke” mentioned above.  Is it a statement of the politics taught in the Corduroy home, or is it a reflection of current views from Alex Hirsch and the writers?  (It’s fascinating either way, IMHO).

So, with everything said and done, I’ll admit, reader, I’m a bit mixed up, feeling wise.

On one hand, Alex Hirsch himself confirmed a shit-ton of Wendy and Dipper info that makes me feel like:

But at the same time, it seems like one of my favorite parts of the show is the one he could care less about - that it’s an end to a means.  The closest feeling I can relate to is how the Professor in the 2nd TMNT movie inadvertently tells Donatello that he was an accident.

And I get it, the series is based on the dude’s real life, and that includes nearly every aspect of Wendy and Dipper, rather it be good or bad (or as he describes it, mostly bad).  But that’s kinda of why I love it, too, that I can relate to that as well, as I’m sure many of you can.  I can say with full honesty that I’ve been both a “Dipper,” where I’ve followed along with a way-too-cool-for-me-girl like a lost puppy, and I’ve been a “Wendy,” too, in which a small ball of wonder looked up at me like I was a gift from God, and I tried my best not to sour or pervert that, and yet, remain honest.  It is an interesting story, even if it’s not the main story.

Man, he wasn’t kidding when he said “Gravity Falls was about being bittersweet,” eh?  But still, the fact remains: while it wasn’t perfect for ol’ Dipper, at least he wasn’t Patti Mayonnaise-d.

Between the numerous essays and questionnaires I’ve whipped up this summer, I still believe that there is ton of info to be asked and answered, especially involving our non-official favorite duo.  We can only hope that the powers that be may want to wish about that “Wendy Well” one day in the future.  Nothing is ever certain, and with that, I’ll leave you with some of the truest words out there, straight from Dipper Pines himself (and because I can’t find the damned gifs.)

Until next time.

[bewarethebasement]

On Teaching High School Students

Rae Rival

I started teaching Creative Writing at the Philippine High School for the Arts (PHSA) in 2012.  Before PHSA, I was a grade school teacher and an educational materials writer. I was also an active member of Linangan sa Imahen, Retorika at Anyo (LIRA). The approaches that I used to teach poetry came from my training as a LIRA fellow and member.

There was no manual for teaching creative writing to high school students. It was usually offered as a course in college. Arts classes at PHSA ran for four hours a day every afternoon. My former references include creative writing syllabi from universities, my handouts from college and books written by Virgilio Almario such as Sansiglong Mahigit ng Makabagong Tula sa Filipinas, Panitikang Pambata sa Filipinas, Pag-unawa sa Ating Pagtula: Pagsusuri at Kasaysayan ng Panulaang Filipino, Maikling Kwento sa Filipinas, etc. Photocopying parts of novels, collections of poems and short stories both by local and foreign authors became part of my daily routine. I taught the elements of poetry and fiction and used Literature and Its Writers by Samuel Charters and similar books as guides.   

Aside from delivering lectures, I usually come up with “fun” writing exercises or attempts at game-based learning. This year, with PHSA’s calendar shift from June - March to August - May, came the return of the bundy clock. As public school teachers (PHSA being an attached agency of the Department of Education), we sign a contract that requires us to report for 40 hours a week. The Daily Time Record (DTR) form was replaced with a time card, and we were to punch in and out every day. A flexi time was allowed but the options were usually to spend 11 hours a day for 4 days or 9 hours a day for 5 days. It was actually 44 hours if you count the hour-long lunch break.

As arts practitioners, one might find this setup suffocating. PHSA does not really require their arts teachers to practice (it is just a small point for professional growth in the Individual Performance Commitment and Review Form). There are no programs to address this need and during meetings, teachers have to justify and defend the need for practice. Our directors, however, are very open to proposals and approve requests to attend lectures, facilitate workshops, join group shows, engage in activities that are related to our field. But as a general school policy, PHSA teachers are just technically, civil servants who need to complete 40 hours preferably in the workplace. In fact, an approved travel means leaving your students behind. They are left to study on their own when their teacher is away. If this is often done, students’ development may be compromised.

Yet, with the 40-hour work week, how can one practice? The only viable solution is that one may try practicing within the 40-hours, within the premises of the school. That is not always possible for theater actors or theater arts practitioners who need to be part of a production. For writers, it seems plausible (though progressive writers need to be more engaged, need to embed themselves in a community or struggle thus, also has field work). Interdisciplinary artists who weave writing with other forms of art may also need to go beyond finishing a novel or a collection of literary works (and not all writers can do this in front of their faculty tables or computers). If we are to compartmentalize arts practitioners: visual artists need a studio space, and musicians and dancers need to rehearse on their own or with an orchestra or a dance company. Practicing our art in the morning, before the afternoon arts classes begin, is not something that is openly-discussed or even encouraged. We are usually given committee work and mornings are spent doing clerical work, lesson plans, and other duties. Plus, the fact that you have to earn a License (completing 18 units of education first) in order to be a tenured faculty and finisha Master’s degree if you wish to be promoted. With all these requirements, there is no room for art, really.

Initially, PHSA teachers were given dormitories or cottages hence, the term “resident arts teachers.” They were literally residing and living with the students. They were open for consultation after class hours. Until now, music, dance and theater arts students rehearse until 9 or 10 PM with their teachers. Back then, former resident teachers who were married brought their owns kids to the cottages as it was similar to housing privileges.

With the number of students multiplying (the school was initially created for 1st - 4th year high school, now it has to accommodate Grade 7 - Grade 12 students), PHSA dormitories can no longer accommodate teachers. What our school needs is a feasible, scientific, and child-friendly boarding school curriculum. Some resident arts teachers even go beyond the 40 hours and if they are provided with housing/dormitories, they even stay during weekends to train students. A boarding school curriculum will create programs for students that will help them organize and manage their time after class hours. A boarding school curriculum will also provide programs for art practitioners—the resident arts teachers. This will also set clear parameters for the teachers, clarifying our responsibilities as mentors of children and teenagers residing in Mt. Makiling.

This brings me back to my initial and final concern for writing this essay, what PHSA students need are high school teachers. In my short stay in Mt. Makiling, I have applied different approaches to teaching creative writing. As I have mentioned, my training was limited to my college degree and LIRA (which has a highly-academic program for their fellows, they even tried creating  an advanced/ Master’s program for their older members to help them continue honing and practicing their craft). This does not really work for kids as young as 11 years old. My 1st year high school students, we call them Grade 7 now, come here fresh from their elementary schools. Even if they like writing, some of them come here intimidated or with an initial fear for discussing poems. As Edward Hirsch wrote in his essay “How to Read a Poem”, the three misconceptions readers have are: (1) the need to understand what the poem means on the first encounter, (2) the poem is a kind of code, unless they have cracked the code, they missed the point, and (3) the poem can mean anything they want it to mean. That fear is intensified with approaches that are very strict or inaccessible for children and adolescents. I have students from Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao who have never heard of writers from the literary canon, whose idea of poetry is that it must have end rhymes. They have to unlearn a lot of misconceptions, a lot of habits.

We hire acclaimed, award-winning writers to mentor our students but not all writers can teach. We also hire college professors to teach part-time here but not all great college professors can be great high school teachers. That is one of the many realities here in Mt. Makiling, aside from the fact that this is a boarding school, not an ordinary school where you can simply deliver a lecture and leave your students. You have to come up with high school-friendly activities and guide them because, well, they are very young. They are given extraordinary responsibilities like producing an entire book, representing the country to international festivals, and conducting workshops to fellow high school students. They get invitations to perform, engage and participate in different arts-related activities all over the country. They are scholars and our task is to guide them well.

“Dapat masanay sila. Paano sila masasanay?” To me, the need to “grill” their works so they can be ready for creative writing workshops is quite complicated. We need to come up with approaches that are appropriate for high school students; we need to be nurturing and socially relevant. Every year is another challenge (a new school year brings in new digital natives with diverse skills and needs). We can guide them to be critical and compassionate. One of the things that I challenge in my class is the practice of workshopping literary works. The challenge has to be thrown to the critic or the high school teacher, how can you deliver this to an 11-year-old or even a 16-year-old?

___

Aside from teaching, Rae Rival helps run Gantala Press, a feminist, literary press. Her poems, short stories and essays have appeared in various publications. "Press Release" (a chapbook of poems) and "Halimaw" (part of Sigwa: Climate Fiction Anthology) are two of her most recent works.

Gantala Press

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[vitalmindandbody]

14 Women Show Off Wrinkles To See A Potent Statement About Aging

Wrinkles. Laugh courses. Crow’s paws. No matter what you call them, the crimps on your look deepen as you age. But whereas numerous people look in the reflect and, with a collective rustle, deplored the excerpt of time that’s left its trace on their faces, others cuddle the changes, and accept the idea that germinating older is an integral — and even beautiful — part of living.

HuffPost photographer Damon Dahlen took portraits of 14 females, aged 52 to 90, who roll their eyes at ageist( and sexist) standards of glamour. Rather than fight the inevitable effects of aging, they accompany the lines on their faces as a road map of “peoples lives”. They are the etchings of many years fully lived — and each and every one of them has been earned.

So why not show them off? Take a look at their dazzling likeness below and read what each female has to say about hugging the attractivenes of every age.

Roz Halweil Sokoloff, 90

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I’m a person — not an age. The best stuff about my being 90 is that I’m not recognizing also that I’m old. I do everything the method I used to do it. Perhaps I get tired quicker but I haven’t been saved back from doing anything I want to do. I don’t play singles tennis any more. But I do tai chi and yoga, and I swim laps. When it comes to my wrinkles, well, I stand back from the reflect at least two feet and I don’t assure one wrinkle and that’s the truth. I don’t even know that I have wrinkles. I’m proud of my the expected accomplishments and I don’t am worried about the wrinkles. I haven’t done any Botox or any facelifts. That stuffs not important to me.”

Mary Ann Holand, 59

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“When I look in the mirror, I still ascertain the “girls ” that I was and that I still am. I don’t appear 59. I have grandkids now, so I guess that constructs me believe I’m 59. But that’s about it. I adoration the TV show ‘Grace and Frankie.’ I think we need more pictures like that, that depict stunning older persons who hold their own. We have for too long glorified youth instead of beings. We’re all on the same excursion. After my breast cancer diagnosis, I consider each year a endowment. I want to live into my 90 s.”

Julieth Baisden, 62

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I am happy at this age. To me, my photographs of me examine the same now as years ago. Not much different. I like the style I search. I put on some load but my appearance remains the same. Aging are honoured. Some people freak out when they accompany grey-haired hair or wrinkles. I don’t. I experience young. I feel very young. When I tell people my age, they don’t think it is. I experience that.”

Iris Krasnow, 61

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I’ve had gray hair since I was in my early 30 s. I learned early on to not get my self-esteem or my gumption of glamour from my exterior but from my heart and my passions and my engaged in life. The happiest parties I know are the most fulfilled. They have a sense of anger and purpose and are surrounded by beings they enjoy. Very rarely do I sounds ‘oh, I’m so happy because I am the same weight I was in high school.’ The message I like to share is don’t count on your reviews since they are change. Discover an inner source of energy and fulfillment that has everything to do with your body and soul and little to do with your exterior. One thought for sure in life is that your exterior is going to change. I believe strongly in find beautiful without the spear. For me, wrinkles are … they are a delineate of “peoples lives”. I have four children. I have a husband of 28 times. I’ve experienced my life.”

Maria Leonard Olsen, 52

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I tried 50 new happens the year I returned 50. After I rotated 50, I ultimately lived their own lives authentic to me for the first time. Regrettably that also involved rehab and getting a divorce but I detected who I truly am … and I am absolutely comfortable with myself. Lastly at 50. I got my motorcycle license. I hiked the Himalayas and I conjured fund to help build a library for impoverished children placed in Nepal. I learned to horseback trip. I got my first book produced. I ultimately know who the genuine Maria is. I lived the first half century of “peoples lives” trying to please others. But now I’m living for myself. I have a definite detect I’m on the downslope of my life and actually I predict I am and so I want to make it count. Wrinkles are a natural part of aging. When I was young, I detested my dark skin and examining different from my friends and classmates but now I revel in my uniqueness.”

Carole Paris, 83

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I paint and I like to do faces so whatever success I’ve had with photographs has had to do with the character parties had in their faces. Those faces and those wrinkles and texts tell a life story. You can see the essence of the person or persons by looking at their appearance. I learn faces and I receive a appraise in age. There is life there in those faces … the high-pitcheds and lows of life. You can see that the person has ridden the curves of life, both the ups and the downs. A faceshows the character of a person. I would never think of going a facelift. You face loses life that way.”

Leslie Handler, 56

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“Each new wrinkle tells me that I subsisted and became glad after every defy in my life. When I discover a brand-new one, it doesn’t bother me. After two newborns, my belly bothered me, but my husband said it reminded him that I had given birth to our two children. I think the 50 s are the best of all the decades in so far. You truly come into your own … no more questions about what to do with my life … all the anxieties. You’ve gotten over all that. I had cancer in my 30 s. I’m still here. Complain? I don’t complain.”

Lavada Nahon, 57

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I am roused about becoming a crone. We look at that negatively here … but in Africa, maidens move up in cachet as they go through menopause. It is all those times that play into your value. In Japanese culture and Asian cultures, elders are adored. I had a friend suppose lately that, as an elder, you don’t step out and away from people, but you take on more responsibility. You are responsible for training and teaching and helping others. The older women in my life were always the role model and they held everything together. I am looking forward to being that person that my mom was to me.”

Deborah Gaines, 55

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“Your vision of attractivenes is chosen when you are quite young. For me, my grandmother was heavy and had wrinkles and grey-headed whisker but she symbolized desire for me. She was 95 when she died. And I still thought of her as the most beautiful person I knew. Now I has definitely reconnected with that suffer. The people who are most important to me find me beautiful because of the adore I radiate and it has nothing to do with wrinkles or what is on my face. Until you have a babe, you worry about your form. But when you have a newborn you think your mas deserves an Academy Award. Being beautiful is about being present to those around you. I’m proud of the delineate of my face because it’s a delineate that pictures a long and joyful journey.”

Anne R ., 59

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“Wrinkles are a reflection of what happens to you as you age — they are part of who you are. Speaking the face wires is how to see a person’s know and resilience. They are a thought of having had to condition numerous tornadoes with house, sidekicks, drive. And for me the wrinkles are to be espoused and celebrated because they appearance you who I truly am inside. Wrinkles are not fatigues but preferably research results of a lifetime of all kinds of emotions.”

Barb Rabin, 67

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“Wrinkles are a natural part of aging. My forehead wrinkles are from are concerned about my teenagers and grandkids and my 95 -year-old mom. My favorite wrinkles are around my sees. They are from smiling and enjoying life and likewise sometimes weeping. Wrinkles to demonstrate that I am still alive and that acquires them absolutely worth it.”

Lisa Hirsch, 66

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“If i didn’t have my wrinkles I wouldn’t be this age. And a lot of people don’t make it to this age. Aging gracefully is — I imagine — something of a advantage. It’s a advantage that you are even here. My spouse is wholly against get undertaking done and he visualizes I’m beautiful and that women should age with grace. I accept that it’s precisely an integrated part of life. I repute women should age naturally and gracefully.”

Barbara Hannah Grufferman, 59

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I feel good because I exert. And that everything happened after I passed 50. I started wearing sunblock and trying to stay as health and fit as I can. We can seem and feel good as we get older if we take care of ourselves. Sleep, activity and eating well … all of this is important. Since I moved 50, I wanted to get my act together. What does this necessitate? What is aging all about? What should I be doing that is different now than what I was doing before? As I inch my acces toward 60, I’m looking at what adjustments I should stir. My adage is: we can’t see going older, but we can domination how we do it. I espouse wrinkles. I call them my gag line — and they are my life lines. Because they are part of who I am now. I’ve embraced the evolution entirely. At the same hour, I want to make sure I’m doing everything right for myself so that I can age with mercy and vitality and force. The purpose shouldn’t be to look younger. But you want to look the best you are able to at whatever age you are.”

Sandra LaMorgese, 59

Damon Dahlen/ Huffington Post

“I is certainly looking forward to turning 60. I still feel like I’m 30. I don’t feel any different than I did at 30. The mirror image is the only thing that’s changing — and that’s in a good way. At first I did not like what I understood when I started aging because it was new. But then I changed my mind about what seductive and beautiful is — and I didn’t thinker. The wrinkles did inconvenience me at first — but once I changed my perspective, they didn’t. I have a 60 -year-old face, which I should. I’m not supposed to look like I’m 25 any more. About 20 years ago, a woman said to me ‘I feel sorry for you because you are so beautiful that when you rotate older and ugly, you won’t be able to handle it.’ I told her, ‘I’m not going to get ugly. I’m just going to age.’We guess aging has to do with being ugly. But it’s not ugly. It’s beautiful.”

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