#some of these rich people need a visit from the ghosts of Christmas past present and future

[prettysurethatsakidney]

I got too much on the line to risk it

“But if you forget to reblog Madame Zeroni, you and your family will be cursed for always and eternity.”

[trashlie]

hey it's the same anon as last time ^^ i'll try to stop by your inbox more often when i have the time and some thoughts to share. discussing these things is fun and you make such great points about the characters and the story. i'll be signing these asks with lil anon (like lil buddy 😼) so you know it's me. and good to hear! i hope you continue to get better 🥰

i get why you're invested in kousuke's story. he is, objectively, a really interesting character. it's unfortunate that people disregard him, bc understanding him is a key part of understanding the story. and understanding him doesn't necessarily mean having sympathy/empathy for him. like on a personal level i can't stand him and want to smack him with a broom lmao but as a reader/observer it's interesting to try and understand his motivations/actions, if that makes sense 🤞

oh yeah you're completely right about kou getting worse as the story progresses. his recent development has felt like watching a car crash in slow motion - tragic, but fascinating and you can't look away. if ily was a less interesting story, a character like kousuke (typical rich asshole with some redeeming qualities) would have had significant growth by now. but that would be such a cliché, right?

and sometimes i do wonder if kousuke is doomed by the narrative, or if he eventually will be able to break free from... himself, essentially. the thing is, kousuke's is trapped. in order to grow and change, he needs to separate himself from the hiraharas/this fake reality that's been constructed from him, and see his situation from a different perspective. but in order to even want to change, he needs to grow as a character first. which he cannot do as long as he's involved with the family. it's like a snake eating its own tail. nothing/no one has been able to get through to him yet, so i guess there needs to be an outside force (maybe a revelation) that breaks him out of this cycle, shatters the very foundation of his fake reality, or maybe removes his safety net. and i really wonder what's that going to be. like... even though christmas is coming up in the ily universe, i doubt he'll be visited by the ghosts of the present, past, and yet to come and then all of a sudden he's a gentler, kinder man the next day lmaooo idk what do you think it'll be that's going to push him towards (positive) change? i think it's undeniable that kousuke needs to crash and burn first, and then maybe he can build himself up from the ground. i really do hope that's what's going to happen eventually! he is (mostly) a victim of his upbringing/environment, so it'd be nice to see him make steps towards growth/healing/being his own person. either way we're still so far from anything like this happening so who knows.

re: nol and fear - wow i didn't make the connection that nol is also driven by his fears, but you're absolutely right. i saw him as someone mostly controlled by self-loathing/self-destructiveness/low self-esteem, but these feelings are ultimately rooted in his fears. thanks for pointing that out. such an interesting parallel between the brothers.

all the ways the brothers are two completely different people with similar issues are endlessly fascinating to me (i just love me a complex siblings dynamic). you mentioned that neither of them have that family relationship with their parents at this point, and i agree. however, i think it's important to keep in mind that a key factor in nol and kousuke being such different people are that their early days were completely different.

nol had a very loving mother who shaped him during his most critical years of development (ages 0 to 5). and i actually believe nol got his best qualities (kind, caring, generous, brave, funny, etc) and morals from nessa, not rand. also, the hiraharas hadn't poisoned him yet. the layers of pain and trauma came later. on the other hand, kousuke received a completely different version of care and was taught a number of really negative traits - that his wealth and name make him better than other people, that his family doesn't function like others do and that that's normal, that he shouldn't feel guilty taking advantage of people and situations, that he deserves to have everything he wants, that his sole purpose is to inherit the company, and - as you said - that love as a reward, rather than something he's inherently deserving of. no wonder nol was/is such a threat to him - he's competition, and there can only be one winner. how can this boy, a 'mistake', have received this "reward" (=rand's love (nol hasn't actually received it but kousuke thinks he did)) so easily, when he didn't do anything to deserve it? that can only mean that nol is better, that kousuke is in his shadow, somehow inferior. and that just contradicts kousuke's entire worldview. idk it's just. much to think about.

oh wow i wrote so much, sorry about that. btw feel free to copypaste this in a separate post under a cut so it doesn't take up too much space if you feel like it, i wouldn't mind! have a good weekend 💗 - lil anon

Lil' Anon, I love it, perfect! Hehe!!!

You are SO right about Kousuke, too, in that you don't have to love a character to enjoy them. In-verse I would not get along with Kousuke or even want anything to do with him lol. He frustrates me a LOT - but right, you can understand WHY a character is frustrating. You can become invested while knowing you would absolutely fight them lol. The thing about compelling characters is that, for the most part, they are the drivers of plot and story and if they aren't a character worth investing in, you run the risk of caricatures of antagonists, villains who fall flat and cartoonish. ILY certainly borrows from the truth that everyone is going through something, no matter who they are. That doesn't always validate what they do, but as far as a story and PLOT goes, it makes everything far more interesting. That's the main thing I want people to come away with, not just as far as ILY goes but media in general. Because it's fiction, there is no harm in enjoying an antagonist. Your plot and story wouldn't be as enjoyable if they WEREN'T compelling or intriguing. When I say Kou has become a character I'm very invested in, it doesn't mean I approve of the things he does. In fact, I root for him BECAUSE I want to see him grow, because I want to see if he ever takes the reigns on his life and comes to much-needed realizations.

Because you are right - there is a big chance that Kousuke IS doomed by the narrative. I've talked about this re: Alyssa before, too, in that just as in real life, there's a chance he may never come to the terms he needs to. He may never find his way out of his safety spots, may never try to leave what is safe and secure. That's what's so important about acknowledging how fear drives him - if he cannot overcome that fear of being uncomfortable, of facing disappointment, of being outside what he finds safe and secure, then he really can't make the changes he needs to. He won't have the opportunity to see himself in a way that might give him the perspective he needs. In general, growth requires courage. If we want to grow, we have to face scenarios that bring us discomfort, that maybe make us fall apart, in order for us to learn just how much we can take, just how much we can overcome. But Kousuke has never really been in that kind of position. He's had everything handed to him, whether or not he wants it to be.

I really like the analogy that it's like a snake eating its own tail; I think that really sums up the vicious cycle and why we've not seen him wake up to reality, why things seem to go in one ear and out the other.

Over on reddit I've been talking to someone a lot about Kousuke, too, and a thought we share is that not only does Kousuke need that crash and burn - I think everyone is in agreement about that! - but maybe something that can be a wake up call for him is his career. They made some really great points, too, I'll link to their response here, but we know that Kousuke isn't truly happy in his life and career. To him, we endure uncomfortable situations, or one's that aren't fun because that's life. We don't live in an ideal world, we have to do whatever we can to get by. But Kousuke literally could have his pick of anything in the world, couldn't he? At some point, when does he realize he's unfulfilled? The whole purpose of his career trajectory was to earn Rand's affection. At what point does he realize it isn't going to happen - if he's not already at that realization? At what point does the empty, hollowness set in? When does he realize he doesn't feel fulfilled because none of this was for HIM, this doesn't mean anything to him without Rand acknowledging him? And suppose he does get that acknowledgement. Then what? The quest is over, there's no higher goals, nothing more to achieve. Oh, sure, he can go on to be the CEO as he was born to. But would it MEAN anything to him?

I'm thinking - or hoping? - that this might be the kind of thing that gives him the wake up call. That there is no point in his life that brings him joy - except maybe eating sweets lol. But that can only be a catalyst. You're right in that a big need is for him to get away from his family, for him to exist outside of their reach, to lose that safety net.

I have a couple thoughts in this regard. Whatever Yujing is working on - likely an expose - syncs up with Shinae's graduation and Nol's release from prison. It clearly has to do with the Hiraharas - and this means Kousuke, as well. When she found out Nol had pleaded guilty, she'd been looking at an old article about Nol attacking Kousuke, which we've seen may not be what we thought it was at all, that perhaps it was Kousuke who attacked and Yui blamed Nol. There's also that incident Kousuke is so DESPERATE to hide, something Yujing knows about. It seems likely that this expose, this piece, is something that could taint the Hirahara name. Even if Kousuke was not involved in other aspects, this would end up affecting him, because a major part of his identity is that he is the Heir, so what happens if his identity is that he's the Heir of a dirty family? If it becomes known that he is not the ideal gentleman bachelor he's been made out to be? Is that enough to make him step back and see his family - especially his safety net Yui - in a new light?

There's also my favorite crack theory, that Kousuke is not Rand's son. Now, again, I don't necessarily think I believe in this as much as I enjoy exploring it, but there's been a number of little moments that feel like they could be foreshadowing - or red herrings lol. Suppose it was true, Rand isn't actually Kousuke's father. Aside from the fact that he's spent his whole life trying to earn love from this man, I think it would also be detrimental in that he'd finally have to face the unsavory parts of Yui that he tries to ignore or deny. The one pillar in his life having lied to him and egged him on to chase after this pipedream, reassured him that if he's good enough, he'd be acknowledged. Wouldn't that shatter him? Again, I'm not so sure if this is likely - it kind of feels overdramatic, but then again, the deeper we delve into the story, the more those kinds of dramatics start to feel normal.

At any rate, yes, I think he needs a wake up call that will make him see his family for what they are, make him see himself in a different light. And that's just the beginning! I really look forward to our big timeskip to see where we find Kousuke, if he's yet in a place where he can start making these changes to himself, if he's got a security network to push him to make those changes (and if he cares enough to do it lol).

Also yes, yes, very good points about Nol! Nol and Kousuke are definitely foils in that Nol had the kind of nurturing, affectionate childhood that Kousuke lacked. We've seen instances of Nol surrounded by peers his own age and we might be able to assume that, aside from being teased for having such a long name, maybe he actually got along with them? But also, because of the teasing incident, Nol had that safe space in his mother - Nessa comforted him and gave him a nickname to make up for the teasing. We've never once see Kousuke receive such affection, and I just always think about that little flashback where he's in the bush watching Nessa dote on Nol and then Yui appears before him without eyes. It's such a cold relationship, it doesn't feel like it was nurturing. She goes through the motions of being a mother, certainly, but that's the thing - the difference between mother and mom. Nol had a mom, Kousuke had a mother. And we can see that even when Nol was driven by fear, even when he was trying to distance himself, he couldn't help but indulge in those traits his mother passed on to him. He started to care about the friendships that weren't supposed to matter because he's such an empathetic person. He understands loneliness so well, how could he help but reach out to people he thought needed help? But Kousuke never developed those kinds of skills or traits. How is he meant to empathize with or understand people he was literally raised to see himself apart from. They're not like him, they are Other. Literally a formative foundation of the way he views the world!

Light and shadow plays such a role in the ILY universe. Nol is literally in the shadows, but Kousuke thinks that its him who is in the shadow cast by Nol, that he cannot let Nol shine, lest it drown out his own light. I think that really sums up the root of their relationship and their issues: Nol didn't so much want to shine as much as just share that spot with Kousuke. I think at some point he gave up trying to earn Rand's favor and instead sought out Kousuke who was in the same boat as him. But Kousuke thinks only one of them can be in the light and if it's not him, that means it's Nol - Nol who is so undeserving who hasn't put in the same effort as him. Isn't that funny? Kousuke literally was born into privilege, knows he is afforded things most others never will be, knows that he has things others could work for their whole lives and never possess. But he thinks it's Nol who has earned something without making any effort. The irony of it, man.

Don't feel bad about how much you wrote hehehe! I.... also cannot hold back when it comes to anything ILY so I'm delighted to receive equally long messages haha! Looking forward to more fun conversation with you, Lil Anon! And thank you for the well wishes! I'm going to try to make myself do more painting today! Fingers crossed (I am not doing the best job at taking care of myself this week lol I'm hoping some painting will help!)

[themovieblogonline]

The most awaited holiday of the year is here! Christmas calls for celebrating togetherness, love, family, and more. Whether you’re looking for a cozy watch with the whole family or want to embrace the magic curling on your bed, here are the top 10 animated Christmas movies to watch. 1.A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Okay, not a long movie to start the list but a stunning Christmas special. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a fabulous take on finding the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown’s quest in a world full of materialism leads him to a scraggly tree that becomes the central place for him and his friends to celebrate Christmas. See 25  minutes of joy for the perfect Christmas night. 2. Klaus (2019) Netflix brought us the magical Christmas tale with an amazing hand-drawn digital animation Klaus. When a young lazy boy is sent to a town to become a postman, he befriends a toy-maker and discovers the true spirit of Christmas. The emotional story line focuses on small gestures that are heartwarming to watch. 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) An unconventional holiday movie that blends Gothic and Christmas visuals. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, stumbles upon the Christmas town and decides to take over the holiday. As Jack attempts to do the holiday season right, he ends up wreaking havoc in his chaotic way. 4. The Grinch (2018) A modern take on the classic character of Dr. Seuss who gets a change of heart after learning the true meaning of Christmas. However, this version also gives away a backdrop of Grinch’s childhood and gives more emotional depth to the character. Benedict Cumberbatch brings his usual charm with his voice in this remake of the original 1966 movie. 5. A Christmas Carol (2009) The 3D motion-capture animation of Charles Dickens’s timeless Christmas tale is the ultimate Christmas movie we need. Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge who finds redemption as he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas, Past, Preset, and Yet to Come. Scrooge’s transformation and the climax brings an eerie twist to the plot.  6. The Polar Express (2004) Robert Zemeckis’s The Polar Express has some of the most iconic Christmas scenes of all time. An adaptation of  Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 children’s book, it follows the story of a young boy who takes a magical ride on a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Tom Hanks stars as the voices of many characters including Santa, making this a perfect watch for the holidays. 7. Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017) After winning hearts all over the world, the perfect little holiday sequel of the film Frozen was all we needed! The film is about our favorite snowman, Olaf who embarks on a journey to help Elsa and Anna set new holiday customs. Featuring beloved characters like Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven, it has references from every culture and what Christmas means to different people. 8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) One of the oldest and most loved Christmas specials. Rudolph is a reindeer with a striking red nose who is rejected by other reindeer. But when Santa struggles with his sleigh to deliver Christmas presents, his nose becomes the perfect solution to the problem. The story stayed a favorite for a whole generation as it brought in the themes of acceptance and inclusion. 9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Now how can one forget the original animated story of Dr. Seuss who wants to ruin the Christmas of the residents of Whoville? As he concocts his devious plan, he discovers that Christmas is more than materialistic goods and rather a more profound day that brings together loved ones. Thurl Ravenscroft’s voice and simplistic beauty made it a staple for centuries. 10. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022) A holiday musical that combines the timeless story and the classic character of Scrooge. Scrooge is a rich businessman who does not care about Christmas and then gets a visit from the ghosts of the past, present, and future to make him realize the importance of Christmas. The music, visuals, and story make it one of the best contemporary animated Christmas movies to watch.  So begin your holiday movie marathon and watch these humorous yet emotional Christmas movies and make the most your snowy nights. Happy Holidays! Read the full article

[themousefromfantasyland]

Fairy Tale Laws: How Fairy Tales and their Worldbuilding work

Who follows me knows I'm mega into mythology and folklore. One of my favorite pieces of folklore and fantasy literature is the Fairy Tale. Since I was a child I was always draw to the magical world of Disney films and their darker literary counterparts.

I love fairy tales, yet in my opinion they continue to be one of the more misunderstood and neglected genres out there.

So, as a Disney fan and avid fairy tale reader, in this essay I show how the genre itself generally works and which principles rule their whimsical world

Fairy Tales, Myths and Fables

The thing that fairy tales, myths and fables have in common is that they all find their origins in the oral tradition.

They were fantastical tales, not told specifically for children but deeply enjoyed by them, that were transmitted through generations.

Both fairy tales and myths don't follow real world logic, instead following their own dream-like logic, in a sequence of weird and fantastical events, that are magical and intriguing to the listener, but essentially normal to the in-universe characters.

Often than not there aren't any explanations of why these events happen and their impact of those in-universe societies, they just happen. Animals talk, mythical creatures live along with human societies just fine, inanimated objects come to life, people seem to turn into animals all the time, etc, and nothing of that seem to ever change the status quo.

The thing that differentiate the fairy tale from the myth, is that the myth is supposed to have happened in our world, but in a far off past. They are supposed to explain how our world came to be, and they have a very strong religious importance. The fairy tale on the other hand is not supposed to be took seriously. It's a fun story that the older generation tell to the younger generation. It can pass deeply important life or religious values, but that's not their main point. They are fairy tales, not fables.

The point of the fable is to transmit a moral. The point of a fairy tale is to transport the listener into a fantastical journey.

Fairy Tales vs. Oral Stories

Although many folk stories became immortal fairy tales, not all fairy tales came from oral tradition. Actually, some can be traced back to specific authors.

The Little Mermaid, the Ugly Duckling and the Steadfast Tin Soldier are all considered immortal fairy tales, yet they were all created by famous danish writer Hans Christian Andersen. A lot of his stories are authoral, and all are considered true fairy tales.

The term "Fairy Tales" actually comes from the french "conte de fées" and was coined in the 17th century by Marie-Catherine Le Jumel de Barneville, Baroness d'Aulnoy, the Madame d'Aulnoy, a french writer who wrote about a world where love and happiness came to heroines after overcoming great obstacles.

These stories arise from the Préciosité, a French literary style in the 17th century, from "les précieuses", intellectual, witty and educated women who frequented the salon of Catherine de Vivonne, marquise de Rambouillet. Themes presented in these stories are the ideals of feminine elegance, etiquette and courtly Platonic love, all hugely popular with female audiences, but scorned by men.

Telling fairy tales was a popular préciosité parlor game, and they should be told as if spontaneously, even though they all were carefully prepared. This style served as influence for Charles Perrault and Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve.

Villeneuve herself was the original author of Beauty and the Beast, and although the story is heavily inspired by older legends like Cupid and Psyche, it still is an authoral story.

Even the Brothers Grimm and Charles Perrault, who were famous for being collectors of tales from oral tradition, gave their own twists and embellishments to their tales. For example, in many Cinderella tellings it's her mother's ghost who helps her. The Fairy Godmother is Perrault's invention.

So more than been just stories from the oral tradition, fairy tales as a literary genre are the reinvention of the old tropes found in the folk stories under a more sophisticated polish, for a new public.

Fairy Tale as a literary genre

In a way I consider the Fairy Tale a sibling genre to Magical Realism. As TV Tropes puts:

"In Magic Realism, events just happen, as in dreams. [...] Magical realism is a story that takes place in a realistic setting that is recognizable as the historical past or present. It overlaps with Mundane Fantastic. It has a connection to surrealism, dream logic, and poetry."

Both use a surreal, almost poetic internal logic with little to no explanation. Magical Realism is the occurrence of a fantastical event in a realistic setting, in a fusion between the mundane and the magical world.

Fairy Tales are similar because they often deal with very domestic topics and subjects. The protagonists often are normal people with very mundane goals. They don't want to save the world, they want to save themselves and their loved ones.

Cinderella and Snow White for example, are more concerned with escaping from their abusive families than being cultural or legendary heroes like in the myths. Hansel and Gretel are trying not to die from starvation, and Red Riding Hood is trying to visit her sick grandmother. Regardless of class status, these are people with their own problems that find in the fantastical events a escape from them, or a even worse danger.

This is not a universal rule, as some characters are more heroic and there's more in stake, but generally the heroes are domestic heroes and it's only their lives that are in stake.

The difference between the Magic Realism and the Fairy Tale, is that while in the Magic Realism you can easily point where the realistic setting ends and the magical one begins, the fairy tale goes even further, and the lines between the worlds are way more muddled.

Worldbuilding in Fairy Tales

Now, that's the most important part. Fairy Tales are a sub-genre to Fantasy, but while in the other genres the magic world is described in the minimal details, often with rich details about the in-universe cultures and their rules, the Fairy Tale maintain the magic world as vague as possible. That's because it uses what I call "soft-worldbuilding".

Part of the appeal of the fairy tale is to transport the reader in a fantastical journey, but in order to do that they use as little details possible, allowing the reader to try to fill in the gaps. That's in order to avoid the magic world of feeling too real or too close to reality. The reader needs to have a sense of wonder and intrigue, and if you started to describe your world in all its details, it will become too grounded, and the wonder and the intrigue will be lost.

Said that, you need some basic rules, otherwise everything will be incredibly incoherent. You reader needs to understand how the magic world works and their rules, but they also need to be slightly lost, discovering all the details along the way and be amazed by them, lost in a mystery that they will never find all the answers.

To illustrate this, look at the differences between the Middle-earth and Narnia. One is a standard fantasy world, the other is a fairy tale world. J.R.R. Tolkien drew inspiration from the epics, C.S. Lewis drew inspiration from fairy tales and childhood stories.

The Middle-earth is grounded on its own rules, with their own races, cultures, languages and myths. Narnia is a playground were everything magical is allowed. Greek mythology creatures? Okay. Roman gods? Okay. Father Christmas? Okay. Jesus? Of course!

One is worried about all the small details, the other wants everything as vague and simple as possible, as to ensure the wonder and the intrigue will never be lost the reader.

When you're dealing with a fairy tale world you have way more freedom than the standard fantasy world. You don't need to think too deeply in the details. You can use the Rule of Funny and the Rule of Cool as much as you want, as long as it's minimal consistent and coherent

Fairy Tale Laws

This are some basic rules and principles that I believe rule over the fairy tale genre

Establish rules of how the world works. Keep it consistent and coherent. That's your base

Not every fantastical event needs a deep explanation, and magic is not allowed as an universal explanation

Keep it simple. Don't worry too much about the small details.

You don't want your world to be too grounded in reality. A little escapism is key

Poetic logic and surrealism reigns

Have fun with all the weird and magical things that crowded your world. "Rule of Cool" and "Rule of Funny" reign

Never reveal too much to your reader. They need to constantly feel as if there is something more happening off the limits of your story

Domestic heroes (As Narnia and the old dragon slayer stories show, this is not an universal rule)

The overall tone can be darker and edgier, softer and lighter, or somewhere in the middle

[prettysurethatsakidney]

“He who accepts evil is as much involved in it as he who helps to perpetrate it.

He who accepts evil without protesting against it is really cooperating with it”

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Idk how many times history has to repeat itself till y’all see the pattern

You can’t “stay out of it” in a genocide

“I don’t wanna pick sides” you just did

“I don’t want to upset anyone” you will

Neutrality does not exist in a genocide

Your silence is costing human lives

Speak the fuck up

[semper-legens]

148. A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

Owned: Yes Page count: 89 My summary: One Christmas Eve, old miser Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by four ghosts - first, his dead associate, then Christmas Past, Present, and Future. Can they convince him to change his ways before sunrise, or will he die as he lived - alone and greedy to the last? My rating: 4/5 My commentary:

Merry Christmas to all who celebrate it, and I hope you’re all having a good day! This is possibly the quintessential Christmas story apart from, uh, the whole Jesus thing, and it’s possibly the only Dickens I’ve ever read out of choice - we’ve had this little paperback ever since I was a kid, and it’s a very easy story for kids to get to grips with. You know it, I know it, let’s get to it.

So like I said, this is at its heart a very simple story, and it struck me just how much that was true reading through this time. It’s short, and to-the-point, there’s no wasted words or digressions or anything, just the basic Christmas Carol story. I can see why this book’s been adapted so often to films and television, it’s a simple and self-contained tale, from a time where telling ghost stories at Christmas was a known tradition. A way better time, is my point. Ghost stories rock.

I really like the morals on show here. It struck me, reading through again after so long, that this is the only real ‘money can’t buy happiness’ story with any meaning - so often that moral is used to shame poor people for wanting some extra cash for luxuries or to live, where it should be directed at rich people trying to exploit people to get more cash that they can hoard and not even use. Scrooge isn’t just a bad person because he hoards money, he’s a bad person because he’s uncharitable to struggling people, and underpays and mistreats his employee, and is just all around a nasty person.

And Scrooge himself is a remarkably well-developed character for the amount of time we spend with him. Sure, the visits by the ghosts are reasonably formulaic - the ghost shows him a reason why his ideals are bad, and Scrooge recants an earlier bad philosophy or says he wished he treated a person in his life better. I mean, it works, it’s effective, and you can’t really do much else with the short story format. I feel like this is also just Dickens addressing his middle or upper class audience directly. He, like the ghosts, is taking them and showing them the lives of the poor working class, and saying hey, if you treated people not like crap all the time, things would be better. Bear in mind that Dickens himself spent some time working in a factory as a child when his father was imprisoned for debts. The overall message is ‘you don’t need piles of gold to be happy, so give some of that to the people who need it’, and the story ends with Scrooge actually performing these acts of charity, hammering the message home.

Also Scrooge and Marley were lovers and the reason Scrooge is Like That is because he lost the only person he actually cared about ok byeeeeeeee.

[amplesalty]

Christmas 2019: Day 7 - A Christmas Carol: The Musical (2004)

On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me...

Seven dancing bankers!

This has always stood out as something of a sore thumb amongst the prospective Christmas Carol choices I could watch and, given some of other films on this year’s list, this is as good a time as any to look at it.

Directly comparing it to those, it doesn’t get close to that same feeling of a total tonal shift. But, it’s perhaps not massively out of place anyway given that there are moments of song and dance in a traditional Christmas Carol, be it Fezziwigg’s Christmas Ball or the fun and games at Fred’s house.

For a story all about instilling the Christmas spirit in one person in particular, it’s not just Scrooge lacking in it as the film begins; street urchins are pickpocketing the wealthy, kids are stealing from the cart of the rag and bone man and blind beggars are wilfully ignored.

Well, the joys of Christmas might be lost on the filthy but at least the filthy rich at the exchange are celebrating and enjoying the season. That is until that miserly old Scrooge turns up.

Whilst the casting of Kelsey Grammer as Scrooge is a good one, especially when it comes to the singing parts, it almost feels like his performance early on is bordering on parody. He just has this permanent sneer and eyes that seem to be welded nearly completely shut like this is Mr Magoo’s Christmas Carol. Yeah, that’s still on the list somewhere...

Still, that sneer lends an extra layer to his interaction with the charity collectors who catch up with him much earlier in this version. Rather than just talk to him normally, they sing their intentions to collect for the needy and it makes me interpret his contemptuous look less as him not wanting to be philanthropic and more that he’s confused as to why these weirdoes are singing to him. No one in musicals ever seems aware that all their conversations seem to take place melodically.

It does take a bit of the sting out of some of Scrooge’s wicked remarks to hear him speak in rhyme. “I abhor how they whine, how they want whatever’s mine. Why should I give a thing for free? Let them beg til they’re blue, it has nothing to do with me. I say, let them die and decrease the surplus population.”

On the reverse though, the Marley scene is really strange and takes what is usually dramatic and adds some humour, mostly from the casting of Jason Alexander who brings comedic tone to the whole thing through his delivery and physical performance. There’s a degree of comic mischief going on as he summons these other spirits to scare Scrooge and the odd lyric that seem to poke fun at his fettered situation:

Stacking up my silver and my bits of gold, filling up my vault when day was done! Well, vaults are made of lead and cash is very cold! And around your neck they weigh a bloody ton!

Still, there’s some sense of humanity to it I’ve not seen in other versions. For instance, I think it’s the first time I think I’ve seen Marley actually hug Scrooge even if Scrooge isn’t receptive to it. It speaks to the friendship they had before and the relief that Marley must feel now that he’s been able to finally appear to Scrooge after his many attempts before.

It’s a fun song and perhaps one of the few standouts throughout the whole film. Maybe that’s just my tastes or maybe it’s that most of the other songs feel really generic talking about your standard happiness and festive cheer type of stuff.

Or, in the case of the Cratchit’s, a number about how Bob doesn’t need a fortune, all he needs is his family. Looking at Tiny Tim makes him feel as rich as a king and he means more to him than anything. And he sings this in front of his whole family! It’s like Bob Cratchit is just destined to say well intentioned things but ultimately demean the rest of his family.

I didn’t think it was possible to make Tiny Tim any more sympathetic but adding a leg brace manages to do the job.

They show him and his father head out to buy the bird for Christmas dinner, not the prize turkey in the poulterer’s window and not the traditional goose. Just a chicken, a small one. There’s something amusing about the fact that they actually took the time to foreshadow the turkey as if it’s not surprising enough just that Scrooge buys it for the Cratchit family come the end of the movie. They have to be teased by it first, shown what they could have had if only things were different before having to settle.

Jane Krakowski shows up as the Ghost of Christmas Past, I didn’t touch on this but she played the teacher in the Christmas Story musical so that’s just another link.

She’s really good and looks very glamorous here but is it weird that I find her more attractive in the newsie look she has when she shows up earlier in the movie, filling in for her sick husband in his job lighting all the street lamps in town? Maybe it’s the sense of coyness with her slightly obscured behind the brim of the cap or that whole women in men’s shirts sorta thing.

The gimmick here is that Scrooge runs into the spirits at the start of the movie in the everyday world, Present is advertising a show and Yet to Come is a blind beggar woman. To me, this throws in this shade of grey element to proceedings. It’s a very fantastical idea for some other worldly power to send these three spirits to help Scrooge redeem himself but having the three spirits be entirely different actors locks them into being that. But, Scrooge has always talked about how his run in with Marley might just be a trick of the mind; a crumb of mouldy cheese or an underdone turnip. Maybe the negative run ins Scrooge had with these three earlier in the day triggered something in his mind and it’s projecting their images in order to help him process these feelings of wanting to better himself.

For all the sweetness and light on the exterior of Past, she really goes in on showing Scrooge the trauma of his earlier life. It’s like an origin story of his miserly ways as we go all the way back to his childhood and a day in court as his father is sentenced to prison for failing to pay his debts. As he’s ushered away, he urges Scrooge to learn from his mistakes, to earn his fortune and to keep it.

Plus we actually get to see the death of Marley who complains of feeling faint and needing to retire early for the day but not even managing to make it to the front door of their offices before collapsing. Again, even in this morbid way, it brings some tenderness to see Scrooge’s sadness at having to relive the passing of who he describes as his only friend. Plus we can’t forget the one constant of these flashbacks, his fiancé calls off their impeding nuptuals due to him becoming obsessed only with money, a fiancé played by Jennifer Love Hewitt no less. Combine all these together and maybe Scrooge isn’t the way he is because he thinks only of himself and his own wealth, maybe he’s just scared to let anyone is because everyone he ever loves seems to leave him. Father in prison, Mother dies shortly after, separated from his sister and she dies too, fiancé ditches him and his only friend dies as well.

I always saw Present as the more uncharacteristically mean spirited one but Past is pretty cold here to show him all these things. But, as she points out as Scrooge extinguishes her light, these are only the shadows of things that once were, they are what they are, don’t blame her. Aside from his usual rant at the end, Present is a little more mischevious here, his links with the Christmas show coming into play as she shoves a hapless Scrooge on stage amongst a bunch of dancing nutcrackers.

Casting a black actor in this role is a bit of a departure from the norm though. Part of me kept thought it was someone in blackface at first.

Yet to Come is a strange one as well, seemingly playing against the usual shadowy, cloaked figure you normally see. If anything, that’s what she looks like normally before she transforms into some sort of white, raggedy affair. It’s like if you were dressing someone as a snowflake or something.

We go into a graveyard scene where a number of grave diggers are singing a warning of Scrooge’s future; the sounds of hammers on his coffin, the voices of the people he never tried to save and the footsteps of them dancing on his grave. Quite chilling lyrics combined with an almost ritualistic scene of all these gravediggers working in rhythm and hooded figures leading the coffin procession. Along with Marley’s song, it’s a highlight of the soundtrack but they’re both well staged as well with lots of interesting imagery.

That whole shared misery thing at the start comes back with a vengeance when Old Joe shows up to buy Scrooge’s bed curtains. Scrooge’s house keeper promptly has her earnings wrenched from her hand, truly there is no honour amongst thieves.

Not quite as miserable as seeing the whole Cratchit family around Tiny Tim’s freshly made grave. The Muppets version with Piggy and Kermit mourning their dead son is pretty grim but this might potentially top it. I don’t think I’ve ever seen this portrayed in any of the other versions, you normally get Bob returning from visiting the grave himself.

Poor family can’t even afford the T on the cross marking his grave. Or is that just the name of the impeding Christmas Carol shared universe origin story of Bob Cratchit; I’m Cratchit.

And whilst it lacks the out of body experiences what Patrick Stewart and Alistair Sim went through upon awaking back in the real world, the lack of dancing can perhaps be forgiven in the face of what has been an hour and a half of singing and dancing. Instead, we reflect back on the start of the movie as Scrooge has now learned to keep Christmas in his heart and that ‘it all has to do with me!’. Having experienced similar in the Christmas Story musical, I guess this is traditional to reprise certain songs throughout the show but at times it gets a little tedious to me. That might just be some bad examples here though because in Christmas Story it was just adding to the feeling of it dragging and here it’s using songs that aren’t the best. This specific example I liked though, it wraps up the arc that Scrooge has gone through and underlines the change in his character.

With the musical aspect being it’s selling point and most of its musical numbers not being very entertaining, this probably ranks amongst the weaker of the Christmas Carol adaptations I’ve seen but as these things often do, it’s added its own little elements to the story that have made me look at Scrooge in a different way.

[swissmissficrecs]

Word count: 41,473 Chapters: 8/8 Fandom: Sherlock (TV), Doctor Who (2005) Rating: Teen And Up Audiences Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply Relationships: Sherlock Holmes/John Watson, Mary Morstan/John Watson, Clara/Harry Watson, Harry Watson & John Watson Characters: Sherlock Holmes, John Watson, Mrs. Hudson (Sherlock Holmes), Harry Watson, Molly Hooper, Greg Lestrade, Thirteenth Doctor, Clara (Sherlock), Donna Noble, Tenth Doctor Additional Tags: Christmas, Inspired by A Christmas Carol, Alternative Timelines, Crossover, Fix-It, Fix-It of Sorts, Post-Canon Fix-It Series: Part 8 of Wild About Harry Summary:

John's not really big on Christmas; and this year, the first after Mary's death, he's not feeling it. Everyone's away, Sherlock's on a case--alone--and Rosie's asleep. But that's all right. He's fine. He'll just have a quiet Christmas Eve by himself, drinking in front of the telly.

Only out there in time and space, there's another Doctor who thinks that sounds like the saddest thing ever. And she's going to do something about it.

Thirteen takes John on a whirlwind tour of Christmases past and future. The more he learns about this time travel thing, the more John starts to wonder: how did his current timeline become...what it is? And might these alternatives hold the key to a less miserable present, and maybe a brighter future?

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Rec: Once again, I am baffled by the low number of hits this fic has received. It’s a Johnlock-focused post-series 4 fixit with an intricate and creative plot, vivid characterizations, amazing OC’s, brilliant insights and commentary, exciting action sequences, barely any Rosie, introspection and healing, profound emotional connections, a resolution that explains much of the downright inconsistency and weirdness of series 4, and what might be the best twist I have ever seen in a fic. This was literally my face when I got to it:

So if you are up for any or all of that, this is the place to find it.

Having said that, there are still two factors that I can see that might make people hesitate, so let me address those. First, the crossover aspect. All I know about Doctor Who is what I’ve gleaned from other Wholock crossovers, regular Sherlock fics in which John is a fan, anti-Mofftiss metas and rants on Tumblr, and a few gifsets from mutuals who are fans of both shows. You don’t need more than that. I did skim over the cybermen stuff a bit but I suspect that anyone who has actually watched Doctor Who will enjoy this twice as much. I think the Doctor(s) in particular are fabulously done and I enjoyed the heck out of them even with no experience of the real actors.

The second thing is the fact that this is part 8 of a much longer series (itself covering at least 2 separate parallel timelines) and it’s true that there are some things that might be weird or confusing without at least some basic familiarity with the previous stories. If you want to read this cold, then just go in with the understanding that there are alternate realities, and John from the series 4 reality visits some of the alternates in a “ghosts of Christmas past/present/future” type of scenario. If you want the full, rich appreciation of the author’s fertile mind and creative genius, do yourself a favor and read the earlier parts of the series too, either before or after you’ve read this. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.

[marulikestea]

Corregidor

Last December of 2016, upon the invitation of Ian's friend Jophet, we went to Corregidor Island for a day tour. Going to this place has always been one of my bucketlist goals (local ruins, omg omg!), so when this opportunity was presented to me, I said yes in a heartbeart.

The schedule of our tour was just a day before my company’s Christmas celebration, so understandably, I didn’t have much rest and sleep prior to that day. But I was quite confident (or I prolly just gave up lol) I could wing it without much preparation so I slept soundly before dressing down to my sleeping gear.

 When Saturday came,  I should have known that the troll god would have other plans in store for me.

You know Murphy’s law right? That famous “Anything that can go wrong, will go wrong” kind of crap thing? Well, as it happened, I’ve become a wonderful target by that law during that morning. 

I'd like to delve on the details, but I thought a bulleted summary of my (and Ian's as collateral damage) misfortune would suffice:

I didn't woke to the sound of my alarm phone, but to Ian's text saying that he's already near to pick me up. And I just friggin woke up.

Since panic and lost of prep time wasn't enough, I couldn’t find my glasses; thus, I ended meeting up with Ian late; 

Despite our Initial-D-mode attempts to reach MOA seaside terminal to beat the time, we took a wrong turn and ended up lost in the process. Twice. 

Basically, we did a clutch move arrival (barely) and met up with the rest of the gang, LOL. Despite the close call, we managed to board the sun cruises boat without a hitch and spent an hour ride to the famous “rock” island.

While on transit, Ian and Lance saw their Chinese officemates, who were just seated at the back. It's a very small world, as they say, and Sun Cruises made it smaller when they gave out that Christmas tour promo, if you know what I mean, lol.

To kill time before our arrival, I watched the Corregidor-related videos on tv (made by Sun Cruises or NatGeo) , played Mystic Messenger on my phone and slept.

An hour later, we finally arrived at our destination.

It took awhile before the crew men managed to tie up the boat to the landing docks. After disembarking to the island, this was the sight that greeted us.

Sadly, so many floating trash could be seen at the docks (though not apparent in the image above because I cut it from view) .

From what I suspected, these wastes were taken in by the ocean waves from Manila bay. 

This idea was further affirmed when I saw an bulletin board nearby, with the following words written:  

“Please help in preventing garbage disposal into manila bay. Corregidor Island is suffering from this condition. Your cooperation in advocating policies to help our government in controlling sea-borne wastes is urgently needed. Thank you.”

It’s very unfortunate. I didn’t go to this place to see something like this. If I did, then I wouldn’t have left the city, since garbage such as these are always present there on a daily basis, be it objects or people.  

Sigh.

Luckily enough, we didn’t stay too much on the area since the tour guides urged us to ride the orange travel buses called tramvias so as not to waste the day away.

Lorcha Dock Our first stop in the tour, which was just a few meters away from the docking area. This was  MacArthur's Departure Point for Australia. Contrary to popular belief, his famous phrase “I shall return” were not uttered here, but in Australia.

A monument of MacArthur. This is also where we had our souvenir shots taken. 

But regardless of that, it didn’t changed the fact that he still went back to the Philippines, even if it meant disobeying orders from his superiors just to return. Of course that entailed insubordination, but having won the war, all's well that ends well I guess.

Middleside Barracks

Our second stop, not far from the Lorcha Dock.  This place is one of the signature sceneries you see when you search for Corregidor on the internet. Destroyed by Japanese bombs during the war, this is now but a husk of its former glory, with nothing but ghosts and goats to roam its vicinity.

“Nothing but goats and ghosts”, as our tour guide had mentioned.

Battery Way

Our next stop. Named after Lt. Henry Way of the 4th US Artillery, this was one of the areas were Corregidor’s heavy artillery were housed. According to the tour guide, this place was the last to surrender to the Japanese, only after firing all its rounds and exhausting the guns.  

Not all open doors are welcoming.

One of the four guns in the vicinity. Had to wait for everyone to leave before getting a decent solo shot of this.

View from inside the cannon.

Battery Grubbs

Unlike the artillery from the previous battery, battery Grubbs contains the two disappearing guns used for gunning down areal assault via stealth, as far as I remember.

A selfie of us together, lol.

A triangular island from a distance, whose name and importance I’ve already forgotten. 

Battery Hearn

Considered as the most powerful artillery in the island, this gun had the farthest range compared to the normal guns in the batteries recently visited.

Named after Brigadier General Clint C. Hearn.

Not far from the Hearn rests a crater site that shows how enormous a damage from an enemy strike was.

Mile-long Barracks 

A long stretch along the area, this establishment used to house many soldiers and their families during those times. Now, only its memories and ruins lie in its wake. 

Collapsed edges of the mile-long barracks. 

Pacific War Memorial & Museum

One of the longer stops of the tour, we were given an hour of free time to roam around the vicinity, which we used up to the best of our abilities, covering all grounds as much as time would let us. 

The front of the pacific war memorial.

This place is considered to be a sacred place of sorts. Light from the sun would enter from the opening above and then would shine straight at the altar, for which it was dedicated to the honorable fallen.

The musuem. There’s also a small souvenir shop at the back where I bought magnets for my mom.

This place holds some of the recovered and donated artifacts of the island during world war II. The following are images of some of the historical antiques that caught my eye:

Original American flag during world war 2: This only has 45 stars in it.

 To relieve pain or to relieve death... I guess there’s no way of knowing that now.

Cats! :3

I wonder what time this clock stopped during those days... 

A watch without hands of time. I guess it doesn’t need it anymore.

For some reason, I remember Captain America movie when I saw this.

Lol. I’d like to give a medal like this to some lying losers that I know but that would just tarnish the medal’s true meaning. Such a shame.

Cine Corregidor Ruins

Back in the day, the latest movies shown in the US would get released here in advance. People who lived in the island basically had a cozy and privileged lifestyle, until war came and bathe everything in flames of course.

A close up photo of moi, coz I’m too damn vain lol.

Brother in arms statue. Our tour guide made us guessed which one of the two was the Filipino and American. As so it happens, the wounded soldier was our countryman. A similar statue like this also exists in America too, apparently, but with the roles reversed.  

The Spanish Lighthouse

According to our tour guide, the Spanish Lighthouse was one of the oldest establishments here in Corregidor. Destroyed and rebuilt some time in the past, this place was a trading spot back in the galleon days. 

This was also the place for our lunch break and souvenir buying too.

At the top of the world. Zero fucks given, by Jophet and Lance, lol.

Them silly bois making heart shapes at us.

After scaling the lighthouse, we proceeded to the buffet area where lunch was being served. Upon stepping in the premises, we were welcomed with this earthy breezy place, together with a complimentary colorful-looking gulaman drink.

Our welcome gulaman drink. So colorful!

After securing ourselves some tables and letting Jophet, Lance and Charles get food while we kept an eye on their belongings, Ian and I went to get our grub.

Food haul from the buffet table.

The only decent pic of us, i think? And it’s with food, lol!

After one hour had past, with me rushing to gobble down all my food and suffering from indigestion in the process, we continued with the rest of the tour.

While on route to our next destination, our guide has been telling us about how the Japanese infiltrated the island, by using the caves they’ve either found or dug on their own.

One of the cave entrances where the Japanese hid themselves during invasion

Filipino Memorial Park

As the name entails, this place serves as a memorial to all the Filipino heroes of the past. 

Pres. Manuel Quezon, President, Philippine Commonwealth “ I am not the president of the rich, and I am not the president of the poor either! I am the president of the Philippines, of the Filipino people, rich and poor alike. The duty of the president of the Philippines is a duty which he owes to the whole Filipino people.”

Pres. Sergio Osmenia, Sr.

Filipino Woman “Who was involved in the many events in our history and as a symbol of peace and inspiration to our gallant men in their fight for the preservation of our honor and freedom.”

The Filipino flag, the very symbol of freedom that was hardly fought and won by our forefathers of many generations.

Here’s a chronology of the Philippine History, based from the murals that adorn the whole perimeter:

Battle of Mactan (1521)

Datu Sirongan And Sultan Kudarat in Mindanao (16th -7th Century)

Bankao's Apostasy in Leyte (1621)

Sumoroy Rebellion (1645-1650)

Andres Malong of Pangasinan (1660)

Dagohoy Revolt (1744-1829)

Diego and Gabriela Silang in Ilocos (1763)

Palaris Revolt in Pangasinan (1762)

Hermano Pule Revolt (1840-1841)

Philippine Revolution (1896)

Filipino-American War (1899)

World War II (1941-1945)

Guerilla Movement

EDSA Revolution (Feb 22-25, 1986)

And at the heart of it all, is this message.

Japanese Garden of Peace

Our second to the last stop was a memorial site for the fallen Japanese soldiers during the war. According to our tour guide, the Filipinos, who had suffered at the hands of the Japanese, refused to bury their dead in the island. But unattended dead bodies could lead to further complications such as diseases, so the Americans buried the bodies. 

Later on, when the war had already passed, a memorial was erected as a way appease the souls of the past and those they’ve left behind, as well as to move on from the tragedy the war had caused.

For the repose of souls

“This monument is dedicated to the souls of Filipino, American and Japanese, soldiers whose lives were given in a battle which occurred here on May 5, 1942 when our regiment of the 4th division landed on this island.

We ardently pray for the eternal repose of their souls and everlasting peace throughout the world.”

At first, I thought these were just ordinary stepping stones on the grass. Upon closer inspection, they were also headstones for the souls of Japanese soldiers.

A statue of perhaps a deity from a distance. 

Malinta Tunnel

Our last stop: The lights and sounds presentation inside the Malinta tunnel. For this leg of the tour, we had to purchase tickets in order to enter the premises. We had the option to skip this part, where in this case the tramvia would drive ahead and proceed to an alternate path to reach the other side of the tunnel; but we were told that we would be missing a certain chunk of the Corregidor experience if we didn’t push through inside. Lance, being the gallant friend that he is,  treated us with our tickets so we didn’t have to worry about anything else.

The ticket was worth P200 per head.

As the tunnel gates opened to admit us, we were embraced by this heavy darkness. It took awhile for our eyes to adjust, but when it did, it didn't decrease the feeling of dread and anticipation that was creeping inside. I wonder how the people of Corregidor felt when bombs kept shaking the earth beneath them.

I'm sure it was ten times worse. Even more.

Small lights located at the sides lit one by one then, beckoning us to walk further along the straight path. I held Ian's hand to make sure he was by my side when we moved.

As we reached the nearest chamber of the tunnel, sounds of past recordings played, accompanied by lights that illuminated these immortalized figures of men in gold that depicted certain events before the tunnel was overrun.

A representation of what happened inside the tunnel during the war.

Every chamber we walked passed, a page of this place's history was added. Ingrained. Again and again, this went on until we reached almost the end of the tunnel, where the Philippine flag stood still and proud. And as the presentation ended, the song of our national anthem played.

Wounded people inside the tunnel’s makeshift hospital 

As the hymn ended, the doors to the other side opened, and the light of the exit came rushing forth.

Ian the tourist. :P

Ian and I were the last people to get in the bus, due to the slow trio taking pictures at the Malinta tunnel entrance (which was where we exited, ironically enough). Because of this, we earned ourselves a slow troll clap from Jophet, Lance and Charles. (Lol)

We went back to the bay area in just a short time and spent another hour travelling back to the seaside terminal in Manila. Since there was still time before sundown, the boys went cart racing, while I took a rest and ate french fries beside the track.

Overall, this experience has been a very educating and fulfilling one. I guess, this is why I like visiting old ruins, because each of these old forgotten structures hold and impart a certain piece of history that was once important to those people who lived in that era.

I've always known myself to be an old soul, so I guess I tune in pretty well in places such as this. I feel a sense of peace and nostalgia, as well as a bit of hope that not everything is lost and forgotten by time, even if that memory is a good one or a bad one.

[lizzielambwriter]

It is my pleasure to welcome Sharon Booth to my blog. Sharon and I ‘found’ each other via Facebook and the Romantic Novelists’ Association. Sharon is a hardworking and inspired novelist and a generous supporter of other writers.

      We met ‘in the flesh’ for the first time last year at the RNA Afternoon Tea in York. Sharon is every bit as warm and friendly as I’d imagined. Take it away, Sharon . . .

I write contemporary romance, with a generous sprinkling of humour thrown in for good measure. For many years, I tried to write big, dramatic, historical sagas, as I’d grown up reading Catherine Cookson novels, and thought that was the sort of thing I should be writing. It took me quite some time to realise that, as wonderful as those books are, they’re not the sort of books I need to write. I started to create contemporary stories, filled with heroines I would happily hang out with, and heroes I fell in love with. Now, I have nine books published! Two of those books started life as People’s Friend pocket novels, which was a dream come true, as it meant my work was actually on the shelves in supermarkets and WH Smith.

I have also sold the large-print rights for the pocket novels, to Ulverscroft, and the first one was published last April, as part of its Linford Romance Library, with the second one coming out in March. This means I also have books in libraries.

I live in East Yorkshire with my husband and German Shepherd dog. I have five grown-up children and seven grandchildren.  I’m one tenth of the blogging group, The Write Romantics. I’m shamefully prone to developing huge crushes on fictional heroes, and I never lose hope that, one day, I will hear the sound of those Tardis engines …

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A Q and A session with Sharon. I’m sure you’ll find her answers and inspirational.

advice for fledgling authors

If you really want to write, do it. Don’t wait until you “have the time” or until inspiration strikes. Pick up a pen, or sit at that computer, and start. I’ve been told, many times, by various people, that they would love to write a book “if they had the time”. The fact is, you have to make the time. I have a family and a day job. If you want to write, you will push everything else aside and do it.

Seek out other writers. It’s a very lonely business if you don’t make contact, and the writing community is so supportive. Join a writing group, or make online connections. Maybe join the Romantic Novelists’ Association if your genre is romance.

Read the genre you write in. Read how-to-write books. If you can afford it, take writing courses.

Be prepared for rejection and develop a skin like a rhinoceros hide – or, at least, pretend to.

Don’t expect to get rich. Keep writing. Don’t give up. If you want this, you must make it happen.

Be kind to other writers. It’s a tough world out there, so share their news, encourage, support and congratulate. Learn to promote your own stuff, but don’t be afraid to promote other people’s. There’s room for everyone.

Most of all, don’t forget to enjoy it. Writing is a job, and it’s undoubtedly hard work. You started writing because you love it, never lose sight of that.

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Who or what has inspired you the most to become a writer?

Enid Blyton, whose stories sparked my love for books and reading, which, in turn, made me want to write my own stories.

My English teacher, from the age of thirteen until I left school. My English teacher was so encouraging and supportive, really making me believe that this was something I could do. For the first time in my life, I began to think that writing was a gift, and that I should nurture it and be proud of it.

A BBC programme, Reader, I Married Him, back in 2008, or thereabouts, ignited that flame of hope again, after years spent raising children, and writing nothing more exciting than shopping lists.

Jane Wenham-Jones’s book, Wannabe a Writer? convinced me that, yes, I really, really did, and led me to study creative writing, read numerous how-to books, and eventually join the Romantic Novelists’ Association New Writers’ Scheme.

Milly Johnson and Sue Townsend. Reading books by these two wonderful writers, about people I knew and understood, I finally realised that I could write about people like me, and that books could be funny, too.

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If not a writer – then what?

I do have a day job, working for the NHS. If I’m honest, though, that’s not a path I chose, exactly.  I’d already given up on the idea of university, as I’d been assured that it wasn’t for “people like us”. I wanted to be a primary school teacher at one point, in my early thirties, and took a further education course aimed at women keen to return to work after having children. A careers guide visited us, and suggested I should aim lower, and try to be a teaching assistant instead. My already fragile confidence was shattered. I spent a few more years floundering, before finally gathering my courage and signing up for a degree in literature with the Open University,  graduating with honours in my mid-forties. I want people to know that it’s never too late to realise your dreams,  don’t listen to the doubters.

      https://unsplash.com/@eryk10

https://unsplash.com/@michael_d_beckwith

Tell us a little bit about where you set your novels

I set my novels in Yorkshire – which is such a huge and diverse county. My Kearton Bay novels are set on the North Yorkshire coast, in a little village that bears a remarkable resemblance to Robin Hood’s Bay. Bit by bit, I’ve built up a whole world around that village, spreading out into the Yorkshire Moors and creating a network of villages and towns that also feature in my Moorland Heroes and Bramblewick series. The Skimmerdale series, on the other hand, is set over in the stunningly beautiful Yorkshire Dales. I have another series in my mind, which will take place in the Yorkshire Wolds, which is an area on my doorstep – the Wolds Way actually starts in my home town of Hessle, right by the Humber Bridge. It’s an underrated area, often overlooked as people rave about the Moors and Dales. I absolutely love Yorkshire, and like nothing more than heading out for the day to take in the stunning views or ancient buildings. We’ve got plenty of castles and abbeys to choose from, that’s for sure.

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My current book is Saving Mr Scrooge, the second in my Moorland Heroes series – the first being https://read.amazon.co.uk/kp/card?asin=B071P54ZFX&preview=inline&linkCode=kpe&ref_=cm_sw_r_kb_dp_40ZuAbW97SJ7J“>Resisting Mr Rochester.

It’s the time of peace on earth and goodwill to all men, but at Carroll’s Confectionary, the meaning of Christmas seems to have been forgotten. New boss, Kit Carroll, is hardly winning friends with his high-handed attitude, his foolhardy approach to production, and his tight-fisted treatment of the factory’s employees. Marley Jacobs, his self-styled PA, is determined to make him see the error of his ways, and return the festive spirit to Carroll’s Confectionary.

Unfortunately, the little matter of their previous relationship, along with Kit’s callous treatment of her when they were teenage sweethearts, keeps getting in the way of her good intentions. With encouragement from co-worker Don, romantic sister Olivia, and — astonishingly — the usually sceptical Great Uncle Charles, Marley decides to save this modern-day Mr Scrooge from himself, despite having no well-meaning ghosts to help her.

But revisiting the past doesn’t just stir things up for Kit. As Marley struggles to deal with bittersweet memories, present-day events take a surprising turn. Can the future be changed, after all? And is it only Kit who needs saving?

“Sharon Booth’s writing just gets better and better…” Review of Saving Mr Scrooge: Being Anne Book Blog.

“Everything you want in a Christmassy book”. Review of Christmas at the Country Practice: Writer up the Hill.

“A terrific book from a terrific author”. Review of Resisting Mr Rochester: Antrim Cycle

“There Must Be an Angel is one of those delightful stories that grabs you by the hand on page one”. Review of There Must Be an Angel: Jaffa Reads Too.

“A hugely entertaining jaunt of a novel through the Yorkshire dales”. Review of This Other Eden: Random Badger.

      Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash

https://unsplash.com/@marcuslcramer

I’m currently working on the second in my Skimmerdale series, the sequel to This Other Eden. I’m very much enjoying revisiting my gorgeous Yorkshire Dales sheep farmer, Eliot! I’m also working on the third Bramblewick novel, which continues the story of the village surgery, and the medical and reception staff who work there.

You can find out more about Sharon and her book here – www.sharonboothwriter.com

**featured image – Whitby, Yorks – https://unsplash.com/@grafiklee

Guest Post – Welcome Sharon Booth – It is my pleasure to welcome Sharon Booth to my blog. Sharon and I 'found' each other via Facebook and the…

[levenezach-blog]

Themes

In our play, A Christmas Carol is the piece which appears the most throughout its duration. While Oliver Twist and Great Expectations are also involved they are not as prominent and for this reason the meanings behind them are slightly harder to understand.

Since only two short scenes of Oliver Twist are contained in the play and only the start for Great expectations. There isn't much that one could take away from them. But If they are to take anything away it would be that although Charles Dickens wrote about the poor and needy along time ago back in the 1800s, we still live in a world where there are children being sold in horrible conditions and there are still poor people struggling to live while being ignored by the rich. So although we do not see much of these two plays we still give the audience something they can take home with them to think about.

In our version we show more or less the entire story of A Christmas Carol and therefore it is quite easy for the audience to understand the deeper meanings and morals of it.

The play is based around an old bitter man by the name of Ebenezer Scrooge. As soon as we are introduced to him we realise that is he unjustifiably cruel and overall an unpleasant man to strangers and family. We are shown this by his interactions with his nephew Fred Hollowell, his loyal and kind hearted assistant Bob Cratchit and a pair of kind souls who were seeking for some money for the poor and needy because of the festive time of year. Throughout the course of the play Scrooge is visited by Three different ghosts who each show him different visions of his past, present and future. By the last ghost Scrooge has had time to truly contemplate on his life and realise that he can't go about it being as cruel as he is and because of this he is turned into a much kinder and empathetic man.

The main overall Theme of Scrooge is to not be greedy and cruel for you may not know what you have until you lose it. And i do think this is a very good message to send to teenagers, which is our target audience, since it will be somewhat of an eye opener to them as they are growing up not to become bitter with age and not to let life's experiences corrupt you. But if one was to look deeper they would come to realise that there is far more to it than just that. Bob Cratchit is a fine example of this. He is a man who is very poor and is working for Scrooge most likely on minimum wage, but he comes into work everyday because he loves his family deeply and needs to provide for them. He is so humble that he works every day of the year and although after asking if he could have it off was willing to work on Christmas day as well. He practically has to beg Scrooge to allow him to have just one day off from work to spend with his loved ones. He is also shouted at, undermined and completely disregarded by Scrooge constantly but he still doesn't speak an ill word about him and goes as far to defend him when he's not around and even toasts to him. As we see in a scene later on in the play were the the Spirit of Christmas Present is showing Scrooge the Cratchits enjoying their Christmas.

BOB CRATCHIT: (Raising his glass) My dear, to Mr. Scrooge. I give you Mr. Scrooge, the founder of the feast.

MRS. CRATCHIT: The founder of the feast indeed! I wish I had him here! I‟d give him a piece of my mind to feast upon, and hope he'd have a good appetite for it.

BOB CRATCHIT: My dear, Christmas Eve.

MRS. CRATCHIT: It should be Christmas Eve, I'm sure, when one drinks to the health of such an odious, stingy, hard, unfeeling man as Mr. Scrooge. You know he is, Robert! Nobody knows it better than you do, poor dear.

BOB CRATCHIT: I only know one thing on Christmas: that one must be charitable.

But Bob Cratchits loyalty does not go unrewarded and he is graced with a giant goose to enjoy with his family by Scrooge at the end of the play, and is more than likely treated significantly better at work in his days yet to come. The moral one could take from this is to always be the best person you could be even when times are tough, for a good deed could go along way for someone else.

He is also a religious man and could get inspiration from the bible quote:

Luke 6:38 Give, and you will receive. Your gift will return to you in full--pressed down, shaken together to make room for more, running over, and poured into your lap. The amount you give will determine the amount you get back."

[tgfplastics-blog]

Morals from “A Christmas Carol”

Tis the season to indulge in our favorite holiday traditions, goodies, stories, etc. One beloved tale is the classic, “A Christmas Carol”.  When it was published in 1843, Charles Dickens was focused on the theme of society’s treatment of people, particularly poor people. However, the novella remains well-loved because, as humans, we can identify with a man who loses touch with his humanity, only to find it through a series of (in his case supernatural) events. We are able to travel with Ebenezer Scrooge through his life-changing journey and here are some valuable lessons we can take away from his experience.

Jacob Marley’s Warning

Jacob Marley was Scrooge’s business partner and possible only friend who comes back seven years after his death to warn Scrooge not to make the same mistakes he has made. Jacob Marley is roaming in purgatory, covered in the chains of sin, trying to give Scrooge the second chance he did not have. In business and in life we all have the opportunity to assess and reevaluate who we are, and the direction we are going. One of the best ways to do this is to look at the people in our sphere of influence. Who is successful and what are they doing, who is happy and what is their secret? We can learn from the successes and mistakes of others to help us in life. We don’t want to end up like Jacob Marley.

The Ghost of Christmas Past

The Ghost of Christmas Past represents memory and visits Scrooge to take him back to significant moments from his life, good and bad. This ghost has a flame-like head and comes with a cap. When Scrooge tries to put the cap on its head as if to extinguish the flame, it protests and tells Scrooge, memories need to be looked at rather than snuffed out. The Ghost of Christmas Past shows us a Scrooge that used to be lovable and connected, he wasn’t always heartless and greedy. It can be difficult to reconnect with your former self but necessary to find a long-lost spark and exuberance. Look to your past to guide your future, especially when you start to feel burned out.

The Ghost of Christmas Present

The Ghost of Christmas Present represents the ideals of the holiday season. At the Cratchit’s, the family is happy and satisfied even though they don’t possess a vast amount of material items. At Scrooge’s nephew, Fred’s, they are joyous while celebrating and having fun while playing games. The common theme of this section are the two families rich with their relationships contrasted with Scrooge’s fortune and loneliness. What is the point of having the means if you can’t share it with the people you love? This story is explicit in the commentary of people over profits. We are all in business to make a profit but there must be a balance between taking and giving.

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come

The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come represents death. This ghost shows Scrooge the very outcome of what happens after he dies, and it is pretty bleak. People do not have pleasant things to say about him, some are relieved because they owe him money, and he does not save Tiny Tim. Everyone tries to make their mark in life but when it is all said and done, we can’t take our material possessions with us so that leaves our moral conscious and no regrets. Scrooge has his epiphany and decides to make the changes to become a better person. Charles Dickens writes, “No space of regret can make amends for one life’s opportunity misused.”  Becoming a person who lives a selfless life, and has empathy and compassion for others is beneficial to every area of your personal and professional life and is the true measure of success. Merry Christmas!

[themovieblogonline]

The most awaited holiday of the year is here! Christmas calls for celebrating togetherness, love, family, and more. Whether you’re looking for a cozy watch with the whole family or want to embrace the magic curling on your bed, here are the top 10 animated Christmas movies to watch. 1.A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Okay, not a long movie to start the list but a stunning Christmas special. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a fabulous take on finding the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown’s quest in a world full of materialism leads him to a scraggly tree that becomes the central place for him and his friends to celebrate Christmas. See 25  minutes of joy for the perfect Christmas night. 2. Klaus (2019) Netflix brought us the magical Christmas tale with an amazing hand-drawn digital animation Klaus. When a young lazy boy is sent to a town to become a postman, he befriends a toy-maker and discovers the true spirit of Christmas. The emotional story line focuses on small gestures that are heartwarming to watch. 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) An unconventional holiday movie that blends Gothic and Christmas visuals. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, stumbles upon the Christmas town and decides to take over the holiday. As Jack attempts to do the holiday season right, he ends up wreaking havoc in his chaotic way. 4. The Grinch (2018) A modern take on the classic character of Dr. Seuss who gets a change of heart after learning the true meaning of Christmas. However, this version also gives away a backdrop of Grinch’s childhood and gives more emotional depth to the character. Benedict Cumberbatch brings his usual charm with his voice in this remake of the original 1966 movie. 5. A Christmas Carol (2009) The 3D motion-capture animation of Charles Dickens’s timeless Christmas tale is the ultimate Christmas movie we need. Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge who finds redemption as he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas, Past, Preset, and Yet to Come. Scrooge’s transformation and the climax brings an eerie twist to the plot.  6. The Polar Express (2004) Robert Zemeckis’s The Polar Express has some of the most iconic Christmas scenes of all time. An adaptation of  Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 children’s book, it follows the story of a young boy who takes a magical ride on a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Tom Hanks stars as the voices of many characters including Santa, making this a perfect watch for the holidays. 7. Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017) After winning hearts all over the world, the perfect little holiday sequel of the film Frozen was all we needed! The film is about our favorite snowman, Olaf who embarks on a journey to help Elsa and Anna set new holiday customs. Featuring beloved characters like Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven, it has references from every culture and what Christmas means to different people. 8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) One of the oldest and most loved Christmas specials. Rudolph is a reindeer with a striking red nose who is rejected by other reindeer. But when Santa struggles with his sleigh to deliver Christmas presents, his nose becomes the perfect solution to the problem. The story stayed a favorite for a whole generation as it brought in the themes of acceptance and inclusion. 9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Now how can one forget the original animated story of Dr. Seuss who wants to ruin the Christmas of the residents of Whoville? As he concocts his devious plan, he discovers that Christmas is more than materialistic goods and rather a more profound day that brings together loved ones. Thurl Ravenscroft’s voice and simplistic beauty made it a staple for centuries. 10. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022) A holiday musical that combines the timeless story and the classic character of Scrooge. Scrooge is a rich businessman who does not care about Christmas and then gets a visit from the ghosts of the past, present, and future to make him realize the importance of Christmas. The music, visuals, and story make it one of the best contemporary animated Christmas movies to watch.  So begin your holiday movie marathon and watch these humorous yet emotional Christmas movies and make the most your snowy nights. Happy Holidays! Read the full article

[themovieblogonline]

The most awaited holiday of the year is here! Christmas calls for celebrating togetherness, love, family, and more. Whether you’re looking for a cozy watch with the whole family or want to embrace the magic curling on your bed, here are the top 10 animated Christmas movies to watch. 1.A Charlie Brown Christmas (1965) Okay, not a long movie to start the list but a stunning Christmas special. A Charlie Brown Christmas is a fabulous take on finding the true meaning of Christmas. Charlie Brown’s quest in a world full of materialism leads him to a scraggly tree that becomes the central place for him and his friends to celebrate Christmas. See 25  minutes of joy for the perfect Christmas night. 2. Klaus (2019) Netflix brought us the magical Christmas tale with an amazing hand-drawn digital animation Klaus. When a young lazy boy is sent to a town to become a postman, he befriends a toy-maker and discovers the true spirit of Christmas. The emotional story line focuses on small gestures that are heartwarming to watch. 3. The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) An unconventional holiday movie that blends Gothic and Christmas visuals. Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town, stumbles upon the Christmas town and decides to take over the holiday. As Jack attempts to do the holiday season right, he ends up wreaking havoc in his chaotic way. 4. The Grinch (2018) A modern take on the classic character of Dr. Seuss who gets a change of heart after learning the true meaning of Christmas. However, this version also gives away a backdrop of Grinch’s childhood and gives more emotional depth to the character. Benedict Cumberbatch brings his usual charm with his voice in this remake of the original 1966 movie. 5. A Christmas Carol (2009) The 3D motion-capture animation of Charles Dickens’s timeless Christmas tale is the ultimate Christmas movie we need. Jim Carrey plays Ebenezer Scrooge who finds redemption as he is visited by the ghosts of Christmas, Past, Preset, and Yet to Come. Scrooge’s transformation and the climax brings an eerie twist to the plot.  6. The Polar Express (2004) Robert Zemeckis’s The Polar Express has some of the most iconic Christmas scenes of all time. An adaptation of  Chris Van Allsburg’s 1985 children’s book, it follows the story of a young boy who takes a magical ride on a train to the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Tom Hanks stars as the voices of many characters including Santa, making this a perfect watch for the holidays. 7. Olaf's Frozen Adventure (2017) After winning hearts all over the world, the perfect little holiday sequel of the film Frozen was all we needed! The film is about our favorite snowman, Olaf who embarks on a journey to help Elsa and Anna set new holiday customs. Featuring beloved characters like Elsa, Anna, Kristoff, and Sven, it has references from every culture and what Christmas means to different people. 8. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (1964) One of the oldest and most loved Christmas specials. Rudolph is a reindeer with a striking red nose who is rejected by other reindeer. But when Santa struggles with his sleigh to deliver Christmas presents, his nose becomes the perfect solution to the problem. The story stayed a favorite for a whole generation as it brought in the themes of acceptance and inclusion. 9. How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966) Now how can one forget the original animated story of Dr. Seuss who wants to ruin the Christmas of the residents of Whoville? As he concocts his devious plan, he discovers that Christmas is more than materialistic goods and rather a more profound day that brings together loved ones. Thurl Ravenscroft’s voice and simplistic beauty made it a staple for centuries. 10. Scrooge: A Christmas Carol (2022) A holiday musical that combines the timeless story and the classic character of Scrooge. Scrooge is a rich businessman who does not care about Christmas and then gets a visit from the ghosts of the past, present, and future to make him realize the importance of Christmas. The music, visuals, and story make it one of the best contemporary animated Christmas movies to watch.  So begin your holiday movie marathon and watch these humorous yet emotional Christmas movies and make the most your snowy nights. Happy Holidays! Read the full article