#i also always wonder if my about reads as my special interests being george martin 🔥AND STING🔥 or if the sting part doesn't come across

[stingchronicity]

(george martin voice) My Gahd what if people stumbling upon my blog think my special interest is george martin of g*me of thr*nes fame. what then

[shieldofrohan]

I don't think GRRM explores the flaws in Arya's characterisation rather he explores how the world is unfair to her. Whenever I read Jon, Sansa, Dany , Robb and Bran, I feel they behave as their age requires them to be. They show capabilities yet are not exempted from bad choices which a character at their age can easily commit. With Arya, sometimes it feels like I am not reading a 11 year old kid but a grown up 25 year old woman who never messes up things or has any characterisation flaws which are not inherent within like the other child characters but those failings are primarily influenced by the society.

Hello Anon,

I have to agree and disagree with you.

I agree with that Martin writes Jon, Sansa and Dany better- MUCH BETTER.

I am obviously not a Daenerys fan but I enjoyed her character more than I did with Arya. I said it many times but I am going to say it again: Daenerys is the best written character in the series. She is much more interesting villain than man-pain Tyrion [looking at you Martin.. really, Tyrion?].

Objectively I find her character well written and interesting. But my problem with her is that her cult like fans who completely ignore her true position and characterization in the books. Hopefully in the future people will enjoy Dany character for the right reasons.

I felt like I need to explain my thoughts about Dany first to show my problems with the way of Arya was written by the author.

Arya is the WORST written main character. TRULY. Everything about her is so FAKE/FORCED/CLICHE/UNREALISTIC…

Author says that Arya is the underdog/outcast of the family. Does the writing show this?

NO!

She is literally her father's favorite child. We see Ned constantly favoring her, letting her do what she likes, he never scolds her, he makes time to talk with her about her traumas like losing a friend, he fcking finds a Water Dancer for her [but not a harp teacher for Sansa]. I have a great dad but jeez, even he never showed me this kind of devotion.

Catelyn seems like she knows her daughter well… we don’t see her abusing or ignoring her. She even acknowledges her struggles.

Her siblings love her. Even Sansa tries to keep include her into her own circle to enjoy things together, she covers for her against Septa Mordane.

As we can see, she seems doing fine as a tomboy girl in the family of 5 men/boys and 2 women/girls.

BUT SHE COULDN’T SEW SO SHE WAS BEING ABUSED.

Really? Wow she must be the only special snowflake who wasn’t good at sewing. I am sure rest of the girls in North were all experts. Arya is the only one who lacks some skill people and it made her super sad.

Fans tried to paint this as some "omg anti-feminism/sexism in society" thing and it feels absurd because Arya was bad at history and heraldy too..

A tomboy is not good at some female-coded skill is so fcking cliche for character building and I am not buying it. And this is BAD/LAZY WRITING.

Did Martin try to make her look like an underdog with this??

Well Sansa is not good at math? I am sure she had bad days because of this too but we didn’t read it. If you ask me Sansa (girly girl) being bad at math (male-coded subject) was more sexist than sewing and Arya thing [considering Sansa was good at music and playing instruments which require math but whatever.]

Arya is an outcast because she is not like other girls… WOW, it has never been written before, how did George come up with this idea? Meanwhile we have girls like Mormont girls so obviously she is not the only "NOT LIKE OTHER GIRLS MARY SUE".

Evil Mordane bullied poor Arya. Mordane is totally not good for her BUT Arya literally never listens HER TEACHER. I am not talking about her lack of skill in sewing. Arya simply NEVER listens anyone. She disobeys her septa, she declines QUEEN’s invitations rudely, she talks sh*t about CROWN PRINCE while princess is next to them.

Girly lessons like sewing weren’t the only lessons she was not into it…

Sansa would have known who he was, and the fat one too, but Arya had never taken much interest in titles and sigils. Whenever Septa Mordane had gone on about the history of this house and that house, she was inclined to drift and dream and wonder when the lesson would be done.

[ACOK; Arya VII]

She simply never cares about any lessons and she simply refuses to learn basic DECORUM. Yeah I am sorry that she had to learn things she didn’t want to but welcome to real world.

MY POINT IS: all these are so weak points to make her look like an outcast/underdog.

Don’t even let me start with Jeyne Poole calling her HORSERACE nonsense. I said it before so I repeat it: This feels so forced in the story considering Arya is the daughter of Warden of the North and Jeyne is some simple daughter of a simple man who works for Starks.

This is what author himself says about class system:

Q: What was the hardest thing in writing about such an alien world?

GRRM: The vast majority of fantasy is middle agey time wise, and he himself finds the period fascinating; glad to adopt it for novel writing - likes knights and castles and such. He objects to bad fantasy practice which adopts a time setting without accepting the culture - imposing 20th century values like the cheeky stableboy telling off the princess (in reality cheeky stableboy would lose his tongue - look what happend to Mycah); the class system was not just and ornament and these people truly belived in blood, and the rank and priviledge that came with "good" blood. [2006]

But Jeyne somehow had no fear when she was “bullying” a princess. Does this make sense to you or does it feel forced to make Arya look like a victim. And this bad writing keeps repeating itself while author writes Arya and when you realize this pattern you can’t unsee it and it ruins the books a little.

I wrote all these to explain what is ACTUALLY wrong with Arya as a character. I don’t blame Arya for the bad writing, I blame the author.

And I disagree with you a little when you said: "With Arya, sometimes it feels like I am not reading a 11 year old kid but a grown up 25 year old woman who never messes up things or has any characterisation flaws which are not inherent within like the other child characters but those failings are primarily influenced by the society.”

[I explained the her failings in society’s eyes part already.. that thing is a cliche and unrealistic writing]

I don’t agree with that reading Arya feels like reading an older woman. No it feels like reading a VERY UNREALISTIC AND DISTURBING CHILD. She totally makes mistakes:

Talking bad about prince in a room full of people, declining Queen’s invitations, not listening her septa and Sansa, making prince angry, hiding for 4 days while she should have gone to her father to deal with the mess so maybe Mycah and Lady wouldn’t be dead, attacking her sister, killing a stableboy, killing many other people, joining a assassin cult, killing a Black brother because she thinks she has the right etc..

She makes mistakes but we didn’t see her face any consequences. Will we see her face them?? When it comes to Arya I don’t trust GRRM. GRRM covers for her all the time. GRRM = Ned Stark. He favors her. I mean look at this:

Sansa saves Dontos who later molests her and he works for Baeslish who also molests her.

Arya saves Jaqen H’ghar and he turns out to be a Faceless Man who kills THREE people for her.

Sandor sexually assaults Sansa but not Arya [I am not saying he should!! But why is it always Sansa? Does the author punish Sansa for her beauty… ANSWER IS YES because I am done!]

Sansa trusts Joffrey and Cersei ends up the most hated character in the books [even author says she had a part in her father’s death and he is ok with fans hating her]

Meanwhile Arya’s spider senses tell her to not trust Roose Bolton or anyone etc.

Arya runs into people like Yoren or Harwin meanwhile Sansa… you got it.

Basically this is a simple case of author favoring a character and it happens in all books.

The only thing that indicates author knows she is not perfect is that him calling her a “psycho” or not disagreeing when fans call her a psycho [I know I usually make fun of this but actually this is not some good take about a child character especially if you say Starks- including Arya- are the heroes]

In conclusion: I think she is written terribly, she is the weakest part in the story and character building. I simply hate the way author deals with her character. I think she is not interesting. She turned out to be a very dark and disturbing child character and I have no idea what is GRRM trying to tell with her.

Thanks for the ask. Have a nice day.

[innately-pretentious]

Hi! Love your blog! I was wondering if I could get a male ship for Dead Poets Society and Lord of the Rings? I’m very patient and caring. Very quiet, especially in large groups, so I prefer the company of only a few people. I love to read, my favorite genre is fantasy. I love music and I like to dance, but only in the privacy of my own kitchen. Very interested in photography, specifically nature photography. I can be distant sometimes and it can be hard for me to open up. Thank you!

I ship you with Charlie!

The two of you are literally the definition of opposites attract. For weeks he would shamelessly flirt with you at any given chance, often catching you off guard! Eventually this leads to him being his usual dramatic self, and asking you out whilst simultaneously reading his most recent piece of writing. You can hardly deny him after his blatant display of confidence, so you agree to go on a date with him. 

With Charlie being as dramatic as he is, you definitely keep him in check. Bringing him back down to earth when he gets too overexcited or cocky, he needs someone to restrain him sometimes! He always asks you to join him and the rest of the poets at the meetings, the rest of the gang have no problem with you being there. In fact they are quite relieved that they don’t have to keep an eye on him all the time! Whenever he reads out a poem about you, you can’t help but smile and blush. But if any of the boys make fun of the two of you, he is the first one to jump to your defence. 

Reading together is a must, even if he gets distracted. He actually prefers it when you both finish the same book and the both of you can discuss it with each other. Literally, the two of you could stay up until the early hours of the morning discussing your favourite authors and brainstorming what the two of you are going to read next. He also loves that you are passionate about your photography and will join you on walks around nature. He will also annoy you to take pictures of him as well...

The song I associate with you guys would be ‘Gum, Toe and Sole’ by Gus Dapperton!

I ship you with Sam!

Ok, the two of you would be so adorable together! He had always noticed you around the Shire while he was working in various people’s gardens, always stopping to watch you walk by him, unaware that you knew. However, one day you decided to wave back, to see how he would react! He was taken aback, and of course he used this as an excuse to take you out sometime. Which you happily agreed to. 

His friends fully approve of the two of you. They have to after Sam’s constant bragging about you! he loves showing you off to his friends, or pretty much anyone. Hanging out with them at the pub with them, laughing together. He loves the way you interact with his friends. 

He understand that sometimes you need to take some time alone, therefore the two of you are quite content to just spend the night in each others company. There is nothing he loves more than just sitting and talking to you, watching your face change as you talk about the things you are passionate in. He never interrupts you until you’re finished. Dancing around the kitchen together, letting him spin you round. The two of you may not be the best dancers, but that doesn’t stop you from jumping around in your own home!

He loves that you are into photography, and with nature? That is literally his speciality! You love to watch his face light up as he shows you the most  beautiful parts of the Shire, helping you find ideal places for your photography. And trust me he will always bring a picnic or snacks to eat along the way!

The song I associate with you guys would be ‘Ventura Highway’ by America and George Martin!

[fantastica-daily]

Richard Elfman on his new bizarro comedy - Aliens, Clowns & Geeks

By Staci Layne Wilson

When it comes to cult science fiction movies, Forbidden Zone stands tall. Richard Elfman's 1980 Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo vehicle was a one-of-a-kind film zooming down on a one-way street to a whacky conclusion that’s stayed in the minds of schlock cinema fans ever since. His latest film, Aliens, Clowns & Geeks is an equally wild and expressionistic indie featuring Austin Powers' Verne Troyer in his last role, promising that Aliens, Clowns & Geeks is the antidote to mainstream and a breakneck cure for the run-of-the-mill.

“I was fortunate to have my dream cast on this one, including Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) as my demonic clown emperor–his final film role,” says Elfman. “Our ninety-minute film has seventy-five minutes of driving music by my brother Danny (Elfman) and acclaimed animation composer, Ego Plum Guerrero. Along with Danny’s to-die-for clown and alien music, Ego added a Latin element with the band we play with, Mambo Demonico.” The score was composed by Danny Elfman, who wrote the theme song to The Simpsons, the music to The Nightmare Before Christmas and did the singing voice of Jack Skellington, and won six Saturn awards.

"Eddy Pine (Bodhi Elfman) is a jaded actor dealing with the cancellation of his series," reads the official synopsis. "To complicate matters, he wakes up with the key to the universe stuck up his ass. Apparently an alien Clown Emperor (Verne Troyer) is in hot pursuit of this, as are his rivals, the Green Aliens. Professor von Scheisenberg (French Stewart) and his comely Swedish assistants, the Svenson sisters (Rebecca Forsythe as Helga, Angeline-Rose Troy as Inga), come to Eddy’s aid. If only Eddy hadn’t fallen for Helga, and then the aliens manipulate his mind to confuse her with Inga! And when the mad little Clown Captain (Martin Klebba) steps on the gas and shifts his spaceship into fourth gear, all hell breaks loose.”

We had the opportunity to sit down with Richard to ask him about his movie.

Q. To what do you attribute your enduring interest in clowns? And why do you think they’re so fascinating to people in general?

As I’ve always said: “To be born a male redhead is to be born into a clown suit.” Hence my carrot-topped brother Danny and I have always had a fascination with clowns. Coupled with our wicked sense of humor and a love of the horror genre, it was an easy morph into thoughts of creepy clowns. Just like dolls and puppets—yes, I’m speaking Anabelle—clowns can have something “surreal” about them.  Bill Skarsgard’s Pennywise really nails it. And I laughed my head off at Killer Klowns From Outer Space. (And we have honk-honking shit-load of killer clowns in my new film).

Q. How did the idea for Aliens, Clowns & Geeks come about? Is it similar to The Forbidden Zone?

 Joined-at-the-hip. Yes. And no. Forbidden Zone is basically a surrealistic “human-cartoon” set to musical numbers. So I was working on Forbidden Zone 2, a thematic extension of FZ but on a much grander scale. I did a successful crowd-funder to develop the project, then, with the help of my producers, raised about half the budget. They asked me if we could do something quick (and cheaper) in the interim to keep the momentum going.

So I basically locked myself in my roof-top writing garret with a box of cigars and many bottles of whiskey and banged out my Geeks script over the next three weeks.

Geeks is utterly zany and music-driven, but it’s not a “singing musical” so to speak like FZ. It has surrealistic elements, thanks to my insane special effects department--and a little help from Hieronymus Bosch—but I would describe Geeks having cartoony elements rather than being a total “human cartoon” as FZ was…if that makes any sense. (And please don’t try!)

 Q. Tell us about the multiple roles played by your family – and do you have role as well? What was it like working with your family – any funny stories?

My son Bodhi Elfman—a serious dramatic actor with 100s of credits--did a great comic turn as Eddy, the lead; a bitter out of work actor who wakes up with the key to the universe stuck up his ass. He also played the ass-kissing clown (literally) on the space ship plus the green alien network executive who orders the destruction of Earth. My wife Anastasia played multiple roles, everything from a nun to a carny slut. She also danced and choreographed the cabaret burlesque numbers as well as played a clown…until she got sick from the chemicals inside the clown mask and had to throw up—after we got the shot, of course--committed trouper that she is. When I met Anastasia she was a ballet dancer with a “day job” at a horror fx shop. She can dance with a broken toe but seems to have developed a sensitivity to certain shop chemicals.

I played a clown as well and almost threw up from laughing. I must say Geeks was a fun show to work on (my greatest joy is creating a sense of fun) and the actors and crew had serious trouble keeping from laughing as I directed in insane clown attire. What a fucking visual!

And brother Danny—what can I say? As an independent (hence lower budget) film maker it helps when your little brother in Mozart.

Q. Tell us how you ran away and joined the circus.

Actually, The Grande Magic Circus--a French musical theatre company. 1971, I was twenty-one, visiting the Festival of New Theatre in Montreal. I ran into a scruffy Parisian street troupe. They had something though, a charisma, an élan, whatever-- it attracted me. Director Jérôme Savary needed a percussionist—et voila, that was me! I persuaded them to give me several minutes onstage at the festival doing my comedy/horror piece set to an Eric Satie’s Gnossienne. When I “killed” the pianist in a pool of blood the audience was shocked. And they loved it!

Then, back in California, I went to see Marcel Carne’s masterpiece Les Enfant de Paradise , a three hour film set in the Paris theatre scene of the 1830’s. I exited the theatre, stopped, turned around and went back in and saw it again.

A few months later I received a letter from Jerome. Peter Brook, famed director of London’s Royal Shakespeare Company was backing the Magic Circus in a large Paris theatre. Would I like to join them? Bloody hell!! Hence, I ran away and joined the “circus.”

Q. Tell us something about your time with the Magic Circus, how it influenced you and also how your brother Danny Elfman joined the show.

I might say that working with Jérôme Savary was perhaps my single greatest influence. The troupe had classically trained actors from the Comedie Francais as well as more Avant guard performers. Jerome was a genius, his material had a sense of Absurdism that really struck me. I would later develop this absurdism in my own fashion. Certainly with my own troupe, the Mystic Knights of the Oingo Boingo (later Oingo Boingo). By the way, my film Forbidden Zone was essentially our Mystic Knights stage show set to film.

Danny—several days out of high school--showed up at my 5ème, Rue Descartes doorstep with his electric violin. The company violinist was from the Paris Opera. Jerome liked to improvise. The opera guy couldn’t deviate one note from the written score. I believe my brother is Mozart reincarnated. He could follow any improvisation and got the job and toured with us for the summer throughout France. He and I opened the show with him on violin, me on percussion—the first music Danny Elfman ever wrote.

Q. Any other interesting experiences that you and Danny had there?

We were in a Basque town near the Spanish border. If I may digress, I am four years Danny’s senior. I went to a high school in Crenshaw (Boyz in the Hood), Danny ended up at a school with no guns. I was a tough boxer. Danny might be described as a bespectacled science nerd. So it’s Friday night, the audience was really rowdy and restless. My “street sense” knew it was just a matter of time before the fights broke out. We had an Argentine fellow in the troupe, “Katshurro,” nicest fellow. Drunks in the audience picked up on his accent and shouted terrible Spanish insults about his mother. Katshurro stopped mid-performance, his eyes bugging out of head, and he dove right into the audience swinging away. All hell broke loose. Everyone was fighting, sets crashing down. Danny’s glasses got knocked off. Well, and not for the first time, I managed to get Danny out of trouble with both his glasses and violin intact.

Q. Tell us about the cast you assembled – which includes Verne Troyer in his final screen performance. What was he like? Who does he play in the film?

I really had my dream cast. Along with my son Bodhi we had lovely kung-fu kicking Rebecca Forsythe, versatile Angeline-Rose Troy who not only played Rebecca’s sexy Swedish sister, but donned prosthetics to play poor Eddy’s junkie/whore “Mom from Hell.”

Professor von Scheisenberg was played impeccable veteran French Stewart (Third Rock From the Sun). Another great vet was George Wendt (Cheers) as Father Mahoney. Six foot six comic Steve Agee (Sarah Silverman Show, Guardians of the Galaxy) played both a tough cross-dressing bar owner and a stuttering dufis in a chicken suit. Nic Novicki (Boardwalk Empire) played his nasty little-person boss. I was really blessed with a great ensemble to work with.

And, of course, Verne Troyer, our megalomaniac Clown Emperor. What a wonderful talent to work with! He was funny on set, insisted on doing things in spite of physical limitations and he gave us hilarious comic improvisations. Little body. Big spirit. I will certainly miss him.

Q. The music is by Danny and you also have great animation… please give us some details what it’s like to create worlds through music and manufactured imagery.

Danny, along with my band mate--award winning animation composer Ego Plum (Guerrero)—really gave it to us. Seventy-five minutes of music in a ninety-minute film. ♪ ♫ La, tee-da and a boom boom boom! ♪ ♫  Music is essential to everything I do—especially setting the tone of my films. I even play music before I start writing.

As soon as Danny saw our surrealistic Bosch dream sequence and goofy clown rocket ships he agreed to do the score…after he stopped laughing. I play percussion in a quirky Latin band, Mambo Demonico, led by Hollywood’s top tv animation composer, Ego Plum. He and Danny work with the same people, including Oingo Boingo lead guitarist Steve Bartek, who subsequently has done every one of Danny’s film arrangements. Steve and the original Oingo Boingo members all played on our sound track. I must brag that we do have great fucking music!

You know, Danny was a bespectacled science nerd growing up, basically stayed out of trouble. That was my department. Oddly, he wasn’t really into music. No bands, no concerts, no big music collection. Life is funny how things turned out. I showed him a rough cut of Geeks, he laughed his ass off and offered to do it. Yes, I’m very lucky to have “Mozart” as my little brother!

Q. Who is Aliens, Clowns & Geeks for? Do you think movies like this are more likely to find a mainstream audience?

Forbidden Zone may be a “cult” movie but it still plays all over the world--after forty years. Just this past month FZ played festivals in France and South Korea. Geeks is certainly not for everyone—no one falls in love then dies of cancer. But it will find an audience I am sure. Anyone who had fun with Killer Klowns From Outer Space, liked Rocky Horror, even What We Do in the Shadows in terms of a quirky, wicked sense of humor. I also think it will play well in mental asylums…it certainly shall send people there in any case.

Geeks doesn’t fit into the scheme of “modern films.” Actually, the shooting style and underlying three-act story structure harkens back to classic comedies (says the son of a former English teacher turned novelist). The trappings though, are insane and off-the-wall. You might say it’s just my own, goony creation. Love it or hate it, the humor is balls-out outrageous, definitely not for everyone--no one dies of cancer. Geeks is simply meant to be fun for essentially the genre audience.

Q. What’s your proudest moment associated with making the film?

Proudest moment? Maybe finally paying the actors. People say I’ve embraced the indie spirit. I don’t know how much I “embrace” it, so much as am fucked by it, having to work on such a modest budget. Although I’ve been a “hired gun” and directed scripts written by others, Geeks is really the first time since my 1980 Forbidden Zone that I’ve really done purely my own vision. Per John Waters, well, I’d hope he’d have something strong to drink and/or smoke and then laugh his ass off watching it! That’s what it was like creating the film: Drinking scotch and smoking cigars in my rooftop writing garret, laughing my ass off! The green aliens have a totally high-tech ship, except for the automotive steering wheel and four-on-the-floor to shift gears. For the clowns we went for an absurdly updated version of Flash Gordon. And when our tiny clown emperor takes possession of an earth body, he has little dummy of the earthling sitting in his lap, their heads connected by electrical wires. Absurd and ridiculous, and that’s my middle name.

Want to see a double feature of The Forbidden Zone and Aliens, Clowns & Geeks? You can! They will play at The Regency in L.A. as part of The Valley Film Festival on 1/30/21. Get tickets here.

Look for our review of Aliens, Clowns & Geeks here soon!

[the-nerktwins]

There’s more to “Another Day” than meets the eye…or, ear…

Sometimes the most interesting thoughts are captured during discussions. I recently began a thread in a Beatles forum I’m a member of, about Paul’s song “Another Day” and the deeper meaning I personally found within it. The conversation veered into two different directions. One was the concept of the lyrical content being overlooked for a few possible reasons, not the least of them being that the protagonist was a woman. The other branch of this conversation veered towards was the musical anatomy of the song and how it serves to add texture to the story the lyrics are telling.

It’s with regret that I report that some participants completely overlooked the musical complexity of this track. To illustrate, here are a couple of key quotes from respondents in the thread I started:

“In contrast to 'Eleanor Rigby, 'Another Day' is cute and perfect instead of full of contrast and dynamics. The cozy comfort of the music itself reflects the bland predictability of the protagonists' life, as depicted in the song. I'm just not sure that's the best approach to take. I think John and George's (Martin) influence would have added some dimension.”

“Yes it's typical of McCartney to wrap a dark story in a cute song. He likes to hide things (even from himself).”

I was left wondering if me and these posters were even listening to the same song! I was also reminded of how ready people are to default to and parrot the (false and grossly oversimplified) talking points that the fandom has been spoon-fed about Paul’s songcraft since the 1970’s. Paul is hardly ever regarded as a valid artist in his own right outside of the Beatles collective, that is terribly, truly wrongheaded in every imaginable way.

I find it galling that many fans still want to hear his early, solo work with a “Lennon filter” applied to it. I’ve seen people saying things like, “This song is good, but if he’d done it with John it would’ve been GREAT!” I completely disagree. McCartney’s compositional abilities by 1967 had evolved to the point where he could “hear” in his head almost exactly what he wanted his final product to sound like. He was adept at articulating his vision to producers, engineers, and bandmates rather early on.

It also hasn’t escaped my notice that certain fans resent his abilities within the confines of the Beatles’ collective since it did contribute to some friction within the band during their late period, and then they turn around and completely ignore his competency when it comes to his solo work (and lament that he couldn’t collaborate with Lennon or George Martin on particular solo songs). It’s a paradoxical mentality and I’m not shy about denouncing it. It gives me whiplash, if I’m quite honest about it!

Since I don’t know (and didn’t ask) the participants about whether they’ve had any experience as musicians, I can make some allowance for the fact that people who’ve played music can hear things in a piece that non-musicians may not pick up on. The thing is, there exist a fair number of sources which could at least illustrate what’s going on musically in “Another Day.”

As for me, since I have a musical background, and I can HEAR what’s going on. To me there are “contrast and dynamics.” The song builds, crescendos, and comes back down again.  There's a lot going on in terms of time signature changes, and decorative elements which add texture to the story being told.  It’s brilliant! I realize that someone who has little to no musical experience could miss it.  There are musically-inclined people out there who can explain it, however, and I went looking online for just that. I conducted two simple Google searches: “Paul McCartney Another Day Musical Analysis,” and “Paul McCartney Another Day Sheet Music.”

With the second search, I found a website which allows the user to play a midi file of the song (with the lead vocals, backing vocals, and every instrument) while the user is taken through the sheet music. The parts being played highlight what’s going on in the song as it’s playing. If someone is inexperienced as a musician, it can serve as a nice, visual aid to see just how complex a composition is, and how much is going on within it. Here’s a screenshot of the site, and a link to “Another Day” for illustrative purposes.

"Another Day" by Paul and Linda McCartney on MuseScore.com

To me this is proof-positive that "Another Day" isn't just a cutesy, fluffy song.

For some further argument in the favor of the musical merits of this song, I stumbled upon comments from fans in the Steve Hoffman music forums, in a thread called "Paul McCartney 'Another Day' Appreciation Thread"

After the bit ".... leaves the next daaaaayyyy..." there's this descending run on the guitar that is perfectly placed, but very difficult indeed to play. – Edgard Varese

yeah, another day is an absolutely killer track. to me its really the perfect song: catchy as hell, yet imaginative and really far more complex than a casual listener would ever realize. i also agree with the thoughts on the rythym guitar. great song to learn for any guitar player, not just for the rythm, but for the chords also. i believe it starts with a g to a b7 with an f# bass and really you've got me hooked from there – andyw676

Listen to the bassline...amazing. – Stateless

I've always loved this song, everything about it really. The undertone of Rigby-esque sadness was obvious to me from the get-go, and the yearning in the "sometimes she feels so sad" bit as the music shifts up and down chromatically always put a lump in my throat. Paul's very good at getting some of the more delicate emotional shadings in his songs. Great song. Thanks for the thread! -- Gardo

That song has some crazy chord changes, and lots of em. Makes it special. – Dave D

To diverge just a little bit into lyrical territory, there were some nuggets of push-back within this Steve Hoffman thread against the typical appraisal of this song, namely it being labeled as “lightweight” or “trite” by certain critics or fans.

Similarly, on "Another Day" if you read the lyrics carefully you may come away feeling not uplifted by a catchy little ditty but a mite saddened by the sometimes crushing loneliness of the modern grind. Personally I love the "At the office where the papers grow..." and "Alone in her apartment she'd dwell..." parts, some of Paul's best lyrics. Remarkable concision. – Dr J

I don't consider it quite as light as I did. It's almost a social commentary on the way women's lives were in the 70s, although not a knock at anyone specific. I admit I'm stealing a little of my wife's analysis. – kevinsinnott

I find it interesting to note that the second poster needed some assistance from a woman regarding his appraisal of the lyrical content. It’s another reminder of the depressing reality that this song is likely written off as superficial and lightweight, and not much analysis applied to it, but because the protagonist is a woman. Just as a lot of our struggles as women are ignored or ridiculed, a song written by a male who sympathizes with our plight is written off as “silly” and “fluffy” by male fans, even if the lyrics have a dark subtext.

To me, the song speaks of something dark and existential going on within the protagonist's psyche, and Paul himself is simply a narrator, imploring the audience to empathize with her as much as he does. And by empathizing with the plight of a woman, Paul unfortunately gets labeled a superficial square who creates “Muzak” and isn’t “Rock N’ Roll” enough. And that’s not right any way you slice it.  Even more ironic is that not long after "Another Day," Lennon at the behest of his wife would be singing and talking about Women's struggles for equal rights and the injustice of it all.  He glibly missed his former songwriting partner's intent in this song.  That's not unlike John at all, however, and that's certainly not the point of this essay.  It's just an observation I found interesting.

"Another Day" also speaks to me as an acknowledgement that people who are highly functional can and do suffer depression; people are coached to wear a mask of being “OK” because it’s not socially acceptable to admit you are not OK. Just keep your head down, go to work, do what you’re supposed to do, get on with it, and don’t tell anyone about your problems…

“As she posts another letter to the sound of five People gather 'round her and she finds it hard to stay alive.”

To go back to the song being marginalized as a little bit of radio-friendly, pop fluff, when to me it clearly is NOT for a moment, I want to acknowledge something. Fans were less able to access opposing literature and materials in the early 1970’s, and McCartney himself wasn’t talking much to the press (and unless you’re a brand-new fan, you know why), so I can see why people sort of accepted this viewpoint at the time.

As Erin Torkelson-Weber has pointed out in interviews and on her blog, “The Historian and the Beatles,” Paul’s relative lack of response to the talking points being pushed by John and Yoko within their post-breakup PR campaign, as well as Paul choosing not to give too much weight to the unfair critical appraisal of his work that was tainted by rock music “journalists” essentially siding with John and Yoko, really created a vacuum, allowing for the fandom’s appraisal of Paul’s work to be dominated by this narrative. Therefore, it’s natural that many, if not most fans in 1971 would buy into these sentiments.  

What I find annoying is that this tendency continues to persist within the fandom, even among younger fans! This is despite having a considerable amount of evidence available at our fingertips that can serve to point out how very wrong this narrative truly is, up to and including the damn sheet music!

With the ability we now possess to access contemporaneous source material and examine all of it objectively, and the ability to listen to virtually all of his music for free via the major, online streaming services, it demonstrates laziness when people within the fandom choose not to think for themselves regarding McCartney’s genius and artistic merit separate from the other Beatles (namely Lennon).

“Another Day” isn’t the only McCartney work I’ve seen suffer under-appreciation by fans, but it’s an excellent example to illustrate my point, since it was specifically singled out by Lennon and early 70’s rock critics and used as a device by Lennon and the prominent rock critics of the day to publicly mock McCartney and call his integrity as an artist into question.

A lot of McCartney’s solo work is written off in a similar fashion, and what a terrible shame that is. Quite frankly, I think people are depriving themselves of a lot of pleasure by simply dismissing McCartney and avoiding his music (or sticking to his “greatest hits” without delving into his catalog and giving everything a thorough listen), based on these antiquated appraisals of his work.

In conclusion, I hope this essay didn’t come across too harshly. I just hope it may inspire people to listen more carefully to Paul McCartney’s solo work and give him the credit as an artist that he duly deserves.

[thecoleopterawithana]

I have to once again thanks @vairemelde for her ask, because it brought to my attention this wonderful piece. 

‘Scared’, produced by Giles Martin, is the hidden track at the end of Paul’s 2013 New, an album inspired both by his new life with Nancy and a return to the simple happiness of his pre-Beatle days, with tracks like ‘On My Way To Work’ and ‘Early Days’. This last track - about the early days of his friendship with John Lennon - shares the spot with ‘Scared’ as the songs Paul is proudest of in the album.

On the general tone of the LP, Paul had this to say:

Is New a joyful album?

This is a happy period in my life, having a new woman - so you get new songs when you get a new woman. But in actual fact there is a lot of sadness mixed in on the record - the more you listen to it you’ll find pain getting changed to laughter - there is quite an undercurrent of that. But generally I’m having a good time so I hope that’s made it onto the record.

— Paul McCartney, interview with Francis Cronin for BBC News (4 October 2013).

Though, in my opinion, ‘Scared’ goes into the pain territory and stays there, offering no catharsis or transformation into laughter. 

Maybe that’s why it was included as a hidden track. Or perhaps, the fact that it was left ‘hidden’ is a clever play on - and emphasization of - the theme of the song: 

I’m scared to say I love you Afraid to let you know That the simplest of words won’t come out of my mouth Though I’m dying to let them go Trying to let you know I have to say I’m sorry Don’t feel sad for me But the beautiful birds won’t fly out of their cage Though I’m trying to set them free Trying to let you see, how much you mean to me I remember the first time we met Tears in our eyes reflecting Something connecting from so long ago It might have been told in the stars, maybe that’s what it was It doesn’t matter because I’m still too scared to tell you Afraid to let you see  That the simplest of words won’t come out of my mouth Though I’m dying to set them free Trying to let you see, how much it means to me How much you mean to me How much you mean to me now

If this sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Here Paul seems to explore more deeply and explicitly his fear of saying ‘I love you’, a demon that he has been trying to exorcise for quite some time.

‘Here Today’, written right after John Lennon’s death, was an exercise in just getting it out.

Songwriting is like psychiatry; you sit down and dredge up something that’s inside, bring it out front. And I just had to be real and say, John, I love you. I think being able to say things like that in songs can keep you sane.

— Paul McCartney, interview with Robert Palmer for the New York Times (25 April 1982).

And more recently:

It’s funny because just in real life, I find that a challenge. I like to sort of, not give too much away. Like you said, I’m quite private. Why should people, know my innermost thoughts? That’s for me, they’re innermost. But in a song, that’s where you can do it. That’s the place to put them. You can start to reveal truths and feelings. You know, like in ‘Here Today’ where I’m saying to John “I love you”. I couldn’t have said that, really, to him. But you find, I think, that you can put these emotions and these deeper truths – and sometimes awkward truths; I was scared to say “I love you”. So that’s one of the things that I like about songs.

— Paul McCartney, on the challenge of giving too much of himself away when writing meaningful and truthful songs. Asked by Simon Pegg and interviewed by John Wilson for BBC 4’s Mastertapes (24 May 2016).

Paul is also asked about ‘Early Days’ in this last interview.

In February 1985, Paul and Eric Stewart start working on a song that would come to be titled ‘Yvonne’s The One’. In the middle-eight, we find Paul’s first actual expression in a song of the regret of not having made his affections clearer to someone recently deceased:

She never knew how much I loved her I never got to tell her We never found a way to say farewell

The theme of his inability to express his feelings is revisited some years later, in ‘However Absurd’ (1986):

Something special between us, When we made love the game was over. I couldn’t say the words, Words wouldn’t get my feelings through, So I keep talking to you

However absurd, however absurd It may seem.

Paul had this to say of the track:

There’s a sort of ‘Walrus’ intro to this track, but of course any time you play that style on piano it evokes that. It’s a style I know and love. The lyrics on this song are a bit bizarre, but then again they make a kind of sense, a strange kind of sense. […] In the middle section it explains itself a bit, less surrealist: ‘Something special between us… Words wouldn’t get my feelings through… However absurd it may seem.’ That’s taking off into The Prophet by Kahlil Gibran – there’s a line of his that always used to attract me and John, which was ‘Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it just to reach you.’ So it’s that kind of meaning to ‘However Absurd’. 

— Paul McCartney, interview with Patrick Humphries for Club Sandwich nº 42 (Autumn 1986).  

And in another revelatory exploration of his love and his regret at not being clearer in his affection, we have ‘This One’ (1989):

Did I ever take you in my arms, Look you in the eye, tell you that I do, Did I ever open up my heart And let you look inside.

If I never did it, I was only waiting For a better moment that didn’t come. There never could be a better moment Than this one, this one.

In the video of the studio recording of this song, Paul can be seen imitating one of John’s characteristic silly smiles, after he sings the lines  “Did I ever touch you on the cheek / Say that you were mine, thank you for the smile?”.

When asked about the meaning of this song, Paul said the following:

Q: One of the new songs, “This One”, is it about a marriage?

Paul: A relationship. Yeah.

Q: And about, not expressing emotions and feelings?

[…]

Paul: You get those moments, late at night or when you’re feeling good and you think: “I hope I tell her I love her, enough”. And then come the morning, when you’ve got to get off to the office and it’s [brusquely] “Love you, goodbye!”, and so on. Life’s like that, there’s never enough time to tell them, like your parents for instance, oh god just what you meant to me. You always think, “I’m saving it up. I’ll tell ‘em one day”. Something like John, for instance. He died. 

I was lucky, the last few weeks, months that he was alive, we’d managed to get out relationship back on track. And we were talking and having really good conversations. But George actually, didn’t get his relationship right. They were arguing right up to the end. Which I’m sure is a source of great sadness to him. And I’m sure, in the feeling of this song, George was always planning to tell John he loved him. But time ran out. And that’s what the song is about. There never could be a better moment than this one, right now. Take this moment to say, “I love you”.  

— Paul McCartney, interview with Bernard Goldberg for 48 Hours (January 1990).

I find it amusing that here he uses a fairly similar expression - “just what you meant to me” - to the one he would trice repeat at the end of ‘Scared’.

About the meaning of this latter track, Paul explains:

Well, I’m just like anybody else, man! You know? You get those moments. I don’t normally write about them; but it’s a good thing to use. I was feeling it, as well. I was newly in love with Nancy, and I was finding it a little difficult to say, ‘I love you.’ Number one, I’m a guy, and that’s a big excuse, I know, but it is a bit true to form… That song is basically about she and I, and the middle eight is about when we met. And we did exactly as I say in the song, we welled up.

— Paul McCartney, interview with Miranda Sawyer for The Guardian (13 October 2013).

And a month latter:

Q: Like ‘Scared’ – a ‘hidden’ track on New – which is a stark confessional about baring your soul to another person. Did you find that easy to write?

Paul: You can actually say, “I love you,” to someone, but it’s quite hard. And so that’s why it’s usually easier when you’re a bit drunk. It’s like ‘Here Today’ [on 1982’s Tug of War], which was for John, and there is the line, (sings) “Du du du du du du du, I love you,” and it is a bit of a moment in the song. It would be a bit like Keith Richards saying to Mick, “I love you.” I mean he does, but I’m not sure he’s going to say it. I’m sure the Gallaghers love each other on some level, probably quite deeply, but that certainly isn’t going to get said soon. I think it’s quite an interesting subject and I felt it most recently with [wife] Nancy, I knew I loved her but to actually say, “I love you,” you know, it’s just not that easy.

— Paul McCartney,  interview with Pat Gilbert for MOJO (November 2013).

The quip about it being easier to say when drunk is probably in relation to the Night We Cried referenced in ‘Here Today’, an episode Paul describes as an “important emotional landmark” for it was “probably the only time we just got that kind of intimate with each other” and actually said the big ‘I Love You’. 

And though he says he faced similar challenges with being emotionally open with his new wife Nancy, he shared this pain at his lack of expression in relation to John as well.

The sole verse in which he deviates from this main theme is also very interesting:

I remember the first time we met Tears in our eyes reflecting Something connecting from so long ago It might have been told in the stars, maybe that’s what it was

Paul has also explained that the first half refers to the circumstances in which he first met Nancy, on a surf shop in Long Island:

Out of the blue, I met this girl and we started talking and she happened to say, 'I knew Linda.’ So that was emotional. I wouldn’t meet, typically, many people who knew Linda, and who knew her during her cancer treatment – and Nancy did. She’s a cancer survivor herself. So it got very deep, very quickly, and it was like, 'What the hell was that?’ And then I ran into her a couple of more times on the holiday, and we got to know each other and started dating. So the song is about that, about this depth of emotion, of feeling – but totally being scared to say or do anything about it. Like a tongue-tied teenager.

— Paul McCartney, interview with Miranda Sawyer for The Guardian (13 October 2013).

But it’s interesting how even here we could read a shared inspiration in his relationship with John. Could the tears in their eyes be also double a reference to the shared pain of both losing their mothers around the time they met? This emotional connection was always something that Paul valued.

And then, in the second part, he seems to get to the notion of them being Cosmically Connected, soulmates fated to meet, part of each other’s karma, that John held onto throughout his life and Paul seemed to also embrace, as the passage of time proved again and again just of special what they had was. 

It is also entirely probable that the song is exclusively about Nancy, with no direct references to John whatsoever. But we can’t deny how his relationship with John was also deeply impacted by this issue, and thus him facing this fear in relation to Nancy is invariably informed by his previous experiences with John. So even if Nancy was the motivator for this introspection, the exposition of his mental state is nonetheless useful in understanding what he was feeling in relation to John.

All in all, this song is a beautiful exploration of one of the core issues in their relationship, and I’m continuously grateful and overjoyed that their music to each other never seems to end, as I continue to explore their solo catalogues! 

[rilldineth]

So a friend of mine told me that given that we are now in 2020, it will be fun if I did a top 20 ships of the past decade for me and boy, did I thought was a good idea and I have decided, why not right? I will be listing them here and...if followers decide to read it...well...

You will quickly notice that probably that most, if not all the ships fall on the following categories: a) rare-ships that are obv not canon; b) ships that are obviously crack; c) ships that had wasted potential, the ones hinted but never happened or briefly happened in canon and writers decided to fuck up. There’s also only one...one RL ship and I am ashamed yet not, but had to list it because I spent a long time hung up on it so don’t judge me.

So yes list...

Before the list, no list is complete without some honorable mentions, these are mostly ships I either got into the hype to recently (not being dedicated for years as the one I will list) or had my fancy then lost it.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Charlastor from Hazbin Hotel (recently got into it)

Clack from Final Fantasy VII

Cloud x Squall from Final Fantasy/KH series.

Hayffie from The Hunger Games.

TodoMomo from Boku Hero no Academia.

Gency from Overwatch series ( on and off )

RinMako from Free!

Terraqua from Kingdom Hearts series.

TOP 20 SHIPS OF THE PAST DECADE

20. Spuhura - Spock x Nyota Uhura (Star Trek original and reboot): Again this was another ship that I liked, since the original series, while everyone was Spirk this and that, I was like,’’yas, yas give me the sweet, sweet Spock and Uhura interactions’ and I was happy the reboot hooked them up, even if that ended dubiously but for a glorious moment, I had it.

19. Swarkles - Barney Stinson x Robin  Scherbatsky (HIMYM): This is one of those ships I am bitter, bitter and salty about, there are more in this list in fact next spot is another one. But I loved it and I did think they complimented each other better than the wet noodle they stuck Robin with, they took the time to know the other, grown separately and then together, the episode where Barney proposed to Robin gave me all the feels and it was so sweet, and then fuck the writers deciding to do what they did. It’s no wonder the finale of this show is so hated.

18. Lotura - Lotor x Allura (Voltron Legendary Defender): When they announced a new reboot to Voltron I didn’t think much of it. I had fancied Lotor x Allura in the original series, as dubious as that was, but then I started to watch this Netflix thing and there was something between them, something more tangible and I was happy. It was this strong woman with an equally strong man encouraging her strength and not putting her in the box of the exotic pretty princess, like a certain dude, and wanted to know her mind and interests, they discovered things together and for a brief moment knew peace and I was here so happy that we were getting something good and then fuck the writers again that decided ‘Nah bro, you’re not getting it’ and you know to fuck off again. I will always have fan fiction I guess.

17. VinTi - Vincent Valentine x Tifa Lockhart (Final Fantasy VII series): This is a ship that I think started to like during my second playthrough of the game, I always figured the both could work, both having loved people that for one reason or another couldn’t fully love them back (Lucrecia due to damn guilt and Cloud because of Aerith) and both were mature enough to fit together, I just like them okay.

16. Helsa - Hans x Elsa (Frozen): Truly, I have never made it a secret that I really dislike this movie, I truly do. The only good things were Hans (which I am still huh at the ‘turns out he is evil’ I still call trolls) and Elsa (because of her damn powers) and then the next step was shipping them and honestly, he should have gone for the older sister lmao, they make more sense and there have very nice fiction out there.

15. Yuzuvier - Javier Fernandez x Yuzuru Hanyu (Figure Skating): Ahh, we have reached my dreaded and dark secret only RPF fancy. Be it broship or more, I always liked the friendship and camaraderie these two skaters had with each other, they were rink mates and rivals but above all friends. I was kokoro break when Yuzuru was telling Javi that he couldn’t do it without him and stop it you two. I just like them, they are wholesome.

14. Victuuri - Viktor Nikiforov x Yuuri Katsuki (Yuri!!! On Ice): And here we have another precious figure skating duo when I started to watch this series it was only because it was a figure skating anime and I love figure skating, I never expected to see a wholesome and wonderful healthy relationship to explode in front of me. The relationship between Viktor and Yuuri is just so lovely, so mature, they both worked through issues, grew from them and accepted them even and I can’t I love it. (Special mention here to Yurio x Mila, as is another ship I love from this series and so underrepresented).

13. Jonerys - Jon Snow x Daenerys Targaryen (ASOIAF/GoT): Regardless of the stupidity committed in the series, I have shipped them since the books, because I can read in between the lines and there are too many parallels between them and their journeys, ones that at will some point collide and bring them together in a way that will be worth it, so better make it count George. 

12. Rhaegar Targaryen x Lyanna Stark (ASOIAF/GoT): Yes, mea culpa, I love tis ship and no one can shame me for liking it and boy has people tried to do so. Were these two smart of escaping like that and not saying a thing? Nope, they were so not. Was Brandon smart going to Kings Landing, knowing there was a crazy king with a penchant of burning people and demanding his heir's head? Nope, that was probably the stupidest move of all. Do I want to believe they loved each other? Why not? Martin has a penchant for tragic love stories, I know this ship is problematical for some, but I still love it and if you see spot 10 here, well I have varied tastes.

11. Soriku - Riku x Sora (Kingdom Hearts series): Come on, this is a given. Prior to Kairi appearing, it was clear Sora was Riku’s world and Riku’s was Sora, they were attached to the hip, the rivalry for Kairi more felt like Riku being jealous of Kairi and wanting Sora’s attention back. Then we have KH2 where Sora spent the whole damn game being all ‘Riku, Riku!’ and Riku doing his damn best to help him from the shadows, ashamed to be seen. DDD was more Riku protecting him and Sora leaning on him, even KH3 had Sora wanting to find and reach Riku, and then Riku going once again to find him by the end, so I am sorry but if there was a love story written here it was between these two. 

10. Hannigram - Hannibal Lecter x Will Graham (Hannibal): Quite honestly, from all the things I ship, they are probably what one will consider the most toxic one I guess, which fair considering one part of the ship is a charismatic yet cannibalistic serial killer. But there was something in the way this relationship was developed by Fuller and brilliantly brought out by Mads and Hughs that just hooked me, their soft moments, their violent ones, it just somehow worked for me. I guess this is also one of the few canon ships that I have, funny enough.

09. Rivetra - Levi Ackerman x Petra Ral (Shingeki no Kyojin): Who will have thought that a series about human eating titans was going to give me one of my most everlasting and also shortlived OTP’s. Years can pass by and I will still love this ship, my heart will still believe there was something more between them, something that was realized or something that wasn’t, I don’t know, but I will forever love it and even though years have passed since she died, I always enjoy the hints here and there that he still remembers her or hints where we are supposed to do so.

08. Squinoa - Squall Leonhart x Rinoa Heartilly (Final Fantasy VIII): People can say whatever the fuck they want ‘the love story was rushed’ ‘we hate Rinoa’ (fuck you btw) but it doesn’t change the fact that Squall fell in love with her and that Rinoa helped him to open up, to not take things for granted and Squall taught her to be even stronger and conquer her fears, they helped each other grow and it’s what matters in the end.

07. Feanor x Nerdanel (Tolkien): This is probably, from all the romantic relationships that Tolkien has gifted us, which I have loved the most and held my attention the longest. They have the happy times, the ones that were full of joy when they met and fell in love and had their children, then we have the tumultuous times when he became too obsessed with this craft, the separation when he left with their kids leaving her behind in her pain and then their possible reencounter when he leaves the Halls of Mandos and how they might deal with it.

06. ItaHina - Itachi Uchiha x Hinata Hyuuga (Naruto): Both the heads of two of the most important clans of their villages, both with heavy expectations upon their shoulders that nearly broke them, only one was talented from the start and the other had to learn, yet they are also similar. Both love their siblings to a fault, sacrificing so much for them and their happiness, both seem to hate conflict yet know is necessary and both are devoted and loyal to a fault, they would have suited each other wonderfully, in an AU probably they would have gotten engaged, who knows, but it would have been wonderful.

05. SessKik - Sesshoumaru x Kikyou (Inuyasha): A ship that could have been but that we didn’t have. This is a ship that has been with me for years and I don’t plan to let it go, they were the best players (in a sense) in that game against Naraku, also probably the strongest, both level headed and smart, not easily intimidated and calculating, together they would have been quite a formidable force and it’s a shame we didn’t get to see that.

04. Bethyl - Daryl Dixon x Beth Greene (The Walking Dead): Another wasted potential and gone so soon, not to mention forever salty at the waste. The way they were being developed promised so much, in the few time he was with her, well, she taught him to have faith and it’s something that apparently still shows from times to times (I am not sure as I stopped with this show) and imagine how it will have gone if they had more time. Just a waste.

03. Romanogers - Steve Rogers x Natasha Romanov (Marvel/MCU): I have been shipping them for years, like honestly, and when the MCU was showing me the seeds of potentiality I was happy, not even that stupidity with Bruce killed my hope, as they still had this steady relationship, he trusted her and she trusted him, something that she couldn’t say of many, they had each others back and took care of the other...but again another wasted potential right there.

02. Huddy - Gregory House x Lisa Cuddy (House MD): I spent years, kind of, season after season watching the delicious and lovely UST between these two characters, watching them snark and then help each other, watching the ‘won’t they will they’ dance, waiting for the moment when these two will finally collide and my lord was it glorious when they finally did, and I was eager to see where it went, as they both seemed to be in relatively good places, but no once again forbid the writers to stop House from being self-destructive and another ship I had waited years was ruined.

01. Terrence "Terry" Graham Grandchester x  Candice "Candy" White Adley (Candy Candy): And this is still my most important ship of the decade, I was forever bitter they never ended together and that their authors decided to make them suffer so much, but then Final Story came and all clues were pointing that aha they did found the other again and ended together as they were supposed to be, and before anyone says shizz, I did manage to read the novel and I do believe all hints were there to let us all know the identity of her husband was Terry and I am so happy.

And there it is, all the ships of the decade for me lol. Next stop, I should maybe make a list of mythos ships I like lmao.

[geezeralert]

Deep Dive Duly Delivers

From my boxes: Some sleeves that came with Beatles’ 45 rpm records

(Second of three parts)

I still love Beatles music.

In my months of replaying and studying all the songs produced in the group’s eight-year recording period (1962-1970), I continued to close my eyes and listen raptly to the tunes, often over and over and over (my practice since youth for favorite songs; I’m like a little kid repeatedly playing a favorite video or asking for a re-reading of a favorite book).

From “She Loves You” to “All My Loving” to “Words of Love” to “No Reply” to “Tell Me Why” to “She Said She Said” to “Hey Bulldog” to “Penny Lane” to “With A Little Help From My Friends” to “Get Back” to “Two of Us” to “Let It Be” to “Glass Onion” to the “long medley” on side two of “Abbey Road” . . . the foursome’s pop output of 50-plus years ago remains among the most pleasant sounds to my ears.

That state of enjoyment is to be expected, I guess. These musical creations dominated the soundtrack of my taste-formulating teen years, ahead of other loves like Motown, Sinatra, the Beach Boys and the myriad of hits coming out AM and FM radio.

Of course, my knowledge of the Beatles’ songs is now greatly enhanced, which, I’m pleased to find, only serves to heighten my enjoyment.

Learning how individual songs were conceived and executed, and then hearing the eventual product and how (or if) it reflects — by design or accident —the artists’ intentions, adds layers of fun to the listening experience.

The same was true for songs I do not particularly enjoy, like “Rain,” as those I do, like “Penny Lane” or “Two of Us.”

For “Rain,” the revelation was that Ringo Starr considers his drumming work on the song his best ever. Song chronicler Ian MacDonald (“Revolution in the Head”) called Starr’s work “superb” while also lavishing praise on Paul McCartney’s “high register bass” as “sometimes so inventive that it threatens to overwhelm the track.”

Perhaps any “true fan” of the Beatles knew such details but I never paid attention to either the drumming, the bass line or just about anything else about that song. Now, listening to it with this new knowledge, I at least give it some respect.

Likewise, for many tunes I did listen to closely and often over the years, there were plenty of tidbits that make them even more fun to hear.

Like the painstaking attention paid by McCartney to the rather simple-sounding (to me) “Penny Lane,” the technically expert drumming of Starr on “She Said She Said” (called “the outstanding track” on “Revolver” by MacDonald, who says that album is considered by many the Beatles’ best) and the performance on “”Two of Us.”  

Hearing that last tune, with my new knowledge, had me choking back tears.

Understand, “Two of Us” was recorded for the Beatles’ second to last album, “Let It Be,” and I played it after months of reviewing their musical endeavors as boyhood chums (McCartney wrote “When I’m 64,” one of the classics from “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Heart Club Band,” when he was 16), as a newly formed band spending hours at their craft in a foreign country, as an insanely popular pop group dominating the musical world, as a trend-setting studio creative force, as a drug-addled crumpling unit and, finally, as bitterly feuding individual musical achievers no longer interested in being a fabulous foursome.

But even as the storm clouds gathered, producing occasional thunder claps, there were still lightening flashes of what made the Beatles the Beatles.

Moments like the one, in late January 1969, when McCartney and John Lennon sang in beautiful harmony — a sound straight out of 1962 — strumming acoustic guitars, on “Two of Us.”

“The close harmonies of “Two of Us” reminded McCartney and Lennon of their teenage Everly Brothers impersonations and, during the second day’s work on it, they broke off to sing ‘Bye Bye Love,’” wrote MacDonald.

The image of these two boyhood chums and creative masterminds, after years of ups and downs, burying the hatchet for a few minutes while under the influence of nostalgia — well . . .  (insert cry-face emoji).

To be sure, that continued camaraderie for all four group members was captured in the “Let It Be” film, along with the more well-known contentiousness. They jammed to rock ‘n roll standards in the studio and played their last live performance as a group on the rooftop.

The books I consulted also told how these four individuals continued to work together despite all their mounting, serious differences, and, like the tale of the “Two of Us” recording, those passages were among the most noteworthy to me during my research.

MacDonald notes this this lasting togetherness showed the Beatles to be “in no respect an ordinary phenomenon.”

He continued:

“Many have spoken of the charismatic atmosphere that switched on whenever all four were together — a group-mindedness which kept them united through a further 18 months (after their “Revolver” and “Sgt. Pepper” successes) of in-fighting during which they recorded well over 50 more tracks and which continued, albeit less reliably than before, to function as the psychic antenna by which they maintained contact with the shifting currents of popular feeling at large.”

Listening to their musical creations while getting more details about how much they were starting to really hate each other in the late 1960s was a indeed revelation for this big Beatles fan.

It culminated with the tale told by the engineer Geoff Emerick (“Here There and Everywhere, My Life Recording the Music of the Beatles”) of the band’s final recording together, Lennon’s “Because,” as it wrapped up the “Abbey Road” album.

The tune brought their legendary producer George Martin back into the studio to orchestrate nine harmony parts. For technical reasons, it required John, Paul and George Harrison to sing their three-part harmony together live, rather than overdubbing each part one at a time, and then add two additional passes to add on the remaining six parts.

Emerick recounts how the three Beatles were totally into the effort.

“They knew they were doing something special and they were determined to get it right. There was no clowning around that day, no joking; everyone was very serious, very focused,” he wrote.

He continued:

“That day I saw the four Beatles at their finest: there was 100 percent concentration from all of them — even Ringo, sitting quietly with his eyes closed, silently urging his bandmates on to their best performance — all working in tandem to get that vocal nailed, spot on. It was a stark example of the kind of teamwork that had been so sorely lacking for years. It’s tempting to imagine what the Beatles might have been able to accomplish if they could only have captured and sustained that spirit just a little longer.”

For me, though, the “Because” effort was amazing for taking place at all, both in terms of the Beatles’ problems and just how long any group of performers can co-exist and produce excellence.

Another fascinating act of cooperation, in my judgment, was Paul helping John on his very personal “Ballad of John and Yoko.” By that time, Yoko One was an extremely divisive element in the groups’ universe so I found this friendly cooperation especially praiseworthy.

Speaking of Yoko . . .

Of course, all Beatles fans have read stories of how disruptive her constant presence was during the final years. But one of the biggest revelations I’ll take away from my project is just how badly she disrupted the group’s cohesiveness and creativity, from early 1968 forward.

Emerick believes much of the improved atmosphere in the recording studio during “Abbey Road” could be attributable to the absence of John and Yoko, who were injured in a car accident in Scotland.

When the pair finally were recovered enough to attend the recording sessions, John arranged for a bed to be brought into the studio for Yoko, complete with a microphone suspended over her so she could comment on the proceedings.

Yikes

Wrote the engineer:

“For the next several weeks, Yoko lived in that bed. Her wardrobe consisted of a series of flimsy nightgowns, accessorized with a regal tiara, carefully positioned to hide the scar on her forehead from the accident. As she gained her strength, so too did she gain her confidence, slowly but surely starting to annoy the other Beatles and George Martin with her comments.”      

Interestingly, as the Abbey Road sessions progressed and Ono got out of bed, she  was asked by John to stay in the control room while he, Paul and George performed what, in my opinion, was one of the most incredible feats of their later years: the three simultaneous guitar solos during “The End.”

I always wondered how that section of the song was done and was amazed to find that it was all three of them taking turns. I never tire listening to it.

Emerick says perhaps it was Yoko’s absence “or perhaps it was because on some subconscious level they had decided to suspend their egos for the sake of the music, but for the hour or so it took them to play those solos, all the bad blood, all the fighting, all the crap that had gone down between the three former friends was forgotten. John, Paul and George looked like they had gone back in time, like they were kids again, playing together for the sheer enjoyment of it. More than anything, they reminded me of gunslingers, with their guitars strapped on, looks of steely-eyed resolve, determined to outdo one another. Yet there was animosity, no tension at all — you could tell that they were simply having fun.”

I suppose knowledge of these scenarios, and the different parts played by the Beatles, in something that separates the really big fans of the Beatles from the really huge fans.  

The latter already knew those details. And they also can say what songs were played when and by whom without consulting the various books that I used.

And they know a lot of other things that were news to me in my research.

Like the fact that Harrison auditioned his classic “Something” (originally eight minutes long!) for the group during the “White Album” along with “Old Brown Shoe” and “All Things Must Pass” but had them rejected.

Perhaps even some “really big” fans also had picked up those tidbits over the years while I missed them.

In any event, here’s some of they other things that jumped out at me in addition to the inspiring, intermittent camaraderie and the depressing, disruptive force of Yoko Ono:

** The amount of drug use by the group and the effect it had on their music.

The marijuana, the LSD and, for Lennon, the heroin all took at least the two main songwriters into their various musical directions. MacDonald notes that 50 days after the soaring achievement of “Because” Lennon “was back in the studio howling his addiction in ‘Cold Turkey.’” He makes the conclusion that heroin was “flowing coldly around its composer’s body” at the “Because” sessions.

** The influence of their various girlfriends on their songs.

Many of the songs chart the various stages of McCartney’s romances with Jane Asher and Linda Eastman along with John Lennon’s marriage/breakup with Cynthia and, of course, infatuation with Yoko.

** The nonsense of their lyrics— many of them were just thrown together and others had strictly personal meanings.  

Under scrutiny, a vast number of their early songs are far better musically than lyrically. I guess the simple old “moon June” love messages sounded plenty deep enough to my teen ears.  The Beatles themselves got tired of them and rarely returned to basic love songs in their later years.  

Then we have a lot of phrases or passages that have meaning only to them, like those in “I Am the Walrus” (Lennon says it was a deliberate attempt to parody “the fashion for psychedelic lyrics” prevalent at the time) “Across the Universe”  “Savoy Truffle” and “Glass Onion,” to name a few.

Another example: McCartney and Lennon, in a fit of marijuana-inspired laughter, made up some Spanish-sounding gibberish for “Sun King” on Abbey Road.  

** The synchronizing of the songs — how they came at us on albums or singles — was far different than how they were conceived or executed.

I suppose this is pretty obvious to even the most passing fan but when you experience the songs in the order they were recorded, as I did by following MacDonald’s sequential presentation of them, it gives you a much different feel than what we originally had.

One example: “Penny Lane” and “Strawberry Fields Forever,” intended for “Sgt. Pepper” (they were the second and third songs recorded for that album, after “When I’m 64”) but released instead as a 45 rpm single, were followed in the studio by the intricate “A Day in the Life,” which eventually was put at the end of that album, giving it its unforgettable finale.  

That sequence presents a far different perspective on the songs than how they were publically presented and received.

Another tidbit: The last song recorded by the Beatles as a group was “I Me Mine,” a Harrison tune produced for the “Let It Be” album after it was played informally in the “Let It Be” movie. It was formally performed and mixed after the “Abbey Road” sessions had wrapped.

Lennon was absent for that session so it was ironic that the next time the former Beatles recorded together was when his three ex-bandmates gathered again, after his death, to play with Lennon’s home-produced tune, “Free As a Bird.” That tape (three songs recorded by Lennon) was provided McCartney by Ono at Lennon’s 1994 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame.  

Another tidbit in that category: In between “Abbey Road” recording sessions for “The End” and “Sun King/Mean Mr. Mustard,” McCartney recorded “Come and Get It,” playing all the instruments and double tracking the vocal.

The tune went on to be a big hit for the Apple group Badfinger and MacDonald calls it “by far the best unreleased Beatles song.” McCartney “knocked off” the recording in under an hour, he wrote. He offered it for Abbey Road.    

** In contrast to the Hall of Fame’s insulting choice to induct Lennon years before honoring McCartney, my conclusion from what I read and heard is that McCartney was the dominating force behind the band’s production, creativity and longevity.

He softened Lennon’s often-harsh musical tendencies and pushed all of the others to  better themselves, often to their annoyance.

In fact, McCartney’s criticisms of Harrison’s guitar playing was a major source of the friction in the group. There are several tales of McCartney going back into the studio to re-do the guitar solos for his songs.  

He also kept the group involved in challenging projects, like the “Magical Mystery Tour” film and attempts at stripped down recordings for “Let It Be,” at times when other members wanted to just end things.

And his continued musical endeavors surely pushed the others to also keep trying to explore and create.  

As a teen, Lennon was my favorite Beatle (every kid had to choose one!). Now . . . it’s complicated.

** A fun part of my listening experience was following the progress of the four Beatles as musicians, particularly McCartney on bass.

He was made the group’s bass player by default in their teenage beginnings. He quickly progressed to some great work on “All My Loving” and “Tell Me Why.” And from there, he perfected his skill on the instrument until it became a major contributor to a lot of the recordings, most especially “Hey Bulldog.”

I also was impressed by Starr’s drumming. He has been downgraded by some as a “human metronome” and a deep-background player in the Beatles saga but he gets a lot of credit in the books I read for his savvy, expert drumming. My own listening, as a simple fan, supports those conclusions.

Beatles songs were not about blasting percussion but needed the steady, consistent, skilled drum sounds that Starr provided.

** Another interesting part of the project was learning various music or recording terms.

These included: arpeggio (“the notes of a chord played in succession as a fan-like spread rather than as a single sound, as if on a harp”; used on “You Never Give Me Your Money,” “I Want You (She’s So Heavy),” “I’ve Got a Feeling,” “Sun King,” the middle of “Here Comes the Sun” and “Because.”); ADT (artificial double tracking, used often for Beatles’ voices and now a music industry stable); flanging (too technical to summarize here); and compression (“reduction of the overall dynamics generated by a voice or instrument”).  

The amount of what we hear (and love) that is affected by such studio tricks as ADT, flanging, compression, manipulation of microphones or drums, or changing speeds on recorded material (to name just some of them) was astonishing to learn.  

** Taking the Beatles’ catalogue as a whole over a short period of time demonstrated just how much effort the group put into always trying new sounds, new recording techniques and new musical approaches.

These could range from a simple change in how a piano was played (“Ob-La-Di, Ob-La-Da” “Oh Darlin’”) to an entirely radical approach like “Revolution 9.”

This was done out of personal musical interest along with inter-group competition and intra-group competition. It was a key to why the group remained together, creative and popular for far longer than normal bands, particularly those in the rock era.        

To be sure, the three primary songwriters in the group also borrowed liberally from what sounds were popular at the time — Motown, the Beach Boys, Bob Dylan, psychedelia, the Byrds, the Lovin’ Spoonful, the Who, the Kinks — but improved on them and created a sound all their own.

** MacDonald feels the McCartney song “You Never Give Me Your Money” was the earliest musical acknowledgment that the group was coming to a close, particularly its opening verses.

“To anyone who loves the Beatles, the bittersweet nostalgia of this music is hard to hear without a tear in the eye. Here, an entire era — the idealistic, innocent Sixties — is bravely bidden farewell.

“Having regretted this loss, the song shows us what it was all about in a quick kaleidoscopic resume of the group’s ambiguous blend of sadness, subversive laughter and resolute optimism. Everything hangs on the words ‘nowhere to go,’ arrived at ruefully but instantly spun around and seen from the other side: as freedom, as opportunity. The Beatles’ future may be gone but McCartney is determined to salvage their spirit, and that of the Sixties, for his future. ‘You Never Give Me Your Money’ marks the psychological opening of his solo career.”  

** Emerick’s own conclusion about the Beatles’ breakup gave me a new perspective.

He begins with an opinion I found startling, given all his and others’ accounts of how well the Beatles could still get along even as their inter-personal troubles mounted:

“By the end, it’s fair to say that the four Beatles hated one another, for a variety of reasons. It’s actually understandable, considering all the time they’d spent together, stuck in hotel rooms and recording studios for year after year; no wonder they couldn’t wait to get away from one another. When the announcement was made, I couldn’t help but reflect on the fact that it had been almost four years since they’d done their last tour. For four years, they had been doing nothing but recording in that dank, depressing place known as Abbey Road.”  

Emerick goes on the discount the financial squabbles or presence of Yoko Ono as the key reasons for the end of the group, saying Ono was good for Lennon. He concludes:  

“No, I always felt that the main reason for the breakup was irreconcilable artistic differences. John, Paul, and George Harrison simply wanted to follow different paths. John wanted to make art; Paul wanted to continue doing pop music; and George just wanted to pursue his Eastern interests. Sadly, inevitably, there was no common ground anymore, only a common history.”

So, having digested all this material over the last few months, where does that leave me as a Beatles fan?

I’ll explore that in part three of this little exercise, coming tomorrow.

[net4news]

50 years of Mammootty: Why the superstar shows no signs of slowing down

The popular Malayalam actor’s career reflects the importance of being earnest, as he continues to work hard and evolve, even after 50 years in the industry

Fifty years of shining bright on the silver screen has not dimmed the lustre of Mammootty, aka Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail. On August 6, 1971, Mammootty, then a lanky student of Maharaja’s College in Kochi, made his debut as an actor in a blink-and-miss appearance in film director KG Sethumadhavan’s Anubhavangal Paalichakal. Mammootty reappeared on the screen in 1980 in a small role in Vilkkanundu Swapnangal (Dreams for Sale), written by MT Vasudevan Nair and directed by Azad. Also Read | Get ‘First Day First Show’, our weekly newsletter from the world of cinema, in your inbox. You can subscribe for free here It was the late IV Sasi’s movies, many written by T Damodaran and MT Vasudevan Nair, that catapulted Mammootty into a superstar. Seema, Sasi’s wife, who acted with Mammootty in several blockbusters, recalls meeting him on the set of Sphodanam in 1981. “I liked his confidence and wondered who he was. I was told he was a newcomer called Mammootty. I went across and met him and told him that I liked the way he carried himself,” she says.

MT Vasudevan Nair and Mammootty   | Photo Credit: Ragesh K She recalls complimenting her husband for casting him in Trishna (1981). Seema and Mammootty worked in classics such as Anubandham, Aaalkoottathil Thaniye, Adiyozhukkukal, Aksharangal etc. all scripted by Jnanapith winner MT Vasudevan Nair. “Recently, I saw One, his latest release. I called up Sulu, Mammootty’s wife, and told her how much I enjoyed the film. Sulu continues to be a good friend and we keep in touch,” says Seema. One of Mammotty’s early characters to get noticed was that of police officer named Jacob Eraly in KG George’s masterpiece Yavanika. Jalaja, who played the lead in the film, talks about a serious actor who used to drive down from Kochi every day to the sets of Yavanika in Thiruvananthapuram as he was shooting simultaneously for two films. “Most of Mammootty’s scenes were in the night where he was shown questioning the suspects. His dedication towards his work was evident. Even then he was getting a number of roles.” In the meantime, Mammootty and director Joshiy struck a golden partnership that produced many of his mega hits, beginning with Aarathri (1983) and films that covered different genres such as New Delhi, Nirakootu, Shyama, Nair Saab, No.20 Madras Mail and Kuttettan.

When the actor was at his busiest, he got a call from auteur Adoor Gopalakrishnan for Anantharam (1987). “It was not the lead and I told him that. But it hardly mattered to him. He came up with a superb act. Then he played the lead in Mathilukal (written by Vaikom Mohammed Basher), for which he won his first National award for Best Actor (along with Hariharan’s Oru Vadakkan Veeragatha). He told me that he considered himself fortunate to play the role of Basheer while the writer was still there,” says Adoor. Vidheyan, the third film that Adoor and Mammootty teamed up, bagged the actor his second National award for Best Actor. “It was an anti-hero role. As soon as I called Mammootty, he said ‘yes’. He asked if he could read the screenplay. Mammootty is the only actor in my films who has read a screenplay of mine before the film began. The film required him to cut his hair short. I was right there to ensure that his hair was cropped almost to his scalp,” says Adoor. Praising his discipline, Adoor says the halo of a ‘star’ was nowhere visible when Mammootty faced the camera. “Even at his peak as a superstar, here was an actor who was keen on doing offbeat films and enjoyed pushing himself to breathe life into his role,” adds the auteur.

Like nobody

During the Eighties and Nineties, Mammootty worked in several back-to-back films under the helmsmanship of PG Viswambharan, J Sasikumar, Padmarajan, Lohitadas and so on. Mammootty has also worked with Bharathan, KG George, Sibi Malayil, Shaji N Karun, Lohitadas and Shyamaprasad with equal felicity. He also went on to act in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Hindi and an English film on Dr Ambedkar. Mammootty’s family dramas, a favourite of his fans, saw him personify patriarchal family values that came to be identified with several of his characters in films such as Vatsalyam, Arayannegalude Veedu, Valyettan, Chronic Bachelor and scores of similar films. Film director Ranjith, another filmmaker who gave Mammootty some of his memorable roles in the recent past, says the veteran is someone who never lets seniority stand in the way of making a good film. Pranchiyettan & The Saint, Paleri Manikyam: Oru Pathirakolapathakathinte Katha, Puthen Panam and more were some of the duo’s films that worked at the box office. “Mammootty has this talent to speak different dialects in Malayalam and I doubt if there is anyone in the industry who has done so many with such perfection,” says Ranjith. He recounts fondly how the actor worked without any remuneration in Kaiyoppu because he liked the character and how Mammootty told him he would co-produce Pranchiyettan... when Ranjith told him he was producing the film under his banner.

Mammootty's click of Adoor Gopalakrishnan with his favourite cinematographer Mankada Ravi Varma on the sets of ‘Mathilukal’   | Photo Credit: Special arrangement Ranjith believes Mammootty is that rare actor who is willing to work with people who think out of the box. He has no qualms in reaching out to anyone, who he hears, is doing an interesting film. “In fact, he notices the crew on the set and the minute he sees someone with promise, he asks them when they plan to write or direct and to keep in touch with him,” says Ranjith. Lal Jose (Oru Maravathoor Kanavu), Lohitadas (Bhoothakkannadi), Anwar Rashid (Rajamanikyam), Aashiq Abu (Daddy Cool), Blessy (Kazhcha), Amal Neerad (Big B) and Martin Prakkat (Best Actor) are among those who turned directors with a Mammootty film. “It was Mammookka who made me a director. I was the cinematographer of Ranjith’s Mammootty-starrer Black and was set to return to Mumbai where I was working. Once the film was over, out of the blue, Mammookka told me to call him when I have a project to direct,” says Amal, whose first film with him was Big B.

The way forward

Bheeshmaparvam, Mammootty’s new film for release, is also directed by Amal and Big B is scheduled to have a sequel. Amal says although Big B was panned initially, it became a cult classic among a new generation of film-goers. “Unlike previous films of the actor, there was almost no melodramatic speeches. His role was that of a cold man who spoke few words and he did it so well,” adds Amal.

Showing no signs of slowing down, Mammootty is busy listening to scripts and working. A strict diet and a fitness regimen have ensured that the 69-year-old actor looks younger than many of his juniors in the industry. The tech-crazy actor has always kept himself abreast of technology in cinema. A keen photographer, Adoor has talked about his excellent photographic skills. Also well known is his craze for automobiles of which he has a huge collection. As 2021 confines cinema largely to OTT platforms, Mammootty has been waiting in the wings for reopening of theatres to enliven the big screen again with his characters. Source link Read the full article

[docandprof]

In Which I Review Literature

Say hey!

You delay, I delay – we all delay! Sorry it’s been so long, but fortunately we’ve been keeping up lately, so you have an idea of what I’ve been up to! I very much enjoyed reading your post, and I believe I have a few things to respond to, but I’ll begin with the easiest one – booze! Old fashioned and whiskey sour. What else could you need? Pro tip, make your own syrups. It’s just sugar and water in a 1:1 ratio. I recommend just doing a ½ a cup, since I don’t use that much in a short amount of time.

Now, on to the heart of the matter (see what I did there?). I am so happy that you’ve found love! It is not an easy thing to come by. I think it’s great that you paused and took some time for reflection too – a hard thing to do in the face of strong emotions! And you had a serious conversation about your future? Sounds like you’re in a real mature, adult relationship! You have found something special if I can believe you 😉 so hang on to her! I have learned with you how challenging long distance can be, so it’s great to hear you making a plan to be together soon. It sounds like it makes a lot of sense to enjoy the Nashville area while you’re young, and like you said it’s not forever. It is a tough situation though when you both have good opportunities in different areas, family to consider, etc. (for reference see my life, page 394). Of course, I’ll still remind you that my area is a great place for hip, young cool people like yourselves to move to 😉. And hey, no hard feelings towards the lady – I know you love me, and the love you and her share is a different kind of love. So I suppose I can share.

So besides being happy about you happiness, what have I been up to? Well, like the true yin to my yang, the peanut butter to my jelly, there must be balance between our circumstances apparently (more to come on destiny and fate later). Things have, in the grand scheme of things, been going just fine! But if you take a magnifier to the last couple weeks I’ve had you’d go AGH! To keep it short, and not fall into a rant, work has been incredibly stressful trying to get a release out (even though I know it’s not super critical) and some staff trouble looming for my Monday morning. That’s kind of the least important, but most prevalent (you know since I’m there 40 hours a week) stressor at the moment. My grandpa is not doing very well. I saw him on Mother’s Day and it was pretty bad. Luckily he got in to the doctor last week and seems to be doing better, but he is 92, so of course I want to keep him around as long as we can, but I am well aware of his age. And just today I found out my youngest aunt who has had health problems for years is not doing super well. Of course family health issues are always worrying, and to top it all off there’s been trouble in paradise, as you are aware. We haven’t had another discussion yet, so I’m still feeling a bit in limbo in our relationship, but I care about her so much and will try to work things out how I can, while still being true to myself and my values. I appreciate you offering your insights the other week, more than you may realize. So, it’s been a difficult time, but there are good days on the horizon! I am excited to move in August, some trips coming up in the summertime, seeing you crazy kook, and of course some sort of return to normal life as the pandemic situation improves.

Now, on to what you’ve really been waiting for – my lit review! So I just finished reading The Lady of the Lake, the final piece of the Ciri and Geralt storyline for the witcher books, and as I usually feel after finishing a series, I am full of emotions! I’ll avoid any direct spoilers for your sake, as I think you know enough about the witcher genre to follow with whatever philosophizing is about to follow. Not surprisingly, the ending was what one might call bittersweet. What I suppose I was more surprised by was to learn that the games are not canon. I had seen so many similarities between the games and the books, that I figured I would get to the end of the novel and see the jumping off point for the Witcher 3: Wild Hunt. Minor spoiler alert – I did not find that jumping off point. Sapkowski gets into some very interesting ideas weaving different myths and legends together towards the end of the series, which I thought was very neat as a DnD player who thinks planar travel and time travel are super cool. His “realism” or pessimism, depending where you look at things from, I also found a bit refreshing from a lot of modern media, where everything kind of works out for the best. Much like George R.R Martin, Sapkowski was not afraid of being brutal to his characters, and maybe it was easier because even though I am in love with his characters, it always felt like I was an observer, listening to the retelling of a story that was already written, the ink dried, the outcomes already made up, no matter when or how I turned the page. (One of the ways he did this I very much want to take as inspiration for DnD – between each chapter he includes an excerpt from a book that exists in his world; encyclopedias, a book of fairy tales, war records from opposing sides, etc.). So it was almost nihilistic to keep reading, knowing there wouldn’t be a happy ever after, but that didn’t stop me from eating it all up.

Everything has been, everything has happened. And everything has already been written about. ~ Vysogota of Corvo

Is this paragraph about the witcher too, you wonder? Why yes, yes it is. And that line is from a character that I was surprised by how much I ended up loving, despite his relatively minor inclusion (note I do not say minor role). In the last few chapters of The Lady of the Lake (which also, go figure, is a frame story – I bet you can put some pieces together), Sapkowski talked a lot about Order, Chaos, Evil, and Progress, which was all interesting and in the bar scene that these conversations took place, I didn’t find myself able to agree with any one character. It was a good reminder that although problems can often seem black and white (especially in the polarized political climate nowadays), many things are not so simple to categorize into right and wrong. Gosh there is just so much I could get into with these books, but to begin wrapping up, I was particularly interested in a short monologue about Destiny from sorceress Philippa Eilhart. I won’t get into it, since I plan to use a lot of the ideas for a certain elven ranger you might know, but it is such an interesting concept to think about, particularly when things happen in our lives beyond our control. Many times people say things like “Everything happens for a reason” and slap it on a picture of a mountain in fancy cursive writing to confront such hardships. My perception is that in this modern era we don’t talk about destiny, but maybe we still believe in it without realizing. Maybe we have to. We’ve explained so much through science and reasoning that one can make an argument against destiny, even some against religion, but I’ve always been someone who has been able to believe in both, despite any contradictions that might arise. Life, love, destiny, the pursuit of happiness – how can we know everything about everything? There will always be something beyond us, above us. It doesn’t explain away tragedies like the sudden loss of a loved one that too many of our friends have experienced recently, but the one thing I (and Sapkowski) think destiny offers us is hope. Maybe this was obvious to you all along, but it’s a realization I’ve only recently come to, and I’m grateful to these books for that, at least, in a time where I feel like so much around me is going wrong, I lean on destiny to remind me that it will be alright. Whether that is a good or bad thing to do, does that really matter? I don’t think so.

Well, having lived up to my title as Professor Souls, I’ll leave you to ponder. Naturally, I recommend you read these books! They’re a bit different in writing style, but I ended up falling in love with it honestly. And if you won’t read, then play Gwent with me! Or don’t. What media have you consumed recently that made you think deeply?

And at long last, you’ve reached the end of this post. The serpent Ouroboros has grasped his own tail, and an ending becomes a beginning.

Thinkin’ hard,

Professor

5.16.21

[randomnessunicorn-imagine]

Hello again! I once got shipped with Norway for Hetalia and I greatly liked it so I was wondering if I may have a dating scenarios if you wouldn't mind? To recap: I'm a tall brown haired female with blue eyes. I'm a very shy and quiet person with some intellect. Even when I open up I'm quiet. But secretly I'm sarcastic with a dark sense of humor. Also I have low self esteem. I love reading and I'm often seen doing that. (And thank you and I'm sorry if I'm being annoying with all the request!)

{ Hello~Sorry if you waited so long, I hope you will like it-! }

@seven116​ x Lukas Bondevik  ( APH Norway )

💙 FIRST MEETING:

It was a serene morning of November, the winter was just around the corner and so many things were going to happen. This year still deserved new surprises that none could even imagine!You were directed to the library, one of your favourite place, since you loved reading so much and you were sad for all those people who were unable to appreciate a magnificent activity like reading. They had only their life to live while a true reader lived million and million lives, all different and fantastic. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only one.” said George Martin and it was the truth. You have lost the count about all the lives you have already lived. It was never enough!The library was a calm and silent place where persons could enjoy the true meaning of the existence. You were exploring, with your vigilant and curious eyes, all the volumes that were exposed on the shelves. You ended up in an area you have never visited and it was very strange, maybe they had only incremented the choice of the books. There were different volumes about Nordic Myths and History, they seemed very interesting, and some of them were illustrated with fascinating and artistic pictures you found so amazing that you were already flipping without realizing. You did not even notice the thin and silent figure next to you since you were so absorbed in your thoughts. This person was so pale and thoughtful; he seemed a young man, he had two pair of glacial eyes, and he wore a weird navy hat on his blonde head. He did not seem a talkative person and he was limited to observe the books with an apathetic expression. You could not say if he was truly interested and bored, or if was able to move because he seemed immobile and static like he was a statue. A frozen statue.You realized you were staring at him a little too much and it was not so polite, so you looked at the same books he was observing. Maybe you should have read one of them so you raised your hand, reaching one of those volumes. In that moment, the time stood still because it seemed the mysterious man has already grabbed your book so you retired your hand. You just wanted to cheek so you did not care, keeping on looking around. You have not found the perfect book today but that desire of curiosity remained in your mind, and it was because of that cold and enigmatic young man.

💚 SECOND MEETING:

Another month was passed and you have never seen that mysterious person in the library as if it was a sort of apparition, a ghost. He was so pale, almost transparent, maybe…Ah, it could not be truth, it was illogical and he was just a normal guy who did not frequent that library very often like you. Anyway, he left you with a bad taste in your mouth you could not explain. It was like… Discontent with an aftertaste of curiosity. You truly desired to know that person, it seemed he came from a romance, he was just one of those sinister character’s books you could never understand or predict. You wanted to read his mind.Christmas was coming and you were doing your shopping in a mall, this place was full of euphoric people. You had to buy some presents for your friends but you were so unsure so you were looking through the storefronts without caring so much until a group of people caught your attention. They were five and they seem so different from each other. There was one who screamed and laughed a little too much, a cold man with glasses who had a scary look on his face next to another euphoric man, a cold teenager and then… Your eyes went wide open when you noticed that he was there. The mysterious person of the library was there but he did not notice you since his stare seemed contemplating another dimension and galaxy. Nevertheless, chasing after people was not so polite so you decided to return to your business, searching for some gifts for your friends. You entered in the supermarket where there were some Christmas sales. While you were looking for decorations and stuff you met them again, and you found the mysterious man that was observing some fairy and troll’s statues with the same indifferent face of every time. Maybe he was not a happy person even if it was almost Christmas and it was a shame someone could be displeased during this period. You got closer pretending to be interested to those statues and you, after taking all your courage, spoke to him, «Oh, you truly like those things, uhm…? ». Actually, you would have never talked with a person so openly but your curiosity won this battle, this time.His only answer was a nod, a simple nod. He was truly a person of few words and you felt embarrassed. It was still an answer, so mute and cold but an answer! You smiled feeling like an idiot and you wanted to disappear, but you had to say something to him. «Those fairies are really beautiful, they seem like the ones I saw in those books…», you took one of those statutes. Being concentrated to something else, and not to his icy eyes, could help you to gain some calm because the temperature was becoming colder. He was like the winter, glacial and impenetrable.When the situation was becoming difficult, luckily one of his friends came to save you from this embarrassment. Another blonde guy (actually, they were all blonde) appeared and, for the first time, you have noticed a hostile glare in his eyes. The new man was a very tall and noisy person, he posed his hand to Norway’s shoulder speaking, «Oh, Loki, who’s this pretty girl? One of your friend? I’m surprised, I didn’t believe a snowman like you could have a friend.», then he started laughing and you presented yourself telling your name and that you were not exactly his friend, you met Norway only one time in the library, and you found him here for a coincidence. «Anyway, my name is not Loki. It’s Lukas! », it was the first time he spoke and his voice was so soft and cold just like a snowflake. He seemed so angry with the other guy for reasons unknown for you. «My name is Mathias, it’s your pleasure. », the other man said and then he turned to Lukas, asking, «Why don’t you invite your special friend at the Christmas Dinner? If she’s free, I think Tino would be happy. More people, more fun~», Mathias declared starting to laugh and you blushed a little for the way he said “special friend” like you and Lukas were dating but this was the second time you saw him.Then, you met all his family and all of them seemed glad Norway found a friend and they were surprised about it. You were right thinking he was so cold and mysterious, he appeared so solitaire and smart and now you were more curious than before and you had no other choice to accept their invitation to join them at Christmas. You could pass to say hello and your parents would have not been so angry if you would have presented a little late to the Christmas Party.

💛 DATE:

After some days, you found Lukas in the library and you were so surprised to see him there. You could not think he was there for you but he approached you. His posture was still rigid and steady. Then, he started spoke with a softer voice than the harsher one he used with Mathias last time and he lost that hostile glare. He returned calm and polite like his usual.«I am mortified for the unappropriated behaviour Mathias got, he’s just a problematic child. », he meant he got some mental problems but it was clear Lukas did not like so much Mathias. «Oh, don’t worry… He was kinda funny, I didn’t feel uncomfortable. », he seemed shocked by your answer and you noticed one of his eyebrows rising for the confusion. He just nodded and maybe it was your time to start a conversation because he was not going to speak again. Then, you asked him some information about those fairies and if he found them interesting or if he believed in them. You said the first thing crossed your mind but it seemed it was an argument he found interesting and he spoke more than his usual, and he was so informed about it so you asked him if he could give you some advices about some books you could read and he suggested you some Nordic’s authors. After some while, you understood that it was not the perfect place to speak, even if you were the one who spoke the most, so you asked to Lukas if he wanted to take a coffee with you to continue the conversation. This person was too elusive and maybe you would not have another occasion to spend some time with him. Like always, he nodded and you felt the luckiest person of the world. It was just a nod but it was something and he appeared to be a sincere guy, he would have said “no” if he did not want to stay with you so you were acting good. You did not know if you should have considered it like a true date since you were not sure about his feelings and it was a miracle if he saw you like a friend and it seemed he did not like having people around and he was too much introvert. Anyway, this almost date went better than you supposed and the two of you talked about so many arguments. Actually, you were the one who communicated the most and he nodded every time, but you found his way to nod so cute so you did not complain.After that day, you met Lukas more often in the library and the two of you keep each other company reading together, it was so funny and relaxing. Sometimes, you lost yourself studying his fascinating and placid form while he read, and you kept having the same sensation in your heart. The same sensation when a person found itself in front of the mystery of the world.

💜 CONFESSION:

This winter brought to you so many new things and surprises and you kept dating Lukas. It seemed he appreciated your company and even his family was surprised seeing him less solitaire and he went outside a little more but the places you and he visited were the calmest and quietest because he did not like noisy and crowed environments so most of your dates took place in the library or in the park. One time, he brought you to skating, you remained enchanted by his talent, and he moved with the same grace and agility of a flying bird. The other guy, the one Norway disliked so much, that Danish man, called you as “Luka’s girlfriend” despite the Norwegian kept defining you like a friend and nothing more but he was not an affectionate guy and he cared a lot to know well a person before he could define someone in an intimate way. Mathias said you have worked a sort of miracle because Lukas was more alive than before and he always appeared like a piece of ice. Despite his coldness, you felt so comfortable with Lukas because he was very polite and respectful. He always treated you with kindness and care in his glacial ways, and it was perfect for your shyness because you were sure he was not going to be rude or weird. Then, he did not speak too much and he was the perfect listener even if he did not give you advises because he thought you had already the solution of your problem but you have not found it yet. Then, you could not live without his nods and you were sure he always paid attention to your discourses and he never lied. He talked not so much, but he always told the truth, and, because of his calm and low voice, even the cruellest truth appeared so harmless and placid if it was pronounced by his mouth.These were all the reasons why you truly loved him but you have never confessed it for not ruining the actual relationship. One day, it was snowing and the atmosphere was so magical and spectacular, you and he was watching this natural show and the snow posed on your nose. It was cold and beautiful just like him, but you preferred to stay in silence. After some while, you felt something. Lukas was holding your hand, this gesture was so sweet and unexpected. Nothing has been told but you already knew. Sometimes, those little gestures told so much more than a thousand mere words.

[organssos]

25 Father's Day Quotes To Share With Dad

Father's Day will soon be here before you realize it, and we've exactly the thing you want to create daddy's day extra special. Even though daddy may insist he does not require such a thing, pairing it instead of only minding these Father's Day quotes is really going to make him feel adored. Give Dad his presents a Sunday morning meal after you have summoned up if you want to really go the extra mile .

  1. You can not die of grief, though it feels as if you can. A heart does not actually break, though sometimes your chest aches as if it is breaking. Grief dims with time. It is the way of things. There comes a day when you smile again, and you feel like a traitor. How dare I feel happy. How dare I be glad in a world where my father is no more. And then you cry fresh tears, because you do not miss him as much as you once did, and giving up your grief is another kind of death. ― Laurell K. Hamilton   2. Freddie experienced the sort of abysmal soul-sadness which afflicts one of Tolstoy's Russian peasants when, after putting in a heavy day's work strangling his father, beating his wife, and dropping the baby into the city's reservoir, he turns to the cupboards, only to find the vodka bottle empty. ― P.G. Wodehouse   3. It all goes back and back," Tyrion thought, "to our mothers and fathers and theirs before them. We are puppets dancing on the strings of those who came before us, and one day our own children will take up our strings and dance in our steads. ― George R.R. Martin   4. And the day will come when the mystical generation of Jesus, by the supreme being as his father in the womb of a virgin will be classed with the fable of the generation of Minerva in the brain of Jupiter. But we may hope that the dawn of reason and freedom of thought in these United States will do away all this artificial scaffolding... ― Thomas Jefferson   5. I understand that fear is my friend, but not always. Never turn your back on Fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed. My father taught me that, along with a few other things that have kept my life interesting. ― Hunter S   6. To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them. ― Thomas S. Monson   7. I suddenly remember being very little and being embraced by my father. I would try to put my arms around my father's waist, hug him back. I could never reach the whole way around the equator of his body; he was that much larger than life. Then one day, I could do it. I held him, instead of him holding me, and all I wanted at that moment was to have it back the other way. ― Jodi Picoult   8. Father, I decree and declare that I will be anxious for nothing. But in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, I will make my requests known to You. I arise in faith today knowing that You hear and answer prayer. Because I bring my needs to You, I will walk in the peace of God that surpasses understanding, and it will guard my heart and mind. In stillness and quietness I will wait for You, and You will lead me in the way I should go. I seal these declarations in the name of Jesus, amen. ― Cindy Trimm   9. My mother always said that I was born out of a bottle of vinegar instead of born from a womb and that she and my father bathed me in sugar for three days to wash it off. I try to behave, but I always go back to the vinegar. ― Maggie Stiefvater   10. A wedding is for daughters and fathers. The mothers all dress up, trying to look like young women. But a wedding is for a father and daughter. They stop being married to each other on that day.― Sarah Ruhl, Eurydice   11. When I was young, my father used to say, ‘If you are alive, there is hope for a better day and something good to happen. If there is nothing good left in the destiny of a person, he or she will die.’ I thought about these words during my journey, and they kept me moving even when I didn’t know where I was going. Those words became the vehicle that drove my spirit forward and made it stay alive.― Ishmael Beah   12. This is a lttle prayer dedicated to the separation of church and state. I guess if they are going to force those kids to pray in schools they might as well have a nice prayer like this: Our Father who art in heaven, and to the republic for which it stands, thy kingdom come, one nation indivisible as in heaven, give us this day as we forgive those who so proudly we hail. Crown thy good into temptation but deliver us from the twilight's last gleaming. Amen and Awomen. ― George Carlin   13. I'd love to know how Dad saw me when I was 6. I'd love to know a hundred things. When a parent dies, a filing cabinet full of all the fascinating stuff also ceases to exist. I never imagined how hungry I'd be one day to look inside it. ― David Mitchell   14. The thing that most haunted me that day, however...was the fact that these things had - apparently - actually occurred...For all his attention to my historical education, my father had neglected to tell me this: history's terrible moments were real. I understand now, decades later, that he could never have told me. Only history itself can convince you of such a truth. And once you've seen that truth - really seen it - you can't look away. ― Elizabeth Kostova   15. Why are we so attached to the severities of the past? Why are we so proud of having endured our fathers and our mothers, the fireless days and the meatless days, the cold winters and the sharp tongues? It's not as if we had a choice. ― Hilary Mantel   16. Isn't it true that you start your life a sweet child believing in everything under your father's roof? Then comes the day of the Laodiceans, when you know you are wretched and miserable and poor and blind and naked, and with the visage of a gruesome grieving ghost you go shuddering through nightmare life. ― Jack Kerouac   17. Make sure to tell our baby that his father loves him every day of his life, just like I will always love you every single day. ― E.L. Montes   18. Jon wanted nothing more. No, he had to tell himself, those days are gone. The realization twisted in his belly like a knife. They had chosen him to rule. The Wall was his, and their lives were his as well. A lord may love the men that he commands, he could hear his lord father saying, but he cannot be a friend to them. One day he may need to sit in judgement on them, or send them forth to die. ― George R.R. Martin   19. Her father had taught her about hands. About a dog's paws. Whenever her father was alone with a dog in a house he would lean over and smell the skin at the base of its paw. This, he would say, as if coming away from a brandy snifter, is the greatest smell in the world! A bouquet! Great rumours of travel! She would pretend disgust, but the dog's paw was a wonder: the smell of it never suggested dirt. It's a cathedral! her father had said, so-and-so's garden, that field of grasses, a walk through cyclamen--a concentration of hints of all the paths the animal had taken during the day. ― Michael Ondaatje   20. Most of the time, it felt like my father and I were completely different species. Possibly literally, depending on the day and whether or not I actually qualified as human at the time. ― Jennifer Lynn Barnes   21. Every day He humbles Himself just as He did when from from His heavenly throne into the Virgin's womb; every day He comes to us and lets us see Him in lowliness, when He descends from the bosom of the Father into the hands of the priest at the altar. ― St. Francis of Assisi   22. One day Bird had approached his father with this question; he was six years old: Father, where was I a hundred years before I was born? Where will I be a hundred years after I die? Father, what will happen to me when I die? Without a word, his young father had punched him in the mouth, broke two of his teeth and bloodied his face, and Bird forgot the fear of death. ― Kenzaburō Ōe   23. Our father was a great warrior. Our mother is proud and strong. They shared only one flaw: that their only loyalty was to themselves above all other cats. We're not like that. We understand what it means to be loyal to our Clan. We have the courage to live by the warrior code. And because of that we'll be the most powerful cats in RiverClan one day, and our Clanmates will have to respect us then. ― Erin Hunter, Dawn   24. If we will build righteous traditions in our families, the light of the gospel can grow ever brighter in the lives of our children from generation to generation. We can look forward to that glorious day when we will all be united together as eternal family units to reap the everlasting joy promised by our Eternal Father for His righteous children. ― L. Tom Perry   25. My Father and my God, I submit myself to Your authority today and declare that my spirit will grow and become fruitful as You lead me by the virtue of Your flawless character. I submit to Your wisdom as You freely give to me my heart’s desires. I align my heart with Your heart and my will with Your will. May Your blessings overtake me and the boundary lines fall for me in pleasant places as You have decreed. In Jesus’s name I declare that this is so. ― Cindy Trimm Read the full article

[samleheny]

Jedi and Lutherans: what Rey and Martin Luther might have in common

When I was a kid, I was a massive Star Wars nerd. How massive? I read the books. THE BOOKS! That’s when you know you’re lost!

One day I stopped, looked at my bloated belly, and decided that between the film, games, dolls, books, TV shows, legos, bed sheets, death star shaped ice cube trays, and Shakespeare reinterpreted to involve Star Wars characters,  I’d consumed enough Star Wars to last several life times, and even without actually going all that ham personally on all the merchandise and expanded lore, merely living in a world saturated in such an omni-present franchise had rendered the Star Wars universe a fairly mundane setting for me. And growing up didn’t help, because as your tastes refine it becomes harder and more thankless to spot the one or two good things about the Prequel trilogy, which was ‘my generation’s’ Star Wars. And I didn’t have any industrial strength nostalgia goggles lying around.

So when Lucas Films was snapped up by the equally omni-present Disney Corporation and a new line of Star Wars films was announced, my reaction was “Neat... I’m going back to bed.” I still haven’t seen the Force Awakens nor Rogue One (Is Rogue One a code name? Or is it like “The one who is rogue”?) but just recently a mistaken click on some click-bait rumour article about the upcoming instalment The Last Jedi saw me stumble upon a fan theory that turned out to be the most I’ve been intrigued by Star Wars in over a decade. It started in the article with ‘Grey Jedi’ and ended in my head with the Vatican and the Protestant Reformation.

Strap in.

The rumour is that Rey, the main protagonist of this new line of films, is the first canonically recognised Grey Jedi. “What on Earth is a Grey Jedi?” I wondered. It’s a fan made term, or maybe one initiated in the obscure expanded lore which has apparently now been declared non-canon by Disney (it’s all very confusing) and its meaning is a little vague, but is usually given one of two definitions. The first is just a Jedi who’s a bit of a bad boy, and who has some trouble following the rules of being a Jedi. So I guess by that logic any Jedi who becomes an evil Sith Lord by definition has to have transitioned from Jedi, to Grey Jedi, to Sith Lord (the Black Jedi by the naming convention suggested by “Grey Jedi”). Fans have suggested that Qui Gon Jin was a Grey Jedi simply because he was a bit of an arsehole who never agreed with anything the Jedi Council said. That makes sense I guess. I recall Count Dookoo suggesting that Qui Gon had been fertile for conversion to the Dark Side.

But the second definition - the one I find interesting – is simply one who is in balance with the force (much like a Jedi) but who is not a Jedi. Does not subscribe to the force related teachings of the Jedi Order. Following the Order’s teachings has long been depicted in the series as synonymous with being ‘in balance’ with the Force, the only alternative being to make the force one’s figurative bitch, which seemingly defines one as belonging to the evil Sith. Basically the anti-Jedi. But the very existence of Grey Jedi calls that dichotomy into question, which means nothing if Grey Jedi are just a figment of the fandom’s imagination, but if the current makers of Star Wars are indeed planning on taking this idea and running with it, I could see that being very interesting and somewhat daring.

Here’s the thing. The now long extinguished Jedi Council were a bunch of idiots. That’s not how they were deliberately depicted, it’s just a result of George Lucas’ horrendously amateurish plot and character writing throughout the prequel trilogy that many Star Wars fans have this unofficial idea that the pre-Luke Skywalker Jedi weren’t as wise as the story would have us believe.

What? The guy who’s been acting like a Sith Lord all this time and has benefited from every bad thing that’s gone down to which he’s always had a super obvious connection turned out to be the Sith Lord? Oooooh nooooo, who could have figured that out except anyone?

Suppose that notion was also picked up by the film makers and officially recognised. If they don’t have the onions to just add the prequels to the increasingly crowded bin of Non-Canon, then they could at least acknowledge that the Jedi’s old fashioned mindset and rigid insistence that the Force moves in mysterious ways was partially responsible for them getting outsmarted and all but wiped out by the Sith.

But if Grey Jedi are a real thing now and one can officially be not only force-sensitive, but also successfully wield the force as a partner (like a Jedi) and not as a slave (like the Sith) without giving a toss about shunning emotion, or never hooking up with anyone, or wearing your hair in a stupid braid until the council tells you you can stop, or any other silly little rule from the How To Be Awesome Jedi handbook, then how much or how little authority do the Jedi as an institution actually have on the subject of the Force?

The reason this intrigues me is because I have an affection for internet history videos (how did my high school manage to make history seem so boring?!) and this potential ‘Force Schism’ reminds me of a medieval figure whose story I recently got pretty big into. Martin Luther.

His is the story of the Protestant Reformation, which was a huge goddamn deal for Christians and consequently anyone who happens to share a planet with them. I am an agnostic atheist; I don’t believe in the divine, but I don’t for a second claim to know that the divine does or does not exist. I typically don’t get on well with organised religion, but even I have to admit that I like a lot about the way this Martin Luther guy thought.

Who was he? He was a German law student turned monk born in 1483 and who by 1517 had grown increasingly frustrated with the Catholic Church’s corruption and abuse of authority over people’s immortal souls, authority which he believed it didn’t actually have. This came to a head one day when a friar arrived in town selling ‘indulgences’ which were basically little slips of paper absolving you of some of your sins.

Yes, you could buy that. As far as the Catholic church was concerned, redemption in the eyes of God was quite literally for sale. If you think that sounds a little messed up, Martin Luther agreed. He wrote Ninety Five Theses decrying the custom and famously nailed them to the church door before the eyes of the public.

From here his ideas became increasingly radical (and increasingly awesome) generally attempting to expose the Church’s rituals like the priesthood as being mere formality, entirely of human design, possessing no actual spiritual power. High ranking church officials were seen as holy, and having authority to dictate the will of God to the masses, and priests were often the only ones in each town or village who could read, or at least who could read Latin, which conveniently was the only language in which scripture was available. “God has a thing about condoms. You can’t read the bible, but trust me, that’s totally what it says!” But Luther denounced even the pope himself as imperfect and fallible like any other human being. At the core of Luther’s system of belief was “Sola fide” - “Only faith”. The belief that everything one needed to attain salvation in the eyes of God was their own faith, and not the outside help of anyone specially authorised to admit God’s approval.

In addition to spreading the idea that people didn’t need priests and as individuals already had everything they needed to practise their faith, Luther translated the bible to common, everyday German and used the new technology of the printing press to distribute it to the people on a massive scale. Now everyone could read the bible for themselves, breaking up the church’s tidy little monopoly on salvation. And when a monopoly gets broken up, the previous holder of that monopoly suddenly finds them self facing actual pressure to perform well in the face of new competition. The Vatican’s officially sanctioned interpretation of scripture was no longer automatically the correct one by simple virtual of being the only available interpretation.

This was a massive, massive deal because the Catholic church had been - without hyperbole – the most powerful institution in Europe, and that power was based on having built a necessity for themselves and their man-made traditions into what was the dominant form of the dominant religion throughout the entire continent. And Luther’s insistence that soul authority (har har) over what God says and wants was not held by anyone here on Earth led to massive fracturing in the church. Suddenly everybody had their own interpretation of scripture and everybody was going off to start their own church.

This wasn’t just a spiritual schism, it was a continental political revolution.

So what if the Jedi’s authority over matters of the Force is also assumed and has been gradually born of hubris and vanity? You might think “What?! But the Jedi are the good guys! The way of the Jedi has been at the centre of every mainline Star Wars story!”

Well… Not only have the Jedi failed spectacularly in their role as galactic, Force fueled peacekeepers at least twice, but I’d argue their methods have led to a repetitive loop of stale events and plot lines in the Star Wars films. I’ve always felt this weird inconsistency in the spirituality of Star Wars. A clashing between Western philosophical themes of dichotomy - of good vs evil, and Eastern philosophical themes of balance in all aspects of life and nature. The overarching goal of the Jedi throughout Star Wars history has been to “bring balance to the force”. Balance implies harmonious existence of two opposing forces, but the Jedi usual speak of this balance in terms of defeating and eliminating once and for all their long time counterparts, the Sith. And twice now within the films they’ve thought to have finally achieved this only for the Sith to pull the rug out from under them and reveal just how distant this dream of balance still is.

Well what if that’s because the Jedi have been going about it all wrong? What if this Western style dichotomy in pursuit of Eastern style balance never works because the dichotomy itself is a perversion of the Force? Is being an emotionless, celibate hippy like being a Jedi requires really what brings balance to the force? Or is this insistence on what are actually arbitrary, man-made ideals what causes force users to become frustrated and seek emotional freedom as Sith, seeking conflict with the Jedi allegedly being the only force sensitive alternative to being a Jedi?

Maybe the Jedi’s authority over matters of the force has become muddied and misused. Maybe all that pomp and ritual can be thrown off for what it is - meaningless. ‘Sola vis’ if you will. “Only the Force”.

The hopelessness in the way the Jedi have always operated, and the accompanying contradiction has I think long been unintentional and the result of sloppy writing. But now is a new era of Star Wars, so why not get meta with its narrative? The writers should pull the old “Nah, we meant to do that!”. Take the nonsensicalness of the prequel Star Wars era and embrace it – recognise it as nonsensical and use it to explain why the Star Wars story keeps looping (then nobody can complain anymore that Return of the Jedi seems pointless now that we know the peace didn’t last five minutes). Just as Star Wars is recovering from a run of bad writing, let’s have the characters’ understanding of the force recover from thousands of years of flawed, fallible people assuming undue spiritual authority (Thousands? Hundreds? I don’t know, every era in Star Wars history feels pretty interchangeable).

The moral compass of the Star Wars world has traditionally been a pretty simplistic one (ain’t nothin’ wrong with simplicity): Jedi good. Jedi are awesome. Jedi know what’s up. Do you want to be absolutely sure that you’re one of the good guys and that you’re talking sense? Then make sure you’re a Jedi. So it would be quite a drastic change to the franchise to suggest that all this time the omni-present Jedi have been getting it at least a little bit wrong. But it’s also exciting to think that maybe being a Jedi is just one way of using the Force harmoniously, and that this balance will finally be possible once the Jedi finally stop and ask themselves “Huh... what is the point of all these super specific rules?”

I hope it turns out Rey does indeed reject the Jedi teachings without losing her harmony with the force and becoming a Sith. And what if Kylo Ren comes to the same realisation from the other side of the court? He seems pretty insistent that the Jedi suck, but he also seems unsure of himself as a Sith. Sounds like he should give this Grey Jedi thing a try too. Unless it turns out I’m misreading, completely, and The Last Jedi turns out to be going after something completely different and this was all a waste of time...

2020 edit: Fuck sake, Abrams. Yes, I do in fact remember my childhood. We established that with Force Awakens. But that can’t hold up an entire trilogy if you’ve nothing else on your mind!

[robbieinterviews]

Our kind of woman: Margot Robbie on backpacking, Brexit and being at home on the Northern Line, 2016

When she’s not on the red carpet, you’ll find Margot Robbie backpacking round the Philippines. The star of Suicide Squadtells Stylist why she just can’t sit still

Margot Robbie doesn’t notice the man at the hotel bar staring at her, his tongue practically hanging out of his head, cartoon style, throughout the hour we spend together. Her eyes never flicker uncomfortably, she doesn’t betray that itchy, crawling feeling you get when a stranger’s eyes are baring into you. I’m certain it’s not simply because she’s used to male attention. It would be unjust and offensive to suggest it. Rather I wonder if it’s because her head, and schedule, are so busy that she is utterly focused on the task in hand: our chat, and in a wider sense, navigating this life-dominating new world she’s inhabiting.

This fierce focus is one that has dominated Robbie’s career, ostensibly taking her from Australian soap actress to Hollywood’s biggest breakout star in a not oft repeated move. Because for every Isla Fisher or Melissa George, there are many who haven’t made it out of Ramsay Street. Combine this with acting prowess (including an excellent mastery of accents) and sheer, bloody likability and it’s clear to see why Robbie has become a thoroughly modern force to be reckoned with.

The freshly turned 26-year-old also has me charmed within approximately 30 seconds. Our interview is at 5pm on a Monday, and she orders a Hendrick’s and tonic, as she’s “drunk so much tea all day, I can’t drink any more”. And yes, she is beautiful, but unlike the gentleman at the bar, that’s not why I’m won over. She’s funny and shrewd; laid back in that stereotypical way we expect of Australians, but with a steely ambition simmering below the surface. It’s also heartening that, despite the Hollywood trappings, Robbie worries about the same things as other 26-year-olds: house prices, Brexit and missing out on fun.

Robbie grew up modestly on the Gold Coast in Australia, with her three siblings and physiotherapist mother until a move to Melbourne at 17. There she paired couch surfing and a job in Subway with coldcalling the producers of Neighbours until she eventually got the part of Donna Freedman – a one-off appearance that morphed into a three year stretch. A strategic move to LA and a role in Pan Am followed. But it was her voracious turn as the wife of a corrupt banker (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in the Martin Scorsese-directed The Wolf Of Wall Street in 2013, that blew everything out of the water. There are few actresses that could so sublimely torment DiCaprio with the line: “Mommy is just so sick and tired of wearing panties,” let alone one so juvenile in her career.

This summer things have shifted up another gear. Firstly in The Legend Of Tarzan as Jane to Alexander Skarsgård’s eponymous hero. And next, and this is the exciting one, is Suicide Squad alongside Will Smith, Jared Leto and Viola Davis. A comic book adaptation about imprisoned supervillains recruited to carry out black ops missions, Robbie plays Harley Quinn, a psychotherapist turned psychopath after falling in love with the Joker. It’s all dark anti-heroes rather than glossy buffed world savers and if rumours are to be believed – which Robbie nimbly dodges when I ask – she’ll also take centre stage in a spin off.

All this means she’s not spent much time at home: South London, where she rents with three others including her boyfriend Tom Ackerley, an assistant director she met filming Suite Française, and her pet rat, called Rat Rat. “The Northern line will always have a special place in my heart” she laughs, before admitting to a fondness for ‘legendary’ Clapham nightclub Infernos. Interestingly the roomies have recently become business partners, with the four of them setting up a production company, LuckyChap Entertainment, which is currently working on I, Tonya about ice-skater Tonya Harding, who Robbie will also play, and Terminal, a dystopian thriller.

With her star firmly in orbit, Stylist asked her what it means to be living the Hollywood dream…

Was the world of comic books something you were interested in growing up? Not at all [laughs] just because I wasn’t exposed to them. Then at 24 I became a comic book nerd! People hand me comics to sign, and when it’s one I haven’t read I’m like, “Wait, where did you get that?” And try to remember so I can look it up online later.

What’s the appeal? They are really smart and can convey so much in one little frame plus the DC comics are really, really dark sometimes.

Are you a natural reader? No, my attention span is not so good. But if I love a book I will read it repeatedly – the Harry Potter series, I have read probably 30 times.

Are you more visual then? I have a really vivid imagination, I have the weirdest dreams every single night. I have written them down a few times and frightened myself so I stopped. I literally ripped out the piece of paper because I thought, ‘Someone might put me in a mental asylum if they read this.’

Harley is a comic book heroine – which we haven’t seen much of previously. Is that important? Totally! And it’s not just comic book films, it’s all films. I think the industry has recognised that half the ticket sales are female moviegoers, so you need to provide. It is important to have characters like Harley; it is super important to be flawed, no-one is perfect. It’s a bold thing to tackle and I am glad we did it.

I’m from the generation that religiously watched Home And Away, then Neighbours and then had our tea. As a soap alumna, what was your experience? I didn’t watch much TV, I watched movies all the time. I joined the show to play a guest role, I didn’t even know that you could do acting as a job. When I got there [Neighbours] I talked to people saying, “So you have been here for 17 years and you don’t have another job?” I thought, ‘Wow, you bought a house and supported your family. I could do this for a job. That is amazing.’

Tina Fey says she loves working with soap actors because they “make a choice and don’t overthink it”. Is there truth in that? Oh for sure, I love it too. When you are working with someone who is actively thinking ahead, I want to know that too because it means we’ll have a 40 minute break and what could I get done in a 40 minute break? A lot of actors don’t work that way and I think that is good but they will chat with the director and there are 200 people waiting and then they have just wasted $30,000 to have a conversation but everyone is so scared of ruining the creative process…

Is money something you are sensitive to?

Yeah, when I see something like ‘half price drinks’ I am like, ‘Brilliant we should get twice as many then’.

I noticed when the waiter came over, you didn’t order prosecco because it’s only sold by the bottle. You don’t like waste?

I grew up in a family where you can’t leave food on your plate so that would make me anxious.

So is it nice now that you can help out your family financially? It’s literally the best part of the job, 1,000%. But it’s also a really weird position. Someone who has been in the industry longer than me explained it. They said, “It’s like giving out medicine and too much is not going to help, you could end up killing someone by overdosing them, you need to give them enough to achieve what they need at that moment.” I asked, “But how do you know?” There is no perfect way of doing it, it is just something to be aware of.

Not long after leaving Neighbours you got The Wolf Of Wall Street. That’s like if I had graduated from university and went straight into being Anna Wintour... That is a wonderful analogy. It was like diving in headfirst, it was thoroughly overwhelming.

When you do something so huge so early in your career, is there ever any fear of what you then work towards? I know, I remember thinking, ‘What could I possibly do after this?’ But you just keep going. What are you going to do? Stop altogether? Drop the mic? I thought, ‘I will never enjoy a character as much as this one,’ and then you play another character and I’m like, ‘I love this character’.

As a film fan, what is the best thing you have seen recently? I have been in Budapest [filming Terminal] so I haven’t seen a movie in three months. Usually I like going to the movies about twice a week and yet I haven’t seen something in so long, it is really depressing.

Is that something that you can rectify anytime soon? I can’t even get half an hour to make phone calls at the moment so not right now, but hopefully at some point it will mellow out. I think in August…

How does it feel to have so much of your life mapped out? It’s actually weirdly comforting because [as an actor] most of the time you don’t know what you are going to be doing the next week. But it changes so quickly. You promise someone you’re going to come to their wedding or whatever it is and inevitably you never can. There are so many times when you have to let people down. It is really hard to make your friends who aren’t in the industry understand, if I had the power I would [be there] but I literally don’t get a say in it. I am not allowed to pick my nail polish colour let alone tell you if in four months’ time I will be in Australia, it’s really hard.

Are you able to spend much time with your mum? Nowhere near enough, I get snippets of a phone call. But I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t want to. And there are times when I draw the line. In 10 years I don’t want to look back and think I missed anything important, so if that means getting on a plane and flying for two days to spend 18 hours at home I’d rather do that. Like my mum’s 60th and my friend’s wedding in a couple of months, I’ll fly back for one day and fly all the way back after. I got it written into my contract because if you just ask for the days off they say, “Well we’ll lose $50,000 if you do that,” and obviously you don’t want to be the d*ck who’s like, “Sure, I don’t care if you lose $50,000”.

Are you a good negotiator? Fortunately I don’t have to negotiate that kind of thing, my attorney does. I am too much of a pushover.

Does it feel like something you should get better at? I am getting better at saying no to things. Maybe it’s just part of getting older?

Perhaps but equally some people are able to separate saying no, with worrying about what people think of them… Oh my god yes, even a stranger… I won’t sleep that night, worrying ‘I think they thought I meant that and I didn’t’. It stresses me out.

What’s your go-to news site to stay informed? TheSkimm. You get an email every day with an overview of everything that is happening in the world. It is so, so good

How are you feeling about Brexit and the aftermath? I am so bummed. That was really shocking. The repercussions are massive. It sucks but it is such a good wake-up call to everyone about what is going on in the political climate and to vote. For a while I was like, ‘Should I buy a house [in the UK]?’ And now I am like, ‘Nope, probably not!’ I love London no matter what. London is its own thing, it’s not all of England. But it sucks.

Any favourite London haunts? Kurobuta, a Japanese restaurant on the King’s Road, is so good; Pitt Cueis the greatest – I’m the biggest carnivore – and Brickwood in Clapham has these pulled pork sandwiches that I crave when I’m away.

It’s a big year for sports. Will you be watching the Olympics? Yeah! I find pole vaulting fascinating, because it is one of those things I have never done and I don’t understand the physics. But my favourite sport to watch is ice hockey, I support the [New York] Rangers. I discovered it by watching The Mighty Ducks – we didn’t have ice hockey on the Gold Coast so I played field hockey at school and then when I moved to LA I could finally play it. My insurance [company] won’t let me play now.

Australia, LA, London… travelling seems to be a real Australian state of mind. They love it! Literally anywhere you go in the world, half the hostel will be Australian, I’m like, ‘Is there anyone left in Australia?’ I have always loved travelling but I didn’t have the opportunity to do it when I was younger. Fortunately, I had friends who would go on a nice holiday and invite me because they knew I hadn’t really got to travel much. I don’t know if they knew what they were doing for me: it’s life-changing going overseas. I picked Italian at school because that meant I could do an exchange trip for two months when I was 16.

Can you remember the first trip that opened your eyes to the world? South America with my boyfriend at the time and his family. Machu Picchu looked like one of the levels in Mario. I was so mind boggled that somewhere in the world existed like that. I wanted to go home and scream at everyone, “You need to go see this!”

Would you like to repeat one of those big adventures now? The trips I did when I was 19 are so different now that I am older. We were in the Philippines last year backpacking for a month, but even the activities like jumping off a waterfall I was like, ‘This is dangerous’! And I never thought about that ever – I would talk to anyone, get in any car, go anywhere. Now I am older I do stop and consider, ‘Is this a good idea?’

But you still favour backpacking… I spend so much time in hotels and a nice hotel is the same in any country. But if you go backpacking and stay in houses that belong to the locals, and meet other travellers who have spent more time in that country and can tell you about some sort of secret walking path, that is when you really experience a country.

On the same note why do you still live with friends now you can afford not to? I grew up in a very busy household so I find comfort in that. I hate quiet, I hate being on my own. I think I want it all the time because I am never, ever alone but all I need is five minutes and then I want to know what everyone is doing.

Are you worried you are missing out? I have massive FOMO all the time and I hate not being productive. If I sit still for five minutes I can think of 35 things I should be doing. I write lists all the time so I always have the next thing in priority order of what I need to be accomplishing.

Have you always been a planner? I hate the idea of wasting time, it petrifies me. Even on school holidays I would write everything I could accomplish that day: build a cubby, go for a swim, have lunch, make a birthday card… I envy friends who, when I ask, “What are you doing today,” say, “Oh, I am just going to chill”. I am like, “But chill doing what?” And they are like, “Nothing”. I am like, “I would love to do nothing. What is nothing?”

Do you think that helped you get your career to where it is now? Yeah I’d probably be sitting on a beach somewhere going travelling, never coming back. I would probably be having a lovely life, just a different one.

[esonetwork]

Will Ashley survive the Game of Thrones?: Thoughts on the series from a first-time viewer

New Post has been published on https://esonetwork.com/will-ashley-survive-the-game-of-thrones-thoughts-on-the-series-from-a-first-time-viewer/

Will Ashley survive the Game of Thrones?: Thoughts on the series from a first-time viewer

At this point, it feels like I’m the last person in all of my social circles who hasn’t watched Game of Thrones.

I know that’s probably not true, but as a geek, it feels weird not being part of the discussion surrounding such a hugely popular fantasy TV series. However, by the time I started experiencing major “fear of missing out,” the show was almost over.

So, I decided to wait until the last episode had aired, and then watch the series in its entirety. I’ve already heard a number of spoilers for the show (I know how all the major character arcs end, and I know who ultimately ends up on the coveted Iron Throne).

While knowing these spoilers does take away from the suspense somewhat, I thought this prior knowledge might actually make for an interesting viewing experience. Since I know how the story ends, I can watch for clues along the way, to see how the writers get our characters from beginning to end. I won’t be worried about how certain character arcs wrap up; instead, I can watch this series more through the lens of wanting to see if the writers justify how we arrive at the ending.

I’ve heard the controversy surrounding the show’s final season, and I’m curious how knowing some of the criticisms ahead of time will impact my overall perception of the show. Also, after eight years of buildup, can this show live up to the hype?

Political games

***Warning: From here on, there are tons of spoilers for the entire series!***

In terms of narrative scope and cinematography, Game of Thrones is probably the most impressive TV series I have ever watched. A lot of times, you can tell that TV shows have smaller budgets than big screen movies, but all the costumes, sets, and special effects here are top-notch. It really helps create an immersive world that can compete with the caliber of most any big-budget blockbuster.

One of the things that first intrigued me about Game of Thrones was its similarity to real-life history: the Wars of the Roses in medieval England. A couple years ago, I fell down what I’ll lovingly call a “historical rabbit hole” triggered by the BBC miniseries “The Hollow Crown: The Wars of the Roses.” This miniseries covers several of Shakespeare’s historical plays depicting the Wars of the Roses, a brutal period in England’s history plagued by conspiracies, betrayal, backstabbing, and fierce competition for power. (Sound familiar?)

Anyway, I was so intrigued by this show that I immediately went searching for books on this time period, so I could learn more about it. During this time, my husband was forced to hear a LOT about the Wars of the Roses, and he very patiently listened to all the reasons I found this time period so fascinating. (Side note: “The Wars of the Roses: The Fall of the Plantagenets and the Rise of the Tudors” by Dan Jones is a great read, if you’re curious. And if you’re missing Game of Thrones, you should definitely watch “The Hollow Crown.”)

Apparently original Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin at least somewhat shares my obsession, as he reportedly used the Wars of the Roses as inspiration for his own series.

Despite the show’s fictional setting, there’s a sense of “realness” that grounds Game of Thrones, and I believe this in no small part contributes to the show’s popularity. Plus, even though we may no longer live in medieval times, political maneuvering and backstabbing are behaviors that are still going on today (just look at some of those political mailers that inevitably show up in your mailbox around election time).

Who’s who in Westeros

There’s probably never been an ensemble cast quite like the distinguished crew of actors gathered for Game of Thrones, many of whom have gone on to successful careers outside the show. In terms of characters, if you’re looking for noble knights and benevolent rulers, you’ll have a hard time finding them here. However, there’s more nuance to be found than you might first suspect.

After the first couple of episodes, I felt pretty sure that ALL the Lannisters deserved to be pushed out a very high window. Yet as I kept watching, I could tell some of these characters were going to get a deeper, more layered character arc. I’m definitely #TeamStark all the way, but I am intrigued by pretty much all the major characters. And of course, you always need a few characters that you love to hate (looking at you, King Joffrey!).

This show is grittier and bleaker than a lot of the fantasy stories I’ve read or watched previously, and it took me a couple episodes to adjust to the tone. I would say there’s more villains than heroes, but again, I can see several characters that may wind up as anti-heroes or even heroes at the end. There’s a lot of tragedy to be found in Westeros, as well; I can see how some of the nastier characters, like Cersei, have been trapped by their circumstances. It’s an environment that doesn’t exactly allow them to flourish and become their best selves.

Sadly, one of my favorite characters is already gone (R.I.P. Eddard “Ned” Stark — Westeros was not worthy of you!). He’s noble, loyal, and genuinely trying to do the right thing and protect his family. Tragically, he’s outmaneuvered in the game of thrones going on around him, and the price he must pay is his life.

While I’d like to watch more of the show before commenting on what themes I think it’s trying to communicate, I have heard some say that Game of Thrones presents more of a nihilistic viewpoint, where it doesn’t matter if you try to be a moral person. However, I don’t think that’s necessarily the case. Ned Stark isn’t rewarded for doing the right thing, but I’d argue that you should do the right thing because it’s the right thing — whether you’re rewarded or not. Sometimes in life, bad things happen to good people. That doesn’t give you an excuse to just give up and be a bad person.

Ned Stark’s selflessness gets him killed, but, because I already know the ending, I find it fitting that one of his children (Bran) claims the throne and another is Queen in the North (Sansa); they become two of the most powerful players in the political games going on around them. Again, I’m curious to see how all these journeys are handled, but at least right now, I believe one very well could argue that Ned Stark does triumph in the end.

Room for improvement

Well, you can probably tell by the fact that I’ve already written 1,000+ words in this article that I’m officially a fan of Game of Thrones now and I’m really glad I decided to start watching this series. But, I feel like I do have to address one of the most common criticisms I’ve seen about the show, because this issue did bother me while I was watching.

If you Google “Game of Thrones and its portrayal of women,” you’ll find multiple articles on how the series has not always done right by its female characters. And it’s frustrating, because we live in an era with Wonder Woman, Rey, Katniss Everdeen, Captain Marvel, and so many other authentic and powerful female characters.

A number of the male characters in Game of Thrones don’t treat the female characters with a lot of respect (with the exception of the Stark family — again, I’m definitely #TeamStark all the way!). The writing and cinematography also seem to objectify and sexualize women to a much greater extent than their male counterparts.

On the one hand, yes, this series is based on medieval Europe, and women in that society probably were not treated very well. It’s important to remember that history, so we do not repeat it.

However, this is a fictional fantasy series written and filmed in the 2010s — if you’re going to do a period piece showing a society that is oppressive to women, you need to be responsible in how you showcase that oppression.

Case in point: although unlike Game of Thrones, Downton Abbey has practically no graphic violence, the women in that show are also held back by social constraints. The key difference is that in Downton Abbey, the female characters are given space (and a voice!) to communicate their frustrations and struggles with the limits that their society places on them.

In the first season, I desperately wanted more scenes with all of Games of Thrones’ rich female characters — Cersei Lannister, Sansa Stark, Catelyn Stark, Arya Stark, and Daenerys, to name a few — discussing their fears, thoughts, and feelings. Hopefully I’ll find more of this as the series goes on. I want the show to convince me it cares about its female characters as much as it cares about — and respects — the male ones.

Closing thoughts

Since I started drafting this blog post, I’m now about halfway through season 2, and I’m enjoying it even more than I enjoyed season 1. The show has also added several new female characters, which I’m excited about, and I think the portrayal of the female characters is improving.

I’m planning to keep blogging my way through Westeros as I watch through the stories, and I can’t wait to see more!

[chroniclesofawkwardness]

‘81 Special

Judy Woodruff told me George H.W. Bush, the 41st president of the United States, had died.

I’ve had mixed feelings about the man since I was nine. He had a career in public service that was longer than some lifetimes. To hear most people who knew him tell it, he held just about every possible public office until finally occupying the White House for one term between 1989 and 1993. I wasn’t old enough to vote for or against him, though for years after he left 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, I remember thinking:

How bad do you have to be for the American people to vote you out after just one term?

But I also thought:

Man, I’m sure glad he signed the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Not that I flaunt mine, but at least I know there’s a law on the books intended to prevent discrimination on the basis of disability.

I don’t remember the exact date, but I may have been on the south lawn of the White House the day the ADA was signed into law. I know I was there, I know he was there, I know pre-plastic surgery (PPS) country crooner Kenny Rogers was there. I can’t remember if I heard H.W. say, “Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down.” My vision sucked then, just like it does now, and I was too busy trying to see over all of the adults sitting around me. I had a remarkably similar experience when I saw his son, W., fourteen years later, except I was standing.

If a wall, at least rhetorically, came tumbling down that day in 1990 on the south lawn, more walls, again rhetorically, came down in 2004, with the expansion of the European Union. Expansion was on everybody’s mind when W. welcomed a few politicians to the stage that spring day. It made for a nice photo, but expansion and harmonizing tariffs meant contraction and discord for our office. When we came back from the ceremony, there wasn’t an audible death knoll or a visible fire sale, but the adults in the room knew the Central and Eastern Europe Business Information Center was done. The Bushes always had a way of making you feel special.

If you believe some of the inflammatory memes on the Internet, you’d think Republicans like the Bushes don’t give a damn about your problems until something similar happens to them. I once saw a meme proclaiming that Nancy Reagan opposed stem-cell research until Ronnie got Alzheimer’s. But you’ve got to be careful with meme’s, anyone can make one, and its message can be anything, without necessarily explaining its contents or the agenda of its creator. I was too young to realize it then, but politicians on both sides of the aisle can occasionally cooperate, and support initiatives that are simply the right thing to do, like the ADA. As difficult as it may be to believe at times, not everything is done for the sake of political expediency, or to degrade one’s opponent.

I ended up on the south lawn that day because I was part of a group called Very Special Arts (VSA) Ohio. My storytelling abilities (which basically consisted of throwing tales together on the fly based on suggestions from my audience) had somehow caught the attention of someone within VSA. Mom and I got to fly (my first time), while my dad, brother, uncle Dave, and others drove. The advantage we gained was short-lived. Mom and I had to stand in line practically everywhere we went, but the rest of the family enjoyed much greater freedom of movement.

You might say the day I had to squint to see H.W. was the pinnacle of my childhood fame. Mom took a picture of PPS Kenny, The Portsmouth Daily Times said I shook his hand (I didn’t). I got to wax poetic at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, next to a kid doing some kind of interpretive dance from the comfort of his wheelchair. I was on one of the major networks for a split second, right after some guy who could play the guitar with his feet. This was also the trip where I bought a book called The Presidents and Their Wives that featured each president and his wife (except James Buchannan’s) along with biographical information for each Commander in Chief, such as date of birth, religious affiliation, and date and cause of death. Ever the eager beaver, I couldn’t wait to flex my new knowledge, so I announced to the entire VSA Ohio contingent one morning at breakfast that Thomas Jefferson died of chronic diarrhea.

Maybe the whole VSA experience was an act of both revenge and foreshadowing. Revenge because I got to be in the limelight for the briefest of moments after years of being last picked in gym class, and having to deal with the trauma of having my last name misspelled (Ratcliffe) on the blue triceratops that was my nametag in first grade. Foreshadowing because all these years later, I can’ t help wondering if I peaked that day. I’d occasionally poke fun at people who I thought peaked in high school when they were the unquestioned kings of the gridiron, or queens of their social circle. Perhaps the joke was on me the whole time. Those whose waves crested at eighteen may have beaten me by a full lifetime at that point.

I spent Christmas with at my brother and sister-in-law’s house this year, joined by their two kids and my mom. I noticed the refrigerator was speckled with Christmas cards from their friends. Most of them had pictures of the senders, complete with a shot of the family pet, and four photos of the latest baby, while the other kids were relegated to the group picture with mom, dad, and the dog named after the patriarch’s favorite baseball player.

Some of the cards even had highlights of the senders’ years. I didn’t care enough to read them because “Tanner took a shit and it was neon green,” or “Betsy still has trouble with phonics, but at least she’s no longer screaming, ‘Tom Berenger is my hero’ in the middle of the night,” didn’t really interest me. Plus, the fonts were really small to be highlights. Not exactly attention-grabbing. But, is that any better (or worse) than doing interpretive dance while sitting on your ass in a wheelchair, or creating stories for adults who are amazed at your ability to construct complete sentences? Didn’t think so. 

I’m not saying my parents messed up by giving me a chance to participate in VSA (I could have had my own Shriner’s Hospitals for Children commercial, dammit. I could’ve been huge.) but it took me a long time to accept that I’m really not special. I’m unique. Just like everyone else. This sobering realization doesn’t mean I’m going to kill myself by taking a bubble bath with a toaster. It means I’ve developed a bit of an aversion to flaunting my love of writing and telling stories. If someone happens to discover my writing and appreciate it, that’s cool. That being said, I’ll never go back to such an ostensible display of talent such as VSA. Maybe the goal wasn’t to put artists on, or knock them off, pedestals. The hope may have been to invite them to find themselves by making peace with their circumstances and internal demons through external signs of appreciation, well before the safe spaces, shaming, and outrage culture of today took hold. 

The ADA and VSA were about leveling the playing field for people with disabilities. The only accommodation I want is that I don’t want one. I accepted long ago that I wasn’t going to be a child star like Macaulay Culkin. My mom used to give me throat slash gestures from the back of Martin Russell bookstore in Portsmouth as a reminder to wrap it up when I’d get lost in a story of my own creation. The abrupt, repeated movements of her hand across her throat should have been enough to curb my enthusiasm for fame and fortune. 

It took me a long time to come back to storytelling as a release. It took me a long time to learn to write for myself rather than for the sake of creating a personal brand. There’s a reason why the longest drive-thru lines are at McDonald’s, and why Kim Kardashian has over a million followers on Instagram: famous golden arches, and a famous butt. (The sex tape probably didn’t hurt Kim either; she may have learned about the benefits of dark, grainy recordings from her mentor, Paris Hilton.) I don’t want my own arches, or to be known for the shape of my ass, but I don’t hate McDonald’s or Kim K. for the attention they get, either.

The point is to create your own brand without giving a damn who likes or follows it. Learning to accommodate yourself. Toppling your own walls. H.W. put a law on the books to advance the civil rights of people with disabilities, but the rest of my story is on me.