#so many people have chemistry with florence and yet she's with him that is so sad

[plumbogs]

Rosie Delarosa, who has a stupid name on purpose, is a toddler now.

Gilbert was invited out to be a whore. He succeeded.

[elizabethsaige]

Not So Subtle

Request: Reader x Flo where they're in a movie together and fans have been editing them staring at each other when in interviews and they go to Ellen for an interview and Ellen shows them a compilation of those videos pls :)

Florence Pugh x Reader

Warnings: none

Word Count: 1.6K

A/n: I swapped Ellen for Jimmy Fallon because I don’t like Ellen, but I hope you still like it!!

*gif not mine

“I found another tweet today while getting ready, it said ‘if i don’t get a girlfriend that looks at me the way y/n looks at florence, i’ll puke’, how funny is that?” You and Florence were minutes away from going on to The Late Night Show with Jimmy Fallon to promote your new film together.

Throughout filming, you and Flo have gotten closer the more you worked together. Spending 12-16 hours a day has forced you two to constantly be in each other's company and it’s not like you’re complaining. Florence is genuinely the coolest, funniest, most dedicated actor you’ve had the chance to work with, not to mention, she’s extremely beautiful.

And Florence has grown to be so attached to you. You’d always find her touching some part of your body every time the cameras weren’t rolling, whether it was her hugging you or holding onto your arm. Even in the trailers, Flo insisted on cuddling during every single movie night you two had, on the rare occasion you didn’t have to be working late into the night.

It was inevitable that one of you would catch feelings for the other. In this case, you had developed quite the crush on your costar, even though you have a strict rule against it. There’s just something about Florence that makes you want to break all of your rules and boundaries.

It’s no wonder fans started to notice the connection, it’s not like you guys were subtle about it. There were many many videos on the web like interviews and behind-the-scenes videos showing the way you two interact. It was no doubt that someone would eventually figure out you two had developed crushes.

You also weren’t great at picking up on all of Flo’s subtle yet not-so-subtle hints about her feelings for you. The way she looked at you when you talked, casually glancing at your lips every few seconds. She looked at you like you were the most perfect person, she was in awe of you. Every time you’d make a joke, she’d laugh and grab your hand, which you made no effort to let go of, not helping the rumors that were floating around.

“I swear I find new ones every day, these fans really can’t get enough,” Florence replied, shaking her hands to ease the nerves she was feeling. Noticing, you grabbed her hand and gave it a tight squeeze before the man behind the stage was signaling for you two to get ready.

“-and here to promote their new movie, I welcome Florence Pugh and Y/N Y/L/N!”

The pair of you walked out onto the stage, blinded by the lights pointing at you, seeing many people in the audience, clapping. Jimmy Fallon was getting out of his seat to greet you guys, embracing each of you before all three of you took your seats.

“Girls, it’s such a pleasure to have you on the show,” Jimmy said as the clapping died down.

“The pleasure is all ours, we couldn’t wait to come out here to promote the movie,” Florence replied, looking out into the audience and flashing her dazzling smile.

“The movie was absolutely fantastic, the chemistry you two have is so amazing. What was it like working together on this project?” Jimmy looked between the two of you to see who was going to answer.

Looking at him and then Florence, you decided to speak first. “Honestly, it was a dream come true, I’ve wanted to work with Florence since I saw her in the show Marcella. I think she’s such a fantastic actress, so dedicated and brilliant in everything she does. And she’s an expert cuddler.”

Florence looked at you, squinting her eyes and shaking her head at you.

“You’re too kind, really. She’s the one that’s the brilliant actress, let me tell you I learned so much about acting from this one, she doesn’t give herself enough credit,” Florence responded, patting you on the arm. A smile formed on your lips as you looked away, making sure neither of them saw the blush creeping up on your cheeks.

“Well, I know the fans really loved seeing you two on screen together, so much that a lot of them have noticed the chemistry you two have off set. What was that like, did you guys become close friends off set as well?”

You and Florence both looked at each other and chuckled.

“Oh yes, we became very close while shooting this film. At one point Y/N had to take a few days off of filming because she became very ill after filming one scene in particular and the whole 3 days she was gone, I felt like I was missing my other half, it was crazy,” Florence explained. You nodded, laughing at the memory.

“I kid you not, I received a call from Florence every 2 hours, she’d blow up my phone with text messages while I’d be trying to rest, saying how much she misses me. I got very little sleep because of her constant texts and calls.” Florence looked at you and shrugged, “What can I say? I needed you.”

Jimmy laughed, along with the crowd. “Well it sounds like you two created a relationship that will last for a long time. Now, we have a video here that was sent in to us from one of your fans, I think her name is Samantha. It appears to be some sort of compilation of the two of you during different interviews where you seem to be acting a little more than ‘just friends’. We’re going to play and see if you two can debunk these clips for us,” Jimmy said as he hit a button on the remote in his hand.

A compilation of clips from various interviews and videos from the internet showed up on the screen, many of which you and Florence are shown to be staring at each other as the other is talking, looking totally in love. A few show how affectionate Florence is, set on the set of the movie from behind-the-scenes videos that got leaked.

As you watched, you could feel Florence stealing glances of you, causing you to blush a little. This would definitely end up on one of these compilation videos.

As the video came to an end, the audience erupted in cheers and hollers, making you and Florence smile, hanging both of your heads in embarrassment.

Jimmy quieted the audience and looked back at you two. “So? What did you think of this cute video?”

No words came out of your mouth so Florence spoke up. “It’s no surprise to us that this video exists, we find tweets about our relationship all the time. It’s just a little confusing to me how so many people out there can realize the hints that I’ve been throwing at Y/N, but she can’t even see them.” You snapped your head in her direction, staring right into her eyes.

“Oh wow, so you’re saying you have feelings for Y/N? That’s amazing!”

You shook your head and chuckled a little, turning to face Florence. “Are you serious?” She gave you a little nod and turned back to Jimmy.

“Yeah, it’s crazy. I never met someone that I connected to so much in such a short period of time, but Y/N just gets me. And she’s fun to be around and has the kindest heart. She’s my comfort person,” Florence explained, looking between you, Jimmy, and the audience. The crowd broke out into applause as tears filled your eyes.

Careful not to let them slip, you blinked them back and looked away from Flo, knowing you’d start crying if you looked at her. But a smile was permanently planted on your face.

Jimmy turned to you to get your attention. “Y/N, how do you feel about this? Is this really the first time you’re finding out?” You nodded and smiled, careful not to show your excitement too much.

“Yeah, this is genuinely the first I’m hearing about this. I mean, I know how we act when we’re together, I just never knew that my feelings for Flo were being reciprocated,” you said. “I just kind of thought it was one sided.”

Flo looked at you with a shake of her head as she grabbed your hand and gave you a tight squeeze back, like you did to her before the show. Once again, the audience was on their feet, clapping and cheering for the two of you. Jimmy rose to his feet and clapped along with them.

“There you have it folks, a budding romance between Florence and Y/N! Ladies, it was incredible to have you on the show, everyone at home, watch the movie, it’s great I swear you’ll love it. Goodnight everyone!” You and Flo made your way to hug Jimmy one last time before making your way backstage.

Once you were out of the view from cameras and the audience, you grabbed Florence by the arms and spun her so she was looking at you.

“Did you mean what you said out there?” She giggled and wrapped her arms around you, pulling you into a big hug.

“Of course I did, Y/N. You really are my favorite person, I just wish you would have noticed sooner how I felt, I’ve only been hinting at it for 3 months,” she replied, rubbing your back and letting go of you.

“Yeah, I wish I did too,” you said as you pulled her in for a kiss, grabbing her back by the waist. Man, if only the cameras would have caught that.

[colaghost]

Don’t worry darling was a good movie, was it great? No, but it wasn’t as bad as people make it out to be.

Spoilers***

The film itself was incredible, it had amazing cinematography. Every outfit was so unique and beautifully mirrored that Art Deco 50s type aesthetic, hope they win something for costume design. I felt very immersed in the world, as if I was actually there. The old music made the environment even more unsettling and really fit the vibe.

Now, the story. From what I gathered, Victory is a program, using advanced technology, that allows you to escape from the real world into an idyllic, nuclear family, white picket fence world. We know Jack put Alice in the simulation against her will, which I believe played on the continuous theme of male control, in a patriarchal society. None of the women were there on their own accord it seemed, besides Bunny, who had lost her children in the real world leading her to willingly go into it. Florence Pugh was phenomenal as always, the character of Alice was beautifully written as someone on the verge of insanity, yet completely sane in the sense that she was right, and she stuck to it. Harry Styles didn’t do terrible, was it an academy award winning performance, no not even close. But, he played his character well, he was emotional, and his purpose of thinking he though he could create a better life for Alice, all while forcing her and gaslighting her into a fake reality, thinking he was helping her, was extremely terrifying, as some people listen to things and follow blindly, Andrew Tate and Donald Trump both come to mind. Chris Pine was delightfully disturbing as we didn’t, and still don’t know much about his character. We know he was the one to program the simulation of Victory, and that he promoted through a podcast that Jack listened to, other than that though, he’s a complete mystery, making him all the more unnerving when it came to what he was doing and why. Olivia Wilde’s character surprised me, as I didn’t think she’d have such a major role in the plot. To be honest though, I loved her and Florence’s chemistry, I think they had the best out of all the relationships we see throughout the movie, as in the end, she realized what was happening was wrong, and even though she was happy in this false world, the other women there were being blindly controlled without their consent. I was left with a few questions though. What exactly was the Victory project, in the sense that, what did all the men do each day, what were the earthquakes that would periodically happened, where did that red plane go, what happened to Margret and her family, did Gemma Chan’s character, like Bunny, also know she was trapped? So many questions left unanswered, but I think that made it all the more disturbing.

Overall, I give it an 8/10, there were some plot holes, and I don’t necessarily like how we were left hanging at the end, but I think people have gotten so wrapped up in the real world drama that’s occurred because of this film, they’re completely disregarding it and choosing to see it in a negative light. That is not to say that whatever Olivia said to Flo is justifiable, or anything that happened on set was appropriate (team Flo here), but I urge you to look at it from a perspective opposite from what’s happened during the production of the film, and truly appreciate the story and film itself.

[sulietsexual]

So, I finally saw the new Little Women on the weekend, and I have to say, I was ... really underwhelmed, especially given the extreme over-hype which has surrounded this film for months. 

Little Women is my favourite novel of all time and, yes, I am an avid fan of the 1994 movie. The book always fills me with warmth and emotion and I love the March girls so much, each of them in their own way. I went into this film with muted expectations, so I wasn’t disappointed per se but it definitely left me wanting more.

Let me start with the positives; the film definitely has a certain charm to it. I appreciated that they tried to include a lot of dialogue from the novel. The cinematography was very pretty in places. And I genuinely loved the actresses who portrayed the March sisters. Saoirse Ronan’s Jo was vivacious and fun and she imbued the character with Jo’s clumsiness, lack of propriety (a little too much sometimes, which I will talk about later) and overall likability. I don’t know why everyone’s complaining about Emma Watson, as I found her Meg to be lovely. I thought she perfectly captured Meg’s softness and her gentle stoicism, although I could have done with a little more fire to her character, people tend to forget that Meg has a bit of a feisty side. Florence Pugh was great as older Amy, and bless her, she tried her hardest as young Amy, but I still maintain that Younger Amy needs to be played by a younger actress, otherwise she comes across as far too bitchy, as opposed to just bratty. Eliza Scanlan was fine as Beth, but I wish they’d given her more to do (more on this later). 

As for the rest of the casting ... I was a bit underwhelmed. I was excited for Laura Dern as Marmee, but she disappointed me, which probably has more to do with the writing of the character. She felt far too modern and very under-developed. Timothee Chalamet (sp?) as Laurie was a total miscast, he was far too melancholy and kind of creepy? Laurie is supposed to be a cheeky and vivacious character, with the occasional fits of melancholy, not the other way around. Meryl Streep was wasted as Aunt March, but I knew she would be, given what a minor character Aunt March actually is in the book. None of the other actors made much of an impression on me, tbh.

Unfortunately, for me, the negatives are greater than the positives and one of the biggest complaints I have about this film is that it really seemed to lack soul and heart. Little Women is a novel which makes me cry every time I read it and I didn’t shed a single tear during this film. Scenes which I love from the novel left me cold during the film.

I appreciated that the film tried to include events from the novel which often aren’t portrayed onscreen, such as Meg buying the expensive silk knowing she couldn’t afford it, Beth and Mr Lawrence’s friendship, Amy telling Laurie off for his indolent ways and Marmee’s speech to Jo about how she is angry every day. But a combination of rushed dialogue, the weird back-and-forth jumps between past and present and a script which didn’t slow down to appreciate the emotions of the scenes meant that many of these scenes felt empty, as if everyone was simply going through the motions. The film is accurate to the book and captures many of the events, but it misses so many emotional beats. I want any adaptation of Little Women to fill me with warmth and emotion and this film just ... didn’t. A particularly egregious example is the fact that this movie didn’t film Beth’s death scene, opting instead to have Jo wake up to an empty bed, in a scene which is obviously supposed to mirror the previous scene and drive home how Jo “couldn’t save” Beth this time around, but all it does is undermine the emotion of Beth passing and the grief her family - particularly Jo - feel over watching her pass away.

And while we’re on the subject of Beth, can we talk about what a non-character she was? I know that Beth is the least developed of the sisters in the novel, and as such, adaptations sometimes tend to overlook her, but she was barely a character in this film. Even her illness - arguably the biggest component of her characterisation and arc - was overlooked and under-played. I didn’t feel any fear or trepidation for her when she first fell ill, and her entire sickness was so rushed and downplayed. Eliza Scanlan is an incredibly talented actress (just watch Sharp Objects for proof of this) and yet they gave her so little to do.

Laurie too became almost a non-character, and I feel that this was a result of the constant time jumps. There was no room for him to develop or grow and many of his Big Moments were omitted from the film (such as him sending for Mrs March when Beth is ill, the way he swears to keep their secrets and provides the PO Box for them, going to London to make himself worthy of Amy). Also that disgusting scene from the New Year’s Eve ball when he turns up half-dressed, drunk and with two women hanging off his arms; no where in the novel would Theodore Lawrence ever behave like that, and the fact that this scene was our second introduction to the character soured his entire characterisation. Laurie was such a pale shade of what he is in the novels, and because of this, his relationships with all the sisters is severely undermined and downplayed. You certainly won’t ship Jo/Laurie from this movie, but nor will you feel much semblance of friendship between the two, despite the fact that they’re such kindred spirits in the novel. He shares more scenes with Amy, but they’re devoid of feeling or emotion (and chemistry) and so his eventual marriage to her falls flat.

I think one of the reasons for Laurie’s lack of characterisation is the weird time jumps. I know that a lot of critics are praising this technique, but I hated it. For one, it was often confusing as to whether we were in the past or the present, given how quickly the scenes jumped between the two. Secondly, this style of storytelling severely undermined characterisation and character development, and it juxtaposed scenes in a very weird fashion, negating the original point of the scenes and the lessons the girls were supposed to learn from them. For example, Meg’s misbehaviour at the Moffats being directly juxtaposed with the scene in which she confesses to John that she bought the expensive silk makes Meg look like she hasn’t grown or changed in five years. We missed the beautiful scene where she confesses her “sins” to Marmee and the growth which came from that experience, and instead jumped straight into what looked like an unhappy marriage (and why in god’s name were we introduced to Meg and John’s marriage before they had even spoken to each other in the past? Once again, the development of this relationship was undermined by the fact that we saw their courtship in reverse - we didn’t get the impact of Meg promising to love John despite his poverty only to betray him by buying the expensive silk). And this is just one of many examples of this technique robbing us of the emotion of the scenes.

The film felt so rushed at times and because of this, it has a very modern feel to it which I really didn’t like. If you want to “modernize” the story, fine, but do so by placing it in a modern setting. Having a period setting while using modern dialogue and a modern sense of propriety didn’t work. A scene of Jo hiking her skirts up to her knees with her bloomers on display while in public was awful, as was the scene where she unabashedly started to strip down while Laurie was in the room, and both scenes just undermined the period setting and were extremely jarring. Again, because the film was so rushed and the dialogue so quick and rapid-fire, we lost the emotional impact of many scenes. Period pieces need to be slow, you need time to savour the dialogue and actions, to feel the emotions and take time to appreciate the depth of the events and relationships.

And speaking of relationships, I cannot get over how much this filmed missed the mark when it came to the sisters’ relationships. Such a huge part of the appeal of Little Women is the bonds between the sisters and this film just blew right past them! I didn’t feel any deep connection between the sisters, and this was particularly noticeable with Jo and Beth, who share such a deep bond in the book. I think part of this problem stemmed from the fact that it took five scenes for the sisters to actually share a scene together; our introduction to the girls happens in four separate scenes, with each of the girls by themselves, in their own setting. Compare (because I have to) with the 1994 movie, in which the first four scenes of the film focus on the girls together, only separating once Meg and Jo attend the Gardiners Christmas party. The sisters’ relationship is such a huge component of the novel, but this film spends little time or focus building it and it is definitely a big reason as to why the film feels so empty.

There is so much more I want to say (for example, the horrendous way in which the film somehow made Jo look like she’d regretted turning down Laurie and held onto said regret for five years and how they juxtaposed her sending him the letter saying she would marry him, which WTF, never happened in the novel, with Laurie returning, having married Amy, like, way to pit the two sisters directly against one another, which even the 1994 adaptation had sense enough not to do) but this post has already turned into a freakin’ essay and most of my grievances have been aired.

To end this (very long) rant on a positive note, I want to reiterate that this film was charming in many ways, and while I do have many complaints, it was still a decent adaptation of my favourite novel, which wasn’t so far removed from the source material that I couldn’t enjoy it. It will never match the emotional depth and warmth of the 1994 movie, but I can see myself coming around to it in the future and liking it for what it is. I just wish more care and effort had been put into it and it had concentrated more on the emotion of the novel rather than the events.

[starstruckteacup]

Cottagecore Films (pt. 8)

Second Time Around (2016)

TW: character death - possible suicide (offscreen)

starring Linda Thorson, Stuart Margolin, Alexis Harrison, Louis Del Grande, Laura de Carteret

After enjoying a night at the opera, the vivacious senior Katherine suffers a major fall, breaking her hip and sending her into rehabilitation. Despite her protests, she has to stay in a retirement home to be cared for while she recovers. There, she meets a variety of new faces, including the charismatic and flirtatious Charlie and the defeated and introverted Isaac. When Katherine damages a piece of clothing, Isaac offers to repair it, at which point the two strike an unlikely friendship. As their relationship grows, the two get to know each other’s pasts, presents, and hopes for the future, and things truly escalate after a formal dance hosted by the home. Even when their situations grow dire, they still find room for love. Even after they both recover, they stay together, choosing to pursue happiness as a dynamic pair.

This has to be one of the sweetest, funniest, and liveliest movies I’ve seen in a long time. It takes a very real look at what life is like for the elderly in retirement homes, but it doesn’t dwell on the depressing aspects, instead choosing to rejoice in the many types of love. The characters felt so genuine, and I was constantly rooting for their success. For example, I’ve never been so engrossed in a scene of people getting ready for an event; I was cheering them on the entire time. You really felt the joy they got out of dressing up for this one special night. How can you not feel happy when people are so confident in themselves, and are ready to take the night? The acting in that regard was truly exceptional. It’s one thing to get into character, but the actors in this film seemed to feel their characters’ stories to the fullest, and it truly came across on screen. This film defies the stereotype for geriatrics to sit around, aspiring to nothing, by showing us exactly how unique and full of life they still are. The characters experience such a plethora of emotions, but it’s the acting that truly draws you into their reality. And where do I even begin on the chemistry? Every relationship in this film was as real as if it wasn’t a film at all. Love, attraction, envy, jealousy, every feeling a character directed toward another was impeccably real. The only critique I could possibly have for this film is the camera work, which was somewhat unstable at times, but it doesn’t detract from the quality of the film at all. If you’re looking for a joyful romance, this is the one. 8/10

Under the Eiffel Tower (2018)

starring Judith Godrèche, Matt Walsh, Reid Scott, Dylan Gelula, Gary Cole

When bourbon connoisseur Stuart loses his job, his friend’s family invites him on their trip to France. It doesn’t go well for long, however, when the 50-year-old proposes to his friend’s 26-year-old daughter beneath the Eiffel Tower. The family cuts him off, continuing on their trip and leaving Stuart to figure out his own way home. In the airport, Stuart meets professional footballer Liam, who encourages him to use his train ticket to Bordeaux and enjoy France while he’s there. On the train, the two meet Louise, an artistic winery owner, on her way home from Paris. The two men quickly find themselves stranded, and are taken in by Louise to stay in her chateau. Chemistry grows between Stuart and Louise, until several miscommunications erupt and send Stuart and Liam packing. This isn’t the end for the duo’s misadventures, however, as Liam runs into a familiar face and Stuart realizes he’d left behind the only thing that made him feel alive.

This movie was extremely disappointing. Not only did it have every cliché in the book, the characters were thoroughly boring and fake. Stuart was a highly unrelatable character, for starters. He’s introduced as an immature alcoholic who doesn’t think clearly and proposes to a woman half his age, already someone that the audience will clearly have no attachment to. Then for the rest of the film he’s portrayed as an artistic, business-minded, loving man, which doesn’t fit at all with how he was at the start. And there was no character growth to explain it. He just changed all of a sudden, yet he still reverted back to a bumbling child every time he saw his friend’s family. Liam was similarly immature and poorly behaved, never taking no for an answer and constantly forcing Louise to spend time with him. We’re clearly supposed to like him because he’s suave and handsome, and has a Scottish accent. Louise was a very dull character as well. We saw her paint once, and suddenly she’s supposed to have depth without the film actually showing it. With all of these negative characters, there’s no sense of satisfaction when Stuart and Louise run off into the sunset together. He’s still weird and creepy. Not to mention how weird and creepy Liam is after making moves on Rosalind. She’s 26 and more than capable of making her own decisions and dating older men, but she was thoroughly repulsed by Stuart and yet forgave Liam of his own age and creepiness only because he had a Scottish accent (yes, that’s what she says in the film). The scenery could have been breathtaking--a vineyard in southern France???--but the film showed next to none of it. Stuart even talks about it but there’s not a single shot of the landscape throughout the entire film. Save yourself the effort. 2/10

Midsommar (2019)

TW: intense gore, suicide (onscreen and offscreen), murder (offscreen), intoxication, drug usage

starring Florence Pugh, Jack Reynor, Vilhelm Blomgren, William Jackson Harper, Will Poulter, Ellora Torchia, Archie Madekwe

A friend group of anthropologists--named Christian, Josh, and Mark--decide to accompany their close friend Pelle on a return trip to his home in Sweden. Dani, currently in mourning over the deaths of her parents and sister, agree to accompany them in an effort to take her mind off her grief. The group arrives at the idyllic commune, the Hårga, to participate in a special celebration that is only held once every 90 years. There they meet Pelle’s brother, Ingemar, and two of his friend’s, Connie and Simon. The group indulges for the first day, trying to learn about the Hårga and their traditions. On the second day, however, the celebration begins, and from the unknowing tourists’ perspective, things begin to spiral out of control. As more questions are raised and more of the commune’s beliefs are dishonored, people start to go missing. While Dani’s suspicions grow, the rest remain willfully ignorant, until only Dani and Christian are left. When Dani becomes the May Queen by winning a dance competition, tradition demands that she help complete the commune’s celebration. While it’s nothing she was prepared for, perhaps it is what she needed in the end.

I found that I enjoyed this movie in an uncomfortable way. I didn’t like it in the way that one would typically “like” a movie, but it was absolutely an excellent film. I don’t particularly appreciate intense gore, and while I understand that this is a horror film, I don’t think it needed to be that present. I suppose it was more to overwhelm the audience and put them in the same mindset as Dani, so in that way it does make sense, but it is very intense. The thing I liked most about this movie is what also made me the most uncomfortable. The character situation is so strange because the main characters are clearly selfish, manipulative, ignorant, arrogant, and disrespectful, without any real redeeming qualities, so you can’t possibly like them, but at the same time you’re unable to sympathize with the cult because of how foreign and violent their customs are. I watched this movie in this uncomfortable, removed but still invested way which I’ve never experienced before. It’s a beautiful film and the acting is incredible, especially from Pugh. The extreme way she depicts Dani’s grief is consistent throughout the movie, but the reactions she receives are vastly different each time, and Pugh adapts to the evolution of the story spectacularly. In summary, this film is an intense, psychologically horrifying art film, and despite being aware of the entire plot prior to watching (I don’t usually watch horror movies), I was still wildly unprepared for what I watched. 10/10

Part One // Part Two // Part Three // Part Four // Part Five // Part Six // Part Seven

[whencallstheheart]

What do you hope to see happen next season?

See all the responses below the cut.

Jack alive

Lots of Henry stuff, more Fiona, better stuff for Bill, Rosie and Lee adopt!

Consistency in the show plot carrying from the end of season 6 through the whole of season 7.

Elizabeth finds love again

I would like to see Henry and Elizabeth’s friendship continue to develop- not romantically so, but as friends that can counsel and help each other. I’d like to see another man come to town to really capture Elizabeth’s heart. Neither Lucas or Nathan seem to be sweeping her off her feet like Jack did. Would like to see that for her again.

Lori returns

Henry continuing a path towards redemption. Him and Elizabeth having contact with Abigail through writing or phone. Lee and Rosemary scenes. Allie scenes.

Lee + Rosie have kids.

Better storyline’s for Henry and more Fiona!

I hope Elizabeth stays strong and  Starts a relationship  With Lucas later in the season. Rosemary has a baby. Carson and Faith's relationship grows and Nathan and Fiona start dating

Love for henry, Elizabeth chooses lucas

More transition to modernity and how they deal with it.

I truly hope Lucas and Elizabeth end up together. Nathan's a fine guy it's just I don't want to watch  Her fall in love with another Mountie. You can't replace Jack and I think it would be disrespectful to try. I hope lee and rosemary adopt a chikd. Carson and faith get engaged, love for Henry, more cute scenes with baby Jack, Jessie and Clara's wedding  and love for Bill . He needs someone special . Fiona date Nathan

more character development for the new characters. letters from abigail. it sucks that they also got rid of cody.

More community scenes.

L&R to adopt a sibling group instead of just a baby, C&J to get married, and Lucas to start dating Fiona.

Henry finds love. Lee and Rosemary become parents. And I hope the triangle with Elizabeth isn't too OTT ridiculous.

Elizabeth picking Nathan, Abigail recast and I wouldn’t mind seeing more of Elizabeth’s high end society life. The costumes for those scenes are amazing.

Henry’s redemption.

Lee and Rosemary adopting. Love for Henry. Elizabeth and Lucas. Morr back story on Lucas. More Elizabeth with the baby and Elizabeth being independent

Really want to see L&R start a family. Even better if they adopt and end up having a surprise baby at the same time. Rosemary having to handle two kids would be both entertaining and heartwarming. She'll be a wonderful mother.

Less romance for Elizabeth and more of her with Baby Jack. More Lee and Bill interacting and more Rosemary!! Also maybe a pregnancy for Clara

More in depth stuff with the characters we love. Lee & Rosemary adopting a child.

Lee and Rosemary adopt a child.

Rosemary and lee adopt, Jesse and Clara get married.

More Lee rosemary storylines

Jesse clara get married

Faith carson go away

Better plot lines less fluff

Lee & Rosemary adopting a child. Anything involving Henry. A visit from cody.

Better plot lines for Elizabeth/ more stuff about Lucas and Fiona, a wedding for Clara and Jessie, more Henry!!

À New love for Elisabeth

Lee/rosemary with a kid. Jack’s family visiting. Elizabeth dating.

I would like to see a recast Abigail, hopefully somebody that has chemistry with Henry.

Elizabeth & Lucas slowly exploring  potential romance.

Fiona lighting a fire under Nathan’s butt.

Lee & Rosemary adopting.

more drama, but not relationship drama

all

Better storylines for Elizabeth she's so boring

Lee and rosemary getting a kid

A wedding for Clara & Jesse!

See Lee/Rosemary have a kid, see more Henry, more development b/w Carson and Faith

Rosemary and Lee adopting Spencer, or any child.

LESS ALLIE. I can't stand that annoying child.

Elizabeth and Carson

Less drama

a good show

Elizabeth picking Nathan, but going very slow. Julie is added as a permanent part of the cast. Oh the adventures they will have. Rosemary and Lee adopting and by the Season Finale, OPPS. She's pregnant. Jesse and Clara marry. Faith and Carson get engaged. Fiona and Kevil start courting. Ned and Florence start courting. Lucas and Henry still have tricks up their sleeves. Henry finds love with a newcomer. Molly has a new role. Allie is Class President.

More Elizabeth and Nathan scenes.

Rosemary and Lee with a baby. Henry gets a second shot as mayor.

I would like to see a love interest for Henry and for Lee and Rosemary to have a child some way. I would also like to see Elizabeth with another love interest.

Bill leaving

I want to see Lee and rosemary adopt one, if not more, children. I love the couple and would love to see their dynamic as parents.

Rosemary and Lee to have a baby

Jesse & Clara wedding, Elizabeth & Nathan pair up, Henry is vindicated more, I’ll goes off somewhere else to be a judge

More Lucas. Even more Jesse and Clara. Lucas and the baby. More Fiona.

Other romance for people in the town besides Elizabeth. Fiona and Lucas maybe and a romance for Henry. Also would love for a sickness to hit the town so Carson could use his skills more. Nobody ever gets sick..pretty uncommon for this time period.

Cody

Elizabeth and Nathen get closer. Maybe a date or 2. He hears he might be transferred again. He leaves the Mounties for town sheriff, which is open since bill is a judge now. Nathen says he quit for Allie, we all know it’s for Elizabeth

Elizabeth teaching and finding her own way.

Elizabeth possibly finds love. Fiona too.

Elizabeth and Lucas begin a courtship

Lee & Rosemary become parents.

More real life scenarios and  continued focus on all characters not just a few.

1) Elizabeth not repeating old dynamics with a new love (that I fear will be Nathan).

2) More Coulter's moments. :)

addopting a child

Elizabeth falling in love with Lucas

More screen time for Lee & Rosemary, and maybe an emphasis on Clara & Jesse.

I’d like to see more unconventional friendships and relationships developing. I also hope they focus on the characters already on the show and don’t add too many new characters and plots.

na

More about The relationiship between Nathan and Allie and more about their background.

Not make focus on love triangle w Elizabeth. Dont pair Elizabeth w another Mountie. Maybe Faith gets with Nathan after long time away. Elizabeth and Carson begin to bond over sick baby jack.

Don’t bring back Abigail. Bill leaves in search of a better more cutting edge plastic surgeon.

Oil spill/drill accident and Henry comes full circle but this time comes out as the hero.

Undecided

Continued improvements and good writing.

Adoption for Rosemary and lee, mariage for Carson and Faith

I hope they keep moving on away from Jack's death and Abigail's unfortunate exit.

Henry finds love...as does Bill!

Elizabeth stopping balancing between the 2 new guys, Lee and Rosy with a child, Baby Jack growing, Henry's storyline.

\- Elizabeth having more plotlines that do not always involve romance.

- Henry finally finding love and happiness.

- Lucas being more accepted in the town.

- Lee and Rosemary adopting a child.

- More plotlines with Fiona.

Final season put the show out of its misery

Elizabeth to move forward with her life and maybe see her have some parenting struggles. I would like to see something happen that causes the whole town to rally together.

I hope we dont see a dragged out love triangle- the show does not need one. I don'f think its in Elizabeth's best interest to string along these two guys. Also I want to see more of what this season had- of was an even balence

Lee and Rosemary adopting. Henry dating. Carson and Faith breaking up. Elizabeth quit being in everyone's business and Abigal not being recast.

I want far more Henry content & Henry interactions. Elizabeth & Henry interactions particularly, but I'd love for him to interact more with Jesse & Clara. I want Nathan & Elizabeth to slowly end up together. I hope in them (hopefully) becoming a couple, Elizabeth can get more character development (but I love any kind of character development outside of relationships!!)

Elizabeth growing closer to Clara and Rosemary, Elizabeth/Lucas development, Jesse/Clara wedding + some good luck coming their way, Julie staying on as a series regular, Henry's continued redemption, Lee/Rosemary with a kid, Lee + an upswing for his company, etc.

The Coulters adopt, Henry trying to let the past go and maybe more of his personal life, Cody visiting Hope Valley for a few episodes, and Elizabeth happy (with or without a relationship) and continuing to enjoy motherhood and friends.

I would love to see Rosemary and Lee become parents, Elizabeth to find a new love and father for Baby Jack and Faith and Carson grow in their relationship.

Hopefully the close out who Elizabeth end and up with. It doesn’t even have to be Lucas or Nathan

Elizabeth find love

Rosemary and Lee to adopt

Carson and Faith engaged

Clara and Jesse get married

More Carson and Faith and Elizabeth falling for Nathan

More Henry

Lee & Rosemary adopt

Another girls night

I hope Elizabeth finds a new partner. This time, I hope the relationship isn’t dragged out for multiple seasons with no development. I hope Faith and Carson stay together and that Jesse and Clara get married. I also would like to see Lee and Rosemary adopt or maybe get pregnant after all.

I'm not ready to think about this yet! But honestly I think I'd like a low key wedding for Clara and Jesse the most.

Elizabeth stop by the saloon and find Lucas sick with fever and her and Carson will help him.  Lee and two men will be sick too because they were all playing poker.  The cause will be bad wisky bottle and Bill and Nathan will arrest a man doing smuggled alcohol. A girl can dream!

Lee and Rosemary adopt a child. Henry and a recast Abigail or another lady courtship.

Lee & Rosemary adopting. More of Elizabeth's relationships with Nathan and Lucas.

Jack back

Henry should find love, the coulters should adopt, Elizabeth should be with Nathan and he should quit the Mounties.

Something big

Rosemary and Lee adopting the little boy who had one line at the Festival. Rosemary finally getting a theatre. Allie staying. Elizabeth choosing either to stay single or I suppose date Nathan. Carson dating Fiona. Fun and light stories like this season. Plenty of humour.

Lee and Rosemary adopt Spencer and face trails of parenthood. A mayoral election. Elizabeth opening her heart. Carson and Faith face trails, but work through them. Clara and Jesse marry.

[bijoumikhawal]

Writing and Recasting for Five Years

Writers

Writers Auditions: CLOSED. Additions to the writing team will be announced on August 13th.

Recasting

Recasts: OPEN. Recasts are scheduled to close November 14th, and will be pushed back two weeks if more time is needed.

Additional Info on Recasts:

• Why are you recasting? 

Some actors are either too busy, were mainly selected because they were the only ones to audition for certain parts, or do not truly reflect the racial, ethnic, or other backgrounds of various characters. At the time of casting I was inexperienced and young, and now want to be better in how I conduct my affairs when writing characters that aren't apart of my particular minority groups.

• What does that mean for me?

It means that I would greatly prefer it if white voice actors didn't audition for non white roles, and will not consider auditions of white VAs for non white roles, as well as cis actors for transgender or otherwise gender variant roles. 

• You've had years to write this podcast, why isn't it up?

My computer broke last winter, meaning we couldn't really edit audio, and due to the school year, a lot of us became less involved in the podcast. Due to this I've spent a lot of time researching things for the podcast and reflecting on choices I made, quite a few of which were hasty and ill informed. 

• how many auditions do you have?

I've had two eligible people contact me expressing interest in auditions, but have not as of yet received any in either my email, or the submissions on the official blog.

Characters being recast:

Bayzli Jancsi Lakatoš

 Gender: cisgender male

 Sexuality: biromantic and ace

A 21 year old Romani Jew that hails from Poland. Is working a 3 year contract under Captain Baker. He is neat and orderly, and while outgoing, is easily tired when dealing with people he doesn't like or know very well. He is known to notice things about others very quickly, and can remember minor comments people have made from years or months prior with near perfect clarity, is a tad self righteous, and does not back down from challenges or insults.

 Voice: young, on the deeper side, has an almost calming quality to it, frequently described as fruity or honeyed, has a Polish accent

Sample voice lines:

  "Oops... I really did not mean to do that, I swear. If you are mad about that, please do not kill me."

"Hey! What about that time you almost got our arms made into jerky?"

Keone Maata

  Gender: mahulani (identifies closer with female than male, AMAB)

   Sexuality: she doesn't know or care

A 17 year old Maori-Kanaka Maoli engineering prodigy from Washington DC. Working a contract, like Bayzli. She prefers to be alone, and spends almost as much time reading on new innovations as she does on making her own.  She gets anxious in large crowds, and cannot stand the smell of chalk. She is highly enthusiastic and persistent when it comes to her personal projects, takes things too personally, and is easily embarrassed. She is mistrustful of others, spiteful, is noted for having a bizarre humor, and makes decisions based on how she feels more so than what others view as logical.

  Voice: a bit raspy, husky, tenor range, has a classically dark voice- think old timey femme fatale actresses, but a bit deeper. 

Sample voice lines:

  "ZHENYA, THERE’S A PANCAKE DRINKING MY BLOOD, GET IT OFF!"

" Yeah, but considering what I haven’t fixed yet it could have been soooo much worse. Now c’mon, I want this pancake off me." 

Hannah Marilou Arrisen

 Gender: aylonit (classically, a type of intersex recognized in Judaism, but she identifies with it as a gender)

 Sexuality: pansexual 

A 18 year old passenger on the Lightning Struck from Harlem, NY. Very proudly black and Jewish. Pisses off everyone with her late night chemistry experiments involving fireworks and explosives. ADHD, bad at prioritizing and making decisions, frequently forgets what she's supposed to be doing, has an idealistic and upbeat worldview. Is notably dismissive of things she doesn't view as important, and is judgemental of those who get in her space. Can talk circles around most people, especially when aided by her brother.

  Voice: high, clear, silvery. Commands attention. 

Sample voice lines:

  "Did- did those pancakes just move?"

"Oh, yeah, that’s a brilliant plan, not like that might not work and go horribly wrong or anything."

Jans Antinous Arrisen

  Gender: transgender male

  Sexuality: gay

A 18 year old pen artist, musician, and aspiring legal consultant from Harlem, NY. Hannah's twin brother. Jans is fearless, vain, compulsive, disorganized, and easy to agitate. He is notably flamboyant, a lover of decadence, logical, confident, and quite charming. His sister has described him as "the personification of an eyebrow waggle and wink". He is intelligent and specializes in convincing or confusing people who he views as potential adversaries. He is anemic from long term radium exposure. 

  Voice: soft spoken, airy, and frequently sing song. Has issues breathing. 

Sample voice lines:

  "Technically, it's not on fire."

"We could- hear me out here- we could eat them."

Captain Florence Aria Baker

Gender: cis female

Sexuality: AroAce

A young black Muslim woman and former military captain. Capitain Baker was discharged after an accident where she lost her arm and most of her unit died. She refuses to speak about the incident, citing trauma, but the truth is much darker than the military would have you believe. She is passionate, no nonsense, hyper viligant, and at times controlling. She has come to hate the military, and is aggressively anti war. She is also notably charming, considerate, and future oriented.

Voice: on the deep side, like Hannah it commands attention

Sample voice lines: “I said set a small fire! This is not small!”

“Okay. There’s a secret room on this ship. That’s… fine. Great.”

Nadia Klara Pasternak (newly up for recast)

Gender: cis female

Sexuality: bisexual

Nadia is an 18 year old, and former gladiator. She has a love of reading and an extensive knowledge of interesting but useless words, and a very good knowledge of weaponry and various fighting styles. She grew up in the Aphrodite province on Mars, under the rule of Baron Semen. She is of Ukrainian-Mongol descent, and is autistic. She tends to avoid people she doesn't know, and often is quiet even around those she does know. She is compassionate towards those she views as misunderstood, and is patient and honest. She takes action quickly and enjoys working with others (hence why she often gets roped into the twins schemes), but is also skeptical and at times introverted. Like Jans, she is vain.

Voice: bubbly, has a soft Ukrainian accent. Doesn't sound like a girl who likes fighting.

Sample voice lines: "How about you lose!"

"Technically it is outwardly digesting you. Like a pineapple!"

What to include in audition: name, age (if comfortable), pronouns, contact information, previous experience (if any), and who you're auditioning for. Send all auditions to @fiveyearsthepodcast via the submission box, or to our email fiveyearsthepodcast@gmail.com. If you can't audition, please do us the favor of spreading the word.

[suredahlia-arc]

hello hello ! i’m daisy ( 19 // est // she/her ) and my mind has been tricked by florence into thinking it’s 7am when it’s actually,, 4:30pm. i’m in the mountains so we shouldn’t be having it as hard as other places, but everyone is still worried abt falling trees and such ! all my suitemates decided to go be storm-chasers ( every single one of them ? ), so i could be living my best life rn, but i’d rather be writing up an intro for a character i have tried to play over four times then the rp died after,, like,, a day. bless. more below !!

♪ { MARINA DIAMANDIS. FEMALE. MARINA (AND THE DIAMONDS). }Oh shit. Is that BUY THE STARS by DAHLIA ANGELIS on the radio right now?! I stan, omg. SHE’S that INDIE-POP solo artist who’s TWENTY-SEVEN years old. They’ve been in the game for EIGHT YEARS and have THREE ALBUMS out right now. I think they’re very VERSATILE and INTUITIVE, but for some reason they come off as OBSESSIVE and CYNICAL in the tabloids. You mind if I turn this up? daisy. 19. est. she/her.

first, i feel inclined to say why i put “and the diamonds” in parentheses bc without context i either look super uninformed or like a total douchebag?? basically she’s going by just “marina” now but i didn’t know how wide-spread that knowledge was yet and technically all of her work still has “and the diamonds” so i was like “hm. parentheses.” and there’s ur explanation ! onto the intro:

BACKSTORY

TRIGGERS: extreme misogyny, brief mention of gaslighting/emotional abuse, briefly implied physical abuse

so i have been waiting to play a bitch inspired by the stepford wives for forever. if i ever actually finished books that weren’t assigned, wbk i’d read that bitch. but we settle for the 1975 movie. there’s ur preface.

i often get way too caught up in the story of the parents and wind up making just intros like,,, a novella, so i’m gonna do my best to skim over them and go more in-depth when i write the bio later on!!

so dahlia’s mom is inspired by neely “i’m a BIG STAR!” o’hara from ‘the valley of the dolls’ and her dad is, ofc, inspired by walter “no fun quotes or super extra™ monologues” everhart from, you guessed it, ‘the stepford wives (1975)’

just as a very brief explanation as to why “i’m a BIG STAR” wound up in the neighborhood she would, typical fall from glory, first manager whisked her away, “fell in love”, moved to a neighborhood where 95% of the women only found joy in cooking and cleaning

maybe if you HAD a fucking business...

i’ve made this joke so many times i’ve memorized this entire scene.

only one person irl has ever genuinely laughed.

it was my mom.

through a series of gaslighting, emotional manipulation, and groupthink, dahlia’s father gradually got her mother to buy into all of it and have strong opinions on the best laundry detergent.

so this was a strange place to raise a child, amirite ? i mean, you got women discussing tide vs. bounty while baking cake, you got men being treated like kings – we over here in the stereotypical 1950s. 

they stanned super small neighborhoods in wales, but should they have ?

so she had a very skewed idea of what was acceptable and what wasn’t. the boys were treated extremely “boys will be boys!” like – like... more than they are when we talk abt the problem with that sentence – and the girls were all wives in training.

it was acceptable for boys and men alike to do whatever they wanted without asking the other. it was acceptable for boys and men alike to complain over anything they wanted. it was acceptable for boys and men to do all of these things that, if we heard about them today, we’d be like “jail??” or, at the very least “leave.”

it was all good and well though!! but one of the four (4) duties dahlia’s mother had was taking care of the child (the other three were cooking, cleaning, and pleasing)

you see, she was used to dahlia’s father blowing things out of proportion when it came to herself – it was normal and healthy!! but she was not used to him blowing things out of proportion on their child, aka dahlia (you see, this is what happens when i start talking about the parents too much)

the first time just warranted a brief “hey, maybe don’t.” the second time warranted a conversation that ended poorly. third warranted an empty threat of leaving that ended poorly. fourth warranted an actual threat that ended poorly. fifth and a bitch was like “ok where r we and how do we get out!!”

after finding her way out, she settled with dahlia in a rly crummy motel, but what else are u gonna do when u only have the few dollars u managed to steal from ur guy??

y’all see i’m already talking in perspective of the parents i hate myself

so dahlia’s mom phoned so many old friends and relatives. unfortunately, as a previous neely “the whole WORLD loves me!!” o’hara who just seemed to drop off the face of the earth, almost everyone was like “bitch tf no you ain’t stayin here”

the last person she phoned was her mom, aka dahlia’s grandmother, down in athens. reluctantly, a bitch was like “fine.”

so dahlia was ~13 by now. her mom found work as a maid bc she was rly good at cleaning and also had no clue how she would ever get a good acting career back (although, mind you, you know a bitch went out for some community theater plays). her grandmother was able to live off the inheritance her late husband, dahlia’s grandfather, left behind – however, she also had a work ethic that drove her to just... do whatever she deemed the right thing to do at the time. 

an old woman doing some odd jobs?? you know it!!

dahlia learned how to speak greek which is great bc you know what?? i duolingo’d that bitch and that owl is a jerk who wouldn’t let me get past “ο άντρας” even tho i spelled it!! right!! i had so many ppl compare what i spelled and what the answer was and i’m still bitter!! 

anyway.

so like,, wbk a bitch has some unresolved problems. when you grow up in the equivalent of stepford (copyright 1972, ira levin), you gonna have some things to work thru!!

but she was also basically trained by that community to keep everything inward??

this is a musician rp so you know what she did??

SHE TAUGHT HERSELF TO PLAY PIANO AND WROTE SONGS!!

was a myspace queen tbh. technically speaking, she has more work out there than the three listed albums (i mean, we got mermaid v. sailor, the crown jewels, etc., etc., bUT)

decided “bitch i’m gonna make smth of this” and,,, did. so when she was 19 ‘the family jewels’ was released and,, like,, she decided “wow time to go be an american!!! i love bald eagles!!!”

so i figure the rest is kind of history?? i think i’ll be going in chronological order with the albums (in that a few years after that ‘electra heart’ was released, then ‘froot’, then a hiatus which we do NOT stan, then coming back with a leak ksksksks. BUT i may switch up electra and froot i’m not quite sure yet??)

ya! 

PERSONALITY

VERSATILE: ok so she never really does things quite the same ? alexa, play ‘can’t pin me down’ by marina (and the diamonds) dahlia angelis. musically speaking, she really loves experimenting with different sounds. overall, she is still considered indie-pop, but we had some good new-wave pop in ‘the family jewels’, we had some good electropop in ‘electra heart’, we had some good general versatility in ‘froot’ (compare the song ‘froot’ to ‘immortal’ like we were boppin then we were havin an existential crisis). does not like keeping things the same in her music. does not like being compared to other artists bc?? everyone!! is different!! generally speaking, she’s just a very?? open person?? not as in emotionally open, open book – all that, as in willing to try pretty much anything?? as long as it’s not her actual routine, if a wrench is thrown in her plans, a bitch don’t care as long as the wrench ain’t smth dumb. here for a good time, not a long time.

INTUITIVE: ok so she got really into trying to read people and tbh psychoanalyze them ( alexa, play ‘savages’ by marina (and the diamonds) dahlia angelis ) after leaving that. town. with a name she doesn’t even recall?? wbk a bitch would speak up abt it if she could so that all of the women could be fckin saved but she j doesn’t remember anything abt it!! other than the environment in general!! what’s the name?? besides somewhere in wales, what’s the location?? she doesn’t know!! mainly bc i don’t!! and also for the sake of her not actually saying anything abt it willingly!! anyway!! she really does her best to read people and situations in order to analyze like?? the safety aspect, the other person’s stance, etc. doesn’t always work, but she tries. is pretty good at it, but no pro.

OBSESSIVE: ok so y’all see up there me talking abt routines?? there are two (2) ways in which girly is obsessive. first, a literal manner. routines that need to be done so the world doesn’t fall apart. i mean, we stan obscured brain chemistry, but we also stan horrible environments that just exacerbate it, even into adulthood, in the end ( alexa, play ‘obsessions’ by marina (and the diamonds) dahlia angelis. ) (also, i feel i should clear the possible iffy-ness this would have by saying that i’ve got ocd and will, therefore, be portraying it in a manner similar to mine so that it doesn’t come across as offensive to anyone else who may have a different form?? but most of the ‘routines’ won’t be very prominent in interactions). second, music!! when she gets started on a new project, -the mask vc- try ta’ stop [her]! -end vc- . will live in the studio until everything is complete and perfect. will spend her free time writing lyrics she knows she’ll never use bc?? why not?? gotta get that practice in!! can also apply to any other project types, but ofc the main ones would be music related so??

CYNICAL: ok. who’s gonna have a positive worldview after growing up where she did?? ( alexa, play ‘hermit the frog’ by marina (and the diamonds) dahlia angelis ) who’s gonna stan that?? that said, there is not a single genuinely good person in this world ( alexa, play ‘savages’ by marina (and the diamonds) dahlia angelis again ) if u ask her like?? not only did she already have that view after coming to her senses but?? now she knows about terrorists, about people from the usa who are SUPPOSED to be the good guys killing innocent ppl from ‘enemy territories’ for fun, ppl assaulting and killing minorities just bc they’re not like them, etc., etc., etc. convinced no one is inherently good. rly has a love/hate relationship with life ksksksks

HEADCANONS

a lot of these kind of tie into personality tbh?? 

literally knows everything about every cleaning product ever. ask her about the pros and cons of any and she will tell you. she’ll also tell you when it was manufactured, the ceo of the company that created it at the time, what went in it to make it, etc., etc., etc. knows so much.

kind of going off of that, actually really good at cooking and baking?? she rarely does it willingly, but will make a hell of a chocolate soufflé.

TRIGGER: IMPLIED SEXUAL ASSAULT -  i don’t want to go too far into this bc it’s very triggering content to many ppl (and even to ppl who it isn’t, it’s j?? not good.), but.... i mean.... the boys in her formative environment were literally encouraged to do whatever they wanted and they didn’t need permission?? END TRIGGER.

i have a whole-ass routine already figured out. there are a lot of facets obviously, so i’ll just mention a few?? but count them all as one headcanon to be fair. 

sets an alarm to get into bed at 1:11am bc it’s a good number but 11:11 is usually too early. sets an alarm for 11:11am to wake her up. will chill in bed if she’s awake before then but it has yet to go off. only exceptions are when she’s working on something she deems urgent.

that said, good numbers are 1, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 16, 17, 18, 21, etc. no rhythm to it, but i wasn’t gonna go?? up until?? infinity??

if there are two doors that are both available to be opened and closed (aka not one of those “enter through this one, exit through this one”), will always enter through the right and exit through the left. 

we don’t stan sidewalk cracks!!

a lot of superstition plays into these. but?? loves black cats. they’re chill.

i have a stats page coming that has more so!!

during the eh era, be it the last one or the one before that, decided to method act while she was still writing the songs ksksksks. that’s going to go into some of her more specific connections.

a bitch will both fight and not fight. got ‘the family jewels’ attitude back and we stan!!

was obviously able to write the ‘housewife’ archetype songs from her own personal experience ksksksks. didn’t rly have to dive into the stereotype. j knew it already.

more?? later??

CONNECTION IDEAS

so i have a few specific ones that are attached to a different blog (u kno one of the ones that died) that i’ll be moving over here, but here are some of the ones that stuck out more than others – also, all are open to any gender!:

UPDATE: wc page is here!

during the eh era while she was ‘method acting’ (we hate.), she knew this muse was in a relationship but was still like?? “hey let’s go have a meaningless ons” bc we stan "homewrecker”! (can have a number of muses!!)

a relationship that really didn’t work out in the end. the other kept trying to make things better so they would stay together. inspired by “buy the stars” (one muse)

the first celebrity whose discography or filmography she got really into before moving to america. would’ve had to have been around for longer than eight years. slightly inspired by “hollywood” (one muse)

ok this one. makes me laugh. literally just someone who always gets her mistaken for someone else – it doesn’t even have to look like her. 100% inspired by “hollywood” ( oh my god! you look just like shakira! no, no – you’re catherine zeta! ) (open to two muses)

she’s not known for a good reputation, but she’s also not known for a bad one. this muse wants to turn her to the dark side and make her become everything she never wanted to be?? so very similar to ‘the bad influence’ connection, j w/ a slightly different connotation on dahlia’s end. inspired by “oh no!” (open to two muses)

these bitches were either friends or love interests once, but things fell apart (either mutually or on the other’s side like?? i don’t want to godmod but for the song’s sake). dahlia is,, bad abt forgiveness,, but there have been enough apologies. inspired by “forget” (open to one muse)

dahlia has a very keen interest in this person. whether it’s infatuation or literally just interest, god only knows! obviously goes deeper than that but i’m horrible at explanations. suffice it to say, inspired by “immortal”

ok!! so now j some general ones!!

best friend

ride or die

drinking buddy

fwb

ons

exes

enemies for whatever reason

frenemies

collab partner

muse for any of her songs?

etc., etc., etc. !

LIKE THIS OR HMU IF U WOULD LIKE TO PLOT !

u can also find me on discord @ john donne’s whore #5590

[wealthbronze59-blog]

The fabulous Florence Yoch

It is one of the most famous final scenes in movie history. Scarlett O’Hara, the scheming Southern belle in 1939’s Gone with the Wind, has just been left by her husband, Rhett Butler. Lost and alone, Scarlett’s thoughts turn not to another man, but to her real true love: Tara, her family’s Georgia plantation. “What is there that matters?” Scarlett asks herself rhetorically. “Tara! Home. I’ll go home!”

To design the shaded splendors of Tara, producer David O. Selznick had only one person in mind: Florence Yoch, the landscape architect who had recently completed the landscaping of his estate in Beverly Hills.

Yoch’s iconic work on five famous Hollywood movies is what she is most known for today, but the sets were but an iconic blip in a storied career that spanned seven decades and more than 200 completed landscapes. Her designs ranged from intimate, fragrant “outdoor rooms,” where families could work and entertain in the California sunshine, to the rooftop courtyard of The Women’s Athletic Club in Downtown to sweeping estates for movie moguls like Jack Warner to public projects like the expansion of the California Institute of Technology. Yoch was innovative, intuitive, personal, and above all, practical.

Born in 1890 in Orange County, Yoch was the youngest of six girls. Her German-born father, Joseph, was a successful businessman, who ran mining operations, the local bank, and a sprawling ranch. Her cultured and intelligent mother, Catherine, was prominent in social and civic affairs. The family lived in a large Italian-Revival home in Santa Ana, with grounds including a fish pond, orange groves, and a grape arbor.

The Yoch family often traveled to Laguna Beach, where Catherine and Joseph owned the popular Laguna Hotel. Here, Catherine oversaw a sort of informal salon, playing host to leading cultural lights, including the famous actress Helena Modjeska.

According to Florence’s cousin James J. Yoch, author of Landscaping the American Dream: The Gardens and Film Sets of Florence Yoch, the family often visited Modjeska at Arden, the actress’s famous country estate in the canyon below the Santa Ana Mountains. The painfully shy Florence, constantly in the shadow of her older sisters, was captivated by Arden’s wild and romantic California gardens and winding, private pathways.

Remarkably for the time, five of the six Yoch girls would graduate from college. Florence was no exception, starting her studies in landscape architecture at UC Berkeley, then Cornell, before finally graduating from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

After graduating in 1915, Yoch moved back to Southern California. She set up her practice in Orange County and Pasadena. She quickly became a favorite of Pasadena’s monied high-society, who favored European-style simplicity and elegance modeled on ancient estates in England, France, and Italy.

But the puzzle was not yet complete. In 1921, a young woman named Lucile Council came to work for Yoch as an apprentice. The two women quickly fell in love and became partners in work and in life. Council encouraged Yoch to find her voice and leave behind the reserved, downcast young woman she had once been.

“Florence told her friend Thomas Moore the story of a woman who worked with her mute chauffeur to gradually build him up and enable him to talk. She concluded by saying, ‘Lucile did that for me,’” James Yoch wrote.

In 1922, shortly after meeting Council, Yoch designed the gardens for Il Brolino, lumber heiress Mary E. Stewart’s Italianate Montecito estate. According to Susan Heeger of the Los Angeles Times:

Yoch borrowed liberally from gardens at Italian villas, using formal terraces, clipped greens and statuary to shape dramatic mountain and water vistas. The exedra that crowns the topiary garden was modeled on a similar design in Siena, and the fountain below it recalls a water feature at the Villa Medici in Rome. But what made Yoch’s compositions so appropriate for California was the way she tweaked formality—bending a path around a tree, sending vines up walls and over trellises… Her planting choices were simple and reliable. She was fond of the oaks and eucalyptus that thrive here… Beyond the topiary are more mazelike hedges—these trimmed in the shapes of card suits—and behind the exedra, a path winds into a secret wood, complete with stone bench.

A passionate world traveler, Yoch found inspiration through frequent trips to Europe and Africa. In 1922, she sent a series of pictures she had taken in Algiers to the Los Angeles Times, noting of one home: “The left is a house which, if set back in a yard instead of on the sidewalk line, might be taken for one of the new type stucco or plastered Los Angeles ‘bungalows.’”

Erin Chase, an assistant curator at the Huntington Library, which houses the Florence Yoch Papers, treasures a notebook of Yoch’s sketches and impressions from a 1924 trip to Spain.

“She takes copious notes about the colors she sees around her,” Chase says. These include descriptions of “dull, dirty vermilion” on doors and shutters and a “soft green-more blue than jade” color on an impressively painted ceiling.

“There was no color photography widely available, and she used these descriptions to trigger her memory, which would assist her in recreating them here in the states,” Chase says. “It’s a testament to her absolute perfectionism and also her sensitivity to adding classical, foreign elements to a garden authentically and not simply treating them as a motif.”

Yoch was also continuously inspired by particular books, which she often brought with her on work sites. According to James Yoch, two favorites were Edith Wharton’s Italian Villas and Their Gardens and Gertrude Jekyll and Lawrence Weaver’s Gardens for Small Country Houses. She also adored the travelogue Viva Mexico by Charles Macomb Flandrau. “His writing about architecture paid attention to the small, personal scene, centered on a loved memento, a portion of an antique wall, a gift from a friend,” James Yoch writes.

This love of the personal and particular led Yoch to design every aspect of her landscapes, from benches to garden tiles to iron gates. Aiming for the “supreme excellence of simplicity,” she became adept at transforming “heroic designs of great European gardens into the small scale of the American suburban lot,” according to James Yoch.

In 1925, Florence and Lucile made their working partnership official, setting up the landscape design firm of Yoch and Council. Yoch was the principal innovator and lead designer, while Council supervised the office, construction, and found and obtained the plants and vegetation.

“The good olive trees, Lucile knew how to find,” Yoch would later write. Foreman James Ross also noted that Council was much thriftier and cautious with money, whereas above all else Yoch “wanted to get it done right and have it look good.”

The firm flourished. Yoch only accepted clients based on referrals and developed long-lasting relationships with many of them. She checked in with old clients frequently, no doubt hopeful they were following the detailed, practical maintenance manuals she wrote for each project, like the Garden Maintenance Directions for Mrs. Preston B. Hotchkis, which can be found at the end of James Yoch’s book.

“The most outstanding feature to me is the breadth of knowledge both Yoch and Council had,” Chase says of the firm’s accomplishments. The couple’s combined expertise in botany, historic gardens, architectural design and chemistry meant that their projects were built to last. This “enabled them to take on almost every aspect of the project with a true understanding for not only how to bring it to fruition but how to keep the garden vibrant and thriving for the long run,” Chase says.

According to Chase, Yoch and Council’s instructions and notes included practical and useful tips: how to compost, recipes for coloring concrete, and ways to create an opulent outdoor space on a tiny lot. “It’s as if they could predict the needs of people in the future,” Chase notes. “All equally, if not more, relevant today.”

Ever evolving, Yoch would encounter a new set of challenges in the early 1930s, as she branched out from the tasteful patrician gardens of upper-class matrons like Hotchkis and Mrs. Richard Fudger to the massive, showy estates of cash-flush, taste-poor movie elite.

Yoch was introduced to this new set of loyal clients by the trailblazing and cosmopolitan filmmaker Dorothy Arzner, often credited as Hollywood’s first female director. Arzner was so pleased with her lush Roman garden, created out of a rocky, sloping lot high in the Hollywood Hills, that she recommended Yoch to influential friends. Soon, Yoch was busy with commissions by some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry.

In 1934, Yoch and Council designed the sweeping family garden and lawn for the palatial new Beverly Hills home of Irene Mayer and David O. Selznick. The project was unlike anything they had ever done before.

“The garden is deliberately ahistorical,” James Yoch wrote. “There is no statuary. Stages for cars and games dominate this unabashedly American plan…. For the first time Florence Yoch acknowledged the needs of children.”

The Selznicks, used to getting what they wanted quickly, soon learned that Yoch, and her gardens, were not easily rushed. “Miss Yoch didn’t stint there (on soil preparation) or on any of the sensible priorities,” David Selznick wrote. “Money was sunk where it didn’t show, so we had a grand new house, a splendid tennis court, a few nice trees, and many tiny plants. Miss Yoch said we were to practice patience and let them grow—a big order in that overnight town.”

Both Yoch and Council would make a big impression on one of their next Hollywood clients, the legendary director George Cukor.

Hired to landscape his narrow, terraced lot in Beverly Hills, Yoch spent time learning the layout of the land. “Yoch’s method began with a great respect for the site, particularly for any existing trees,” James Yoch wrote. “Cukor described her visit to his hillside estate, where she sat and mused until, suddenly rising, she declared a walk here, a pool there, and the lookout on the southern ledge… she drew a very simple sketch that showed the basic configuration of the garden.”

Cukor considered Yoch an “extraordinary woman,” although he found both she and her partner to be “a couple of tough customers.” He recounted one story of the exacting Yoch’s perfectionism in a later interview. “She walked down a freshly planted border at his estate, pulled up the plants and tossed them onto the walk and turned around at the end of the border to look the workmen in the eye and snapped, ‘Now do it right,’” James Yoch wrote.

In 1935, when Selznick and Cukor joined forces to film a version of Robert Smythe Hichens’s The Garden of Allah, they knew just who they wanted to recreate the story’s exotic Algerian locale.

“One of the most important things in the picture, is the garden itself,” Selznick wrote. “I would urge we engage Florence Yoch for the job, even though she would cost us a good deal of extra money. The landscaping must be simply magnificent, as so much of the story depends upon the beauty of this garden.”

Yoch and Council were excited by the prospect of this new challenge. Yoch “is so anxious to do the garden, regardless of when we make the picture, that she states if there is any chance of our getting together with her, she will, on her trip to Europe which she is about to take, hop over to Africa and do some study on this matter,” Selznick wrote.

Selznick accepted Yoch’s offer, and she and Council set out on another adventure. “Her touring car had broken down in the sands of the Sahara, and Bedouins rescued her and Lucile by pushing the car across the desert dunes,” James Yoch writes. During the trip she made numerous sketches and photographs but kept in mind more personal projects at home. “I do hope your own garden is coming along nicely,” she wrote to Cukor from Africa. “I yearn to get home and pat it into shape.”

She worked with Cukor again in 1936, when he partnered with MGM’s wunderkind producer Irving Thalberg on their all-star adaptation of Romeo and Juliet. According to James Yoch, she drew on her extensive travels in Italy to design three outdoor sets for the movie: the Capulet palazzo, an ancient graveyard, and the famed Capulet balcony covered in flowering vines. Her designs were stark, highlighting multi-leveled terraces and off-center, isolated trees. When asked if he had given Yoch any directions on what he wanted, Cukor quipped “of course not!”

Critics raved about the sets of Romeo and Juliet. Film critic Frank Nugent complimented the film’s “jeweled setting… ornate but not garish, extravagant but in perfect taste, expensive but never overwhelming.”

The next year, Yoch created flooded Chinese rice fields at the MGM Ranch in Chatsworth for Thalberg’s elaborate adaptation of Pearl S. Buck’s The Good Earth.

In 1936, Selznick acquired the rights to Gone with the Wind, Margaret Mitchell’s best-selling Civil War blockbuster. He gave Tara, the O’Hara plantation, a starring role, making it Scarlett’s only true inheritance, where her heart and soul eternally lives. “Do you mean to tell me, Katie Scarlett O’Hara, that Tara, that land, doesn’t mean anything to you?” her father, Gerald, asks her early in the film. “Why, land is the only thing in the world worth workin’ for, worth fightin’ for, worth dyin’ for, because it’s the only thing that lasts.”

Once again, Selznick turned to Yoch to create the grounds of Tara, giving her a monumental budget of $16,000 for the plantation’s landscaping alone. Yoch traveled to Georgia, learning how “to take California trees, shrubs and vines and do tricks with them so to make a passable likeness to Georgia trees, shrubs and vines.”

According to the New York Times’s William L. Hamilton, she convinced Selznick to give Tara a more romantic, unkempt appearance, with a front lawn of waving, unmowed grass and a meandering driveway snaking through oak trees to the side of the plantation house designed by art director Lyle Wheeler.

Yoch created Tara on Forty Acres, a backlot at RKO Studios in Culver City. Technical advisor Wilbur Kurtz described the innovative way she recreated the Old South in sunny SoCal:

She was superintending the planting of certain trees around Tara, which had been hauled—roots and all—on trucks. Two real magnolia trees had been secured, and some… bushes and vines were emplaced. As for dogwood, some sort of tree that had the right lines was set up, and for blossoms, the skillful fingers of the Property Department had fabricated hundreds of amazing replicas which they tie on greenery as shooting requirements demand.

A gang of laborers and plaster artists were making oak trees, huge affairs built of wooden framing, chicken wire and plaster, all around tall telephone poles—the upper ends of which show as poles and serve as anchorage for guy wires running to the top of the house. On these guy wires will be tied green leaves in clusters, so that the proper shadows may be cast upon the front façade on the foreground… I’ve never seen such an amazing performance.

The results shared similarities with many of Yoch’s real-life gardens. “Huge trees frame Tara’s porch,” James Yoch notes. “As she had arranged similar trees in Selznick’s own garden, she did not make them simply symmetrical but balanced masses against each other. Continuing this informal poise in other parts of the composition, a crape myrtle on the right side of the porch answers the large vine clambering up a pillar on the left. Trees seem to flourish behind the house and shade its roof.”

Yoch made her last foray into film design in 1941, when she designed Welsh rolling hills and valleys for John Ford’s romantic family history How Green Was My Valley. For this film, Yoch and Council made 10,000 daffodils bloom at once. “These movies touched her heart, for they illustrated her own enterprise,” James Yoch speculates. “In these, characters triumph over adversity through the redemptive power of the landscape.”

Yoch and Council continued their successful private and public works throughout the 1940s and ’50s. In 1958, Yoch began to write an unfinished book on landscaping, scribbling notes of practical advice on any spare scrap of paper she saw.

“Only a flourishing garden is pleasing,” she wrote in a longer passage. “Therefor, choose plants that can grow happily in the spot you select for them, with the minimum of care, plants that will develop naturally into such shapes or heights as will best serve your needs with the minimum of pruning or tricky training, plants that have a pleasant restful appearance and whose fruit, flowers or leaf color come at a desired season.”

In 1960, Yoch and Council moved to the Monterey Peninsula. They focused on smaller commissions, creating comfortable, personal gardens for clients in Carmel and Monterey. She continued to work after Council’s death in 1964, writing in 1971, “I am having fun this year doing the garden for the oldest wooden house in Monterey.” A few days before her death on January 21, 1972, Yoch was at the garden she had designed for the Florence Doud House overlooking Monterey Bay, raking and planting, making sure everything looked just right.

Today, the work remains. You can, of course, view Yoch’s film creations from the comfort of your own home any time you want. For a truly immersive experience, take a trip to the Athenaeum Faculty Club at the California Institute of Technology in Pasadena, Chase’s favorite Yoch and Council creation.

“Yoch’s garden design surrounding the Athenaeum... was carefully planned to compliment the main building’s architecture. Mature olives and laurels were planted along with other Mediterranean plants that included cypress, palms, juniper, fig, and espaliered southern magnolia in both formal and informal arrangements that balance perfectly the stateliness of the place with an approachable and intimate pedestrian experience,” she says. “The center courtyard of the Athenaeum is one of the most beautiful spaces in Los Angeles.”

Source: https://la.curbed.com/2019/4/1/18281056/florence-yoch-gone-with-the-wind

[smushingthefandoms]

I had so much fun at TBF this year, if any of you live near Rochester, NY I would 100% recommend coming next year and meeting all of the fantastic authors! It’s a super fun, engaging, and easygoing experience.

****Caution: Spoilers Ahead****

The panels throughout the day were run by a moderator and no audience questions were able to be asked due to the sheer volume of people that attended the event and the length of the panels. This is what I found out through the moderator’s questions:

Sarah was an intense badminton player in college (really. really. intense.

Sarah’s had always hoped that her patronus was a velociraptor, but in realty its an Occamy

Reneé is obsessed with snake rings.

Reneé loves bingeing True Blood and eating Hot Cheetos for hours on end.

Reneé’s patronus is a Rat- something that she originally took great offense to, but has now come to terms with.

Reneé once watched a seven hour documentary on how to make a katana

Both authors spend copious amounts of time learning about random (and not so random) information about different cultures and time periods.

Both authors really really really love Tamora Pierce. At separate times, they met the author and had complete meltdowns trying to tell her how awesome and amazing she is, and how much work she did in the way of paving the road for other female fantasy writers.

Sarah even told us a story about how she read this very cool article she read explaining the history behind painted on beauty marks. She said that at their beginning, they were different shapes, like hearts, stars and circles, that were cut out of black silk. The number of shapes on a person’s face was reflective of their place in society- the more designs that a person had, the more likely it was that they were a prostitute, using the wild decorations to cover up sores from STDs and their inaccessibility to health and skin care.

Both authors also talked about their obsessions with mythology. They both really enjoy the Russian folktale of Baba Yaga, who is essentially the most evil ever, and makes the Weaver look like a fluffy baby duck.

Sarah also touched on her adoration for the Norwegian fairytale East of the Sun, West of the Moon. It tells the story of a girl who finds her true love, only to have him stolen away by an evil fairy queen. The girl then decides to go after him, having to solve riddles and best monsters in order to save him- which she eventually does. Sarah actually based the original plot of ACOTAR on East of the Sun, West of the Moon.

Rhys wasn’t actually supposed to have the role that he did, but then he presented himself at Calanmai and Sarah couldn’t deny Feyre's and Rhys’ chemistry. When she would write Tamlin and Feyre having intimate moments she would cringe so hard. Then she would write a scene between Rhys and Feyre and almost not be able to be around them because they were so intense together.

Which fictional villain would Sarah and Reneé most enjoy taking down?

Dolores Umbridge: In the end, she gets what’s coming to her, and it’s satisfying because everyone has a Dolores in their life, where most people never really encounter true, pure evil like Voldemort.

Sarah’s Fictional BFFs are:

Hermione

Sailor Moon

Katara

Buffy

Reneé’s Fictional BFFs are:

Aria

Breanne of Tarth

Crushes:

Reneé-

Jason Momoa

That Hot South Korean Body Guard

Rhys

Sarah didn’t even get to her list- she looked up the body guard and then spent like five minutes ogling the body guard and wiping her sweaty palms on her pants and being very flustered.

Favorite YA Ships:

Reneé:

Alliyah and Darkling from Leigh Bardougho’s Shadow and Bone

Feyre and Rhys from Sarah’s ACOTAR

Alanna and George from Tamora Peirce’s Song of the Lioness Series

Sarah:

Karou and Akiva from Lani Taylor’s Daughter of Smoke and Bone

Shazi and Khalid from Reneé's The Wrath and The Dawn

What kind of Instagrams would your characters have?

Shazi: Selfie Queen

Dorian: All of the books. His account would be called “Hot Boys Reading"

Aedion: Shameless Selfies

Rhys: “Candids” taken by Feyre that showcase Rhys’ endless beauty

Is there a Theme Song for series or any part of your books?:

Sarah:

Throne of Glass, Killer Queen by Queen or Back in Black by ACDC

Sarah meditated to Kanye in order to get in the headspace to write Heir of Fire

A Court of Wings and Ruin: Cosmic Love by Florence and the Machine

Sarah meditated to Kanye in order to get in the headspace to write Heir of Fire

Reneé

The Wrath and The Dawn: The civil wars

Flame in the Mist: Bangarang by Skrillex

What Reality TV Shows would your characters excel at?:

Aelin (depending on her mood): American Ninja Warrior, Say Yes to the Dress, Real House Wives

Feyre: “She’s not cheery enough” She would try to be on an art show, and then just be like, “So yeah, this is my painting"

Shazi: The Price is Right, “The Long Lost Kardashian"

Mariko: Who Wants to Be a Millionaire

Who Would be the Best Dressed at Prom?:

RHYS. He would most likely do the most dramatic entrance possible. He would enter at the top of a grand staircase, and a spotlight would focus on him and he would open his wings, and glitter would fly everywhere- making him look like pure magic.

Khalid would see Rhys enter and would just feel so upstaged, and would be looking very beautiful himself, but then theres RHYS and he just spends the rest of the night sulking in the shadows, following Rhys.

What would your characters major in in college?

Aelin: Music

Feyre: Art or Art History

Shazi: Political Science or English (something with a lot of analytical thinking)

Favorite Strong Female Characters:

Both authors understand why this question is necessary, but they wish that is wasn’t. Reneé said that to her, a ‘strong character’ is just a well rounded character, whether thats a man or a woman. Strength isn’t just physical, it’s mental, and of the soul and of the heart. Sarah said that one of her favorite female heroines that exemplified this is Buffy- Buffy is a badass, but she’s also girly. Buffy is who she wants to be, and who she needs to be. She’s brave, and intelligent, and kind and beautiful, and all of those characteristics make her into the amazing heroine that she is.

Sarah, what’s coming next?:

Tower of Dawn: Get the tissues ready. Sarah sat down to write a novella, and at the end of one day, she had 20k words- at the end of five she had 100k. Now Tower of Dawn is about the same length as Empire of Storms. She said that she can’t share anything about the cover yet, but we should be getting a cover reveal soonish, and she really loves the cover. Tower of Dawn was and is a story close to her heart, and it didn’t and still doesn’t feel like work to write it. The events of this book take place at the same time as Empire of Storms, and you absolutely have to read it in order to understand the action that takes place in the last book. She also said that the culture in the Southern Continent is loosely based on the Mongols and Genghis Kahn- she’s obsessed with the culture and the time period.

Catwoman: Sarah is working on a retelling of the origin story of Catwoman, one of her favorite anti-heroines ever.

World of Throne of Glass: Super exciting project, it’ll be almost like an encyclopedia of names and places and facts about the series and the world it’s set in.

The Final Throne of Glass book. Sarah said that this summer will be the summer of many tears as she sits down to end the series. She’s both excited and terrified, because this story has been part of her for so long

Reneé’s new series, Flame in the Mist, features Mariko, a super badass girl who is almost assassinated, but then disguises herself as a man and infiltrates the organization of assassins that tried to kill her. Reneé said that the story pulls elements from 47 Ronin and Mulan, and features all of the gender bending- something that she is very excited about.

Sarah told us that she’s a cinematic writer, meaning that as she writes, she sees the events playing out like a movie in her head, and really gets to experience everything with her characters. This is part of the reason she loves bingeing TV so much- she likes learning about new and different ways of storytelling. The storytelling in TV is a lot like the storytelling in books- each episode is a chapter and each season is a book. Sarah and Reneé agree that watching TV is great research because it allows your mind to put away little tidbits for later, but also be sort of mindless.

Towards the end of the day, I asked Sarah my burning question for her: How did Aelin get the name Celaena? Did she choose it herself? Did Arobynn pick it? Will we ever find out?

Sarah responded that she couldn’t actually tell me because it was going to be a /thing/ in either the last Throne of Glass book, or in a “novella” but we all know how things went when she wrote Chaol’s novella, so you never know.

If anyone has any questions feel free to message me! I would love to hear from you! 

[emmelinesadvance]

FULL NAME:

Emmeline, first of your name. Your parents had thought you to be nothing but extraordinary, they’d raised you to be as such. You worked hard, never strayed from the careful legacy in which they’d forged for you. You were meant to work, as your name so carefully suggested, meant for nothing but the greatness they’d always believed you’d held within you. Celeste, for the heavenly being you’d come to be. Perhaps some would deem you ethereal in the worst of ways. Untouchable, even. Yet, your strength would prove them wrong. For you wield your tongue as sharp as a knife, your wit is your weapon and you’ll be damned if anyone steals it away. Vance, your blood is pure and you’d like to believe you are too. Like your mother before you, you carry a bravery that is much like a lion’s roar and an intelligence worthy of Rowena herself. From your father, your strong minded and respected throughout the Wizarding World, you gained the importance of living beneath the spot light, of learning when to speak and how. To be a Vance was to be respected, to be a Vance meant the world was at your fingertips and as influential as you may have been, someone would always be waiting in the wings to tear you down.

FACECLAIM:

Willa Holland.

FUTURE PLANS:

A GIRL IS A GUN. She opts to pull the trigger. Emmeline Vance was never meant for pristine, she was raised to be strong and she was raised to be right, but propriety never came with ease to her. Perhaps it’s why she finds herself torn between what is good and what is damning. Ever since her mother was murdered, Emmeline cannot help but feel as though the tables are beginning to turn, that the wheel is spinning out of control. There’s a curiosity that comes with her mothers sudden death that the girl simply cannot shake and it’s beginning to eat away at her skin and cause an ache within her chest. It’s this drive that has allowed the girl, as well as the constant whispers and the ever looming sense of despair that linger above the castle, that cause the girl to make a choice. Yet, she isn’t alone in it. For, there are people waiting in the wings to hear her speak, there are people with whom she trusts with her life who await her quiet return to the Ravenclaw tower. The life of a girl who has been battle hardened and war torn is finally ready for the fight. Yet, the side she places herself on is not that of the valiant and brave, but the terrorizing and destructive. If only to tear them down, limb by limb, brick by brick, from the inside.

PLOTLINE : Emmeline is infultrating the Knights of Walpurgis. Gaining the trust of those she would rather see thrown in Azkaban for the pain they’ve caused the castle. Yet, she’s the inside man, the tell all, the rat among pit of snakes.

DOES THIS DARKNESS HAVE A NAME ? This cruelty? This hatred? She is a girl becoming unbound. A girl caught in the crossfire. The secrets in which she carries, the knowledge in which has been brought to light, it begins to feel as heavy as the world weighing down upon her shoulders. How did it find us? There is a reason for everything, a reason as to why her mothers remains a pile of ash no thanks to Pollux Black. Truth will out, she’d always said. Emmeline agrees. The names of those involved are permanently etched within her head, a reminder of what she has lost and what she will gain back.

PLOTLINE : Emmeline finding out the true reason behind her mothers death. What it had to do with the Dark Lord and exactly why it is that her family is being targeted.

DATE OF BIRTH:

OCTOBER 15TH ( LIBRA )

SEXUALITY/SHIPS/ANTI-SHIPS:

I do see Emmeline as pansexual / panromantic. It’s never really been a thought that’s occurred within her head and yet I do believe that the Wizarding World as a whole is much more inclusive than ever at this point. She doesn’t limit herself when it comes to love. There are no labels in which she confides within.

I do love the idea of angst, I love the idea of slow burning relationships. A mere touch to set skin ablaze, a slight glance to shatter heart in one fatal blow. So overall, chemistry will be a big thing when it comes to Emmeline going as far as to develop feelings for someone. However, with that being said, I don’t really see her being an overly shipp-y character. Her mind isn’t in the right place right now and it won’t be for quite some time. Although, things change and circumstances change but overall I would say that chemistry is the biggest component when it comes to forming a bond with Emmeline.

WAND, PATRONUS, & BOGGART:

WAND //  10” Hazel wood with a Unicorn hair core.

PATRONUS // OCTOPUS. Fitting for a girl with many layers, those with the Octopus patronus are known to be virtuous to an extent and widely known for their expertise. It’s Emmeline’s longing for knowledge that drives her, much like the traits that go along with this particular creature. They use both sides of their brains, maintaining creativity as well as logic in most aspects of their lives. It is with this knowledge that Emmeline finds herself comfortable with the fact that she can do as she pleases, when she wants, and finds herself at peace with it.

BOGGART // It starts off as a black abyss, the unknown. Secrets and whispers, lies hidden behind every corner. She fears, most of all, what lies beneath. What remains underneath the surface, everything that cannot be explained, everything that has yet to have it’s purpose drawn out. Emmeline has always had a fear of the unknown first and foremost. A girl of logic and skill, she has no time for dizzying daydreams of far off lands in which remain unexplored. More so, her fear remains of a dark hole, unable to avert her gaze from the wonder of it all. What she fears is not knowing.

FOUR CHARACTERISTICS:

+ / - TENACIOUS // Unable to let go. She holds a grudge as mighty as ever, her grip on them hardly softening over time. There are few things that rattle Emmeline to her core, and yet it’s those things that she most oft finds in others. A slight con as well as a pro. For, when the girl is determined, she does whatever it takes to get something done. Long gone are sleepless nights of tossing and turning, of wondering what if. If Emmeline wants something done, she does it. Her tenacity takes ahold of her and she all but unwillingly gives in.

- RECKLESS // It shows in the way she carries herself, in the way she so willingly sacrifices to go behind enemy lines. There’s a reckless nature that flows through her veins that is driven by her desire to be all knowing. Perhaps it’s her downfall, her achilles heel, the fact that her heart is so hidden and yet so big it aches within her chest for answers in which she may never get. Yet, there is no doubt that the girl would go to the ends of the earth to protect that in which she considers sacred. Her mothers legacy, the most treasured.

+ EMPATHETIC // Some would consider her cold, an ice queen to rival the bitterness of Narcissa Black if they’d ever seen one. Yet, those who truly know Emmeline know her as caring as ever. She has an inner circle, names etched into her heart, and it’s those people who find themselves under the girls protection. A mutual understanding of care, of friendship in which those who are unaware of the girls vibrant soul, manage to write off. While she can oft at times seem stand-offish, it’s people like Florence and Dorcas who know who she really is. How big her heart is, and just how damaged it is. Yet, she preservers, as she always has, unable to give in to the mindless chit chat and gossip that surrounds her name in favour for the truth that those who see past a studious girl manage to know.

+ / - PASSIONATE // She’s driven. That is a simple fact. Yet, there’s a passion for the world that lies beneath her skin. A passion for justice, a longing to seek out the truth. There’s a belief so close to her heart that it begins to eat her alive. her shrouded heart ripping at the seams. A girl who had once known nothing but the peaceful and innocence of blissful ignorance is thrust into the war so unwillingly and it’s this that causes sleepless nights and terrors that plague the few and far between moments of sleep she manages. Passionate. She remains loyal to the words of the Army of the Phoenix.

+ / - KNOWLEDGEABLE // TEMPERAMENTAL // JUDGEMENTAL // SECRETIVE

CONNECTIONS:

LILY EVANS ; rivals.  ( @wildfirevans​ )

“ Two sides of the same coin. One cannot exist without the other. “ The two girls were driven by nothing but the desire to succeed, the desire to be at the top. It’s this fact alone that has bound them together from their first year at Hogwarts. While rivalries such as Godric Gryffindor and Salazar Slytherin themselves have gone down in history as quite damning, it’s the rivalry and competition between Lily and Emmeline that causes the success of the other. Without acting as a crutch of sorts, the girls’ success would seemingly come to a stand still. They push, adversaries in the best and worst of ways. While they would never out right say it, the girls are grateful for someone to challenge them, to push them further into success. Emmeline respects Lily most of all, knowing fully well what the firecracker is capable of and in turn, can only hope for the same from the Gryffindor.

KINGSLEY SHACKLEBOLT ; confidant. ( @eaglewithalionsheart​ )

“ He knew me by heart. It infuriated me that he knew me by heart. “  Their friendship was subdued, a series of quiet understanding and unspoken acceptance. Where Emmeline served as cold as the winter winds themselves, Kingsley was the brightened sun that washed away any sight of frost itself. He cares and she allows him to do so. For he is one of the few that have been exposed to the girls feverish heart, her warm soul. He builds, he strives to bring comfort to those in need and Emmeline, while her front is that of a stoic girl with her head buried within books and parchment, has found herself in need of the guidance he brings. Their friendship, that of long walks in darkened corridors, simple gestures without so much as a thought of what one might gain in return, is perhaps too hidden to the untrained eye. For, within the whispers of war, it is Kingsley who screams for justice, it is Kingsley who prays for a better tomorrow and it is Emmeline who will stop at nothing, no matter how dangerous, to get the answers she deserves and the justice she knows is possible.

THE KNIGHTS OF WALPURGIS ; alliance. ( @rodolphxsheir​ / @blackviperess​ / @suffering-and-strange​ )

"Look like the delicate flower but be the serpent under it”  She dances with the devil. Every way , shape and form. For her, it isn’t a game and it never will be. Yet, there’s a list in which she longs to seek out, names that plague her mind in the darkest of hours. The Dark Lord is Rising.  She knows it all too well. Her mothers blood is on their hands and yet she stands among them, with the help of Severus Snape she’s come to find an alliance with the men and women who lead the night, who terrorize, who seek to destroy. While her heart will never lay with the Knights and their cause, it is all but a show in which she seemingly partakes in quite well. Her purity never in question, her character never a topic of ridicule. In fact, the bitter winter chill that lies beneath her surface is all too comfortable among the Knights. She reminds herself she’s doing it for her mom, she’s doing it for her family, for those who don’t have a voice. Playing the part of sacrificial lamb in a world fit for the slaughter itself.

[criticaloldme-blog]

pre-golden globe *judgements*

The Golden Globes are on Sunday and a few days ago my brain registered that I’ll be setting sail that same evening on a family vacation, with no television, no phone and minimal Wi-Fi. This presents an issue for an entertainment industry freak like me, so I’d like to take this opportunity to make some predictions and put in writing some of my hopes and dreams for Sunday night.

Let me preface this with a very important fact. While I love movies and television, I don’t love them enough to pay to see movies that I don’t want to see, just so I can talk about them. I also don’t watch TV shows that I fall asleep to while watching the pilot. So, a lot of my assumptions below have absolutely no real research or data behind them, but I don’t need to watch things to have an opinion and like I’ve said before, I have good taste, so here are my thoughts.

--

It is my assumption that La La Land is going to sweep every category it’s nominated in (Best Musical/Comedy Picture, Best Actress in a Musical/Comedy Picture, Best Director, Best Actor in a Musical/Comedy Picture, Best Screenplay, Best Original Score, Best Original Song). I’m just not okay with this (except Damien Chazelle for Best Director because the man gave us Miles Teller in Whiplash and for that I am forever grateful). I love a good show tune here and there, and sure, sometimes I break out into “Goodbye Love” from Rent in the shower, but I don’t need a modern day musical in my life. Especially with Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling who both have HORRIBLE voices. I know this! I also don’t feel their chemistry at all because he’s straight fire and she’s bony and awkward. Harsh, yet true. Not feelin it. Did I see it? No. But I know I’m not feelin it.

These are the films and performances that I want to receive the recognition they deserve on Sunday night, but probably won’t because people are dumb and believe the hype of La La Land.

- Deadpool. Yes, it’s a mainstream as hell superhero movie. But I hate superhero movies and this one made me pee in my pants a little on several occasions. Ryan Reynolds LITERALLY IS Deadpool. His humor is my humor. His loss, and this film’s loss, is my loss come Sunday night. - Hailee Steinfeld. Wow, did she get less annoying since Pitch Perfect 2! Edge of Seventeen was so nostalgic even though I wasn’t a friendless loser in high school. That’s how good it was. Hailee was so genuine and authentic, especially when sending that text to her far-fetched crush. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t type freaky shit like that to crushes in high school, only I had the good fortune of NOT pressing send. She’s young and this movie lost traction a few months ago but she deserves it. So I am acknowledging that.

These are the films and performances that I want to be praised Sunday night and are lucky enough to not be up against La La Land!

- Manchester by the Sea. I’ve never seen such a deeply depressing movie and not cried before. I think that’s a wonderful testament to how Kenneth Lonergan completely caught me off guard with such a horrific tragedy, that I was too shocked by to shed a tear. It hit me when I was laying in bed that night how royally fucked up Uncle Lee’s life was and then I didn’t sleep that much. But that’s the sign of a great movie. Let’s reward it on Sunday! - Nocturnal Animals. I didn’t see it but the trailer made it look so erotic and intense and I want it to be rewarded for that alone.

These are the films and performances that I really hope lose because there were just awful, if we’re being honest.

- Jonah Hill in War Dogs. It takes a lot for me to declare a Miles Teller movie as awful but here I am. This movie was TERRIBLE. Jonah hill was annoying and laughed like Goldmember from Austin Powers. I’m extremely confused by his nomination and hope no one acknowledges it ever again. - Michelle Williams in Manchester by the Sea. I need to be clear: her performance was fantastic. But the term “supporting role” is used loosely here as I think she was on camera for a total of 7 minutes in this movie. She shouldn’t win. - Meryl Streep and all things Florence Foster Jenkins. I despise any movie in which Meryl Streep sports an extremely over-acted and obnoxious accent (ex. Julie and Julia). Give the trophy to someone else.

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Film rant over. Television is much easier for me to talk about because I watch a lot of it from the comfort of my own bed, for free. I’ll be quick in sharing my opinions.

- Westworld. Was. Epic. It honestly was. There were so many characters and storylines and unlike Game of Thrones, they all kept my attention for the entire season. Thandie Newton’s Maeve was extremely badass and sexy. Evan Rachel Wood’s Dolores was heartbreaking and strange and the chick’s got unbelievable control over her tear ducts and made giant tear droplets shoot out of her eyes. Jimmi Simpson’s William was kind and then not so kind but I still love him! I love Westworld! Give it all the awards!

- Veep. It’s as funny as television comedy gets. Julia gets better with age in so many ways. HFP: let’s give this lady recognition for that! (Though I applaud them for awarding Rachel Bloom last year. Girl is TALENTED.)

- The Americans. This KGB drama is extremely underrated and all of the performances in it are incredible. I also have strong feelings about that fact that Matthew Rhys and Keri Russell are together off-screen and it makes me feel warm on the inside.

Here are some final quips about the last year in television, or at least the shows and performances deemed great by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association.

- The Night Of. Not that good. Riz Ahmed. Great! - This is Us. This is the worst show of 2016-2017 season. So corny, so politically correct, so BAD. Make the praise and attention stop! I beg! - Transparent. YOU’RE NOT FUNNY. YOURE ACTUALLY QUITE DEPRESSING. - The People v O.J. You lost me after you made the Kardashian’s chant their names. That was a hard no. - Riley Keough. The Girlfriend Experience. I saved this note for last because it’s really important to me. I literally don’t know one person who watched this masterpiece, which breaks my heart. Although slightly (read: extremely) pornographic, this season was dark and fascinating and too much emotionally for me to have seen in one day, but I binged it anyway. Why am I so interested prostitutes? I don’t know. Despite the high volume of titties Riley shows, I think Elvis would be proud. I hope she can pull out a W here and give this show the PR it deserves. 

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Monday morning when I sign onto the Wi-Fi at sea (which takes about 30 minutes dial-up AOL style) I will read the list of winners and probably be disappointed. But I hope by writing this, the universe will send positive (or negative) vibes to those I wish them upon, and I hope Miles Teller attends the awards show looking dead sexy, and I hope I inspired someone to watch The Girlfriend Experience because I need someone to talk to about it! 

[movietoovie]

Florence Foster Jenkins

Why did I hate this movie so much? I don’t understand. It was a set-up for success. Hugh Grant, Meryl Streep, and the guy from Big Bang Theory.

 Premise: Tone-Deaf Socialite of New York decides to play Carnegie Hall for the troops, against her husband and pianist’s wishes, as she is a laughing stock and she has syphilis.

1.  This is actually the most impressive acting I’ve seen from Hugh Grant. You knew he really loved Meryl’s character and he dropped all of his typical Hugh Grant acting mannerisms. Really a warm character that I truly liked. He actually had GREAT chemistry with Meryl, which I was surprised about.

2.       The pianist annoyed the living shit out of me. I can’t tell if it was because of the character or the actor, but it felt too real to be a character mannerism. Stop forcing yourself to laugh. Say phrases like a normal person, instead of sounding like a singing off-pitch parakeet. He sounded like he tried to be 40s Mid-Atlantic chic. It was frustrating.

3.       This is the least impressed I’ve ever been with Meryl’s acting. Was she lovable and sweet? Yes. But I saw Meryl acting, instead of Meryl being the vessel for the character. I saw too many Meryl mannerisms that she has in other movies. She’s a great actor, but she really just seemed like An Actor Acting in this.

4.       Why was the blonde sugar baby suddenly in love with Meryl’s character? It came out of nowhere. I know she turned out to be a nice person according to Hugh’s girlfriend, and she probably realized how mean she looked when she laughed, and then heard all the other guys laughing. And I guess she saw her again because her boyfriend wanted to appear cultured. Again, still confusing.

5.       And yet, after all that griping about acting, I felt like this was the inverse of Zodiac: I preferred the acting over the stylistic choices of the design and DIRECTING. Direction was nil. Barely did anything. Research?????? Where is the dramaturg they must’ve only had a good costume one. The set was OK but for some reason Meryl’s house seemed very awkward to me. The room set-up was weird. Sam with Hugh’s apartment.

6.       I had no idea where the story was going in the beginning. I wish we saw that Hugh and everyone was trying to protect her from early on, because I felt like he looked a little cold and then eventually we realize oh he loves her. Like, I had no idea why they were hiring McMoon. Then they were like LETS GO TO CARNEGIE.

7.       I feel like there wasn’t a tone. What was the tone? The mystery fell into frustration. Was it a comedy? Or was it supposed to be light-hearted? Because the lady literally carries her will around in case she keels over. That’s pretty sad. I did like that everyone tried to protect Meryl until the very end. Was it a dick move? Possibly, but this was the rare occasion where I don’t think that’s the case. She really wanted to perform and be loved and hold “300 people in the palm of her hand” like that one opera lady she saw. And the people she loved wanted her to do it. Also if people hated her then she might like…die.

8.       Also what was up with that opera trainer? For a second I thought she was having an affair with him, but he seemed super shady and never showed up again.

9.       I feel like the issue was that there were some major script issues. They focused on too many people, but ended up not focusing on specific issues with those characters and left them hanging. What’s McMoon up to ???? Where did the ex go? She should know that Meryl’s got money lol, she pays for the apartment! If you’re only going to focus on Meryl’s timeline, COMMIT TO HER TIMELINE. What is she like when she’s alone?

10.   Of course she dies dramatically right after Carnegie. I mean I think that’s true for the most part, but it was so predictable. You could tell which parts  were true and which parts were added for dramatic effect.

11.   Hugh reciting poetry before bed made me wonder if Meryl actually liked him. Didn’t feel like it. Also, he was an actor and then he wasn’t? What happened.

There were a lot of questions that needed answering far faster than the director decided to answer. Logic was secondary in this movie. What's strange is I'm not sure what needs to be cut out, because I got very bored but it was all very needed to push the plot, except maybe it was the pacing that made it so terrifically boring at times.

Overall, really disliked it. Script sucks 6/10.

[thatninafloblog]

European Adventure + Updates

Hello there blog! I haven’t been here in a minute. Well what can I say? It’s been a crazy amazing past 2 months...

SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED. Well first things first; Europe was freaking unbelievable... it was a dream come true, it was a whole fairytale and a place I could have stayed for way longer than 2 weeks. But ALAS, here I am back in Chicago. Back in the reality of life. Back here in the daily stresses of life. Europe reminded me of all the beauty there is in the world. Of all the beautiful and incredible places that are just waiting to be discovered, to be admired. And those 2 weeks taught me that these places are out there and these dreams do come true with hard work and with desire. And I met some of the greatest people there, friends I will forever cherish in my heart. And my tour director Elena who called me her “mini me” and “little jalapeño.” That woman was the best tour director in the world, always so positive, always so happy and ready to start yet another adventure. Traveling for 12 years, she’s living the life right there and I hope and pray to God that one day our lives cross paths once again.

In total I got to spend time in 6 different countries. Each so unique and beautiful. Each so different and extraordinary...But Italy was by far my favorite: Florence and Rome and Sorrento and Capri. OH LORDT. How lovely. The sun, the ocean, the colorful houses in Cinque Terre, the adventures I had and the risks I took. NO REGRETS. Jumping off the cliff, getting lost, dancing the night away in Florence and singing my lungs off at the Karaoke place there, eating the best pizza and gelato of my life in Rome, and having my Lizzie McGuire moment at the Trevi Fountain. Singing with new friends on my last nigh in Rome at Castl’ St.Angelo. Taking a plane from Rome to Greece with the 4.5 hour layover in Switzerland and deciding to explore it anyway...

Memories and experiences that will last forever. It was the trip of a lifetime and as I cried on the plane on the way back home I told myself a million times that i’ll be back. That Europe hasn’t seen the last of me. That I will go back to see these places again, and S P A I N, which is of course next on my list. I miss these places and people everyday. Every single day, when I look at pictures. When something random just brings me back to this time. And even as the days pass I miss it all. And now more than ever before because my life revolves around my job. A job I randomly got, and now have to make the best of. A temporary job as a waitress as I apply to the REAL DEAL job. 

I’m a college grad, and I want to be this amazing journalist someday. I want to travel the world, I want to meet amazing and interesting people who have these incredible stories to tell. I want to share those stories in the world and hopefully make a difference with my actions. Those are my dreams, and even though they seem far from my reach I know one day I’ll get there. I’ll get there and I’ll have the time of my life...

More on UPDATES: Currently TRYING to apply to jobs, it’s harder than it seems. Especially with because I’m such a big procrastinator. And barely have any time with almost a full time job. My job is something else...I have my laughs with the crazy people that work with me. And I don’t entirely hate it. I actually think I’m really good at it (sometimes) lol and there are even times when I enjoy going to work. Like today for example because the shift is really short. But then my whole weekend disappears and the whole routine thing can get sooooo boring. Either way, like i said this is only temporary. While I save up for a real job, and travels and whatnot. My summer has almost slipped away entirely so that also sucksssss. But there are many things I’m grateful. Like life, and new opportunities and even the slightest glimpses of “love.”

The boy I’ve talked about in previous posts, came back into my life like a ghost. Just re-appeared and I caved in and ended up seeing him on Sunday. And MAN...it was wild. (To say the least) After not seeing him for 2 + months my heart was beating out of my chest, and he got out of his car to hug me and he was so sweet. I was so so nervous but he calmed me down and made me feel so safe and free. And it was as if the universe was giving me this time to let go of all the stresses in my life. Of all the worries and all the crap. I was SO SO happy that day. And I wanted time to slow down so I could spend more time with him, but because this isn’t a movie things obviously played very differently. And I think he disappeared again, and I have no means or way to question it because we aren’t anything. And that breaks me because I have feelings for someone I can’t ever have, he’s moving, he’s busy 24/7 and he’s not the guy for me. But it’s so hard to let go of this heartbreaker. It’s hard because we connect so well, not only in the chemistry department but also intellectually. He’s easy to talk to, he’s sweet and funny and outgoing and a little crazy and adventurous. And maybe I’m idealizing him, and idealizing what little we do have but it’s hard not to when he makes me feel like nothing else matters with just one kiss. Anyways, it is what it is and pretty soon I’ll have to let go of him forever. And just completely remove him from my thoughts and my life...

 But for now, I’m enjoying the little time I do get with him. I’m enjoying it and hoping to see him again soon. And hoping that when it is time to say goodbye that I can let go peacefully and accept the fact that one day I’ll find true love. And that love will respect me and cherish me, make time for me, make me a priority, and make me feel like no one ever else has before. That love won’t make excuses, won’t lie or make me feel like I don’t matter. That love will come and stay. Someday...

August 10th, 2017 3:24pm

[randomrichards]

BEST ACTOR: – Casey Affleck as Lee Chandler, an ornery, reclusive janitor who becomes a reluctant guardian for his nephew. In MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – Andrew Garfield As Private Desmond Doss, a real-life WW2 combat medic who won the medal of honour despite never carrying a gun. In HACKSAW RIDGE – Ryan Gosling as Sebastian, a struggling jazz pianist who falls for a struggling actress. In LA LA LAND – Viggo Mortensen as Ben, an off the grid father of 10 whose unconventional parenting methods are tested when he takes his kids to their mother’s funeral In CAPTAIN FANTASTIC – Denzel Washington As Troy Maxson, an ex-ball player turned alcoholic garbage man and resentful family man In FENCES Who Will Win? At the start of this, it seemed like the winner would be Casey Affleck all the way. But now it looks like Denzel Washington will be taking the top spot away from him. It had to be quite a challenging role for Ben Affleck’s little brother. His character is a withdrawn reclusive who avoids meaningful conversations at all cost. So, Affleck faces the task of making us feel for a character who shuts people out. On top of that, Lee isn’t the most pleasant guy to get along with, often picking fights with random strangers just for looking at him. Despite his flaws, we still empathize with Lee, thanks to Affleck’s performance. Though he doesn’t show it, he still love his family and is willing to take care of his nephew. But he’s torn between his duty to care for Patrick and his desire to send him to another guardian so he can return to his reclusive life. Through his restrained performance, Affleck still brings out signs of emotions billowing inside of Lee, trying to get out. When someone tries to start a conversation with him, he politely tries to finish the conversation as quickly as possible. Like Patrick, you wish he would break out of his shell and try to connect with people, but he always disappoints you. What makes it sadder is seeing the man he once was. In the flashback scenes, Lee is a different person; a happy, social average joe who enjoys drinking with his buddies and playing with his children. But then he goes through a tragedy so traumatizing he’s unable to bring himself out of his psychological shell. Affleck was the frontrunner for winning this award, but some factors have derailed his success. First, there’s sexual harassment allegations made against him by I’m Not There co-workers. The Jury’s still out about whether he’s guilty, but it can still hurt his chances. The biggest factor working against him is Denzel Washington winning the Screen Actors Guild Award for Best Actor; an award well known for its 90% accuracy in predicting the Best Actor Oscar. So, it looks like Denzel is the new frontrunner. Denzel seems to be taking roles less squeaky clean then his previous roles. His most recent roles include a paranoid drug kingpin in American Gangster, A manipulative fugitive in Safe House and a drug addicted pilot in Flight.[1] Now he portrays a bitter alcoholic, philandering father, a role he’s portrayed on Broadway[2]. The power of Denzel’s performance is best conveyed when Troy’s son Corey asks him “How come you never liked me.” Often shown in the trailers, this scene sums up Troy’s complicated relationship with his son. Troy doesn’t hide his contempt toward his son when he demands to know “what law is there saying I got to like you?” He reveals his need for dominance through his interrogation, insisting Corey always put “Sir” at the end of an answer. And yet, he also makes his sense of duty clear when he says he does it because it’s his duty as a father to take care of Troy. When he tells Corey to care more about whether he’s being treated right by others, Troy’s bringing in his experience coping with racism. There’s complex layers of character in these two minutes. I also admire the fact Denzel chose to make his character look pathetic. He puts on a few pounds to convey Troy having let himself go. He also never hides the fact he’s an unlikable cad who bullies his son and takes advantage of his wife. Though he makes his motivations understandable, Denzel never excuses Troy’s resentful behavior. It certainly doesn’t excuse his drinking or philandering. So, it looks like Denzel has a high chance of taking home the award, but his success isn’t 100% certain. This could be among the 10% chance the SAGS will get it wrong this year. BEST ACTRESS: – Isabelle Huppert as Michelle Leblanc, a ruthless video-game CEO seeking revenge on her mysterious rapist In ELLE – Ruth Negga as Mildred Loving, a real life timid housewife turned reluctant civil rights activist when her interracial marriage was taken to court In LOVING – Natalie Portman as Jackie Kennedy, the first lady as she copes with her husband’s assassination In JACKIE – Emma Stone as Mia, a struggling actress who falls for a failed jazz pianist In LA LA LAND – Meryl Streep As Florence Foster Jenkins, real life ailing socialite who achieved her dream of singing for Carnegie Hall, even though she’s one of the worst singers ever. In FLORENCE FOSTER JENKINS Who Will Win? At first, it seemed like Natalie Portman would win a second-best actress Oscar for her play Jackie Kennedy. But two actresses have jumped ahead; Isabelle Huppert and Emma Stone. Though not a big name in North America, Huppert is an arthouse darling in home country of France. The most obsessed moviegoer will recognize her from such arthouse films as infamous flop Gates of Heaven, Best Foreign Language film winner Amour and The Piano Teacher, a role that earned her a best actress award at the Cannes film festival. Now she’s sure to get more mainstream attention with this performance. The film literally begins with Michelle being raped by a masked stranger. Actually, it begins with the image of Michelle’s cat watching Michelle being raped. The moment the rapist leaves, Michelle just cleans up the mess and moves on with her everyday life. When asked about her bruises, she claims they’re from a bike accident. She seems completely unaffected by the rape. Michelle is a rape victim who refuses to play the role of a rape victim. In fact, she is a very unsympathetic person. She’s a video game CEO who creates sexually violent video games. She’s very disrespectful to her co-workers, especially her business partner. She’s only slightly nicer to her friends. Though when you meet her mother, you can understand where she gets her attitude. You don’t feel any pity for her, and yet she remains engaging throughout the film. If anything, we’re more fascinated by her. Why does she go on with her everyday life? Does she know who the rapist is? Why is this guy still tormenting her? She is an enigma. But the more popular choice is Emma Stone. While Huppert many have won the Golden Globe award for best actress in a drama, Stone has won award after award for her performance, including the Golden Globe for best actress in a comedy/musical. She’s not even thirty yet and she’s set to win her Oscar. Of the two romantic leads, Mia goes through the most hardship. While Sebastian battles for his artistic integrity, he still catches a couple breaks halfway through the film. Mia isn’t as lucky. Mia dreams of being a movie actress, but the odds are stacked against her. At audition, she’s competing against other actresses “prettier” than her. She finds herself reading for indifferent casting directors more focused on their cell phones than on her performance. The result is rejection after rejection. She’s fortunate to work at a coffee stop on a studio lot, but even the scheduling proves a problem when she gets notification of an immediate audition. She’s torn between the hope of achieving her dream and the doubt that asks if she should just quit and return home. This comes to a head when she hits a soul crushing low point. As they’ve already proven in Crazy Stupid Love and Gangster Squad, Emma Stone and Ryan Gosling have great chemistry together. They play off each other beautifully, creating a feeling of genuine love. During dance numbers, they manage to play off each other without ever saying one word. Speaking of dancing, while they aren’t exactly Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, these two are still graceful on their feet, whether they’re tapping on a LA road or waltzing across the night sky. But Stone truly signs in her solo number “Audition.” With a hushed tone, Mia starts out telling a story to some casting directors, but as the lights go out, she sings about the struggles dreamers go through to achieve their goals. She delivers a lot power through her subtle voice. When in doubt, go for the popular choice. So, Emma Stone it is. BEST SUPPORTING ACTOR: – Mahershala Ali as Juan, a soft-spoken drug dealer who becomes a reluctant father figure for Chiron In MOONLIGHT – Jeff Bridges as Marcus Hamilton, an aging Texas Ranger investigating a series of bank robberies during the recession In HELL OR HIGH WATER – Lucas Hedges as Patrick Chandler, a teenager placed in the care of his ornery Uncle Lee In MANCHESTER BY THE SEA – Dev Patel as Saroo Brierley, a real life adopted son who begins an obsessive search for his biological family In LION – Michael Shannon as Officer Bobby Andes, a cancer stricken, hard-nosed cop who bends the law to give a father (Jake Gyllenhaal) a chance to avenge his family. In NOCTURAL ANIMALS Who Will Win? My drama teacher would always say “There are no small parts, just small actors.” No performance embodied this mantra more perfectly than Mahershala Ali’s in Moonlight. Though only onscreen for the first third of the film, Ali leaves an indelible impression on the audience. Going against the stereotypical drug dealer archetype, Juan seems like an everyday nice guy. When he checks up on fellow dealers, Ali portrays it more like he’s having a coffee break with friends. He is especially a gentleman towards Chiron, offering the boy some macaroni while he tries to find out where he lives. He is also very patient to the kid, who starts off too shy to even speak. He shows an excellent skill in his parenting, especially in a scene he teaches the boy to swim. In some time, he seems like the perfect role model for Chiron. At least, he would be if it weren’t for the fact he’s a drug dealer. This comes to a head when he finds Chiron’s mom Paula smoking crack one night. When he chastises her for it, she points out the drugs came from him, forcing him to confront the consequences of his trade on children. Ali brings a gentle power to his performance, creating an unforgettable character in Juan. You wish there were more scenes with Juan. BEST SUPPORTING ACTRESS: – Viola Davis for FENCES As Rose, Troy’s loving, put upon wife – Naomie Harris for MOONLIGHT As Chiron’s drug addicted mother Paula – Nicole Kidman for LION As Sue Brierley, An Australian step mother who adopts who Indian boys – Octavia Spencer for HIDDEN FENCES As Dorothy Vaughan, a brilliant mathematician who led a team of African American women in assisting NASA with their first successful space launch. – Michelle Williams for MANCHESTER BY THE SEA As Randi Chandler, Lee’s ex-wife. In a powerful scene, she confesses her regrets to her ex-husband. Who Will Win? It’s Viola Davis all the way. As the film starts, Rose is a supportive wife and mother to Troy and Corey, respectively. Throughout the film, she tries to get Troy to let Corey accept the football scholarship, but Troy keeps refusing. It’s clear she loves Troy, but as the film progresses, she reveals her weariness of putting up with his surly attitude toward life. She tries to get Troy to let Corey accept the football scholarship, but to no avail. Davis’s really gets her chance to shine when Troy reveals a devastating revelation to Rose. Seeing her struggle to restrain herself in front of guests is devastating. The moment they are alone, she finally lets him have it. When Troy complains about staying in the same place for 18 years, Rose counters with “Well, I’ve been standing with you. I’ve been giving 18 years of my life to stand in the same spot of you.” She tearfully calls Troy out for never taking her feelings into consideration, demanding to know “Don’t you think I have a life? Don’t you think I have dreams?” Just this scene is enough to get her the Oscar. She also has an excellent scene in the end which I won’t give away. Trust me, you’ll know it when you see it. You can see why Davis won the Tony award for portraying the same role on stage. She’s guaranteed to have this Oscar to place between her Tony and her Emmy win for How to Get Away with Murder. [3] [1] For which he was also nominated for Best Actor. [2] And won a Tony award for. [3] If only she had a singing career, then she’d probably win a Grammy and become a member of EGOT.