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aion-rsa · 3 years

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How Legally Blonde Created a Feminist Hero Ahead of her Time

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Twenty years ago, Legally Blonde’s Elle Woods burst onto our screens with her infectious can-do attitude and an early-2000s penchant for all things pink and fuzzy, from her jacket to her phone. Reese Witherspoon’s iconic sorority sister who goes to Harvard Law School in pursuit of an ex-boyfriend—dressed in head-to-toe pink, carrying a copy of the Bible (Cosmo, obvi)—didn’t jive with the era’s conception of a Strong Female Character, a la Trinity from The Matrix, Sarah Connor from the Terminator movies, or Lara Croft from the Tomb Raider franchise. Elle derives her strength from what many would deem her traditionally feminine character traits and pursuits, not in spite of them, like her undergraduate study of fashion and her focus on loyalty and cooperation rather than competition. While some fall for the trap of associating masculinity with strength and intelligence and femininity with conservatism and vapidity, Elle’s fans have always seen her for who she really is: a feminist ahead of her time.

Everything about Elle Woods is bubblegum pink femininity, from her wardrobe (“I don’t understand why you’re completely disregarding your signature color!”) and tiny purse dog Bruiser to her enthusiastic vernacular and name, derived from the 2000s teen fashion magazine, which also happens to be the French pronoun “she.” When Elle is frustrated, she channels the feeling into studying and achieving. When she’s rejected from a study group (essential to surviving law school), she politely takes her homemade treats and leaves. An early precursor to Annie Murphy’s Alexis Rose on Schitt’s Creek, Reese Witherspoon’s charm and relentless positivity help turn an archetype that’s normally considered shallow or even villainous into a fully-fledged character with depth and heart.

It’s easy to look at Elle Woods and the film Legally Blonde and discredit them both—and many have. She’s arguably let into the school based on her looks, and her own advisor made a mean joke about acing a class on polka dots, discrediting her fashion merchandising major. But don’t forget that she had a 4.0 GPA and a 179 on her LSAT (out of 180 possible points), making her a top candidate. She was also president of her sorority, involved in extracurriculars and philanthropy. Oh and that pink resume? It’s inspired by the true story of how the manuscript for the book that Legally Blonde was based on got scooped from the slush pile.

Legally Blonde doesn’t make fun of its heroine for her interest in feminine-coded pursuits like shopping or her penchant for the color pink. An early shopping scene, a spiritual sequel to the couplet in Pretty Woman, sets Elle up to be the butt of a saleswoman’s joke about stupid rich girls spending daddy’s money. Instead, Elle asks the woman a series of questions about the garment’s construction and provenance, the saleswoman agreeing to everything in pursuit of a sale, not realizing she has exposed her own ignorance and deception by doing so. Elle’s fashion education isn’t an air-headed pursuit, but a fulfilling interest as worthwhile as any other, one where accumulating knowledge can come in just as handy as knowing about political science.

Legally Blonde is a fish-out-of-water story, so while Elle’s hobbies are no less important than how her Harvard classmates spend their time, they’re certainly different. She uses her specialized knowledge to figure out parts of the Brooke Windham case (Ali Larter), like realizing that gay men are more likely to know shoe designers than straight ones (even if that’s a bit, uh, reductive), and using her shared interests with Brooke to help make her time while incarcerated more comfortable and gain her trust, so that Brooke would share her alibi. The coup de grace, of course, is Elle’s use of perm knowledge to expose Linda Cardelini’s socialite daughter lying on the stand, causing her to crack and confess to killing her father, exonerating Elle’s client Brooke.

Throughout the movie, Elle is happiest in women-dominated spaces that focus on community and collaborative support, traits typically associated with femininity. When she was prepping for a proposal from Warner and then nursing the heartache afterwards, it was as much a Delta Nu experience as it was her own. Once Elle decides to go to law school, the entire sorority pitches in, helping her study for the LSAT and make her video essay. When Elle gets to Cambridge, she once again seeks solace at a nail salon, a place where women take care of one another and give advice, even if they are strangers at first. And it’s no coincidence that, when Elle quits working on the Brooke Windham case and wants to leave Harvard altogether, she cries her eyes out at the nail salon, where Professor Stromwell (a pitch-perfect Holland Taylor) overhears her plight.

Warner tells Elle, “If I’m going to be a senator, I need to marry a Jackie, not a Marilyn.” In the world of Legally Blonde, women don’t have to choose. You can be a shy manicurist, but also have a killer bend-and-snap. You can be a strict law professor who also goes to the salon and has her student’s back when a colleague sexually harasses her. It’s fitting that, for Elle’s moment of triumph, when she takes the lead in Brooke Windham’s case, Elle makes her entrance in her signature color: vibrant pink. Since her first class at Harvard, Elle started cosplaying as a normie law student, her clothing getting darker and more traditional to match her surroundings. She traded in her pink-lensed sunglasses for reading glasses. When it was time for Elle to have her crowning moment of achievement, though, she did it by looking and acting like herself, and relying on the knowledge and drive that got her to Harvard in the first place—pink sparkles and all.

Elle’s mother doesn’t want her to “throw away” being the first runner up in the Miss Hawaiian Tropics contest to go to law school, but over the course of the film, Elle proves that she doesn’t have to choose between the two. Furthermore, she doesn’t have to choose between love and a career, or settle for a guy who doesn’t appreciate her for the powerhouse that she is. While Warner is the catalyst for Elle’s journey into jurisprudence, he quickly shows himself to be something of a “bonehead” once they’re both in Cambridge, telling Elle she’ll never be smart enough to win a coveted internship spot, encouraging Elle to break her word to their client once she does get the internship, and then never noticing the sexism of their professor who only asks the women to fetch him food and drink. Eventually, Warner does come around, like all of Elle’s classmates and teachers, but by then she has the self-worth to tell him to take a hike.

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Speaking of Warner, when he shows up in Cambridge he comes with his preppy fiancé Vivian Kensington (Selma Blair, in a mini Cruel Intentions reunion). Vivian and Elle were set up to compete over not only Warner, but grades and career opportunities, like Professor Callahan’s internship. The film’s first act sees a bit of bad blood and back and forth. As the rivals see one another’s legal prowess and come to see the sexism in their field from powerful men like Callahan (and the way less powerful men like Warner either don’t see or pretend not to), they grow closer. Eventually, Warner reveals his low character while Elle displays her loyalty by keeping Brooke’s alibi a secret, and the two drop Warner and their competition to become friends instead. For young women watching, it’s a valuable lesson that other women and girls aren’t your competition—they’re your allies.

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Elle and Legally Blonde aren’t perfect—her journey started out in pursuit of her ex-boyfriend, and classmate Enid was probably right that many women in sororities would call her a dyke and mistreat her. It’s a shame Elle never finds common ground with the one woman in the film who’s an actual avowed feminist. But people grow, and Legally Blonde allowed its heroine the room to do that, even after the credits rolled. Elle Woods has inspired many women to become lawyers, and it’s easy to see why. She believes in herself and others, fights for her friend Paulette’s dog, and fights back against sexual harassment. But even for those who aren’t interested in the law, Elle’s way of winning people over by being kind, supportive, and “using her blonde for good” sends an important message that traditionally femme traits and esthetics are powerful in their own right.

The post How Legally Blonde Created a Feminist Hero Ahead of her Time appeared first on Den of Geek.

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#aion-rsa #Den of Geek

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ywhiterain · 5 years

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It’s always fascinating to me when fans go on about how Sakura doesn’t understand or love the real Sasuke or doesn’t care about his needa when we get this.

Well, no. That’s not true. It’s from fans who see Naruto/Sasuke as blindingly obvious. Who are able to see that Sasuke loves Naruto no matter what he says because he proves it through his actions. But can’t do the same with Sakura.

Look, if you just read the first bit where Sakura begs him to fucking talk to her and ignore everything else that happened here, I guess you can say he ignores her and she doesn’t understand him.

Here’s the thing: Sasuke opens up to Sakura. Right from the get-go when he mentioned crying, when he told her off for dismissing Naruto’s loneliness. By any standard, it’s pretty obvious she’s one of the few people he opens up to.

The problem is Sasuke is a bundle of trauma being raised in a system of built on violence while Sakura is about as well adjusted as a child solider can expect to be. She’s got issues and flaws, but she also has a perspective that comes from a healthy family. Sasuke is giving her a lot - but she’s not always able to appreciate it.

But she’s quicker on the uptake than some people give her credit for. And her feelings are not presented as shallow - her wanting to fill his days with happiness are exactly what the people who love Sasuke want for him. And she doesn’t just pick him because he’s pretty.

She picks him because he forced her to see what loneliness feels like. And I cannot overstate how Big this is in Naruto. Loneliness is basically the true final boss battle in this ridiculous story and Sakura learns it from Sasuke. From their first real conversation to her mourning him in Wave to his coma to him leaving to failure’s of bringing her back.

And, no, there’s no real comparison to Sakura loosing Sasuke to Sasuke losing everyone. But that wasn’t the point - pain is pain and, in terms of ship, Sasuke responds to it. He hesitates. Then he proves himself a lying liar and calls her annoying, proving he remembers that conversation.

Sasuke has great capacity for empathy and kindness. His reaction to her confession isn’t just about how she gets under his skin and kishimoto lying the foundation for his endgame. It’s also characteristic of Sasuke at his best - understanding and responding to pain.

It’s just so frustrating to me that some shippers want to limit Sasuke’s capacity for love. JFC, he set out not to let team Taka become important to him and he still ended up caring about them! Sasuke doesn’t usually reach out to people, but he responds when offered companionship. It’s the core of his strength. Limiting it to just Naruto is a baffling reduction of his character.

#haruno sakura #uchiha sasuke #sasusaku #naruto #naruto meta

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angedemystere · 4 years

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My Rewatch of Les Miserables, 1998

Ah, yes, I have decided to revisit that much panned film version, directed by Bille August and starring Liam Neeson, Geoffrey Rush, Uma Thurman and Claire Danes (and Hans Matheson and Toby Jones thrown in for good measure). This movie holds a complicated place in my heart by being the adaptation that introduced me to Les Miz, inspiring love for these characters and spurring me to look into the musical and the Brick itself .... only to then earn my distaste for all the inaccuracies from the original text.

So, now that I’ve revisited it with fresh eyes and a barometer by which to compare it to other adaptions, is it as bad as everyone says?

Well ... it depends.

Let’s start with how this stands as a movie.

First, the cinematography. In terms of setting and sets, this film is gorgeous. It starts with nature scenes (opens early on with a shot of the river ~ooohh~ foreshadowing) and provides a strong sense of location and space. Now I think in certain urban scenes, especially when the story moves to Paris, there’s a lot of washed-out grey that kind of blends together. It does have a purpose: to portray the desolation plaguing the poor that’s stirring l’ABC to action. Even so, it can be harder to focus on the details when color blends too much. Other than that (and some not necessary close-ups), the filming is dynamic, easy to follow, and overall really nice to look at.

Next, the script and pacing. The scenes within themselves are for the most part effective at getting across character and important information and making interactions feel natural. (The one bench scene between Cosette and Marius might be the exception - can no one write romantic banter well? Or is this true to how awkward romantic banter is in real life? Tell me, I have no idea). Of course you’re dealing with characters like Javert (and lovestruck teens) who make natural dialogue a challenge, but in the movie’s first half, there’s a strong reliance on exchanges from the book itself to make it work.

Pacing within scenes keeps at a steady clip while giving time for important moments to breathe. But then the movie has to deal with time jumps, which can be awkward since we the audience are forced to reorient ourselves. The first jump works better because we’re meant to feel some suspense about what’s happened to Valjean between his encounter with Bishop Myriel and his being mayor. We instead meet Javert and follow him to his new post in Montreuil-sur-Mer I’ll ... get to that later. When he’s introduced to the mayor, we realize it’s Jean Valjean! That’s pretty satisfying. This movie most succeeds in the first half in giving us enough about Valjean, Javert and Fantine to get who they are, what their situation is and why we should pay attention.

The next time jump brings us to 1832 and teenage Cosette. This time we’ve missed out on seeing Valjean and Cosette’s relationship grow, and not a whole lot is shown to solidify what their relationship has been like in the convent and what they stand to gain or lose by leaving that environment. We do get some insight, just not as much as I would’ve liked.

Now, how are the actors? Everyone does at least a decent job, even sometimes a brilliant one. Liam Neeson brings warmth, shy awkwardness, and humanity to the character in ways that feel genuine. The awkwardness is most endearing when he’s interacting with Fantine, which is a deviation from the novel that I really don’t mind because, damn it, they’re just so cute! Speaking of which, this addition of a mild Valjean/Fantine romance (don’t worry, it’s as raunchy as kindergartners holding hands) actually plays a role in how Valjean handles Cosette and Marius’s romance. There’s a bit of lampshading when Cosette acknowledges that she has pretty strong feelings for a guy she’s known only a few weeks and it’s not rational, but her feelings are no less real. And Valjean respects those feelings because he experienced them in his own way with Fantine.

Hang on ... hang on a sec ...

Okay, I’m fine. BBC 2019 miniseries, eat your heart out.

Uma Thurman captures Fantine’s vulnerability without overselling it. She pleads for her case while flip-flopping between honest frustration and appeasing servility. But I must ask this: when her hair was cut, why wasn’t it cropped shorter? Maybe a clause in her contract? Also, no tooth removal. The filmmakers probably wanted Fantine to still look attractive enough for the little romance budding between her and Valjean. Points off for accuracy but still effective in pathos.

I remember not being a fan of Cosette when I first saw this film, not through any fault of Claire Danes or the writing but because I cared more about the Valjean-Javert dynamic than her romance (not predictable of me at all). And she can be pouty, but that poutiness is often justified by her cooped-up existence and a desire to live more freely. I also have renewed appreciation for the fact that Cosette 1) stood up to Valjean when he slapped her, especially given her abuse at Mme. Thenardier’s hands, 2) stayed fairly calm while lying to Javert’s face, and 3) held Javert at gunpoint while she freed Marius. For her sheltered upbringing, girl’s got nerves of steel.

This Marius, while still foolish (slipping out of the barricade that he’s supposed to be in charge of to visit Cosette and being not at all subtle while stalking her), has more sense than book!Marius. Granted, he’s undergone a fusion with Enjolras, but I understand the decision, which I’ll address shortly.

And Javert .... Javert is probably the hardest major Les Miz character to pin perfectly in any adaptation. This is for a couple reasons. One, because films have limited time, certain scenes that can establish an otherwise unseen facet of a character are often cut. This frequently happens with Javert’s later scenes: the police station (where he burns his coattails) and the Gorbeau house (twice - one when he’s disguised as a beggar, the other when he jokes about offering his hat and rebuffs Mme. Thenardier’s assault with his “claws of a woman” comment). Two, his frequent run-ins with Valjean are altered from being coincidences to international face-offs orchestrated by him, making him much more fixated, even downright obsessive, about catching Valjean. On both fronts, Rush’s Javert suffers from these cuts or alterations. But when it comes to the performance he delivers?

This is the silhouette of a man who makes criminals wet themselves.

Is he my definitive Javert? Oh no. That dream has yet to come true for me. But I rank him in my top five preferred Javerts. I do have issues with some of his actions, like toppling the mail coach (just .....why?), smacking Fantine, and pointing a gun in Cosette’s face. That’s the wrong kind of asshole or creep for him. I do think it interesting, on this rewatch, to be reminded that this Javert’s mother was a prostitute, and when Fantine is harassed by Bamatabois and then retaliates, he first holds back from interfering (and stops the captain from interfering) and then “takes care of this” by slapping Fantine when she tells him the gentlemen started it. I don’t see Brickvert doing any of these things, but the purpose of this moment is to give us a glimpse into the depth of his hatred for the class of people his parents came from. We don’t know why he hates them so much apart from his overall moral and philosophical perspective, but you can’t help but wonder about what he experienced in his early life that would make him act violently toward a woman with the same occupation as his mother, but ONLY when she lashes out (understandably) at a member of good society. This outburst could also explain why he fixates on Valjean, a thief like his father. It’s not just his commitment to his ideals; he’s living a morality play with his parents as the criminals he needs to punish in order to prove he’s not one of them, that he’s risen above them, that he will not and CANNOT fall to their level. The fact this movie captured that nuance and had it carry out in subtext is a credit, even if I don’t agree with all the actions this version has him do.

No surprise that, given how much attention has clearly been given to Javert’s character by the film, this adaptation chooses to keep the center of narrative focus on Javert and Valjean, sacrificing a lot of other characters in the process. Eponine? Gone. The Thenardiers overall, gone in the second half once Valjean has rescued Cosette (except for Gavroche, but you wouldn’t know he’s a Thenardier in this). The Les Amis exist as a collective but have no individual identities apart from Marius and, arguably, this movie’s Enjolras, who is reduced to a team lieutenant and stripped of all other book!Enjolras characterization. Again, a good chunk of Enjolras’s charisma and commitment to the cause is lumped into Marius. The writers were likely interested in making Marius a more dashing love interest. This doesn’t always jive with the moments he’s actually Marius: stalking Cosette, writing her pages of love letters, ducking out of meetings early to see her when he’s supposed to be heading the planning of the uprising. The clash can be distracting. Still, Matheson tries to balances these two sides as well as he can.

This is where a lot of Les Miz fans have or will have problems with this version. If you’re anything other than a fan of Valjean, Javert, Fantine or Cosette, you’re going to feel deprived. I don’t actually consider this a major flaw of the film because the filmmakers were at least consistent in their focus, preferring to develop a few characters than stretch too thin with more characters who would have ended up with shallow portrayals anyway. But I will highly suggest that if you’re a diehard Les Amis or Eponine fan and are annoyed when adaptations reduce those characters, you might want to skip this version.

Now that the issue of character omissions or reductions has been dealt with, let’s get to what I have problems with that are actually on screen:

Valjean’s outbursts toward Cosette - this aspect of his character isn’t as prevalent as I remember, to be fair. There is one scene where he snaps at her as a child (and he immediately apologizes) and two scenes where he yells at her as a teen and/or hits her. Nonetheless, the notion that physical assault was necessary in his character toward Cosette of all people--please no. There’s no reason for it. In fact, there’s better reason to go against it to show contrast with how Valjean reacted to stressful situations in the past. Yes, those knee-jerk reactions can be hard to shake, but Cosette’s presence in his life is meant to show how much he’s grown. Granted, Cosette acknowledges that his outbursts are out of character, that he’s “acting so strangely,” and we do see tenderness between them most of the time. Still, it taints the relationship when his and Cosette’s book relationship, while plagued by secrecy, is entirely wholesome. Any hint of violence makes me wary of when Cosette says she needs to be there for him after learning about his past and plans to flee the country.

Javert’s suicide - again, more on Valjean’s end. Obviously this version is different from canon; Javert makes it seem like he’s going to murder Valjean and let his body fall in the river, only to free him and do it to himself, and Valjean is there to watch. And he fails to attempt saving him, which, given his actions at the barricade and the kind of man he’s become, comes across painfully out of character. So does the glee he expresses when a man has killed himself in front of him only a minute ago. Maybe if Javert had said something or done something to make saving him impossible or clearly against his wishes, Valjean’s inaction would’ve been more understandable. I do also question Javert’s wisdom in killing himself in front of a man who tried to save him mere hours ago. Why did he not consider that Valjean might try rescuing him again? Well, he seemed to make the right call.

Both of these choices point to an attempt to make Jean Valjean more flawed. This is a conversation the fandom has had before, and the question of slipping in a sharpness to redeemed!Valjean has come up in other versions, even some actors’ portrayals in the Broadway show. I see the argument on both sides--he’s human, he suffered years of conditioning that turned him hateful and willing to harm others. But it should be noted that, while Valjean is physically capable of throwing someone around like a sack of potatoes, he’s never demonstrated an inclination to do so, not even from what few details we have of his life in prison. The movie adds that violent edge to Valjean’s narrative, from when he first hits Bishop Myriel on the head to smacking Cosette in the face. Javert gets some of this treatment, too--never shown violent behavior in canon, smacks around Fantine and manhandles Cosette in the film. Maybe the filmmakers were worried a modern audience wouldn’t find a nonviolent ex-con and a non-violent policeman believable. Yeesh.

All right, some minor issues:

The changing of names - Montreuil-sur-Mer becomes Vigau. Fauchelevent becomes Lafitte. Champmathieu becomes Carnot. What’s going on? Were they scared of pronouncing French names longer than two syllables? Oh, and Valjean as the mayor never has a name. He’s just “monsieur le maire” wherever he goes. You think his alias is M. Maire? So he became Maire Maire? No wonder he was pushed to take office.

Child actors - they aren’t great. Hardly any get dialogue and it’s no surprise why. For those who do, it’s obvious they’re being prompted offscreen. The kid playing Gavroche is the exception and there’s too little of him.

Illiteracy - eh, I kind of give this a pass. It’s not book canon that Valjean is illiterate post-Toulon, and I don’t remember if book!Fantine is illiterate, but it gives them a little bonding moment and gives Neeson the opportunity to show off his first-grader-concentration face when he practices his cursive.

Having addressed the big (and not so big) problems of the film, were there good parts in terms of adaptation? Yes--I think Neeson and Rush have a scintillating Valjean-Javert dynamic. I like how they have some understated snark jousting in the Vigau scenes. The 2019 series wishes it could achieve that level of sniping. But then, Brickvert wasn’t very subtle when he brought up how he knew only ONE man, one CONVICT, who could lift the cart, and Valjean is trying to deflect or ignore him while Fauchelevant is being crushed. Maybe not book-accurate, but entertaining as hell.

Also, while I don’t ship them, the Valjean-Fantine scenes were cute and made my heart squeeze. I know it was gratuitous. Their bond provided a little spot of light in their miserable (hah!) lives.

Also also, I like Javert’s informant in the 1832 scenes. He’s funny, cynical (he complains how nauseating Cosette and Marius’s romance is and swears off having daughters), committed to his job (he catches a cold from watching Cosette and Marius in the rain on Javert’s behalf), and respects Javert without being afraid of him. They even walk together to the barricade so Javert can get in and not draw suspicion. And for some reason he doesn’t have a name! Guys, if you like Rivette from the BBC series, let’s give this unnamed informant some love. I want a buddy cop series with him and Javert.

To wrap this up, I’ll say that Les Miserables (1998) is certainly flawed as an adaptation. Jean Valjean and Javert get injected with violent tendencies, Fantine stays prettier than she should, Marius and Enjolras have undergone fusion, and 80% of the book characters have vaporized or barely exist as bit parts. But I wont say stay away from this abomination because it’s not abominable. It’s ... ok. It’s serviceable in capturing the main plot arc of Les Miserables and a couple of its crucial themes. I think Les Miserables is one of those books where you’re probably not going to get the screen adaptation you want, so maybe watch a bunch, pick a few that least offend you, and fuse them together into your own imagined adaptation. With luck, the components are more cohesive than those of Marijolras.

#les miserables #les miserables 1998 #jean valjean #javert #geoffrey rush #liam neeson

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sometimesrosy · 4 years

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Is bellarke the only reason you like season 5?

Lol. No. I don’t only watch The 100 for Bellarke. I’m a sci fi fan. I was practically BORN a sci fi fan, raised on Star Trek. That’s 40 years of scifi fanning before I ever heard of Bellarke. When I found the show, I was looking for something like The Walking Dead, and/or The Hunger Games, and someone said The 100. I’m not really a shipper, or not the way most of fandom seems to go about it. I like ships, but it takes a special ship for me to get really invested.

I liked the season 5 story, the dilemmas, the symbolism, the independent journeys of the characters. I liked Bellamy’s story, Clarke’s story, Murphy’s story, Emori’s story, Octavia’s story, Monty’s story. Didn’t love Raven’s story but it was okay. Didn’t love Abby’s or Kane’s story. Loved Diyoza. Madi. Loved the valley. Hated the bunker but in a good way. Hated Kara Cooper but in a good way. Hated McCreary, good way. Was slightly disappointed with Shaw but not too badly. I had high hopes. Was delighted with the creepy gentility of Vinson and his story precisely fulfilled all my hopes for him. lol.

I liked the action of s5, it moved fast. There were no filler episodes. The people who thought there were, well, I think they thought everything but bellarke was a filler episode. Which, I apologize, is a ridiculous way to engage with a story. To say that everything but your favorite storyline is filler. My goodness. The universe does not revolve around you.

Maybe I’m wrong, but that’s the only way I could imagine people saying the sandworms were filler episodes. LOVED the sandworms. Or a mcguffin. That was not a mcguffin. It was a plot point and an obstacle and a tool. That’s not what a mcguffin is. A mcguffin is a “thing” that is a pointless goal while the real journey goes on about something else. In some ways the Iron Throne was a mcguffin in GOT (okay that’s an interpretation.) Or the Holy Grail in Monty Python’s Holy Grail-- that was definitely a mcguffin. An excuse to get people to go on an adventure, when it’s not really the point. The sandworms failing to work as a weapon does not make them a mcguffin. They would need to be the *goal.* The *goal* was the valley, not the worms. The worms were an evil tool that wonkru wanted to use to TAKE the valley and bellarke wanted to stop them.

Y’all should google terms before you start attacking people or content with them. Don’t delight in your ignorance that way. Know what you’re talking about first. Or at least be willing to learn. We’re all on the internet and we all have access to google. This whole fake it till you make it doesn’t include using inaccurate terms to try and hate on other people and/or. stories.

Season 5 was about, as always, the obstacles facing Clarke and Bellamy and The 100. I do not dislike them facing obstacles, even when they fail, because that’s always been part of their story.... how they deal with failure and how they come back to win in the end. Seeing Clarke isolated was hard, but it made sense and it was part of her own journey of isolation that started, honestly, in the pilot, where she was released from solitary confinement, and dealt with her continuous efforts to run away from the people who make her vulnerable, compounded by the terrible “love is a weakness” advice, and the trauma that came from that.

I find that whenever I reframe my interpretation of The 100 as either Clarke or Bellamy’s personal, psychological and/or heroic journey, everything makes more sense. If I place Bellarke ABOVE the individual characters, I am disappointed. S5 was Bellamy becoming the hero we always knew, and Clarke always knew, he could be. It was him completing his hero’s journey. In that light, the season was FANTASTIC. Look at it as his choices and struggles and development and it’s great.

If you look at it from CLARKE’S perspective, it was about her personal and psychological journey after losing EVERYTHING. Someone recently suggested that this was not a hero’s journey but maybe the HEROINE’S journey, and I think that’s what it is, but it’s not done yet.

HEROINE AWAKENS TO FEELINGS OF SPIRITUAL ARIDITY/DEATH. The heroine’s new way of life (attempting the masculine/dominant identity) is too limited. Their success in this new way of life is either temporary, illusory, shallow, or requires a betrayal of self over time.

INITIATION & DESCENT TO THE GODDESS. The heroine faces a crisis of some sort in which the new way of life is insufficient, and the heroine falls into despair. All of the masculine/dominant-group strategies have failed them.

HEROINE URGENTLY YEARNS TO RECONNECT WITH THE FEMININE. The heroine wants to, but is unable to return to their initial limited state/position. [x]

Apparently, the heroine’s journey takes over when the hero’s journey ends, and that would mean that in season 4, saving her people from another apocalypse was the completion of the hero’s journey, and “dying” and waking up to an arid world is stepping into the feminine archetype rather than achieving the masculine archetype hero and staying there. Outside of this heroine’s journey, the whole season was about Clarke reuniting with Bellamy and her people after six years of isolation and it was not an easy story, which works for me. Too easy would have been cheap.

Oh and omigarsh I loved that talk with Echo and FlameLxa where she finally confronted her initial damage of “love is a weakness” and Lxa’s betrayal, which she was REPEATING with Bellamy.

The other characters also had side stories and I could go into them too, but in the end, they’re supporting the main story of redemption and meaning and transformation. Including Octavia’s fall into darkness and NOT reaching redemption (because they refused to give her the easy way out and her redemption needed another season.) I liked that, too. A lot. Since she was an antagonist, I read it more as part of Bellamy’s journey to claim his identity and power and set boundaries.

Season 5 was where Clarke and Bellamy were able to BREAK the cycle of violence and abuse and vengeance, which means that the entire narrative of the show has shifted from descending into hell or being lost in purgatory not knowing where to go next or how to fix things, and is now ASCENDING into upper realms of forgiveness, understanding, reconciliation, healing, change, unity, growth, and transformation.

This is what I am here for. This is why I like Post Apocalyptic stories, because they are about transformation, not just survival. And not just whatever you can do to survive, but choosing to be the good guys, being better people, believing in a better world, and having hope.

I mean. I can write reams about all the things I’m getting out of this show and all anyone ever hears is “bellarke.”

That is not a good thing. It’s reductive. It’s oversimplification. It doesn’t lead to understanding. When I say I thought s5 was a bellarke romance, I include that in part of my analysis. It is not the only thing I am saying, nor is it the only thing I like.

I am not sure where you ever got the impression that Bellarke was the only thing I liked.

And also, just because other people, even most people, didn’t like season 5 does not mean I am wrong to not like it. I get the feeling that the people who didn’t like season 5 were disappointed because Bellarke didn’t live up to their expectations. It DID live up to my expectations. And, as usual, their story was longer than what I predicted. This does not bother me. I just have to keep recalibrate my narrative time line. It’s still going in the direction I’ve been interpreting, confirmed by season 6. Season 5 is an interesting part of the whole story of Bellarke, the end of the story, we can now see, being s7. I can wait for that. And I can appreciate how season 5 is them coming back from the “all is lost” moment of Clarke dying for spacekru, and the complications that caused.

Also, I am not opposed to a love triangle. I do not read it as a betrayal of Bellarke, but an intensification of a love story that before had been subtextual. Love triangle is a LITERAL ROMANCE GENRE PLOTLINE. So for me, it’s confirmation. I truly don’t understand why other bellarke fans don’t get that. I think they’re just too full of anger and resentment to accept that a plotline they would LOVE in fanfiction is actually giving them what they want and so they reject everything that season 5 DID give us.

So what I’m saying is I think that the reason why people didn’t like season 5 is because it didn’t fit the fanon expectations they had for Bellarke. So they hated s5 only because of Bellarke. Which is the reverse of what your ask seems to imply.

If you didn’t intend to make me salty implying that I only liked The 100 for Bellarke, or there was nothing in s5 to like except my interpretation of Bellarke, then I apologize. You should have rephrased your question more like, “what besides bellarke did you like in season 5?” But as it is, I gave you what I liked with a rim of salt. Like a margarita.

#i actuallly don't like salt on my margaritas but i like the metaphor #and if this ask didn't mean to invoke two seasons of fandom discourse then it should have been more careful

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pricechecktranslations · 5 years

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I am definitely not the best at my listening Japanese, and it doesn't help that they speak SO DARN FAST that I have trouble catching all of the words. So, it's possible I'm saying all this stuff while having misunderstood things, missed things, etc.

But, these are my many scattered thoughts on the Daughter of Evil musical, written as I was watching it in full for the first time (so, might not be the best thought out or expressed but still):

-Despite all of the changes, it's interesting to see how many moments appear to be lifted directly from the novels. It does feel like they had a good familiarity with the source material, but for whatever reason chose to make the story different (perhaps in part to have it be a standalone adaptation rather than going into the entire Daughter of Evil series lore).

-"The Orange Coast" is a very nice song, and I like it a lot. In fact, I like a lot of the songs that are exclusive to the musical. The exposition song about the plight of the starving people, the duet between Riliane and Kyle (the irony in that both are fond of each other but as Riliane sings of her excitement for the wedding Kyle is eager to break it off), Clarith's lament after losing Michaela, etc. There's only a few that I really disliked, either because they weren't sung well or because they felt too anachronistic in their instrumentals. However, because they had their own songs the ones that mothy made felt out of place. The only one I think really fit was Regret Message and the eponymous Daughter of Evil.

-The candy castle is pitiful. It's supposed to be an extravagant display of Riliane's utter selfish greed, to have something so large that she can't even eat all of it while her people are starving. It should be at least twice the size that it is in the play--it's supposed to be much taller than the average person, with enough room that someone could conceivably be inside.

-Riliane being unrepentant might be one of the things that pisses off fans the most, but it feels somewhat more appropriate in this adaptation. This version of Riliane shows far more awareness of the evil in her actions and how it makes her look, even taking a more active role in them, as opposed to the more innocent and sheltered Riliane of the book. Her biggest regret in the end is not that she was a horrible person (because she seems to have sort of made her peace with that early on) but that she didn't appreciate Allen's loyalty and devotion to her when she had the chance. Her dismissal of him is far more explicit in this version, where he outright tells her to her face that he's on her side and she just scoffs at him, and she spends most of the story talking about how alone she is. Basically, their relationship is the focus of her character arc rather than her morality. Even her will to live at the end is almost solely because he died for her rather than finding her own reason to live.

-Josephine is a diva and I kind of love it. I don't necessarily mind the addition of ridiculous elements like a talking horse (well, who talks to other horses anyway)--this is a stage play after all. Breaking the fourth wall is kind of an intrinsic part of theatre, and I'm always of the mind that a live performance being entertaining is more important than it being dramatic. But that's just my tastes, I think.

-I will say, the guy who plays Allen is TERRIBLE at the songs they have him sing. That's not to say he can't sing at all, but songs like "I'm a Servant" really show that he just can't hit those notes to save his life. I also don't care much for his acting, it feels a little like he's substituting shouting for emotion. Germaine is sort of the same way, but I don't mind it as much from her because her character is supposed to be boisterous.

-The exclusion of Elluka doesn't really bother me, as she had very little plot presence in the first novel to begin with (note, I don't think she's removed entirely--there appear to be some allusions to her character existing, such as in the early exposition segment with Mariam and Leonhart where she's on the other side of the stage as a hooded figure in shadow). I think it might be possible that they did so as a part of the overall trend of the musical removing the fantasy elements to begin with--no Elluka, no magic, no mention of Michaela as a former spirit (although...there is that vision of her that Allen has, not sure what to make of that), etc. In fact, the inclusion of demons is deconstructed by Keel later in the story, speculating that such things are merely scapegoats people use to hide the evil already lurking within themselves. ...Although, well...Leonhart seems to show up as a ghost...So...

-Michaela and Clarith's dynamic is interesting. It's much more light-hearted than the heavy themes of abuse and emotional recovery in Wiegenlied--Michaela's more of a happy-go-lucky pixie dream girl with no social awareness at all than simply naive about human relationships, and Clarith is down to earth and shy rather than brooding and self-demeaning at every turn (I think maybe because they shifted her into the viewpoint character). Though that might be a result of seeing them after they've already moved to Aceid. One change I found entertaining is that it's Keel who hires them for Michaela's singing instead of Mikina hiring Clarith out of generosity towards an oppressed minority, and as a result Michaela ends up making this big show about how she absolutely must have Clarith with her and that she can't do anything without her. It's cute.

-Keel is supremely entertaining and I like his character in this a lot. He's an excellent choice for outside narrator. Even in the novels he was kind of the one guy that wasn't bogged down by a bunch of emotional drama.

-There are a lot of extreme tonal shifts. Funny things following really dramatic things (Michaela and Clarith's introduction follows Germaine's declaration of war, Kyle being a goofball in the revolution follows Allen's attempts at getting Micheala to safety while struggling with his orders to kill her, etc). I think the biggest and most jarring tonal shift is Josephine defending Allen from Kyle and his lackey, though--that's the one that kind of took me right out of the story, though I will say Josephine's actor is quite good with the dance-battling. This is a big contrast from Evillious--I don't think there are many, if any scenes where mothy deliberately sacrifices dramatic moments for a joke. I don’t know if it’s made worse by the fact that Josephine fighting with a sword may not have been a joke, and it may have been something we were supposed to take seriously.

-I wonder why they kept in the green onion. I guess because it's a good character joke for Michaela, but plot-wise it no longer serves any actual purpose without Elluka and Gumillia. In fact, its inclusion kind of makes Michaela seem a bit weirder as a person, because instead of it being a magical tool that she uses she's just excitedly showing it off to people and coming up with random things you could do with it. It's a little egregious too because, while the girl who sings for Michaela is actually quite good, I don't think her voice is well suited to the "Very Amazing Green Onion" song that goes with it. It's kind of used as a vehicle for Allen's developing crush, but...Well, I'm not sure I'd develop feelings for someone just because they ranted about a vegetable at me for a few minutes.

-Kyle is...a strange fish. I think the reduction of his character to a lovestruck fool makes some sense because this is how he comes off before his character development in the series, and his psychological issues are a little too complex to go into in a two hour musical that's not even about him. So, instead of "this guy was heavily emotionally abused and then possessed by a lust demon", they go with "he's a big enough idiot to cause all this political strife over a crush". He's an outright parody of himself in every way, in every scene (like him being all diva about his Karchess identity). Having his little toady around him (I'm not sure if that's supposed to be Arkatoir or not but I do know he mispronounces Kyle's name) serves as a good balance to the energy of his character, so I think that's well done. But I also can't help but find him obnoxious, and while I think he actually can sing, his voice cracks a lot at bad times. I certainly don't love him like I did his novel character, but then given that this is a stage adaptation I think all of them are a bit more shallow than in the story proper. This is, of course, not taking into account how thoroughly unpleasant he becomes after Michaela's death, but that's somewhat in character, so.

-I question a lot of the costuming choices that aren't based directly on the novel appearances. Minis, for example, does not look like a French minister at all.

-Reina is very good at playing both Riliane's harsh, cold side, and her playful, childish side. But these two sides don't always feel like they come from the same person, which I'm not sure is a credit to the way the character is played or a detriment. It does make for a frightening shift when her murderous declarations come after a childish tantrum (like her declaring war on Elphegort). She is, also, very good at singing, which is notable considering how at least half the other cast is not so good.

-There is a neat little callback during the revolution that I liked--Germaine is introduced as fighting the palace soldiers for fun (and winning) to show off what a brash tomboy she is, and she fights those same soldiers the same way later on (it's kind of sad, actually, as they don't want to fight her).

-The framing of events near the end is actually somewhat interesting--it blends together the green invasion with the revolution, intermixing Michaela's death with the main emotional climax of the plot. The whole play in general feels rushed and lacking in enough time to truly develop all it's trying to accomplish (like, for example, WHY Michaela's death is such a big deal for everyone), but this part is actually well executed. Also note that Michaela was burned alive in this version (Ney spreads a rumor that Germaine is a witch who set the fire).

-I'm not exactly an expert but the fight scenes are decently choreographed and enjoyable to watch (though some of the extras are a bit lackluster in their performance, imo).

-I do like how they blended Chartette and Mariam's fight with Germaine and Gast's--it's a good way to save time without Gast there (I mean, his primary contribution outside of being a Final Boss was the Venom mercenaries causing tension in the country, and there isn't enough time for that so I understand cutting him out too), and has some depth with Chartette moved by Germaine's strength and determination into helping defeat her instead of continuing to defend the palace. We also get to see Mariam as the badass she is, which is nice. Though, I think the song they sing while they're fighting would be better if they weren't clearly running out of breath from the actual physical fighting (I know lip-synching is taboo in SOME circles but having the song pre-recorded might have helped? I don't know).

-I don't know what to make of Ney--partially because she's one of those people that speaks too fast for me to really understand, but I'm also not sure how we're to take her character without all the backstory and latter-end plot relevance behind it. She's certainly creepy, which I suppose is the most important thing. She does seem to have the same role--a double agent for the queen of Marlon--but it's severely watered down by the lack of Prim's presence in the story.

-I know that it's leading up to something heartwarming, but there is something kind of creepy to me about Allen shouting "TAKE YOUR CLOTHES OFF" at Riliane. And in general, I find a lot of the emotional moments undercut by the shouting melodrama of the acting. But, there is something interesting in Riliane actively agreeing to Allen's twin switch after he talks her into it, rather than being tricked into it like in the novel. The depiction of the tradeoff is good too, showing Allen literally taking her place at the guillotine as he monologues his feelings to make it more clear what it is he's doing, with us actually getting Riliane's perspective on the whole thing whereas her emotions on his switch weren't really explored properly in the novel.

-Honestly, I didn't mind the way the revolution ended either. It's...kind of supposed to be a dreary end. That's the point--Germaine's quest for vengeance only served to bring harm to the people she loved, and while they did depose Riliane, who was a genuinely terrible monarch, the ultimate structure of the country with nobles on top remains unchanged for generations afterwards. Germaine being killed sucks, but then if this is a standalone there's really no more need for her character (and killing her is what Kyle tries to do a few years down the line in the books anyway, for the same reasons too. It's also sadly in character for the version of him in this musical).

-I would also suggest that instead of people calling him Kyle, they follow his toady's lead and call him "Kael" instead.

-I actually think Riliane's declaration that she's evil at the end is meant to be...more an expression of her lack of self-worth. When she's escaping she expresses doubt as to how to be a good person, and shock that Allen would give his life for her in spite of who she is. When she says "I regret nothing, because I'm evil", I don't think that's meant to be taken as a boast. I think really the big thing is that this story is made to be a tragedy, not necessarily the Daughter of Evil series' idea of growing as a person. Though, that doesn't mean I like the ending with her telling Clarith to bow to her necessarily--I think it kind of exists just to be a bookend of "this is the Daughter of Evil" rather than giving the audience something to chew on after they leave the theater. They had a perfect opportunity to capitalize on the idea of Clarith and Riliane being similar (lonely people that had someone die in their place, sort of) and bonding over that, but they missed it.

In conclusion: Eh, I liked it. I wouldn’t necessarily watch it again, but if I could ever see it live that might be nice.

#()price speaks #i do not think it's the best thing ever #but i think some of the hate it gets is unfair #even if i find the novels superior as a story #i don't see the point in getting worked up and angry over a musical changing things #which is what musicals do all the time

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echodrops · 6 years

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Why Do Certain Ships Become So Popular? (And Why Should Writers Rethink When They Do?) - Part 2

<- Start back at part 1 or you’re going to be very confused!

This time my victim of choice example is Klance (and Allurance and Lotura too).

In a previous post, I established the premise that shippers focus their efforts and attention on ships between characters who exhibit the most compelling dynamism, the greatest amount of emotional energy--good feelings or bad--that directly relates to one or more of the characters’ growth arcs... or the two characters whose emotional interactions most significantly affect a story’s main plot.

This idea (that shippers are looking for strong, dynamic emotional interactions that are directly tied to plot) feeds directly into my second premise: part of the popularity of slash ships comes from the fact that, very often, the strongest and most plot-relevant emotional events don’t occur between male characters and female characters, but between male protagonists and other male characters--due to a combination of 1) a much smaller number of female characters, 2) a majority of writers for anime/manga and American shows being male; 3) under-developed or poorly written female characters, and 4) the tendency to situate males in the hero, sidekick, and villain positions, increasing the chance that their actions will have greater importance in the story’s main plot.

In short, writers can unintentionally cause fans to prefer non-canon slash ships by writing more dynamic, better developed, and more plot-relevant interactions between their male leads than between the main character and his designated female love interest.

Now hang on. Before you get all up in arms, yes, I’m perfectly aware there are plenty of other reasons slash ships are popular, including:

A huge desire among LGBT+ fans for positive representation

The fact that m/m interactions appeal to straight women/others the same way w/w interactions are sexy to straight men/others

The tendency of shows, particularly from Japan, to deliberately queer-bait

The fact that many women vicariously ship male characters together because it allows them to imagine a relationship of “genuine equals,” particularly in areas where women feel they are still not treated equally to men

The tendency for “pair the spares” to result in m/m ships simply due to a lower number of available female characters

And so on

This isn’t written to negate any of those reasons or to imply that they aren’t major factors in the popularity of slash ships, not at all, but it has always, always struck me as reductive when I hear things like “Slash ships are only popular because girls think two dudes together is hot” (the fetish argument) or “Girls will ship any two good-looking male characters together regardless of canon. They just hate het ships” (the fetish argument with a side dish of misogyny).

In particular, this last one--an argument I’ve heard from a lot of male fandom members (but of course not all)--has always gotten under my skin, because it implies that girls who ship aren’t capable of critically analyzing the media we consume and identifying characters who have meaningful interactions and interesting potential. That we, unlike those viewers who adhere to the canon (typically heterosexual) relationships, are somehow reading these stories wrong, blind to “real” romance (namely the one between the male hero and his best girl/waifu), and/or misusing male characters with zero regard for their personalities--worse, this argument also implies that female fans deliberately hate or under-appreciate oh-so-perfectly written female characters whose romantic subplots are totally natural and not at all an unfortunate side effect of their position as the token chick on the team...

At its best, the statement: “Girls will ship any two good-looking male characters” is demeaning in its dismissal of a majority of slash shippers and their ability to read characters. At its worse, it’s this exact dismissal that continues to allow so many (primarily male) authors to write under-developed, unimportant, token female love interests: “It’s the girls [or the slash shippers] who are weird; there’s nothing wrong with the way we’re doing things.”

But guess what happens when well-written female characters whose actions are central to a story’s main plot are introduced and highlighted? Guess what happens when the emotional energy between a female lead and her male counterpart is the most compelling and dynamic in the series?

The (often canon) het ship suddenly--somehow--magically becomes well-liked by fans!

Zutara and Kataang vastly out-strip any slash Avatar pairings in popularity. Noragami’s Yatori commands a staggering following in the fandom. Is there anyone in their right mind who thinks Alucard/Integra wasn’t the best pairing to end Hellsing with? No one debates whether or not Ahiru and Fakir from Princess Tutu are true love. In Doctor Who, Rose and the Doctor reign so far supreme in the fandom that none of the other ships even need to exist though I actually prefer River. Terra and Aqua from Kingdom Hearts beat out every other Terra or Aqua ship by a mile (and this is in a series notorious for hating and under-shipping its female characters). Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-Kun has no problem juggling three very well-accepted het ships--even while having a scene in which two male characters sit down and draw a gay manga together. Ain’t nobody suggesting Mr. Bates and Anna from Downton Abbey should be with anyone else, right? And this is just in the handful of shows I personally have time to watch. Anyone who reads or watches a series with well-written female characters can play this exact same game!

The obvious conclusion? Female fans are perfectly willing to ship heterosexual pairings--if they’re well-written.

It’s the same story all over again: when the real emotional energy, the dynamic core, the most plot-relevant interactions occur between a male and female character, they too can become the fan-preferred couple. (Shocking!)

Yes, yes, I hear you saying “B-But wait, sometimes the m/m ship is more popular even though the het love interest is well-written!” or “Sometimes girls ship guy characters who have never even met!” or “So what you’re saying is female fans wouldn’t ship slash if there were better het options available?”

1) Don’t get me wrong--there are certainly always exceptions. I’m pointing out a trend, not a rule. Sometimes a fandom has a separate, specific reason for elevating a non-canon slash ship above a well-written canon het ship. (Someone who is actually in the Fullmetal Alchemist fandom might be able to explain why Ed/Roy is more popular than Roy/Riza, probably?) And in situations where a slash ship and a het ship in a series both have equally strong emotional energy, my bet is that the slash ship will always come out on top because it gets the added benefit of people liking LGBT+ rep and straight girls (and anyone else) who just think m/m is hot.

2) Crack ships definitely do exist. But usually when a crack ship actually manages to become popular, it’s because fans have recognized the potential for a strong emotional energy between two characters. If the two characters could reasonably have strong tension because of similarities, differences, or other elements of their characters, then crack ships are still following the trend of aligning with emotional energy, even if that energy is only anticipated at the moment.

3) I definitely don’t mean to suggest that slash ships are shoddy seconds to fans who would “naturally” prefer het ships if good het ships were available. What I’m suggesting is only that it’s no surprise slash ships are so extremely and consistently popular across so many fandoms, because in terms of plot relevance, depth of writing, and meaningful interactions with each other, male characters so rarely have any real competition. A desire for LGBT+ representation and people living out power or equality fantasies through slash are certainly motivating factors and good and worthy reasons to write slash. But one unfortunate contributor to the popularity of slash ships is that male characters continue to occupy a place of privilege in modern narratives. Our heroes remain overwhelmingly male. Our sidekick/lancer/buddy characters remain overwhelmingly male. Our villain characters remain overwhelmingly male. That is to say: male characters continue to dominate all the most “plot relevant” roles in our narratives, and so long as male leads continue to be placed in roles where their most compelling emotional interactions and greatest sources of character growth are other male characters, slash ships will continue to dominate fandoms’ online presences.

(Hilarious: the dude bros who complain about the number of slash ships in their favorite series are often the very same ones supporting and becoming the writers whose shallow portrayals of female characters further bolster the popularity of said slash ships in the first place...)

Okay, I’ve made you wait long enough.

What does all of this have to do with Voltron?

Well, you’ve probably figured that part out already, actually.

If we consider the “emotional energy” and tension among Voltron’s main characters, there’s absolutely no question who is at the core, where the most plot relevant and meaningful emotional interactions have occurred, where the “heart” of the story is, in essence...

Hint: It’s Keith.

(Just a heads up: I’m going to use Klance as the example because it’s the most popular Voltron pairing according to the numbers, but any Sheith fan worth their salt could obviously very, very easily apply these ideas one-for-one to that ship, because clearly Shiro’s interactions with Keith are some of the most emotionally tense and compelling in the entire Voltron series--they are a consistent core of feeling energy for the show which naturally leads many people to support this ship. A large part of the reason that this post is tagged Sheith is because I am absolutely inviting Sheith shippers to use the theory and lens in this essay to analyze Sheith--using this idea to analyze Sheith will reveal a lot of intense emotional energy to discuss and validate that ship. I’m very tempted to put this paragraph in all caps or something so the Sheith shippers will actually read it and stop badgering me...)

Keith (and his relation with other characters) is the core of Voltron’s main plot, both in that he is positioned as the leader/the hero/the protagonist, and because, obviously, almost all of the series’ emotional high points (with the exception of “Crystal Venom” and Pidge’s search for Matt) somehow feature him.

Keith isn’t just central in the main plot though; he’s also central in the individual arcs of two other characters: Lance and Shiro. He’s a motivating and driving factor in both of these characters’ stories and change throughout the series, affecting their actions, attitudes, and self-worth, and so it should come as absolutely no surprise that Sheith and Klance are the series’ most popular ships.

But since Klance is the most popular pairing, the person I really want to talk about is Lance.

You can say a lot of things about Lance and the raging debates that occurred over whether or not Lance is a straight loverboy trope or not, but I don’t think any viewer of Voltron would deny that, if we consider the main cast members (Team Voltron plus Lotor), the core of Lance’s emotional energy and tension is Keith. His interactions with Keith--not even in a romantic sense, simply in a storytelling sense--are more important and dynamic than his on-screen interactions with any other main character.

From his laser focus on Keith at Garrison that caused him to invent a rivalry (this word is basically just a synonym for “emotional energy” at this point):

To comedic banter:

To the infamous bonding moment:

To a fledgling “right hand man” partnership:

To Lance’s insecurities:

The story of Voltron itself continuously reiterates that Lance’s interactions with Keith are more dynamic, more intense (even if we’re talking about “Rawr, I hate you, we’re rivals!” emotions instead of lovey-dovey stuff), and more plot relevant than Lance’s interactions with other characters in the series. Lance’s emotional arc is irrevocably centered on Keith until very, very late in the series.

More importantly: Lance’s motivation and personal plot line as a whole are centered on Keith. At it’s most basic, Lance’s character arc seems like it was supposed to center on Lance’s sense of self-worth--despite acting confident, Lance was actually insecure about his ability to help save the universe. Theoretically, his narrative should have focused on him becoming confident about his place on the team and his value as both a friend and fellow paladin to the other main characters. His arc should have been (and I guess theoretically still is? It’s just not... ever given much attention?) about him overcoming his insecurity by learning to recognize his own unique talents and discovering the things that only he can do to help Team Voltron succeed. (Hell, the entire Allurance thing could have been framed as “She’s completely out of my league” ---> “Whoa, originally I was putting Allura on a pedestal but actually she’s as much a member of this team as me--we’re in this together, side-by-side.”)

Whether or not the semi-incoherent narrative of Voltron actually delivered on this promise is iffy, but the set up in season 1-3ish is all there and all Keith:

At Garrison, Lance viewed Keith as a road block in his quest to becoming a fighter class student. Keith’s achievements and talent became a measuring stick for Lance’s own capabilities. He imagined a rivalry to make himself feel better/less insecure. His drive not to lose out to Keith is what dragged Hunk and Pidge along to Shiro’s rescue and ultimately led to the discovery of the Blue Lion. Lance comparing himself unfavorably to Keith as a paladin and pilot contributed to (mostly) one-sided animosity throughout the early seasons that gave way to a scene of Lance attempting to step down from the team because he didn’t see himself worthy of the position in comparison to Keith:

The logical conclusion that I think most fans would draw from these many scenes is that, as part of Lance’s overall character growth across the whole series, he needed to have a moment in which he recognized that he isn’t--and has never been--inferior to Keith.

Ultimately, the first five seasons continually reiterate the idea that, in terms of interactions, energy, and dynamic character growth, the most important main character in Lance’s story (other than Lance) is Keith.

Keith’s interactions with Lance are directly and immediately tied to Lance’s individual character arc/growth, and Keith is definitely the focus of Lance’s most meaningful emotional tension throughout seasons 1-5 at least.

Which means it shouldn’t come as any surprise that Klance is the most popular Lance ship, particularly when you set it side-by-side with the (increasingly canon) Allurance.

I just want to make this abundantly clear before I begin: I have absolutely nothing against Allurance shippers and, until it was done so poorly in season 5-6 (and potentially 7, I still haven’t even finished that one), I actually was okay with the possibility of Allurance being endgame because I thought there was potential for it to be done well. After what we’ve been given, I actually feel the Allurance shippers have been horribly shortchanged by the show’s real writing, and that I can’t personally support the ship the way it’s being written, but that’s not the fault of the characters themselves or anything inherently “wrong” with the ship. So please don’t take the rest of what I say here as ship hate--this is just observations from a literary analysis standpoint.

What has prevented Lance and Allura from gaining significant traction with the fans despite the fact that it’s edging close to canon territory if it isn’t canon already?

Well, one problem might be that Lance’s emotional energy has no bearing on Allura’s individual character development--and Allura’s emotional peaks have no bearing on Lance’s personal arc either (at least as far as it was established in early seasons and then left essentially unresolved).

Allura’s arc has, throughout the course of the show, centered on her ability to defeat her family’s foes, her grief for her lost people and planet, and her desire to follow in her father’s footsteps as a leader and in the Altean traditions as well. None of this has much of anything to do with Lance. Her growth as a character occurs--with the exception of the single shining scene on Naxela--completely independently of Lance. She lets her father’s memory go on her own in “Crystal Venom.” She faces Zarkon head-to-head by herself after rescuing Shiro. It’s Shiro who stops her from over-working herself to aid the coalition, not Lance. It’s Keith’s whose Galra blood forces her to re-examine and overcome some of her universal hatred for the Galra. It’s Lotor who helps her reach Oriande, and her own ingenuity that allows her to tame the White Lion and learn the secrets of Altean alchemy.

With the exception of the scene on Naxela where it was specifically Lance’s speech that motivated Allura to save the day, virtually all of her most charged emotions occurred elsewhere and with other characters, and there’s nothing in her personal goals--to be a strong leader, to revive her culture, to save the universe--that is intrinsically tied with Lance. He can encourage and aid her in those pursuits, but so can Shiro, Keith, Pidge, Hunk, and Coran. The role of fellow paladin and supporting ally isn’t unique to Lance. His interactions with her don’t fill a niche that drives her personal plot lines outside of the romance subplot.

And the same thing is true in reverse.

We get this nice scene of Allura encouraging Lance and helping him work on his insecurity... And then it is promptly never mentioned again. (Where did the sword go, guys? Where???) Lance gives up Blue to Allura and she’s almost immediately gifted at piloting the Blue Lion, while Lance is shown struggling with Red (once more in Keith’s shadow) and still hadn’t, as of the end of season 6, seemed to have mastered it to the same extent as Keith. It’s Keith, Laika (an alien dog--not Allura guys, an alien dog) and the SPACE MICE that Lance expresses his insecurities to, and it’s Coran who is there for Lance’s touching scene expressing his longing to return to Earth. Lance’s personal arc about growing into the paladin role and becoming a selfless person who puts the team before his own desire for glory once again occurs independently of Allura, with little to no interaction, and even fewer emotional high points between them, in the entire first half of the show.

For both of these characters, their “real emotional energy”--their tension both positive and negative--occurs with other characters. The “believability” and energy of this ship is diminished by the fact that it simply isn’t the most well-written of character pairs in the series. The romance subplot isn’t organically tied to either of their personal plot lines, and the depth of their one-on-one interactions pales in comparison to their, particularly Lance’s, interactions with other characters.

But huh... would you look at that... When a potential romantic interest came along whose interactions with Allura were both directly tied to her personal arc, her central character motivations, and her emotional high points...

Isn’t it amazing how well it was received by the fandom--despite the fact that no one was really sure whether Lotor was evil or not? Now of course, I’m not going to ignore the fact that Lotura was probably helped along by leaving Keith, Lance, and Shiro free to ship elsewhere, but I don’t think the actual chemistry in the series’ writing itself should be ignored.

There was significantly, significantly more tension and nuance to Allura and Lotor’s interactions that any of Allura’s interactions with any of the other main cast, and their interactions operated not just in a romantic capacity, but also as a vehicle for Allura’s personal character growth:

The push and pull of these two characters and their scenes together sparked change in both of them, which augmented and increased the quality of their romantic arc while also furthering both of their own individual goals as characters.

The story painted them as equals with mutual interests, a shared interest in Altean culture, both victims (at least initially) of their parents’ war, both distrusting but ultimately lonely people who were longing for connection to, in Allura’s case, what had been lost, and in Lotor’s case, what he theoretically had never been able to have (except the writers did him dirty so jk).

I just don’t think there are many people who would argue that Allurance--or Allura’s interactions with any other male character--have been written with near as much depth, engagement, and integration with her motivations as Lotor and Allura’s were. Their plot literally got more screen time one-on-one in a single seven episode season than Allura and Lance did in the 43+ other episodes...

And for the the short time that it lasted, this pairing was embraced by many fans. I might be biased because I immediately went out and followed every Lotura blog I could find, but to me it seems like it was well-liked and generally well-regarded among shippers until the colony reveal (and by many still after). I was very excited by the writing of this ship and definitely wanted something meaningful to come out of it. Part of the fandom’s immense outrage at Lotor’s reveal was, I think, linked to the fact that this ship had been so convincingly written into the series before it.

This, to me, is a perfect example of a situation in which the emotional exchange between two characters exceeds the strength and depth of their interactions with others, leading to immediate adoption and approval as a ship by the fandom. Where the real energy is, there are the shippers.

PHEW! Let me take a deep breath and come up for air. There’s a lot going on here, but boiling it down to the basic point I’m trying to make, and which I’ll address in a lot more depth in the third and final part of this: the way that a story is written profoundly affects what ships will or will not become popular with fans. Shipping isn’t an unpredictable beast that grows completely independently of its source material. The ways writers craft interactions between their characters--and the places where they invest the most and infuse the most life--are powerful tools that impact how fans view and come to love seeing characters both separately and in romantic relationships.

To that end, while there are numerous reasons slash ships are popular and continue to grow in popularity, one reason that should be considered seriously by all creative writers--fanfiction authors or aspiring original novelists--is the notion that shipping often aligns with the core of a story’s or character’s emotional energy, the pairs with the highest tension, the electric pulse of the story’s most meaningful moments. Non-canon ships of any sexuality swell to mega-popularity when fans perceive more depth and significance in the interactions of characters outside the canon pair, when the emotional work of the story is happening somewhere outside the intentional romantic plot line. Sometimes this is fine. But more often, this is a bad sign for creators--a sign that you’ve fumbled in the writing of your main romantic leads.

As writers, questions we rarely ask ourselves but often should are: “Where is the core of the tension in my story? Whose interactions are deepest and most central to the development of my main character?”

In other words: Where is the real emotional energy in my story?

In part 3 I’m going to provide one more excellent case-in-point, and then close out with a discussion of some take-aways for writers from all this that might help strengthen your romantic subplots, whatever your genre or whoever your characters.

Go on to Part 3 ->

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fyeahbatcat · 6 years

Note

What do you think people often get wrong about batcat (whether it be fandom, tv/movies, or writers)?

On the fan side I would say the perception that Batman andCatwoman are different. I cringe every time someone uses the phrase “oppositeattract” to describe their relationship. Batman and Catwoman certainly have fundamentaldifferences, but it’s a shallow take. It would appear on a surface level thatthey’re opposite because they seem to both operate on opposite sides of thelaw; Catwoman being a criminal and Batman being a masked vigilante, but they’reboth more complicated than that. I think that interpretation is reductive toboth of their characters.

It’s not like Batman is some kind man of the law. He’s avigilante who is operating outside of the law. Other than his “no kill” rule,which is at the extreme end of the spectrum, there is no clear line to definehow far he’s willing to go. The Telltale Game explores this conundrum where you’reforced between using extreme violence or risk not achieving your goal and thosechoices impact the way people see Batman and whether they’re willing to workwith him. Often times there is a question of whether Batman shows enoughrestraint. In recent years he’s been portrayed as less judgmental and moreunderstanding that technically he’s a criminal too but people are willing tooverlook that because he’s doing it for the right reasons.

In Catwoman’s case it’s even more egregious because Catwomanis without a doubt the most benign of the Rogues. Yes, she’s an unapologetic thiefand criminal but Catwoman’s interest are more self-motivationthan anything, and she always does the right thing when it really matters.Although it’s different than Batman’s, and she’s willing to do things that heisn’t, she does have a moral character that she lives by. She’s at her heart a good person who often uses her skills to do good as well.

Although they have their differences, when you get down to theircore characteristics they’re exactly the same.

On the writer’s end I think that most of them get caught upin the same romantic tropes too often, Batman and Catwoman’s relationship can’twork out because reasons. Over the years it just got so repetitive and writerswould make up the most bullshit reasons why they were breaking up just to accomplishthe end. I guess it’s not really specific to batcat, since it’s pretty seldom that you see a relationship in any media that isn’t written with every old, boring romance trope imaginable, but I think it’s something that even fans have come to accept without questioning and never thought to ask for more. That’s why I appreciate the Annual issue so much.

#ask #anonymous

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sleepyowlsleeps · 2 years

Text

unorganized bridgerton thoughts from my tags on another post

the only other thing I could talk about is bridgerton

and I don't want to talk about bridgerton

like. I have plenty of thoughts about it. but just like the show they are half-baked

there are all these little moments in there

small things. bits of sparkly stuff that could be nice if they weren't just mirages in a creek bed

and it's an awfully shallow creek let's be real

the costumes bug me so much. you can do more with a silhouette besides choosing brighter and glittery fabrics!

and the hair. my word. the hairstyling is atrocious

the very first scene is tightlacing which makes zero history or otherwise sense

the pacing is a bit odd. the closeups are always a bit too close

anthony has too much screen time for a character without a personality

his defining character trait is "i know best because if i don't then i don't have a personality"

some of the lines are decent but the acting is bad or the acting is fine but the lines are bad and we can't get both at the same time

every time simon is onscreen I want to hold his face and tell his actor he's better than this

and golly but sex education for girls was not nonexistent back then!

sometimes the narrative knows its dumb plot points are dumb but can't totally admit it because then the story falls apart

so there are just these moments of "we're being held together by background music and scene changes"

actually reje jean page breaks character sometimes i think because he doesn't like how reductive the writing is

but phoebe dynevor just doubles down and commits

and i appreciate both those efforts honestly

actually i have skipped through so much of these episodes that it's generous to say i've been watching it. i've been skimming

and that's probably for the best

#sleepy thinks about things

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spookywinnerpainter · 7 years

Text

Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

New Post has been published on http://articlesworldbank.com/2017/06/04/informative-information-this-principle-is-very-necessary-once-it-involves-garment-searching/

Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

Informative information: This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

Ariel Winter does not Care What you think that regarding Her Beach Body On any given Saturday this summer, Ariel Winter can gaze before a mirror partaking during a prepping ritual that’s to several ladies only too acquainted. She’ll blow dry her hair to swish perfection; she’ll apply foundation ’til the pores don’t shine; she’ll apply some pretend lashes in order that her brown eyes extremely pop, and even add a trifle rouge on her cheeks and on her lips. Then she’ll kick on some heels — she likes them tall — and struts out the door. however, if you think that Winter is headed for an evening out on the city you’d be wrong. This lady is headed to the beach. Wait, wha?

Image Source refinery29

“I’m undoubtedly a makeup at the beach person, and that I don’t care if individuals suppose I look ridiculous — it’s my beach day!” Winter says with a lightweight chuckle. “Whether I need to travel natural or with makeup or in sweatpants, that’s up to American state. individuals square measure thus stressed regarding however they’re attending to look in their bathing suits that they forget to travel to the beach as a result of they need to travel to the beach, that defeats the entire purpose. The beach ought to be a secure house.” If you’re rolling your eyes, thinking that I-really-don’t-care-what-other-people-think is that the new I-don’t-like-being-famous, then you haven’t been being attentive to Winter’s ascent from kid star to wise, real and daring 19-year-old body quality champion. The l. a. the native had to earn her skin when debuting on fashionable Family because the Dunphy family’s youngest female offspring, Alex, once she was simply eleven. That means, time of life and every one of the awkward stages of teenage dorm — the type that square measure exhausting enough to endure while not the globe observation — happened before immeasurable eyes. And this being the age of social media, it conjointly implies that Winter had to be told to deflect the hoards of commenters United Nations agency routinely criticized her body or shamed her for showing off her curves whether or not she was carrying a graduation dress or affirmative, bathing suits.

Image Source refinery29

“I went through lots of hate on-line, thus I attempted to alter myself for an extremely long term. however individuals simply unbroken hating on American state despite what I did,” says Winter. She speaks quickly and definitively like she’s well-versed in defensive herself. “I set that rather than pleasing these people, I’ll simply pay that point pleasing myself. Those individuals are attending to be rude to me no matter what I do, thus I ought to simply try to be proud of what i’m.” “ “I’VE LEARNED TO NOT CARE that the maximum amount. I’M comfy during a garment, SCARS, and everyone.” ” As exhausting as that lesson was, learning to just accept herself has actually had its side. Through Winter’s terribly public growing pains and shallowness struggles, she’s emerged as associate degree outspoken champion for anyone overcoming body image problems. She’s managed to create her fanbase to incorporate ladies of all ages (no little deed for an info Z TV star), because of her blunt honesty regarding her body additionally because the means she stresses the distinction between body acceptance and body quality. Sometimes, the previous is solely smart enough: “It’s exhausting to be positive regarding your body all the time,” she says. “I recognize as a result of I’m honest regarding my insecurities that individuals suppose I’m 100% positive regarding my body all the time, however, I’m not. I buy extremely uncomfortable, too. however, I simply inform myself that this is often the body I used to be given. this is often United Nations agency I’m.”

Image Source refinery29

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This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching. Winter says that the method has continuously been notably anxiety-inducing for her, an indisputable fact that was very true till 2015, the year she underwent a breast reduction surgery to alleviate the physical strain and body-image problems she attributed to her then-size-32F chest. “Before then, I didn’t desire myself, and everybody was thus centered on my cleavage, thus once I got the breast reduction it helped American state feel most higher regarding my body,” she says. “I wont to have all-out meltdowns in garment outlets as a result of there was nothing I may realize to wear. I continuously felt like crap regarding myself. It’s gotten a trifle higher, however, it’s still undoubtedly exhausting. Like, my supporter, she’s super tall and thin and she’ll wear the identical garment as the American state, however, individuals can mechanically inspect American state and decision American state out as a slut or write headlines regarding ‘Ariel Winter’s cleavage.’ meantime they appear at her like, ‘Oh she appearance thus cute!’ however I’ve learned to not care that the maximum amount. I’m comfy during a garment, scars, and everyone.”

Image Source refinery29

That’s a very important purpose for Winter, United Nations agency believes that currently over ever, ladies ought to embrace and appreciate their bodies. She has been vocal regarding her considerations regarding the new President and whether or not his tendency to scale back ladies to their appearance can have a trickle down result. “Our leadership is actually anti-women without delay,” she says. “Thanks to Donald Trump, we’re being objectified and created to feel unhealthy regarding ourselves, thus I feel it’s extremely necessary for girls to stay along and do the other of that; to let their bodies be seen and be detected, and to empower alternative|one another}; to inform every other that what they appear like isn’t the sole factor that’s necessary once it involves United Nations agency they’re.” Winter’s strength through her critics and private struggles have propelled her into a sure-fire career — all before the age of twenty-one. The in-demand player has got to slot in those beach visits between many projects: This spring she marked aboard Burt Reynolds in Dog Years, wherever she plays the foul-spoken driver taking Reynold’s character on a road trip. She is already fielding additional film offers, additionally to adjustment the title character on Disney’s aristocrat series Bulgarian capital the primary. And ABC’s Modern Family was just renewed for 2 more seasons, which means Winter will continue to portray Alex Dunphy well into adulthood. But first, she has a few notes for the show’s writers.

Image Source refinery29

“I hope to see Alex evolve more as an adult. I love that she’s in college and that she still gets home to see her family, but I wish there would be more storylines about Alex developing her romantic relationship and also just developing her relationships with other people in general. I’d want to see her branch out and have some fun and grow socially a little bit so the world can see that she’s not a kid anymore.” It seems the world is still having some trouble seeing Winter as an adult, too. Though she’s been open to the public about her rocky relationship with her parents and her decision to become emancipated from them in 2015 — which legally makes her an adult — she’s still often criticized for wearing clothing or making decisions too risqué for her age. And when she revealed to Jimmy Kimmel earlier this month that she’s living with her 29-year-old boyfriend, actor Levi Meaden, the next-day coverage focused on their age difference, rather than her work. Still, like the online haters of her body, Winter is able to shake off these haters, too, a skill that’s astoundingly mature for a 19-year-old navigating life’s obstacles in front of a million-person audience. “I’m happy, and whatever people want to say, they can say,” she says. “I don’t understand why someone would even comment on our situation at all. There are tons of people of all ages that live with their boyfriend. There are tons of people that live with their girlfriends, [and] tons of people that don’t live together and are super happy. But I’m super happy in the arrangement that we have. We love living together. It’s just great.” Winter adds that Meaden is one of the reasons she’s so comfortable in her own skin; her voice softens noticeably when she says his name. “I have to say he is the most incredible person I’ve ever met and that I’m so lucky to be with him,” she says, adding that the couple has been taking archery lessons, and for them an ideal day involves hanging out by their pool with their dogs or playing poker with friends. “He’s always complimenting me and making me feel special and beautiful. We went grocery shopping today, and I was in, like, a weird T-shirt that I kind of hate and my semi-pajama pants, and he still took the time to tell me that I look pretty. Even when I do feel bad about myself, he’s simply there to support American state and choose American state copy once I’m feeling down.” Meaden can typically be related to the player to the beach this summer. and he or she could also be carrying makeup or heels, or even she’ll amendment her mind and set to travel in flip-flops. United Nations agency knows? For Ariel Winter, taking back the beach is a smaller amount regarding what you’re carrying to the beach and additional regarding merely enjoying it. But there square measure 2 things that square measure non-negotiable for her trip. “Snacks!” she says. “And sand toys. I’m still a child in spite of appearance.” Watch our video interview with Ariel Winter below.

https://youtu.be/Z6kFFnQp-8Y

Video Source refinery29 It’s your body. it is your summer. get pleasure from them each.

Edited By articlesworldbank.com

#Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

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spookywinnerpainter · 7 years

Text

Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

New Post has been published on http://articlesworldbank.com/2017/06/04/informative-information-this-principle-is-very-necessary-once-it-involves-garment-searching/

Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

Informative information: This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

Image Source refinery29

“I’m undoubtedly a makeup at the beach person, and that I don’t care if individuals suppose I look ridiculous — it’s my beach day!” Winter says with a lightweight chuckle. “Whether I need to travel natural or with makeup or in sweatpants, that’s up to American state. individuals square measure thus stressed regarding however they’re attending to look in their bathing suits that they forget to travel to the beach as a result of they need to travel to the beach, that defeats the entire purpose. The beach ought to be a secure house.” If you’re rolling your eyes, thinking that I-really-don’t-care-what-other-people-think is that the new I-don’t-like-being-famous, then you haven’t been being attentive to Winter’s ascent from kid star to wise, real and daring 19-year-old body quality champion. The l. a. the native had to earn her skin when debuting on fashionable Family because of the Dunphy family’s youngest female offspring, Alex, once she was simply eleven. That means, time of life and every one of the awkward stages of teenage dorm — the type that square measure exhausting enough to endure while not the globe observation — happened before immeasurable eyes. And this being the age of social media, it conjointly implies that Winter had to be told to deflect the hoards of commenters United Nations agency routinely criticized her body or shamed her for showing off her curves whether or not she was carrying a graduation dress or affirmative, bathing suits.

Image Source refinery29

“I went through lots of hate on-line, thus I attempted to alter myself for an extremely long term. however individuals simply unbroken hating on American state despite what I did,” says Winter. She speaks quickly and definitively like she’s well-versed in defensive herself. “I set that rather than pleasing these people, I’ll simply pay that point pleasing myself. Those individuals square American stateasure attending to be rude to me no matter what I do, thus I ought to simply try to be proud of what I’m.” “ “I’VE LEARNED TO NOT CARE that the maximum amount. I’M comfy during a garment, SCARS, and everyone.” ” As exhausting as that lesson was, learning to just accept herself has actually had its side. Through Winter’s terribly public growing pains and shallowness struggles, she’s emerged as associate degree outspoken champion for anyone overcoming body image problems. She’s managed to create her fanbase to incorporate ladies of all ages (no little deed for an info Z TV star), because of her blunt honesty regarding her body additionally because the means she stresses the distinction between body acceptance and body quality. Sometimes, the previous is solely smart enough: “It’s exhausting to be positive regarding your body all the time,” she says. “I recognize as a result of I’m honest regarding my insecurities that individuals suppose I’m 100% positive regarding my body all the time, however, I’m not. I buy extremely uncomfortable, too. however, I simply inform myself that this is often the body I used to be given. this is often United Nations agency I’m.”

Image Source refinery29

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push();

Image Source refinery29

That’s a very important purpose for Winter, cy believes that currently over ever, ladies ought to embrace and appreciate their bodies. She has been vocal regarding her considerations regarding the new President and whether or not his tendency to scale back ladies to their appearance can have a trickle down result. “Our leadership is actually anti-women without delay,” she says. “Thanks to Donald Trump, we’re being objectified and created to feel unhealthy regarding ourselves, thus I feel it’s extremely necessary for girls to stay along and do the other of that; to let their bodies be seen and be detected, and to empower alternative|one another}; to inform every other that what they appear like isn’t the sole factor that’s necessary once it involves United Nations agency they’re.” Winter’s strength through her critics and private struggles have propelled her into a sure-fire career — all before the age of twenty-one. The in-demand player has got to slot in those beach visits between many projects: This spring she marked aboard Burt Reynolds in Dog Years, wherever she plays the foul-spoken driver taking Reynold’s character on a road trip. She is already fielding additional film offers, additionally to adjustment the title character on Disney’s aristocrat series Bulgarian capital the primary. And ABC’s Modern Family was just renewed for 2 more seasons, which means Winter will continue to portray Alex Dunphy well into adulthood. But first, she has a few notes for the show’s writers.

Image Source refinery29

https://youtu.be/Z6kFFnQp-8Y

Video Source refinery29 It’s your body. it is your summer. get pleasure from each them.

Edited By articlesworldbank.com

#Informative information : This principle is very necessary once it involves garment searching.

0 notes