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strangertheory · 3 years

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I'd love for Will to be able to have the power of reality alteration because him being the most powerful one would be a very nice plot twist. But. Do you really believe they make him more powerful than El? I keep finding crazy comments on social media, suggesting it's the "El show" 😪 *sigh*. And I know some people who say it'd be anti feminist since Will is a boy. Thx

That’s a lot of interesting questions to think about.

I’ll attempt to address each thought that you’ve shared one at a time and provide you with my own opinions and theories about each:

You said: “I'd love for Will to be able to have the power of reality alteration because him being the most powerful one would be a very nice plot twist. But. Do you really believe they would make him more powerful than El?”

I have a lot of conflicted feelings about the way that the fandom often talks about characters’ powers and supernatural abilities in Stranger Things. (I also really dislike the way that the fandom has decided that they can’t appreciate and support both El and Will’s happiness and that their happy endings and successes are somehow mutually exclusive, but I’ll address the topic of their powers first.)

Fans often focus on the abilities and superpowers of characters as something desirable and cool but fans rarely spend time considering what it cost those characters to develop their abilities in the first place. Neither El nor Will suddenly woke up one day and had superpowers that they had conscious control over.

Certain impressive skills that people have in the real world might also be developed under extremely traumatic and undesirable circumstances and not because they wanted them: the powers represented so far in Stranger Things are very much like that variety of skillset.

El’s powers and her ability to control them are canonically shown to have manifested during her imprisonment, abuse, isolation, and manipulation at the Lab. As Kali says “They stole your life, Jane!” Due to El’s isolation from society and from love and affection and from having a family and from everything else in the world beyond the Lab she has a significant amount of early childhood social and psychological development that was stolen from her that she can never truly get back. A healthy, loving, safe environment for development and self-actualization that children deserve to have was not provided to El and she has suffered so much and she has had significant delays in her opportunity to grow and become her own person because of what was done to her. So yes, El has psychic powers that give her a variety of unique abilities that are very useful. But at what cost? If El were given the choice to abandon all of her powers in exchange for a loving family, a community of friends that she’d had the opportunity to know and spend time with since early childhood, a variety of passions and hobbies that she chose for herself over the years as she was growing up and engaging with the world, an extensive understanding of the world outside of the Lab based on her own exploration of the world and not only what people tell her or what she sees on television, and most importantly a sense that she is treated kindly because people truly love her and not because they want to exploit her and her powers for their own purposes: wouldn’t she make that trade?

Do I currently agree with the theory that Will’s subconscious mind created the Upside Down, the Mindflayer, the demogorgon, and even most probably created many other characters and fantastical plotlines that exist in the story? Yes. But I believe it has (so far) been unintentional, entirely subconscious, and is a mental coping mechanism in response to extremely traumatic circumstances that Will has faced throughout his life. Would Will’s subconscious mind creating significant parts of the Stranger Things universe represent a certain level of “power” that is greater than El’s? I don’t personally think they’re comparable. There are things that Will can probably do that El cannot, and vice versa. They will surely each have their own strengths and weaknesses and their own limitations that we may or may not always be shown in the series.

But what does "more powerful” really mean to us, and why does that question even matter? It was not El’s choice to have powers and it was not Will’s choice to have powers. Much of what I believe Will has incidentally created is creating a lot of confusion and suffering for him and for others that he cares about. If the story were about real people I’d be offended at the question of who’s more powerful and feel as though that question and debate is the sort that Dr. Brenner and his colleagues would have: “How useful is this child to me? Which child is more powerful?” I dislike the question because it feels like asking a parent which child is their favorite. I care about them both, and I don’t care about them because they happen to have superpowers: I care about them because they are nuanced characters that are very well-written and that I can empathize with as if they were real people. I respect why it’s a popular thing for fans to debate over which X-Men is the most powerful, for example, but that’s never been what draws me into scifi and fantasy stories. What characters choose to do under unusual circumstances and with unique resources (such as superpowers) is far more important to me than the nature and intensity of the powers themselves. I believe that the Stranger Things fandom does these beautifully written characters a disservice by focusing too heavily on their abilities and not enough on their feelings, choices, relationships, dreams, goals, and experiences that humanize them.

I love Stranger Things because of the humanity of each of the characters and not because some of them can throw cars through walls.

You said: “I keep finding crazy comments on social media, suggesting it's the "El show"”

El is definitely an important character in the story at this point in the show and she has some really fascinating abilities in the Stranger Things universe that often give her iconic moments and provide her an opportunity to be in the spotlight.

I believe that there is a reason that the writers have decided to develop many characters in the story and in my opinion it can seem hard to pin-point a “main” character at times. I think this is absolutely intentional on the part of the writers, and I predict that we will learn how Will’s, Hopper’s, and El’s storylines intersect in season 4. I think we will learn something new about each of the characters.

I do not personally believe that it is the “El show” any more than it could be argued that this is the “Steve show” or the “Hopper show.” But I do appreciate that fans have grown to love El’s character.

I strongly disagree with anyone in the fandom that insists that Will is not important. I can tell that the way that he was quieter in season 3 inspired some fans to dismiss his role in the series entirely, but I think they’re mistaken. Quiet and less assertive doesn’t mean irrelevant in a story like this one. I believe that much of what Will has been through is at the heart of the entire series, and I think that he will play a very critical role in future seasons. If some fans passionately dislike Will then they might need to steel themselves for some severe disappointment.

You said: “And I know some people who say it'd be anti feminist [for Will to be more powerful than El] since Will is a boy."

I would argue that El embodies many traits that are often presumed to be stereotypically masculine by certain incorrect and outdated schools of thought: assertiveness, the ability to win in combat, determination, resilience, and bravery (among others.) There were eras in which these traits were not always valued and respected in women, and arguably there are still many circumstances under which they still aren’t. El is a complex character who is not written as a gender stereotype and I think that is powerful and important.

We need more characters of many different genders that are written as people. Complex, multi-faceted, and capable of many different things regardless of their gender.

Yes. Will is a boy.

Will is a young boy who has been bullied for having certain traits that are very often stereotypically seen by society as feminine. As being “womanly.”

I believe that feminism needs to be intersectional and seek to address the ways that all people and all genders are harmed by a society that devalues women and devalues traits, work, and skillsets that are associated with femininity.

Feminism should not be reduced and oversimplified to “girl power.” Anyone that reduces feminism to that does not, in my opinion, understand feminism.

“Feminism is the belief in the social, economic, and political equality of the sexes.”

Devaluing admirable traits when someone of one gender expresses them but then deciding to value those exact same traits when they are expressed by a person of a different gender is prejudiced and anti-feminist because it maintains the false idea that certain traits only have value in people if they are a specific gender.

El is a wonderful, empowering character and I appreciate that she is very well written and admired by many fans. But I worry when certain fans are more willing to appreciate a kick-ass fictional young woman that defies outdated and incorrect gender stereotypes but are not also willing to embrace gentler, more sensitive, less stereotypically masculine young men like Will with similar enthusiasm and affection.

Will is bullied and devalued by his small-town community for having traits and interests that are perceived as feminine and therefore, according to closeminded bigots like his dad, not allowed and are deserving of abuse and bullying. Will is arguably also devalued and dismissed by the Stranger Things fandom because he has traits that are perceived as feminine and undesirable in a young teen guy in the eyes of certain fans, too.

The devaluing and dismissal of gentle, kind, emotional young men is a feminist issue.

A character doesn’t have to be a girl in order to represent feminist ideals within a story. I know that there are probably plenty of feminists that will disagree with me (because there will always be people with their own opinions) but I strongly believe that Will's story is feminist as it has been explored so far (just as El's is.)

Anyone in the fandom that considers themselves a “Feminist” but that spends significant amounts of time criticizing Will Byers by dismissing him as “boring” and criticizing him for being quiet, sensitive, gentle, and emotional should take a good look in the mirror and reflect on what their personal brand of feminism stands for and whether their goal truly is “the equality of the sexes” or if their goal is simply hating men and only valuing and promoting stereotypically masculine traits in our society.

Feminism’s goal is not to make women more powerful than men or to make men less powerful than women, it is about the promotion of the “equality of the sexes.”

Stereotypes are constructs our society has built and that impact the way we all currently relate to each other. Until society stops treating traits associated with society's currently constructed idea of femininity as something weak or bad then it is important to appreciate these traits in characters of many different genders and to value these traits in men (both in real life and in fictional stories) too. Anyone of any gender can be sensitive and sensitivity should not be seen as a weakness but rather as a strength and as something that's a valuable aspect of our humanity, and the same can be said for many other beautiful traits that society has wrongly decided to put into boxes and assign gender stereotypes to.

This complicated topic is incredibly important to me as a fan of both El and Will. I believe that both El and Will are feminist characters and that the series is very empowering and is challenging society’s gender biases through both of their stories. I hope that my response to your question was successful in communicating how I feel and resonates with you and with perhaps other fans who also care about El and Will and feel their own experiences, feelings, and identities validated by their story arcs.

Will some fans still whine and cry “sexism” and attempt to brand Stranger Things as “anti-feminist” if their hope that El will be the solo main character of the story and not have to share the spotlight with a boy is dashed? Sure. But I think they’re wrong, that their concept of feminism and sexism is incorrect, and that their priorities and their understanding of El’s value as a character is unfortunate. El is more than her superpowers. El doesn’t need to be “the strongest” or “the most powerful” in order to be an inspiring, complex, well-written, relatable, and empowering character.

Thank you for your Ask! I hope you don’t mind how long this response is. You mentioned a few things that I have some very complicated opinions about.

#will byers #el hopper #stranger things #stranger things analysis #stranger things theories #will byers is a feminist character #el hopper is a feminist character #feminism is for everyone

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not-to-be-gay-but-holy-shit · 3 years

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Im kinda neutral about the tma metaplot but i really *want* to like it, id love to hear your thoughts on it!

Oh hi! I honestly didn’t expect anyone to want to hear my thoughts!! (Keep in mind I am dumb and am generally bad at literary analysis but it’s something I’m trying to get better at so like,, pls be kind) It’s under the cut because its a thousand words long. Sorry. 😬

First of all, I want to talk about my personal reason for enjoying the meta turn. The Magnus Archives, even from the first season, was written in the podcast equivalent of a found footage movie. Everything that we hear as the audience could, conceivably, be found and listened to as if we are in the same universe, and I’m a big fan of that trope. It’s the same reason I enjoyed Percy Jackson so much as a kid. Percy starting the story off with a fourth wall break, addressing the reader, like I found his journal on my own, made me feel like a part of the story. So that’s my indulgent reason for enjoying this twist. It felt like a nice progression from “everything you hear is recorded on a tape recorder as a plot device” to “this is a thing that happened and you get to listen to it”. Very satisfying, in my opinion. It’s also the reason I can’t finish the pilot of my own fiction podcast because I want it to be found footage so BADLY but I can’t DO IT non-derivatively fuck

Okay, now that that’s out of the way, let’s talk about what it adds to the story metaphorically! Because oh boy does it have some implications if Jonny does it right!

We all know that The Magnus Archives is about capitalism and helplessness, right? Being trapped in your workplace and any attempt to escape or quit is followed with threats of violence (i.e. being evicted, starving to death) and upper management is manipulating you and using your labor to commit terrible crimes but you can’t do anything to stop it? Thanks to this blog post from 2019 talking about both capitalism and hopelessness in the narrative that initially got me thinking about that interpretation.

Even outside of the implications of being stuck at the Institute, characters find themselves helpless... a lot. In season one, Martin is trapped in his apartment and is helpless to do anything except wait out Jane Prentis. Again in that season, Sasha, Martin, and Jon are helpless to watch Tim unknowingly walk into a room of homicidal worms, potentially killing him. Season two, they find out after the fact that Sasha has been replaced and are helpless to save her because she’s already gone. Need I mention the amount of times that Jon has been kidnapped, and his autonomy taken away from him? Or how Jon spends the entire fourth season watching Martin fall in with the Lonely, unable to sway him away from Peter Lukas’s side (until the very end). Even Elias, at the end of season 4, tricking Jon into starting the Eyepocolypse follows this theme. Once he gets to “apologies for the deception”, Jon knows he needs to stop reading or something bad is going to happen but he’s helpless to stop it. Season five, on the other hand, is them trying to get back some of that autonomy. Even though they’re helpless to save everyone, they do what they can, killing a few avatars along the way, but it's not enough, and there’s still tragedies along the way. And these are all just things I could remember off the top of my head! There’s definitely more instances if you go looking for them.

This is my theory: With the implications of the meta twist, we, as the audience, are going to be forced to experience what it feels like to be truly helpless in the face of tragedy, just like the characters have felt through this entire experience.

Of course, we could, at any point, stop listening. The newest episode could come out and none of us could listen to it, but that’s not going to happen. Most of us, I’m sure, will listen to the next episodes, knowing we are going to leave the experience emotionally affected in some way. The Magnus Archives is a tragedy, and we all signed up to listen to that tragedy, knowing that nothing we could do will change the fact that our beloved characters are going to be hurt and traumatized and (possibly) dead by the end. All we can do is listen.

Meanwhile, the implications of Jonny hinting at a fourth wall break, including us as characters, means that, potentially, we could do something. If we exist in the podcast, we, who have the knowledge that something is about to go very, very wrong, could feasibly change something, fix something, save our favorite characters.

But we just can’t (firstly, because it’s not actually real, but secondly because that’s the point.)

We could take this another step further, too. Jonny could propose that instead of helping, instead of trying to change things, we the audience, were enablers to all the tragic happenings to the characters throughout the series, and we’re just using these traumatized people as our sick entertainment. That’s commentary in itself about the entertainment industry under capitalism, and it fits into that original theme of exploitation. Now, personally, I don’t think that’s the moral that Jonny is intending. It’s an awfully grim outlook, and, I think, a little harsh on your fans if the moral is you could have stopped this bad thing if you tried, especially considering most TMA fans are people oppressed in some way or another by the systems we live in. But it’s still a theory (and I want proof that I said it, just in case the narrative does go this way).

Anyways. I don’t remember where I was going with this. TMA meta good. Send tweet.

I’m a very inexperienced writer, so I don’t trust myself to formulate a good defense of whether or not Johnny is writing the meta correctly, but, on a gut instinctual level, I’m enjoying the twist so far, so we’ll see!

There’s also the potential for it being used as commentary on government surveillance, or social media, but when it comes to TMA themes, I’m a big fan of it’s approach to helplessness, so I’m biased to think that every new plot device is about that. Thanks for asking, this was actually a lot of fun to write!!

Tl;dr: imo TMA is about helplessness under capitalism and including the audience as a character will make it even more heartbreaking when the tragic thing happens and we can’t stop it.

#tma spoilers #tma #the magnus archives #mag 196

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veridium · 4 years

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fuck it, queer meta.

About a year ago I wrote one of my first and largest meta posts about why I consider Cassandra a prime example of queerbaiting despite her being a character who explicitly says she is heterosexual. This lead to quite the day of inbox hate mail from people throughout the fandom. Most were upset I used the “q slur” and left it untagged as such in the big DA meta tags. I can imagine for those folks, the substance of what I had to say mattered little as a result.

I deleted most of those messages and my responses soon afterward. They upset me greatly even as I took it all in stride. However, given that it’s been about 365 days since that fiasco, and some interesting events have happened with regards to current and former DA writers, I thought it would be “fun” to write a recap and reflection on why, generally, I still feel the way I did when I wrote that post. With some changes and growth, of course.

The gist of it is, as we have come to learn in past, recent, and ongoing discourses in fandom, that much to the chagrin of a lot of folks in this fandom: BioWare, and in this instance DA writers, are not your SJW Icons. Furthermore, they never should have been, or should be, considered as such.

The gist (part two) for me, is: for as much as diverse characters, worlds, and societies are being uplifted by Games these days, the counterbalance of bullshit is still there. And I think it survives most sturdily in the kind of logic the BioWare writing culture throughout the years. This sense of egalitarian, “of course” logic, that appears to make socially deviant identities normalized but really just falsely positions those identities as meant to be in lock-step with the norm. Representation to gaming, and most of media writ large, all-too-easily falls into the trap of “we want what the privileged have,” which it to say, we want our existence to be a no-brainer, even if it means we lost the essence of why our stories are so profound, important, and necessary to do justice.

I really can’t imagine accepting the way characters like Cassandra were written because I don’t accept the writer(s) who wrote her. Why?

Come with me, and we’ll be, in a world, of pure fuckery...but with citations...because I’m an Academic and that’s my roll.*

*Please see tags for pertinent content warnings before clicking.**

**if you reblog and tag this shit with “q slur,” I will take all the reserves of understanding I have as a DA fic writer for all of the enraged womxn in the series and express it accordingly. And, as a femslash-oriented author, I can promise you: that expression will be consumptive.

Hm, I wonder, what with the predominant writer for her character inquires on Twitter for “lesbian fanfic porn” recommendations for writing “research,” but seems to be unable to hire appropriate creatives to write, consult, etc. for the project.

Or that the writers room made, and continues to make, space for a writer who continually does Black and queer characters dirty with his mediocre-at-best work, in both game and novel form (because, plot twist, he’s a shit writer) (1) (2) (3).

Or that the writer’s room, and specifically Ga*der, attesting that the development of the Qunari was based on Arab cultures around the time of “Medieval Europe,” which is somehow his way of getting out of the thematic botching of the Qunari language, social structure, etc. from Islamic tradition.

Or, the writers who intentionally shaped the story so that Vivienne, one of the limited number of Black women characters in the entire series to have a role as an ally, to be a red herring of an distrustful and conceited antagonist, to the point where her treatment by fandom has been incredibly racist, heinous, and lazy for years.

These are a few of MANY reasons, with thorough exposition, why the veneer of “progressive inclusion” studios like BioWare claim to be authentic. Having “diverse” writers in the room -- and I’m using that word incredibly tenuously here -- didn’t change the result of any of these harmful scenarios. In fact, it created them. This, combined with the tale as old as time: toxic fandom culture with white, anglo-centric, cisheterosexual masculinist ideals at the fore, have gotten us here.

So, do I hold all of the reasons why I am angry about Cassandra’s character writing the same way now, as I did then? No. Certainly not. In fact, there are parts where I would correct myself. On the other hand, the thesis for me remains largely preserved: I revile G*ider, I revile that he gets the accolades he does by fandom for his “diversity” of characters when he exploits, erases, and uses slippery morality to get out of admitting he has shortcomings in his work. I hate that the exaltation for representation still funnels itself onto the heads of white writers and predominantly white-staffed studios.

And, underneath it all, I am mad that some of ya’ll see no problem with that. Because what does it matter, if you do not come from communities, cultures, and coalitions that get the brunt of this misrepresentation? What does it matter if it angers a lesbian fan that the writers who have a long history of misusing and conveniently copping themselves out when they write women and queer characters, seem to use that “expertise” as permission to do what they are supposedly combating?

G*ider, the hero himself, is on written record saying that it should not be second guessed as to why Cassandra is straight, just as he thinks it should not be second guessed that Dorian is gay. Yet, when he asked on Twitter if there was some moral significance to people modding character’s sexuality (in this specific instance, Dorian, actually), G*ider said that in the end, people’s mods “do not change” what he wrote, and that unless they claim their changes “supercede” canon, there’s no harm done.

So, really, I’m just over here like -- is this ya’lls hero?

Why in the fuck would someone be modding a gay character to be bisexual or heterosexual, if they didn’t somehow believe that version “supercedes” the canon rendition? Secondly, where is the attention to the fact that, in an ensemble of multiple romanceable characters, Dorian has to be the one that has to be sexually and romantically accessible to those outside of his canonical realm of attraction?

I mean, for fuck’s sake, it’s the whole virtue grounding his companion side quest, the fact that he is estranged from his Father who tried to magically change his orientation! This is a crucial part of Dorian’s entire journey to serving the Inquisition, and serving Tevinter as a dissident.

But, you know, it doesn’t change what G*ider wrote. And he’s correct, it doesn’t change what he wrote, which he got credit, money, and esteem for. It doesn’t change that if you load up the base game, Dorian’s gay. In G*ider’s head, that is the protective force: the parts where he has ties, and not the culture of the fandom, the culture the fans who helped fill his pockets from that game have to dwell within. This isn’t revolutionary, this isn’t good-faith representation. This is getting a piece of the rotten-sweet pie and saying “let bygones be bygones, you toxic, funky heteronormative assholes!”

But, where are my manners. I’m getting heated, aren’t I?

Basically, if you condemn queer fans for calling out queer bating -- or any marginalized fan for throwing up the alarm for bullshit -- and your first reaction is to side with folks like G*ider who got theirs and said screw everything else, fuck off. Literally, fuck off. I call Cassandra’s circumstance queerbaiting because she’s one example of writers getting their cake and eating it, too. If they are so aware of just how much of their fanbase is marginalized folks, they don’t get to say they don’t have fingerprints on things like queerbaiting. You don’t get to be acclaimed and excused for the shit you say you are combating, which is the source of that acclaim. And if your claim is happy ignorance, then you definitely don’t get to blithely equivocate when fans do ask you why the story happened the way it did.

I also just want to keep in mind here that there’s a deductive conclusion to be had about this, given how La*idlaw explicitly stated they endeavored to make Cassandra extremely hot, “really enticing.” That conclusion is:

(1) Either they aren’t/weren’t nearly as attuned to their queer audiences as they generally claim to be, or

(2) They were, and had no intention of developing compassion or empathy passed G*ider talking out of his ass about why Cassandra was developed as straight. Which, ultimately, does coincide with conclusion (1) more than not.

No matter what, the contour to the conclusion is: wow, a taste of nauseating objectification, in the BioWare writer’s room. Who knew!

It’s no wild accusation to make to a writer like him and his colleagues, that they don’t know how to handle sapphic, wlw, and/or queer-related storylines, especially with women. Especially when the answer seems to be, “well, it was decided before I took the lead, and in any case, why question it! You wouldn’t question a gay character’s orientation!”

But that’s just it, you complete and utter turnip. People did question Dorian’s sexuality. People do question Dorian’s sexuality. That fantasy world of equal bearings is as insincere as it is out-of-touch. And why not, when, as you said,

it doesn’t change what you got paid for.

The ethos seems to be crudely reflexive: people’s phobic interpretations and alterations of the canon do not matter, but then again, why would you even question why a character is straight? Why would you question my narrative vision, in all of its beautiful shittery?

It’s all a game of dodge, ya’ll. Dodge, dodge, dodge. With a strong and acidic dose of vanity.

So. In summation, folks: I could care less for your false equivalences. I could care less about my contribution of queer content fucking up your good time in the meta tags. Obviously you aren’t there to actually engage in creative, exploratory thought, so why bother reasoning. There is more to the possibilities of queerbaiting than stringing along a could-be, would-be, should-be queer storyline directly. There’s knowing your audience enough to exploit your good graces with them. There’s benefitting from a charade of liberal progressive clout. There’s the ability to foresee that queer people will cathect to a given character, and not only denying an experience they could have, but denying it so harshly that the character says they can’t love yours because you’re female.

And I am so, so, so sick of these people continually enriching themselves off of the “nobody’s perfect” grace. To me, that grace is the promise of good faith, and the intention to do right by people. When that isn’t there, the grace isn’t going somewhere where it’ll be appreciated, that it will be nourished by. I mean, fucking hell, people, this is rainbow capitalism: don’t you taste it?

That’s that, then. “Cassandra and Queerbaiting Rant,” one year on. An extra dose of salt, just for the haters.

#da meta #cassandra and queerbaiting rant #one year reflection?#yeah #so #queerbaiting #cassandra pentaghast #bioware critical #bioware bullshit #cw: lesbophobia #cw: homophobia #cw: queerphobia #cw: discussion of Dorian's experiences with his family

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sailormurkury · 4 years

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History3: MODC review I guess?

Word Count: around 2,080

Warning: Potential Spoiler for POSE Season 2. I’m not sure if it’s been streaming globally yet, but I mention the death of a character.

I fell in love with the BL drama HIStory this past August. It was after coming across a video on twitter of two men embracing, kissing and both breaking down in tears on the floor of a lavish, minimalistic, bedroom. After a bit of digging in the replies, I learned the name of the show, History3: Trapped. One google later, I’m on VIKI and I find the entire first half-season which had just wrapped up two months prior. The rest of that month was spent binging it and the first 2 seasons (and The Untamed). This week the second half of the beloved drama’s third season which has been hailed the best BL drama of 2019, possibly all-time, ended with a thud on the 18th. Prior to this week it had a solid score of 9.5 on MyDramaLive where it now sits at 8.5. (Rating seems to be falling slightly every 2-3 days, now sits at 8.4.) This season’s love story focused on the story between Yu Xi Gu, an orphan, loner, and presumptive valedictorian of Zenren High and Xiang Hao Ting, the carefree Mr. popular of the school. The show also follows a side couple, HaoTing’s best friend Sun Bo Xiang and Xi Gu’s boss, Lu Zhi Gang. This season focused on the blossoming of these two couples’ relationships in such a way that most of us thought “Oh wow they’re going for full on happy go lucky in love” and while they met challenges like HaoTing’s homophobic parents and entrance exams they managed to fight for each other with their relationship getting stronger every time. That was until this week’s finale when we were served with a plate of Deadly Distant Finale with a side of Bury Your Gays and a glass Gay for You.

I initially thought that I was okay with the finale in a similar way to how I was with the finale of HIStory3: Trapped. That was bittersweet yet common sense. Shao Fei was a cop, Tang Yi a mob boss who shot an officer, he “had” to go to jail. Yet the more I thought about it I felt grieved, insulted rather by MODCs finale. So, like everyone else is doing on social media, I’m going to nitpick the hell out of it as part of my “healing process.” Also, while all of us are upset, unfortunately as in the summer, some fans are attacking the cast and crew. In the words of the master heart crusher, Shonda Rhimes, “Don’t tweet them your crazy,” or...whatever the weibo equivalent is. So, before the nitpicking, a caveat. My beef is with the lazy writing of episode 10, this entire cast was outstanding from Wayne and ChuanChih to the ZENREN homies to The Xiang Family just outstanding. Possibly the best History ensemble since H2:Crossing The Line. Thankfully, this season was not written the same writer of H3: Trapped that would have been way too much for me. (Although, word in the fandom is that MODCs screenwriter wasn’t fond of Trapped’s screenwriter, or rather her treatment for the finale? Alexa, Play Ironic by Alanis Morrisette.) Also in this review, I’m going to be using the VIKI episode count when referring to episodes so just 1-9. *wink*

On to the picking apart, if you watched all of episode 9 last week, you probably had the same horrified realization as I that our first intimate moment in episode 2 where HT saves XG from getting run over by a moped was foreshadowing for the finale. I don’t want to dissuade anyone from watching the series again, I will, but with the ending we got? It’s going to be difficult to revisit that scene again without resentment. It’s bad enough that XiGu, the main character up to this point, dies off screen in a way that nearly renders him worthless. Especially in the way that this story said “meet this soft, pitiful, malnourished and overworked boy; fall in love with him as he allows himself to fall in love and watch as that love makes him bloom.” I haven’t been this upset over a needless character death since, well, I can’t even say that I have made peace with Candy’s death in season 2 of POSE and that was 5 months ago.

I don’t know why the writer chose this ending that says “fighting tooth and nail for love is meaningless, yet the memories make it worthwhile?” I’m being petty, we know for HaoTing this love was not meaningless, XiGu’s death is not meaningless. If XiGu’s death was meaningless he wouldn’t have thrown himself into his undergrad studies and gotten into Stanford grad to continue XiGu’s dre…hold the hell on. Wait a damn minute, isn’t that…the dead love interest trope? So, in the POV of this finale, XiGu’s existence was to get HaoTing to mature and become a physicist? Remember, high school HaoTing didn’t really have a dream outside of being with XG 24/7. He became a better student and chose to become a Physics major solely to be with XG. During the show, this particular plot point had some fans noting, while sweet in theory, pinning your hopes and dreams on teenage love can be costly in real life.

Six years on, it seems the only people that have been affected by XiGu’s death are HaoTing and Lin Cai Chu, his ex-girlfriend? I understand in real life we tend to be moved on after this much time. Yet, there was no mention of Xi Gu from the crew or the family, even when he was visibly upset around them. You could count Mrs. Xiang when she spoke to Hao Ting while he was packing, but she never names him, only implies, and, I feel we had to dive for that meaning. Also, there was no significant interaction from Sun Bo or his sister Yong Ching, who were the closest with HT during this whole relationship. Yong Ching listens to her brother cry after their father tears XiGu and HaoTing apart and she plays messenger between them during their parting. However, in episode 10 she’s enamored with Phoebe’s style? Sun Bo is HaoTing’s brother in the battle for love they share everything about how their hearts feel about their guys. But when HT drunkenly pours out his grief after six years, and he kinda gives a “damn bro, that sucks” vibe for a good part of the talk? (Sidenote: Wayne acted his whole ass off in this episode, do you hear me?) In Trapped, ShaoFei knew everything about TangYi. When Chen Wen Hao and Sister Lizhen were revealed as TangYi’s parents he grieves with and comforts him back at home. (Bonus: if you watch that scene again you can see Jake break down with Chris when they pull apart.)

I’m not touching that damn doppleganger moment, why even do it? These decisions have been made, yet the way both XiGu’s death and HaoTing’s potential girlfriend Phoebe are hinted and implied at, yet never really engaged with or seen. Which, to me, signals fear on part of the writer. These are the decisions you felt comfortable making so why not go ahead and give it to us full out. Show us XiGu dying in HaoTing’s arms, HaoTing visiting his grave a la Trapped episode 10, or show us the moment when Phoebe meets the family. We could have gotten more thought or effort put into these plot twists on the part of the writer. We see the way HaoTing weeps over XiGu and how he just shrugs off the mention of Phoebe from his family. XiGu and HaoTing lined and called each other daily, Phoebe can’t even email to let him know where she is? Worse yet, HaoTing does not even attempt checking up on her? Is on a 13-hour flight or about to get on one? Don’t really know, damn sure don’t care.

I “got” that he doesn’t think the love of his life can ever be replaced, but we also know through his actions that he doesn’t love her either. Even though he’s introducing her to his family, I ask, does he even like her? Where’d they meet? How old is she? Why bring her up if you aren’t going to flesh the concept of Phoebe out? If you really wanted to give a love story closure “well” you should have done all of this several episodes ago by breaking them up or even condensing the love story and killing XG earlier on rather than handing us this death/new gf cocktail in ONE EPISODE. So many HIStorians thought that the boys would split because of HaoTing lying about the rent, and this makes perfect sense as it’s a clear violation of XiGu’s desire to be as self-reliant as possible, even in a relationship. That could have given rise to the first big argument and potential breakup.

At first, I thought that the most insulting thing about this finale was that we didn’t get a happy ever after, or at least a happy for now like Trapped. Happy endings are an unofficial mission statement of the series. However, the most insulting thing about this finale, for me, was that death became final. Three years in a series, where death has NEVER been final, or even an option for its leads at least since season 1. (Which HIStorians like, but don’t really talk about for good reason.) Now, you could argue about Trapped because Shao Fei does get shot twice and if any storyline was primed for death it was theirs. However, even with the action element, the Brooklyn Nine-Nine type comedy never gave it the gravity that MODC unknowingly had. We were presented the stakes, the murders of Old Tang/LiZhen, and knew the threat, Chen WenHao. In MODC, there was a quiet unease I had for most of my watch along the lines of, “this is perfect. I love it, but it’s too perfect.” The “challenges” XG/HT faced they pretty much steamrolled every time so I assumed they were in the clear until the last 5 minutes of episode 9.

H1: My Hero and H1: Obsessed both had plots that dealt with the boundary of death, making it impermanent “because love.” While we’re at it, let’s talk about Obsessed shall we. Even abusive ass, stalker ass Jiang Jing Teng, a man who by logic and common sense shouldn’t have, got a chance to love again. He got to say goodbye to, spread the ashes of, and reunite with Shao Yi Chen. After his beard, who it just so happened was also a witch/sorceress, brought back SYC from the dead, not once BUT TWICE?!? (First, from rebirth. Second, it was all a dream.) Yet YXG/SHT, the most loved couple since CTL, can’t get a similar twist of fate? Make it make sense, especially given that this is likely the final season for HIStory.

That hurt to type, but, it looks like History3 is going to be the final season for the series. Since we haven’t had any official announcement from CHOCO. And with 2 major backlashes, the first based on misunderstanding with Trapped and the second due to MODC lazy finale, it’s looking like a done deal until the CTL movie comes out at the end of 2020. In which case, everyone involved is going to have to be on their very best behavior from now on. In the hearts of some HIStorians, this finale has done irreparable damage to MODC itself and the HIStory franchise. Which is sad, considering that up to this point HIStory was getting better and better with each season only to decimate that growth in one episode.

*cue Mariah* I still believe that MODC is the best BL drama of 2019. It’s the best to come out of Taiwan since CTL. Most of that is due to the phenomenal work of the cast, and… yes, the initial episodes written by our screenwriter. Even with my frustrations with the finale, I was conflicted as I said on Wednesday night. I was very disappointed, but the performances I did get, specifically from Wayne, kept me engaged to the point that I still enjoyed it. Does it make up for the cruelty to Yu Xi Gu not at all, but the previous 9 episodes pretty much put it in my top 5 all-time early on. What now? I’m waiting for the dvd drop next year and reliving every blissful moment. Oh, and I’m rewatching episodes 5/6 for Christmas.

If you made it this far, thank you HIStorians, you all have made this surprise journey most certainly worth it.

Merry Christmas and Best Wishes to all of you in 2020,

PS: word from Mandarin speaking fans is that the novelization of this series has 2 endings. One happy and the one we saw on Wednesday which…*sigh* at least there’s a universe where the boys are happy. I also have some notes on issues I had with HaoTing’s family in episode 10 that I’ll likely touch on after Christmas.

PPS: I can’t believe we got blessed with multiple Duke Wu appearances!!!

#History series #history 3: 圈套 #History3: MODC #history3: make our days count #MODC #make our days count #History BL #History: Obsessed #History: Stay Away From Me #history the series #history 3: 那一天 #history 3: trapped #Wayne Song #Duke Wu

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sometimesrosy · 4 years

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1. I know you don’t participate in fandom stuff really, but I just had to tell you that I saw your recent, brilliant post about B/E/C and s7 floating around Twitter and lots of people are LOVING it and saying how smart and insightful it is. It made me excited to see that; I’m a big fan of yours! Some are of course also saying they don’t have faith in Jason like you do/that he’s not smart enough as a writer to pull all of that off (that fandom Jason hate, man. I get it, he’s been a bit

urgh in press/Twitter, but that doesn’t mean his work won’t fulfill what it’s been building up for 6 seasons now... maybe he’s a prick, idk, but he clearly puts a lot of pride in his story/art and I don’t think it’ll be another GoT ending as some in fandom are bracing themselves for. I really don’t. Just Just separate his press from his work and focus on the story, and life will be so much easier, lol). They keep saying all you said was so smart/makes so much sense. You’re being ‘stanned’ there.

I love to see it. You’re being ‘stanned’ on there, lol. I love to see it. I feel like you put so much thought and effort into your posts, and you deserve all the love and positivity in the world. The doubters/antis that contact you are so frustrating (love the sizzling sass you respond to them with, btw). You are not up Jason’s butt. You’re literally all about the STORY, the CANNON, what you SEE on screen. It’s like in their heads, they know you’re making sense. But then you can see how fandom

fears/dialogues can just totally dominate good, sound logic. It’s so interesting. Haha, this was a post purely meant to tell you other people are recognizing your brilliance and how exiting it was, but the psychology of shipper/fandom culture got me ruminating. So sorry. 😆 Just so you know...I ‘stan’ you too, Rosy. 😉❤️ Thanks for all your work!

+++

Oh really? Ok. That’s good to know. I’m glad it was positive instead of negative because that’s mean. And I’m glad that they LIKE a positive bellarke post instead of bellarke hate or jason hate or the 100 hate. It’s not surprising that they “don’t have faith in jason,” or think he’s “not smart enough” to pull off the story that... I am showing is already IN the canon by using evidence FROM the canon to show that Jason is telling us.

Not trusting JR is one thing. It comes from his TERRIBLE social media presence. Now no one believes what he says and worse, they think everything he says is evil bad and anti bellarke. Which is not true. He messed up and now his reputation is bad, but if you pay attention to what he says outside of what people say about him, you’d see what he says is NOT always bad. But, I still don’t trust what he says and I take everything with a grain of salt and compare it against the canon. Because the canon IS what matters.

And frankly, I think Jason has proved he IS trustworthy where the story is concerned. He doesn’t always give fans what they want, but that’s actually good. It means he stays true to his story. And if that makes him an egotists, then so be it, but it’s also better for the story. Too many cooks spoil the pot. Allowing fans into the writing room and fanservicing them too much spoils the story. I get also that people don’t trust hollywood because of Star Wars or GOT or whatever disappointing show. Fair enough. But again, following the story that JR is telling, I’m not getting those hints that he’s going to flip on us. His style of storytelling, while it does use plot twists does not betray the story. As long as you’re following canon and have been paying attention to HIS story and not your story in your head. That is the trick though, since fandom says your OTP is the center of the story and your fave character is the main character-- which is a MISinterpretation of the story. If you erase the story to fit your fanon, the error is yours, not his. Killing your favorite character is not a betrayal of the story, it’s part of HIS story. All the characters he’s killed were part of his story, helped develop the themes or main character development or plot or were a result of their own terrible choices.

When people think he’s to stupid to do what I point out he’s already doing... well, that’s not actually someone you want to listen to about analysis. That’s people who are speaking from PURE ego. They think they’re smarter and more savvy than JR. When you put yourself above the content you supposedly love, that makes you a jackass. If you love it, you have no need to call it trash or tear it apart, or call the writers bad writers.

As far as I can see, this story is generally well written. Is it perfect? Of course it isn’t. No story is. The characters are great. The stories are full of tension and emotion and meaning. We FEEL for the characters. Yes horrible things happen. That’s the story and not a sign that it’s bad. Yes it repeats stories, that’s a STYLE of storytelling, circular, and not a sign that it’s bad, but instead, when done right, offers a feeling of inevitability and completion that is hard to beat. Is the science bad? Oh yes, it is, but that is not uncommon for the tv genre that doesn’t have an audience of hardcore sf geeks. You’ve got to let that go, suspend your disbelief and just have fun. If you can’t you’ll never like the genre.

Would you treat a fanfiction writer the way we treat JR? If you did, it would be horrible. If you go in there and tell the writer that their story is wrong because you want your OTP to do this and this character should die and this character should live and omg they are bad writers how dare? That would make YOU the reader, into a big freaking creep. Let people tell the stories they want to tell. If you don’t like their stories, you vote with your freaking feet. Leave. If you like some of the story and not the rest, you can make peace with that. If your dislike outweighs your like then stop watching. It doesn’t matter that this is a professionally written and produced show not a fanfic. You still don’t own it. The writers don’t actually work for you. They aren’t your servants. They create a product which you then consume or do not consume.

Anyway. Thanks for the warning. I know you weren’t warning me, but in my experience, whenever someone posts something of mine on twitter, I get a fresh influx of hate as the haters remember I exist and they can’t allow me to exist without telling me how evil and delusional I am for doing lit analysis on a show they want to hate.

#i hestitate to ask someone to send me the link but yeah i guess i can take a dip in stan twitter #there's nothing on my feed at all

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bbclesmis · 5 years

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‘Valjean is like Spider-Man’

DOMINIC WEST FIGURES he's played his share of awful people. The serial killer Fred West in Appropriate Adult? Jimmy McNulty, the Baltimore cop in The Wire? A lovable rogue, but a rogue nonetheless. Noah Solloway, the lead in The Affair? "He's deeply silly," West contends. "Just a silly man!" In the film Colette (out this Friday), he plays a sadistic husband who locks his gifted wife (Keira Knightley) away and makes her write books for which he claims credit.

"As an actor, you do live with these people and experience what they're feeling," sighs the actor, 49. "If they're a******s, it's exhausting and ultimately degrading. So it was such a relief to play someone who's great." And he smiles that irascible smile, the one that makes you root for West even when he's playing murderers and pretentious, adulterous novelists.

Jean Valjean, West's character in the BBC's adaptation of Les Miserables, is not only "great" in the actor's eyes. He is nothing less than the "greatest hero in all literature": a superhero ex-convict who has spent 19 years in prison being tortured by Inspector Javert (David Oyelowo) for stealing a loaf of bread, but who determines on his release to be the best possible man he can be... with heartbreaking results.

West considers Victor Hugo's French revolutionary epic to be the "greatest novel ever written", too - "much better than War and Peace!" - and certainly much better than the famous musical (he's not a fan).

"Valjean is not just a good guy, he's an amazing guy. Like Spider-Man!" he beams. "He climbs up the sides of buildings to rescue kids. And he has the legitimacy of intense suffering; he's done 19 years of hard labour. That knocks Iron Man into a cocked hat! Then you get into the humanity of Valjean, his demons, his desperate need to redeem himself... He's trying not to be the brute that the prison has turned him into. You become a better person by spending time with someone like that."

He has asked me to his home, a converted brewery in Wiltshire that he shares with his wife, Catherine FitzGerald, and four children - Dora, 11, Senan, ten, Francis, nine, and Christabel, five - "I'm trying to cut down," he jokes. (He has another daughter, Martha, from his first marriage, who is studying English at Oxford and wants to act.) "I think all households should have a five-year-old girl running round," he says. "I just think it's better for children. Stops them from becoming little princesses. It's much harder to be a spoilt brat as one of four."

HE OPENS THE door unshaven and unkempt with a general air of bohemian bonhomie. He puts on a succession of silly voices as he leads me through to his kitchen. "Teas? Light refreshments? Do we want hot milk in our coffees? Yes?" He's such a chameleon as an actor that even his own accent sounds as if it's put on. He was educated at Eton, but his family isn't proper posh. His Irish father owned a plastics factory in Sheffield, his mother was an actor and he's the sixth of seven children.

The Wests have been doing up the house for about three years, but only moved in last summer - there are paintings waiting to be hung, pieces of Lego, mugs, antiques scattered around... The house used to be a "very manageable cottage next to a derelict brewery, but having decided to connect them all together they're only now getting used to the layout. "There are about five different doors to choose from. I didn't realise how spread out it would be. It's enormous!" They moved from west London to give the kids more space to range around when they're teenagers: "I want my kids to be around trees and animals more."

We take refuge in his office, up in the rafters of the old brewery, where he sinks into an armchair and resumes recounting his love affair with Les Miserables.

THE BBC VERSION is written by Andrew Davies and picks up more or less where his adaptation of War and Peace left off. It opens on the field of Waterloo in 1815 in the aftermath of Napoleon's defeat. Back in Paris, the royalists are resurgent - but can't quell the forces unleashed by the Revolution.

In the first episode, we follow Valjean's ill-starred attempts at redemption after his nemesis, Javert, releases him; meanwhile, the grisette Fantine (Lily Collins) falls for a cad (Johnny Flynn) and becomes pregnant with little Cosette - whose path will cross with Valjean's in the future. Six episodes, much heartache and many improbable coincidences will take us all the way up to the 1832 June Rebellion in Paris.

West hadn't read the epic novel, but now that he has, he's a convert. He even loves Hugo's digressions into the design of the Paris sewers. "Actually, I'd have loved it if we could have made six seasons out of it," he says. 'There's more than enough material and it's all important and relevant. As with any great classic, it's big enough to handle any amount of interpretations."

Javert's antipathy to Valjean is one of the engines of the plot - but it's also something of a mystery. Why does Javert hate him so much? "I always like to trace motivations to sex," West says. "I said to David, 'Javert obviously fancies him!' But he thought that was crass."

Did the rivalry extend off-set? "You're never quite sure where the character ends and the actor starts," he laughs. "But the key to David is that he's actually royal. He's a prince in Nigeria. And he doesn't drink. He's very religious. He's been married to his wife since he was 19 and they have four beautiful children. I hadn't realised people like that existed in the acting world! He's a very inspiring guy."

The co-stars decided it was the shared trauma of being institutionalised that set their characters against one another. "Valjean doesn't think he deserves anything other than brutality. Javert is constantly reminding him he's just a common criminal who breaks rocks and murders people."

Oyelowo is one of a number of non-white actors in the cast, marking a departure from traditional costume-drama casting. West jokes that he really wanted to do it all with 'A1lo'Allo accents, but: "Like any classic, it's not a museum piece. It has relevance to modern life. Eponine and the girls all talk like modern London girls. And therefore it looks like modern Britain, too."

THE PRODUCTION LOOKS likely to make Collins, as Fantine, a star. "She's incredible," says West. "It's an exhausting part. So harrowing. Any actress who goes for it deserves all the accolades she gets..." The first scene they shot together was Fantine's death, filmed in a freezing manor house outside Brussels at 5am. "She really went for it. I was like, 'Oh my God! How did you do those spasm things?' She said, 'I just made it up'." I imagine it's reassuring to have West on set: he is very experienced, but doesn't take himself too seriously. Do the younger actors come to him for advice? "Pfah! No. I'm jaded and lazy."

The Wire was the show that brought him fame, as well as a credibility not usually open to Old Etonians. But originally he didn't want to be in it. "And it turns out to have been the one thing that everyone knows me for and it was one of the best shows ever made! I think [creator] David Simon is almost the Victor Hugo of our time... certainly the Charles Dickens."

The Affair offers more escapist pleasure, its marital rows interspersed with good-looking people having sex (even if he doesn't think much of Noah). The Wests are about to decamp to LA for the filming of the final season, but it will be without Ruth Wilson this time. Last February, she disclosed in a Radio Times interview that she was "sure" she earned less than West. "I don't want more money, I just want equal money," she added. Not long after that her character Alison Bailey was killed off. What was all that about? "Oh, not related!" West yelps.

He remains good friends with Wilson. The main point of contention on set was whose behind would be visible in the sex scenes. "We used to fight about it. 'You're on top this time', 'No! I was on top the last three times!'"

He'd never given much thought to who was paid what, he says. "I never asked what the money is on a show. It was more a question of if I wanted to do it. So it woke me up to the issue. I never realised the disparity and the injustice."

It's one of a number of changes he has noticed since the #MeToo movement gained ground. "One thing that's happened is a positive discrimination in favour of female directors. But the main thing is that unacceptable behaviour from male directors or actors is now either not possible, or you can call them out on it. There was one guy in particular whose behaviour was disgusting. Particularly to young females in minor roles. I tried to counter it on several occasions. But now it wouldn't be so hard to get rid of them."

'Treatment of women has taken a big step back in television'

He twists his face in derision at those who feel the feminists have gone "too far". "Treatment of women has taken a big step back in the past 20 years," he says, his voice rising. "Particularly in television, which has become more pornographic and the burden of that falls squarely on young women. Things like Game of Thrones, where you get a pair of bare breasts every five minutes... I mustn't say this, but..." Say it!

"I'm fairly sure that 20 years ago young actresses would not have had pressure put on them to take their clothes off. The parts young actresses get, particularly pretty ones, involve violent rape. When I think about my daughter going into the profession... I'm just really glad that #MeToo has started to counteract what has happened in the past 20 years."

He puts it down to internet porn - "It's made boys feel that women are sex objects who are easily available" - as well as social media. "If you can swipe someone's face because you don't think they're pretty and it costs you that little... I haven't done it myself, but it cheapens it."

HE's CONCERNED AT the turn the world is taking: he mentions Trump, climate change, teenage boys becoming addicted to the online game Fortnite. A wariness of modernity seems to have inspired the move to the countryside; he and his wife are "luddites", he confesses. "I'm not one of those people who say, 'How can you bring children into this world?' But I do want to spend a lot more time hanging out with my kids and running around in forests."

Once he has finished filming the last season of The Affair, he plans to hire an enormous camper van, bundle the entire family into it and spend a few months driving around the States.

"It's the last chance we have," he explains. "They're nearly teenagers, so they're not going to want to spend that much time with their old man for much longer. I've spent a long time away from them. So we're taking six months, four months of it travelling. I've taken them out of school - there are no big exams. We'll home school them. They'll read. No screens. You're not going to get a better education than that. If you travel with as little as possible, you get much more interesting experiences."

Radio Times 5-11 January 2019

#les mis bbc #bbc les mis #dominic west #Jean Valjean #valvert #david oyelowo #javert #Lily Collins #fantine #Interviews #articles #radio times

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thehappydromomaniac · 5 years

Text

#NoSurbhiNoIshqbaaaz and #EndIshqbaaazWithShivika

I am an ardent fan of serial Ishqbaaaz. And a diehard fan of Shivika especially Annika. I got hooked to Ishqbaaz in the middle of August 2016 because of Shivaay and since then, no turning back. I have watched almost every single episode of it; cried, laughed, angered, agitated and sometimes baffled by it. Ishqbaaaz is the only series that had so much to give. Not the same old sob story or forced romance or boring, draggy plots. The chemistry between the brothers and the pairs are always beautifully portrayed and became the reason for me to follow the series religiously. Kudos to the writer who has even thought about it, the producer and directors who have given it the appropriate treatment, the entire crew for making it happen and the line of talents whom without, this wouldn't be possible at all.

A couple of days back, a news broke all the diehard fan’s hearts - A generation leap in order to save the show. And the main lead, Surbhi Chandna won’t be part of it as she is reluctant to play an older mother character at this point of time - Totally acceptable.

Fans tripped and begin their social media campaign and other whatnot to save their beloved Annika. I was happy to see the unity they had and the unplanned Twitter trend went viral. The issue needed clarification and the show’s producer, Ms Gul Khan was approached. She too answered all questions given honestly. Dear Gul ma’am, first of all, if you ever get to read this post, thanks for what you have given me; Almost 3 years of good entertainment and for always answering honestly without twisting and turning facts. Your honesty and frank personality has constantly been misconstrued as ego but I understand your stand. Being a creative head and controlling the finances at the same time can be a huge burden which you have handled so gracefully. You are an inspiration. I admire you a lot. Stay awesome. Without you, Ishqbaaz, Shivika, Narbhi wouldn't have been possible at all. You believed in it and you gave life to it. Thank you

Now, coming back to the movement “#NoSurbhiNoIshqbaaaz”. I am thrilled by it and to see the love Surbhi has garnered among the young generation who are now driving this campaign. I agree with them. Surbhi is one of the valves in the heart called Ishqbaaaz. Her exit would mean the heart’s function would be compromised. Destruction is inevitable if she leaves. But what I don’t understand is the hatred that is being thrown towards the producer and writer of the show. I have read multiple tweets and comments on Insta that range from disturbingly mean to misplaced hatred; ego, stupid, money-minded, etc. Totally misplaced!

Why misplaced you may ask, since I am in the mood of writing, here you go.

1. If not for Gul ma’am, we wouldn't have got Shivika or Narbhi. Gul & Harneet CREATED Shivika pair. Technically, they are the first 2 fans. This decision had to be the toughest for THEM. THEY must be the most frustrated compared to any fan out there. Most fans invest a little time on social media or TV to watch, post, comment and then back to their routine life, either work or studies. But for G & H, this is their bread & butter and the food for their creative soul. They work on a daily basis to bring more and more life for those characters. They have more work to do compared to fans who are locking horns with them. Just because they have strong exteriors and practical point of view, they cannot be targeted for such cyber-bullying. Yes, the current reaction towards them is crossing the limits of constructive comments and reaching the line of cyberbullying. Calling them money minded, egoistic. One even condemned Harneet’s writing meanly. That is cyber-bullying, guys. Thank God, it is not affecting them. Or maybe it does, and they are just not showing it. They might be dealing it their own way. But guys, NOT COOL YAAR!

2. The past few months, we have seen the TRP plummet despite a strong fan following in Social Media. The strong fan following did not reflect where it should. Do you think TRP is child's play? This is not a charity organization. This is a business. Most of the fans are educated. You are supposed to be able to analyse this logically. Not impulsively. TRP rates reveal how loved a show is. If viewers don’t watch & numbers don’t show, the channel can only interpret it as “People are not interested in it”. Therefore, it will be pushed to some time slot where it won’t get much appropriate attention. Sponsors or ad times will be affected. These are what feeds the show's finances in the long run - A constant gain of profit or $$$ is needed to cover the production costs, the crews' salary and of course The Actors' salary. And for a show like Ishqbaaz, for the quality I see on screen, it has to cost a fortune. Who is going to give it? You and me? We can’t. But there was one thing that we could have done which we failed - WATCHING THE SHOW IN THE BLOODY TV SO THAT THE TRP DIDN’T GO LOW”. WE FAILED!!

For a quick read about the importance of TRP for TV programmes, please click the link below.

https://www.jagranjosh.com/general-knowledge/what-is-trp-and-how-is-it-calculated-1524137013-1

3. For Ishqbaaz to end, means the entire crew could go jobless and once again pushed to look for other opportunities. Which I know isn't going to be easy. Fans are making all kinds of disapproving noises from outside but no one is seeing straight. Gul Khan opened opportunities, gave the crew & talents a way into our hearts. Without her, Ishqbaaaz would have been just an idea on a piece of paper. Almost 3 years ago, she hired them and had faith in them before you & I even thought of Narbhi. Harneet created Shivika on paper. They did all the work. All we did was praising the talents and creating fan followings & factions. And shamelessly insult the very same people who created it. It's like insulting our best friend's parents even though we know our best friend wouldn't have existed if her parents didn't bear her for 9 months & raised her. Don’t forget, the joy of success and the pain of failures hurts them most.

4. You call her egoistic for clarifying her stand without twisting facts, for her straightforward answers, for standing firm of her decision to save her baby whom she gave birth to. Then, you doubt her sanity. If the channel said we are a small bunch, it is because we are reflecting as small bunch where we shouldn't. We should have shown them that we are big in numbers and support by not letting the numbers fall. I ask all of us. Aren't we egoistic too for not even giving a chance to understand her point of view? We are losing entertainment. She is losing the concept/idea she gave birth to. For all your rants and insulting words, may I ask if WE are willing to contribute financially to maintain the series instead of tweeting & spreading hatred? That would be more beneficial. But the truth is, WE didn't even have to do that. All WE had to do was BLOODY WATCHED IT ON TV SO THAT THE TRP WAS STILL GOOD AND THE SHOW WOULD GO ON WITHOUT ALL THIS DRAMA!

5. If anyone needs to be blamed, it's those fan factions who instigated each other. First Rudy-Soumya fans fought & created the first ripple. Then, Gauri-Omkara. All that unnecessary jealousy towards Shivika. Shivika fans, on the other hand, were too proud that they cannot be shaken by those fans. Then the Shivika faction further split into separate factions. One wants more Shivika, another more Omkara-Gauri, how are the makers supposed to satisfy everyone? I read all the nasty comments and immature remarks by one to another. Ishqbaaaz fandom parted ways. The larger faction was of course: Shivika. Shivika fans were bigger in number but not enough to carry Ishqbaaaz on its shoulders all by itself. The truth that all the factions and fandom will not accept is they let their ego affect the entire Ishqbaaaz universe. Even now as they read this, they will be too sensitive to the term ‘ego’ - which they conveniently throw at another person but can’t accept their own fault - most of them will be thinking of nasty comments to throw at me for saying it out loud. This was mainly the reason behind the fall of Dil Bole Oberoi. Fandoms came for its defence when it was scrapped and merged but where was the needed viewership when it was running?

6. Now, let’s talk about the digital power that went viral recently. But before that, we must address the matter of online impressions in Hotstar first - Now, I am from Malaysia. Ishqbaaaz has a substantial fan following here. In the channel we are provided with locally, the episodes are far behind, not the latest episodes. My friends & I constantly discuss Ishqbaaaz as everyone knows I am a crazy fan & that I keep myself updated with the latest episodes and progress as part of my daily routine. My day doesn't begin or end without me watching or even thinking about Ishqbaaaz. But you know the sad part for us here, Hotstar is not geographically accessible here. Even if it is, the lack of subtitles can be a bummer because the biggest market for drama here is the Malay market & the South Indian market. Most of us can’t understand Hindi but guess what; Most of us can’t speak Korea and yet the Korean dramas are successfully running here, thanks to subtitles. Ishqbaaaz’s Tamil version was utter nonsense for me as the voices did not give the same impact as the original voices. So, I chose to watch it online via any other sources possible. Mine was an act of desperation. Not a day goes by without me opening Hotstar, just in case they have made it accessible; Disappointment on daily basis. If Hotstar was available and the subtitled option was available, maybe, just maybe, we could have helped with the global rating but that’s as much as we could have done. The local impression is still the major factor. Which again, whom to blame? Gul & Harneet? Absolutely not! I BLAME those online attention seekers who desperately needed followers and likes in social media that they began posting entire episodes on Insta. The fact is - those people are the biggest reason for all this Pehla Huva Raita. With an easier option to just watch it on Insta, Hotstar was neglected. So, we lost our online numbers as well. Now we don’t even have that ground to defend. Think about it!

Ratings are specific. Entertainment is a business. It survives on its value to bring profit. It is sad to see the fandom is made of a majority of young girls who are supposed to be educated and who are in full capacity to analyse this but are driven by unreasonable hate and anger. We are fans of Annika who is loving, responsible, forgiving, nurturing, fighting for justice without hurting people around her, coming up with quirky but practical solutions, who respect the older people in her life; and yet the girls following her seem to act brashly, unlike her at all. She fights for what she thinks is right but never at the expense of bashing another. Do you see the irony here? You idolize her but failed to follow her good footsteps. And also, I read a few comments about Annika being portrayed as crying a lot lately. Yes, she cried because she is not an emotionless robot. she is just like and me; going through shit on daily basis. But she doesn't lose hope. Annika rarely gives up. Scientific researches have backed that strong people do cry more but they don’t give up. Life can’t be rosy all the time. Without struggle, life becomes boring. and if you think her character has no oomph anymore, maybe it is time to revamp, don’t you think?

And then I see some posts calling to boycott the series now. BRAVO! Just brilliant. I can understand if you want to boycott it after Surbhi is out. But now, while she is still in it, trying her best to bring the numbers up again with the hope that her fans won’t fail her? That’s just brilliant. Instead of helping her, you want to boycott, bring down the numbers and prove Gul ma’ams point? You sure you are a fan? Coz, your actions are not reflecting it. You are supposed to watch it even more now, encourage people around to watch so that the numbers increase exponentially. The same spirit you showed in the Twitter trend, you have to show in front of your TV. Campaign for more people to watch it on TV, your family, neighbours, friends, crushes, etc. Report all the accounts that are conveniently posting the full episodes on Insta. Even if they post a day after, for fans who are convenient with it will go back to their account instead of going to the correct source; HOTSTAR. Pictures seriously won't do much harm unless the pictures show the entire scene. If it shows one juicy scene, it will trigger people’s curiosity to watch it. The real culprits are those who post the episodes. That is not loving. You are butchering Surbhi’s talent for your own greed to get more followers and likes. You want people to go to your account instead of TV and HOTSTAR. So, you are increasing the possibility for the numbers to go down and thanks to that, makers need to look into other angles which have directly affected SC now. So, blame them, not the makers.

The makers have tried and are trying many angles, plot after plot. Seriously, I have followed another Indian series before (which I am not going to name) with the unchanged plot for more than 3 years now. Before the leap, they lead pair didn’t get along, villains always separating them, went on in a circle for years until I got fed up. Leap after leap, the same plot. Even after a major leap, once again the same. The villains always get the better out of everything. The TRP is high still. But that is not the case for Ishqbaaaz. Harneet has given brilliant character progress for the leads, the chemistry between the pairs and who can deny the brilliant love of the Oberoi brothers. Villains are always defeated with Obros & Obahus’ togetherness. No other drama out there did that. And yet, all her efforts are forgotten and you are blaming her for her writing? Her plots are smart. And yes, it is a series end of the day, and it has to have some masala and some ups and down. The plots did get boring at some point but always managed to bounce back. Different angles had to be explored.Y ou think they thought Shivika would be a craze when they first introduced them to us? They just did it by hoping it would and it did. Just like that, they tried coming up with plots after plots but some failed. No one and nothing is perfect. We are all humans and we are all flawed.

For a series named ISHQBAAAZ, the fandom is sure showing a lot of hatred. That won’t solve this. Only love would. Stop fighting and focus on uniting. Start a mission to prove to Gul ma’am and the channel that the fans can BRING BACK GOOD TRP if they unite; THEN, YOU ARE ALL TRUE FANS.

Gul ma’am, I don’t know if you would ever get to read this. I hope it finds its way to you. I know your action is merely to keep the show running. I can understand that you are the most affected party in this. I used to work in the TV industry, so I know a little about how it works. I don’t agree with most of the things that are said to you. But there is one thing that I think might have worked. - Marketing is very important for all products. Ishqbaaaz (just as much as I am emotionally attached to) is also a product. It has a good fan following but something is misplaced. I don’t know what but there are some things that could be done to help get it back on track. I believe in doing everything doable possible before moving on. If you have the same belief, you may read further.

You have seen better numbers for the show before, so you do know that it is not impossible to bring back those numbers. And you can’t be taking everyone’s suggestions for the plots, etc. It is your drama. Your baby. Plots aside, here are some marketing suggestions. I don’t know how effective these could be. But we will never know if we don’t give it a go.

1) Urge the casts to posts videos in their Insta & Twitter urging them to watch it on TV or Hotstar. Their fans will listen to them.

2) Initiate a campaign - throw a contest; A watch & win contest. Real-time contest where they have to answer within 10 minutes of the episode end on TV, via SMS or online. This contest should not be posted in Hotstar and should be an exclusive TV contest. The prize could be a dinner session with the Ishqbaaaz team or the lead pair or either one of them. This could encourage the fans to watch it on TV.

3) I don’t know if Ishqbaaaz has a digital marketing team. If you do but most fans are unaware of it, it means the team needs to up its game. The digital team has to overshadow all the fandom or better, work along. Your team could both look out for accounts that violate and post episodes, report and block it and also join forces with the active fan clubs by feeding them exclusive pics and vid bits in exchange for turning the traffic back to where it should be; TV and HOTSTAR. Again, an online HOTSTAR exclusive contest with probably signed merchandises as prizes could be a good hook.

4) Please consider the ASEAN market for HOTSTAR. Maybe we could help too.

I believe the redux is about to end. Just matter of Shivaay & Annika’s confession. Once the redux ends, I assume the next is going to be exploring the pregnancy track. All of us fans have been waiting for this to happen. Seeing Shivika’s parenting skills have been long dreamt by all of us. We really hope to see that. If even that doesn't work, then probably nothing much can be done to avoid the generation leap. But frankly, it would be much graceful to end it with Shivika. Ishqbaaaz is synonymous with Shivika and Obros, taking it away means taking the essence of Ishqbaaaz away. Though, I don’t think I am in any position to condemn your attempts to breathe new life to the series. Only you know how much investment of time, effort, blood, sweat and money has gone into this. It is easy for us to tell you to kill it with grace, but you are the one living the pain. In many ways, i can associate myself with Annika’s character as in real life I am as emphatatic. I am quirkier and even more stubborn than Annika though. Thank you for showing me a reflection of myself.

If anyone is going to argue that other successfully running dramas are also available on Instagram but it doesn't affect their TRP, it simply means, their fandom is strong enough to watch it on TV and don’t allow other factors cloud them or disintegrate them. They are doing their job right. Now, it’s our turn. Seriously, if I am part of the makers, for all the inappropriate hatred showered, I would lose my interest to even think of making it better. They must be highly motivated to deal with all this and still go on with this tiring job. Anyways, spamming inboxes, ambushing the offices, trending helps a little. But you know what will help the most? WATCHING ISHQBAAAZ ON TV! LET THE TRP TALK TO THEM COZ THAT’S THE RIGHT LANGUAGE TO GET THE MESSAGE ACROSS!

Last but not least. Thanks, to everyone for reading this long post. I hope the series that has woke me up everyday feeling good will not end too soon. And yes, I support #NoSurbhiNoIshqbaaaz and #EndIshqbaaazWithShivika

Constructive comments are welcomed.

Insta: @arulkc

#ishqbaaaz #shivika #nosurbhinoishqbaaaz #surbhi chandna #starplus #tv series #indiantv

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fandompitfalls · 3 years

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The Road This Far

Originally posted 1/13/2021

I think we can all agree, 2020 sucked. While individual things happened to brighten our days, as a whole, the entire year beginning in March all around was horrible.

One of the things that sucked was the sudden lack of new media content. Movies were pushed back, television shows stopped production, Podcast formats changed a little. 2020 impacted a lot of things. And one of those things was the final half of the final season of the 15-year long cult classic television show Supernatural.

The show, which should have ended with a bang in May of 2020, halted production with seven episodes to go. The once all-star cast that was supposed to return for the Series Finale was scrapped due to the global pandemic and instead concessions needed to be made and the final episodes were scaled down for safety reasons.

I’ll give a brief rundown of the final two episodes. While the final three were the ones that raised a whole heap of controversy, I’m not going to bother with episode 15x18 for the moment, because while I think it was poorly done, my reasoning is different from others and honestly, that could be a blog post all its own.

Warning: Below this (for the 5 people on the planet who haven’t either watched it or heard about it somewhere) will be spoilers for the final two episodes.

Episodes 15x19 “Inherit the Earth” and 15x20 “Carry On” were the quintessential Series finale and epilogue a show this long running needed.

The opening of “Inherit the Earth” finds everyone on Earth Prime (inside joke) gone, disappeared. The Rapture has come, and it seems that only Sam, Dean and Jack are the only ones alive. And a dog named Miracle (who I feel was the shows rally cry and the one I was invested in. I mean dammit Chuck, you Thanos-ed the world but then you took that adorable dog away from Dean. I hope you go DOWN!)

Jack feels a presence and is led to a church. Inside they find Michael. Archangel Michael, still in the body of Adam. He’s hidden out from God’s wrath and wants to help the Winchesters take down God. In the previous episode, the brothers get Death’s book, but only Death can open it. They’re hoping that Michael can override the lock, but it doesn’t work. Dean gets a call from Cas asking for help and to open the bunker door (obvious red flag because…Cas is gone, but okay…) Outside is not Cas but Lucifer with a reaper. Lucifer wants to help get rid of God. To do that, he kills the reaper he has hostage thereby making her the next Death. Death opens the book and begins to read.

Meanwhile, Lucifer and Michaels big show down seems to be just smack talking back and forth. When Death comes back and begins to read the passage of the book that tells how to stop God, Lucifer stabs Death, killing her and takes the book. Surprise, it seems he was playing for both sides of the team. Who didn’t see that coming? Lucifer pulls a “join me” speech to Jack giving Michael the opportunity to kill Lucifer by metaphorically stabbing him in the back.

The four then make plans to stop God. Going out to a particular spot, Sam begins to cast a spell he says he found from the book. Chuck appears, having been warned by Michael (remember that stab to the back?). Michael’s reward for serving his Father is death. Chuck snaps him out of existence and then turns his sights on the Winchesters. In true final Big Bad mode, instead of snapping them out of existence, he decides to beat them both into submission. But the Winchesters will. Not. Stay. Down.

In the plot twist that Chuck did not write, when Death made Jack into a bomb and sent him to the Empty, the explosion had a different sort of effect. Basically, he’s become a metaphysical power vacuum. When Lucifer and Michael were fighting in the Bunker, Jack was absorbing their power. Each time Chuck punched one of the Winchesters, Jack absorbed the power until finally Jack was powerful enough to confront Chuck. With one hand to the face, the power transfer was complete and hosannah on the highest, Jack becomes God, leaving the now very much human Chuck to fend for himself.

Raised by the Winchesters and having Castiel as his surrogate father figure makes Jack the chilliest supernatural being ever. He snaps back everyone (including Miracle) and tells the brothers that he is keeping a hands-off approach. He’ll be there but humans are responsible for their own outcomes from now on. He disappears and the episode ends with the Winchesters riding off into the sunset.

Episode 15x20 “Carry On” picks up five years after. Miracle is living with the Winchesters at the Bunker and they’re just going around living their lives. Still hunting monsters, saving lives. Dean even gets to a pie festival, a nice nod to Dean’s love of pie. Everything looks like it’s back to normal.

They come across a suspicious death and kidnapping of two children, one that Dean recognizes from their father’s journal. They find it and discover that it’s a nest of vampires that only hunt once every couple of years, keeping their victims alive to drain them dry.

The Winchesters go to where the nest is and find the vampires and the kids. Sam gets the kids to safety while Dean starts taking on the nest. During the fight, already there’s hints that this is not going to be a normal battle. The Winchesters are down more than they’re up and not fighting as a unit. Sam is knocked down several times and while they managed to kill the nest, the final vampire grapples with Dean and slams him up against a post, where there was a piece of reverb sticking out. Sam cuts the head off the final vampire. That’s when he realizes Dean had been stabbed and moving him off the spike would do more damage. Dean asks Sam to stay with him, knowing his journey is over.

With the exchange of power form Chuck to Jack, the Winchesters are no longer God’s “Chosen Ones” anymore, meaning they are just like all the other Hunters who have come before them. Their lucky charm is gone. In what is arguably the most emotional scene in the series, Sam stays with Dean until he dies.

Sam returns to the Bunker and gives Dean a Hunter’s funeral. He only remains at the Bunker for a bit longer until he gets called to a job and leaves (with Miracle) the bunker forever.

Dean wakes up in Heaven and has a talk with Bobby on the porch of Harvelle’s Roadhouse. This, I think was part of the things they had to work around. As much as I would have loved to see Ellen and Jo greet Dean (I think it would’ve been extremely emotional), I also understand why it wasn’t done. Bobby explains Heaven. Where it was once a line of doors where souls were destined to relive one memory over and over, it is now the Paradise it was promised to be. The woods and open country are host to (almost)everyone Dean knows and loves; His parents, Rufus, Ellen and Jo, other Hunters who have been his “family” along the way. It’s almost perfect. Dean tells Bobby he’s going for a drive and climbs into Baby. The song, poetically, on the radio is “Carry On” by Kansas and Dean drives.

The montage bounces then between Dean driving and Sam living his life. You find he was married and became a father to a son he named Dean. The years fly by as Dean drives and it is understood that Sam finally had the life he wanted from the start, the family, the son he plays ball with and help with homework.

The final scene is an older Sam on his deathbed His son comes to him, holds his hand, tells him he loves him and it’s okay to go. The scene changes to Dean stopping on a bridge overlooking a river. He gets out of the car and hears a noise behind him. It’s Sam. The two brother’s hug and then go to stand by the railing of the bridge and look out…together.

The End.

Even knowing that this was the pandemic ending and not the ending they planned, I enjoyed these final two episodes. Like I said, episodes 19 and 20 played like a finale and the epilogue.

The story of Supernatural has always been about the Winchester brothers. From the beginning, during the middle and at the end, the story was always going to begin and end with Sam and Dean. Everyone else in the story were just side characters.

It was not surprising to me that the very vocal majority hated it. I had a “been there, done that, bought the tee-shirt” moment when I began to scroll social media and watched post by post of people who shouted that they felt cheated and that this was not the ending they were promised. Even people who never watched the show and should’ve known better where shouting for something that was, quite obviously, never going to happen.

I waited this long because, I was busy with something else and I wanted to wait until I thought through everything before I put down my thoughts. So a month later, I watched two videos on You Tube, from Destiel shippers discussing their thoughts on the final season. I won’t name names.

The first video was almost two hours long and was from a person who admits they left the fandom for a while. While a lot of things I could sympathize with, they brought up the term queer bating multiple times (I am not going to get into the criticism of queer baiting because, this post is already too long, and I plan on writing a blog about that later) as well as the dangers of bringing fandom theory into creator spaces.

I am of the firm belief that fandom content should not be brought into creator spaces. Not only do most showrunners have their own ideas for the shows, but there is also the inherent risk of ego stepping which could lead to drastic changes being made to shows in ways fans weren’t expecting and don’t like (I see you Jeff Davis). It can also lead to legal issues, especially if during one of these and idea coming from fandom space nudges it’s way into the creators’ mind and there is unintentional plagiarism. It can happen and is a reason that most creators do not read fanfiction or discuss fan theory until after the show is over.

The other reaction video mentioned they were disappointed (and I saw this in other spaces as well) of Castiel being in Heaven but not seeing Dean. I have a theory about that. In Episode 19 at the end, Jack states that unlike Chuck, he has faith in the humans, and he plans on being strictly “hands off”. Our fate is in our own hands now and we can do what we want. Where Chuck liked the accolades and often sent angels to do his dirty work on Earth, especially when the Winchesters weren’t doing what he wanted, if Jack is implementing a “Hands off” approach, this could also mean that the remainder of the angels (old and new) were given instructions to remain “Hands off” as well. They have their side of Heaven which they are rebuilding and reorganizing, but they are to stay on their side and never the twain shall meet. Angels were never meant to walk among the human races. This is maintaining the status quo. Dean knows that Castiel is in Heaven once more but is content with that knowledge. Once Sam appears to him on the bridge, Dean has everything he wants; his brother, his family, and a quiet life in which to settle. At last, Sam and especially Dean have found their reward.

As the song goes, there is peace when they are done.

#FPBlog #Supernatural #the final episodes #review #spoilers

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ramajmedia · 5 years

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5 Awesome Found Footage Horror Films (& 5 That Don't Work)

What began as an experimental horror film shot in the woods has essentially spawned an entire subgenre of horror films. This "found footage" style has often proved an excellent complement to the horror genre, with its gritty sense of realism and the uneasiness it invokes. You feel like you're right there with the zombie, witch, ghoul, or other "things" that go bump in the night.

At the same time, this technique has become abused of late, devolving into something of a played-out trope. At times, a film may lean on this style for the source of its intrigue, rather than substance in its characters, plot, or world-building. Still, filmmakers have proven that the style can still be utilized in interesting, creative ways even today.

RELATED: 10 Fan Theories That Will Forever Change Your Favorite Horror Movies

So let's get our cameras ready and take a look at 5 of the most awesome found footage thrillers, and 5 that just don't work.

10 Doesn't Work: Cloverfield

Credit to director Matt Reeves and producer J.J Abrams for taking the found footage concept in a new direction. Yet if you were to distill Cloverfield down to its core concepts - is it really all that new? Or is it more akin to Godzilla-meets-Blair Witch? It's certainly closer to the latter.

While there is some exciting action, Cloverfield has its quirks that bog it down. Among these blemishes are superficial characters, a heap of disorienting camera moves, and only brief looks at the ambiguous monster for most of the film. Obviously, the idea of "fearing the unseen/unknown" can work - just look at the Blair Witch. Yet, here, this lack of a reveal invokes more frustration than fear.

9 Awesome: The Visit

Sure, you've got the occasionally awkward dialogue that's become sort of an M. Night Shyamalan staple - including some cringy freestyle rapping. You've also got that trademark Shyamalan twist ending that's meant to throw you for a loop.

RELATED: 10 Best Found-Footage Horror Movies Of All time, Ranked

Yet, for the most part, The Visit actually utilizes these qualities to its advantage. The characters are enduring, and that patented twist is actually pretty clever. In a way, the more realistic angle makes for a creepier, unsettling premise, as does the strange and erratic behavior of the protagonists' grandparents. The film only includes the "found footage" shots when it makes sense contextually, which proves effective and unique. The Visit is largely a return to form for Shyamalan.

8 Doesn't Work: Unfriended

In an era where the internet and social media is so prominent in our lives and society as a whole, it would stand to reason that this format would eventually migrate from home video to computer feeds. Such is the case with Unfriended, a movie that mixes a basic ghost story with video chats and web-browsing.

Sure, its anti-bullying message is an admirable one, and both the premise and style actually held some potential here - but the film mostly fails in its execution. Despite containing an 83-minute run-time, Unfriended drags on as it rarely cuts from our protagonist's computer screen. It doesn't help that most of the film's characters are excruciatingly annoying.

7 Awesome: Creep (2014)

As The Visit - and various others - help illustrate, horror films don't need to rely on the supernatural or superhuman to invoke fear. In fact, centering around a seemingly average Joe that turns out to be a psychopath can actually be more effective, especially for the more realistic found footage subgenre.

Creep is shot through the lens of a videographer named Aaron, who takes on a project to document the life of a cancer patient. As the movie progresses, it becomes apparent that the subject in question, Josef, is a far cry from the man he claims to be. The minimalistic style allows us to really hone in on the unsettling, unpredictable nature of Josef - especially when sporting his spooky wolf mask. This creep will really leave an impression on you.

6 Doesn't Work: Apollo 18

You can almost hear the pitch to Dimension Films for this one - "it's The Blair Witch in space!" And while the conspiratorial premise is somewhat clever - demonstrating why we never went back to the moon decades later - the actual film falls flat. Apollo 18 tries to run with a realistic feel with its gritty 60s-style film. Yet, it's tough to sell a realistic angle in a movie that takes place on the moon, in which our heroes are terrorized by crab-like lunar monsters...

RELATED: The 10 Best Asian Horror Movies

Apollo 18 is disorienting, formulaic, and contains some brutally slow pacing that just doesn't pay off in the end.

5 Awesome: Paranormal Activity

Admit it - you couldn't sleep too well after first seeing this, as you laid in bed thinking of being dragged away by a poltergeist, or having a possessed loved one looming over you for hours.

There are few horror films that can manage to feel both creepily close to home while using an imaginative supernatural premise. Yet these are the traits that allow Paranormal Activity to thrive, making it quite possibly one of the most frightening flicks in recent history.

The film lets you keep tabs on the house of Katie and Micah through the lens of a security camera, which captures glimpses of creepy apparitions and ghostly movements. Like various other found footage films, much of the fear and tension is built from its lack of revelations, as well as its eerie silence penetrated by startling jump scares.

4 Doesn't Work: The Devil Inside

If, by chance, you were keen on watching a jarring derivative of the classic Exorcist movie complete with more body contorting and over-the-top acting, you may want to give 2012's The Devil Inside a peak.

For the rest of us, this film just feels like a dud, and a pointless gimmick that relies on its shaky found footage flair more than any actual content. There are a few thrills and chills, but it feels very "surface level." It's like when you jump from a closet to spook your friend - you may have frightened them, but it's a cheap and lazy way to do so...

3 Awesome: [REC]

Just like Paranormal Activity, this Spanish thriller, known as [REC], utilizes the strengths of the found footage format superbly. It's shot in a dark, minimalistic manner that reveals little; conveying a feeling of solitude and vulnerability. Its soundtrack is virtually non-existent - relying instead on a creepy ambiance which further enriches the experience.

RELATED: 10 Best Zombie Movies Of All Time

The movie follows a reporter as she desperately tries to escape and apartment building crawling with hostile undead mutants. As it takes place in a dark, quarantined building, [REC] exudes a feeling of intensity and claustrophobia, making for a squirm-inducing viewing experience.

2 Doesn't Work: Paranormal Activity 4

While newer renditions of this classic found footage franchise recaptured some of the creativity and intrigue of the original, this 4th iteration of Paranormal Activity marks a low point in the series for its derivative, dull nature.

It's at this point in the series where the once boundary-pushing thriller feels like a formulaic romp that's out of ideas and destined to go on forever, not unlike Saw. Outside of the demon-possessed children, most of the ideas in Paranormal Activity 4 feel rehashed and uninteresting. The extent of the horror pretty much boils down to cheap jump scares, which are exploited at a ridiculous level.

1 Awesome: The Blair Witch Project

There's a reason this film essentially laid the foundation that sprouted a whole subgenre of horror movies. Even 20 years later, The Blair Witch still holds up with its spooky aura, despite - and partly because of - its unique home-movie grittiness. Thanks to some believable (mostly improved) performances and realistic cinematography, we truly feel stranded in the woods with our protagonists.

The movie follows 3 filmmakers in the desolate woods of Maryland, as they find themselves terrorized by creepy noises, ominous relics, and other witchy manifestations. We're left to fill many of the gaps ourselves, as little is revealed during this increasingly perilous escapade. Yet, this is what makes the film so enduring and frightening - as our imaginations can often paint a far scarier picture than any filmmaker can convey on screen.

NEXT: The 5 Scariest Zombie Films (And The 5 Funniest)

source https://screenrant.com/5-awesome-found-footage-horror-films-5-dont-work/

#screenrant

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oliverphisher · 4 years

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Maryanne O'Connor

What are one to three books that have greatly influenced your life?

Jane Eyre had a profound effect on me. I found it deeply moving and stirring, particularly the feisty and proud way Jane handles herself within a chauvinistic, class-driven society. That it was written by Charlotte Bronte in the mid-nineteenth century, a woman who lived a remote and sheltered existence on the moors in England, yet managed to pen this incredible tale, renders it one of the imaginative and inspired tales in history. Many say it is the first true feminist novel and it has certainly inspired my latest manuscript Sisters of Freedom. How extraordinary to consider that it still holds enormous impact one hundred and seventy odd years later, yet prose such as this cannot help but continue to move generations:

'Do you think, because I am poor, obscure, plain, and little, I am soulless and heartless? You think wrong! — I have as much soul as you — and full as much heart!'

'... it is my spirit that addresses your spirit; just as if both had passed through the grave, and we stood at God's feet, equal — as we are!' ― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre What purchase of $100 or less has most positively impacted your life in the last six months (or in recent memory)? My good guitar needed a lot of repairs and I kept putting off getting it fixed which meant I'd hardly played for quite a while. Playing is very meditative for me so when I saw a $50 guitar for sale I just picked it up on impulse. Since then I've played constantly once more, and it isn't just the musical creativity that I realized I'd missed, it's the fact that I tend to play outdoors and usually at sunset. There's so much pleasure to be had strumming a guitar while the day fades. A positive impact indeed. How has a failure, or apparent failure, set you up for later success?

It was a big challenge getting published and it took three years before I had any success. I honestly think most people would have given up but I'm very stubborn and determined, not always a good thing but fortuitous in this case. The rejection and hardship was very difficult to take but it taught me to work on my craft and I re-wrote the first manuscript over and again to get it right and be accepted. If I hadn't done that I don't think I would have been successful and I certainly wouldn't have the depth of gratitude that I feel every day in being a published author. Are there any quotes you think of often or live your life by?

My Dad used to always say 'every day is the best day ever' which I love. I also live by my own adage when it comes to writing 'if you lack inspiration simply begin, inspiration will follow'. That really cures writers block. You may start writing something you end up deleting but so far I have always found you do find inspiration as you go along. I also love Eleanor Roosevelt's quote 'the future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams' and Henri Frederic Amiel's 'Oh be swift to love, make haste to be kind'. What is one of the best investment in a writing resource you’ve ever made? A professional edit. That takes you from thinking you may be able to write a book to showing you what's missing so you can actually get published. What is an unusual habit or an absurd thing that you love? Hmmm, where to start? I love Vegemite toast with melted cheese (which I think is normal but I've been told is weird), singing ABBA songs while I cook, talking like a pirate, my husband's 'dad jokes' (when I asked him to help me think of a type of fever the other day he said 'boogie'), being pinned down by my lab cross Saxon every morning because he wants morning cuddles and loves me too much to let me get up, age-inappropriate dressing and standing in the garden with my fingers in my ears during close football games. Oh, and I also consider Homer Simpson the greatest comical hero of our time. But he's an absurdity everyone loves, surely. In the last five years, what new belief, behaviour, or habit has most improved your life? Absolute and complete belief that good news is always on it's way. What advice would you give to a smart, driven aspiring author? What advice should they ignore?

Again, get a professional edit, and really work on your craft - every day if you can. The more you write, and read, the better you'll get. My other big piece of advice is to never, ever give up. Rejection is just part of the gig for an aspiring author but if you keep working hard at it, listen to good advice and keep sending your words out there sooner or later it will happen for you. As for advice to ignore? Never let anyone tell you it's just too hard and to give up. It's worth the angst, believe me. What are bad recommendations you hear in your profession often?

Self-publishing is often made out to sound far easier than it actually is and I've seen people get disappointed. If you're keen to go down that road, however, make sure you really research the best inroads and marketing strategies. In the last five years, what have you become better at saying no to (distractions, invitations, etc.)?

Over-committing myself socially. If you're on a writing lock-down because you have a deadline you have to stay focused and pushing yourself in other areas will only make everything harder. There will be plenty of time for champagne when you finish - and all the more reason to celebrate! What marketing tactics should authors avoid?

Trying to do everything and ending up not doing any of it well. Personally, I put most of my marketing focus into Facebook rather than newsletter fan bases and multiple social media channels or other advertising. I do think it is very important to understand your own brand, your own audience and to be clear as what stories behind the stories or angles you intend to pitch to the media. What new realizations and/or approaches have helped you achieve your goals?

If I wake up in the middle of the night with an idea I get up and write now. It's going to keep me awake anyway and some of my best plot twists or character traits have been born in the wee hours of the morning. I also no longer worry that I'll run out of ideas. Every human walking has a story, it's just a matter of choosing an era and a setting and blending ideas together. When you feel overwhelmed or have lost your focus temporarily, what do you do?

I sit outside or go for a walk. Nature heals like nothing else can. Or I talk it out with a loved one - I've learned not to internalize worry. Any other tips?

Don't get so caught up on being successful or getting it 'right' that you stop enjoying yourself. If you're writing from the heart it's a privilege and as worry-ridden as it can be, ultimately it's a pure joy.

________

Enjoyed this Q&A? Want to discuss in more depth? Join Community Writers. You'll get access to 100+ exclusive writing tips. Q&As with successful authors, an exclusive ebook on building an audience and much more. Sign-up for free as a community writer here

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recentanimenews · 5 years

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Aesthetic Cyberpunk Bartending on the Rocks: VA-11 Hall-A’s Switch Port

Bar, pub, saloon, tavern, dive. There are so many names for places where people congregate to drink, socialize (or not), find connections (or not), and escape from the world around them. They’ve been a fascinating part of media and culture for decades, if not centuries, with some historians even saying that early beer halls and public halls, and the creation of beer, are responsible for saving early Europe from dirty water and viral diseases. Shows like Cheers have put drinking culture into pop media for years, and there’s countless instances of bars appearing in video games, movies, anime, and more; in fact, most good noir and cyberpunk stories worth their weight in salt feature a bar prominently at some point. That said, there aren’t really a lot of works out there about actually being the one slinging drinks behind the bar, and the day-to-day life of a bartender in these worlds is not always explored. In VA-11 Hall-A, you not only get to explore life in a dystopian cyberpunk future, you also get to be the one serving drinks and making ends meet, creating one of the most unique gaming experiences in recent years.

In VA-11 Hall-A, players take on the roll of Jill, the bartender of the bar VA-11 Hall-A, a somewhat dour woman with a past and whose mundane life in the dystopian world she lives in may end up crossing into some unexpected and mysterious paths. Perhaps one of the best things about the game is the cast of characters you encounter, all of them unique and vastly different from one another, leaving lasting impressions on you as they come into the bar and ask for drinks and, of course, company, although that second part may not always be so obvious.

One of the interesting parts about VA-11 Hall-A is that you really don’t see much of the world outside of the bar and Jill’s apartment, except through textlogs that you can read. Unlike many other cyberpunk and visual novel games, you aren’t going to save the world or solve a mystery, or even bring about the end of your dystopia, you’re really just trying to make it through the next day of work and pay your bills. In this respect, the game is somewhat fascinating, because while the stakes are high, your agency isn’t, stopping you from becoming the savior of the world you’re experiencing. This brings one of the choices of the game to the fore: you don’t really make any dialogue decisions, and what choices you can make are limited usually to determining the ending you will receive upon completing the game. Aside from that, the player is experiencing Jill’s life in the passenger seat, seeing how she interacts with the various people that enter the bar, and her relationships with others that we get to witness developing.

The gameplay portion of VA-11 Hall-A comes from the mixing of drinks that Jill serves to customers, and is the main interactable function in the game. Jill has the ability to access a computer screen that tells her the components of every drink she can make, and then the ability to mix those drinks. Yeah, you can indeed screw drinks up, but overall the game doesn’t really punish you for this overtly, and the plot will still progress even if you serve the wrong drink, but it may affect things like a game over or the ending you get. Still, the drink mixing mechanic is unique and interesting, and the fact that you can actually mess up does mean paying attention matters. The game even offers you the ability to remake a drink if it notifies you that you’ve done it wrong, as long as you haven’t actually served it to the customer yet.

Other than mixing drinks, there really isn’t much else to ‘play’ here, meaning that the game is more of a visual novel than it is anything else, but one that asks for your input in the process of Jill’s job requirements. Personally, I enjoyed the drink mixing element because it made the idea of Jill being a bartender more noticeably important to the game, and drove home the fact that this is what Jill does for a living; there’s no swapping the bartending menu for clue collecting or other things, you’re here to make drinks and that’s exactly what you’re going to do.

This limitation on what you can do, and why, does bring some interesting quirks to the game. As mentioned, the game has a bevy of interesting and unique characters, many of them with their own problems, struggles, and conflicts that you, as Jill, get to watch unfold from behind your bar. Jill has little ability to impact these character’s lives aside from a few distinct choices in the game that affect the ending, and there are instances where players are left guessing about what happened, and why it happened, to various characters. As mentioned, Jill won’t become the key hero to lead a rebellion against the dystopia, but the game is almost myopically personal at times because of the limit to what you can see and what that means.

For example, without much spoilers, there is a mystery around a key character in the game that appears very early on, but is never fully explained. Even after obtaining a relevant ending, the character’s fate, and overall meaning in the game, aren’t fully explained in a somewhat frustrating way. And, maybe, that’s okay; games tend to overshare frequently, providing far too much information to answer all questions literally, and don’t tend to leave a lot of room for interpretation or even mystery. And, sometimes, we have to admit that unfulfilling story beats might just exist because… the developers forgot about them. But either way, the game is great, mysteries aside, and in some ways these odd story beat drops fit the fact that just one person can only know and see so much.

There's so much to love about the world VA-11 Hall-A creates that the unanswered questions it presents might be excused. Jill’s story is a simple, relatable, and emotional one, and the characters that orbit her are similarly interesting and will keep you coming back to the game for more, likely fulfilling special orders to get various endings in the process (there is something of a New Game + mode where money carries over). Something that makes VA-11 Hall-A stand out and worth noting is the representation present in the game, as the game is not shy about the fact that Jill is bisexual, and many of her romantic interests in the game are other women. Although some of the writing is a little odd at times in these segments, I think Sukeban Games did a great job weaving the identity of their character into how the game plays in a way that feels mostly natural and flowing.

Although boob measuring conversations don’t really happen in real life, everything else that Sukeban worked into this game feels absolutely authentic, and helps deepen the connection that you’re viewing the world through Jill’s eyes, rather than playing “as” Jill, and are instead seeing things from her perspective. The rest of the cast are as varied and interesting as Jill is, ranging from a shiba inu named Rad Shiba to a man named after a Seinfeld joke, and the majority of the women in the cast that Jill interacts with and can end up in various endings with sometimes nearly steal the show for how lovable and unique they are.

VA-11 Hall-A has a lot of other great touches going for it. The color pallette and themeing in the game really sells the idea of the aesthetic, cyberpunk future bar that you’re inhabiting, with various shades of black, purple, white, and pinks giving off more of a Blade Runner vibe than a Vaporwave one. The music in the game is absolutely fantastic as well, and the jukebox in the game allows you to let music play naturally, or simply find tunes you like and play them through your own fiddling. There are some ways in which this random music playing actually gives some level of atmosphere to the game, as characters talking to you while music that doesn’t match the mood plays in the background, rather than having specific sound cues and design. I would be lying if the game’s OST wasn’t stuck in my head, and believe me, the game is an overall better experience for the fantastic soundtrack than it would be with something different.

This is probably is one of the detriments of playing it on the Switch in handheld mode; you will absolutely want headphones, otherwise you’ll likely not be playing the game with the volume turned up and miss out on the great music! Although not a graphically intensive game, the overall presentation of VA-11 Hall-A is fantastic, and on the Switch the game looked amazing in both docked and handheld mode; I really can’t suggest either is superior to the other, a somewhat great feat when it comes to Switch ports sometimes. Other great touches involve the controls: you have the ability to use gyro controls (which I generally don't really like), touch controls, and stick controls. The touch controls worked perfectly, and I honestly found it my preferred way to play the game overall, as it made progressing dialogue a lot easier and less of a chore; when I got to drink mixing, I would switch to the sticks, and then resume using touch controls for the narrative. These are small, almost cosmetic additions, but they really do help make the Switch version feel fantastic and probably my overall preferred version of the game so far.

If you’re a fan of visual novels, or simply curious about them, I think VA-11 Hall-A is a great place to look for your next gaming experience. The game will feel right at home to VN fans, with an interesting story and unique twist on the way VNs play, and players who are less familiar with how those games work will probably find the drink mixing mechanic helps alleviate that idea that you don’t “do” anything in them. Either way, if you’re a fan of cyberpunk, bartending, or just cute girls struggling to exist in a dystopian nightmare future over a few drinks, there’s a lot to love here. So pull up a stool, order your favorite drink, and dive in to VA-11 Hall-A; we can promise you won’t need a hangover cure for this drink, cause it goes down smooth!

REVIEW ROUNDUP

+ Unique cyberpunk game that puts players in an unusual profession to play as.

+ Switch port is great, playing well in both modes, and touch controls are awesome.

+ Lots of great characters, solid storylines, and well done narrative flow.

+ Great to see lots of positive, natural representation in this game.

+/- Some story beats don’t quite get explained, which can be puzzling, but ultimately your mileage may vary on if that’s a big deal.

- Serving the wrong drink rarely affects the narrative, and feels like your choices, already limited, don’t really matter.

Are you curious to order up at VA-11 Hall-A? Got a favorite drink to enjoy your games with? Let us know what you think of the game in the comments!

----

Nicole is a features writer and editor for Crunchyroll. Known for punching dudes in Yakuza games on her Twitch channel while professing her love for Majima. She also has a blog, Figuratively Speaking. Follow her on Twitter: @ellyberries

Do you love writing? Do you love anime? If you have an idea for a features story, pitch it to Crunchyroll Features!

By: [email protected]

#Anime #News #Latest in Anime News by Crunchyroll!

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janakimurali · 5 years

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From fiction to fact -Sherlock Holmes

Continuing my series on Fiction to Fact - I featured the iconic character Sherlock Holmes in Deccan Herald's 👧 🗞️ Don’t miss the fantastic layout and graphics by Imtiaz Ahmed Shariff and the DHSE team

From fiction to fact- Sherlock Holmes

When British author Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, created the consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes, in 1887, he never would have thought in his wildest dreams that the character would become so famous. So much so, that the Guinness World Records lists Sherlock Holmes, as the ‘most portrayed movie character’ in history. The character spawned off several variations of the stories, including Young Sherlock Holmes, for teenagers, which appeared as a film in 1985. There’s also a Chinese television series, featuring a young Sherlock Holmes.

First appearing in print in A Study in Scarlet, Sherlock Holmes grew in popularity with a series of short stories – and appeared in four novels and 56 short stories. As famous as Sherlock Holmes was, the character of Holmes's friend and biographer Dr. Watson, became equally famous, making them the best detective duo known to the world. Even now, Sherlock is playing in theatres and on our television screens.

Inspiration for the character:

Conan Doyle modelled Sherlock’s deductive abilities and mannerisms on Dr. Joseph Bell, a surgeon at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh and his professor at Edinburgh University. Conan Doyle himself was a trained physician—which explains the medical details in the stories.

The fictional address of 221B Baker Street, London, where the two characters were roomies, never existed. But it does now. There’s a Sherlock Holmes museum at this address in London and Sherlock Holmes memorabilia is sold there. The museum is modelled like Sherlock’s and Watson’s fictional drawing rooms. Often, performing artistes, dress up like the iconic detective and pose outside the museum for photographs with tourists.

So famous is the detective, that several fans believed that he was a real person. Letters would be written to Sherlock Holmes at 221B Baker street asking his help to solve some problem or other. Even today, the museum gets hordes of fan mail.

Several actors have played Sherlock Holmes on screen down the years. Right now, Robert Downey, Jr. acts as Sherlock along with Jude Law as Dr. Watson in the film franchise; Benedict Cumberbatch acts as Sherlock and Martin Freeman as Dr. Watson in the BBC television series; and there’s even an American Television version, Elementary, starring Jonny Lee Miller as detective Sherlock Holmes and Lucy Liu as Dr. Joan Watson in a modern-day drama.

Some of the minor characters which keep recurring in the stories are equally memorable - like the Scotland Yard inspector Lestrade; the group of homeless urchins - the Baker Street Irregulars, his brother, Mycroft, employed by the British government; and then who can forget his nemesis, Professor James Moriarty. Each of these characters have been essayed well by the actors playing them. As much as the actors playing Sherlock Holmes were granted instant fame, with besotted fans transferring their love for the character to the actor, the other actors playing Dr. Watson and Moriarty have had their own share of fame.

Incidentally, the pipe and cap which is part of the Sherlock get-up were not created by Conan Doyle. The pipe was introduced by an actor and the illustrator Sidney Paget, introduced the deerstalker cap. Also, the often quoted ‘Elementary, my dear Watson,’ was not written by Conan Doyle, it probably got added on later. Another famous phrase, ‘the game is afoot,’ has been changed to ‘the game is on,’ by series producers to modernise the phrase.

Fandom

Nobody can ever understand what catches popular fancy and what makes a character beloved to readers and viewers. In the Sherlock stories, the intriguing plots with several twists and turns, also contributed to making Holmes a cult figure. Sherlock was so beloved, that it was difficult for Conan Doyle to kill him off in The Final Problem, where Sherlock and his arch enemy, Moriarty fall off from Switzerland’s Reichenbach Falls.

It is said that fans wore black mourning bands and nearly 20,000 readers cancelled their subscriptions to the Strand Magazine, in which the stories appeared. Fans even started ‘Let’s keep Holmes alive’ clubs. And, Conan Doyle had to bring back the detective in the story The Adventure of the Empty House. Fans now call the period until Sherlock reappeared as the Great Hiatus.

What is amazing about this fictional character, is that Sherlock’s fans have kept growing in the 121 years, after Conan Doyle created him. There have been translations of the stories and also parodies on the character. The cultist fervour has spawned fandom and societies and clubs like the Baker Street irregulars, or the Sherlock Holmes Society of London. With the spread of the internet, these societies are easier to set up today. So, there are various fandom websites and even Sherlock maps detailing out social media accounts devoted to the character. And hold your breath, there are two fan accounts in Bengaluru too.

There is even a Sherlock Holmes society in India, http://www.sherlockholmessociety.in/ which publishes a newsletter, and the members meets occasionally. The newsletter carries news of other fan societies around the world, Sherlock trivia and upcoming shows and events. Plus, it also carries fan fiction, featuring Sherlock Holmes and Watson.

Conan Doyle’s creation Sherlock Holmes jumped off his pages and became real to his fans, and in doing so, became immortal

#Article children SherlockHolmes newspaper fiction

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attendantdesign-blog · 7 years

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New Post has been published on Attendantdesign

New Post has been published on http://attendantdesign.com/blogger-proves-not-anything-on-instagram-is-real/

Blogger Proves Not anything on Instagram is Real

By using now we realize that each one those Instagram fitness fashions do not sincerely look that toned and defined all of the time. We’ve got seen sufficient 30-2d transformation photographs to recognize those that usually make it to Instagram display them flexing and posing to look their great. But what if we told you that quite a whole lot Nothing you see on Instagram became Actual? That’s what one blogger set out to show us along with her most recent transformation percent.

Madalyn Giorgetta published her personal 30-second transformation photo on Instagram, showing herself in one picture looking thinner and extra toned than within the other. within the image’s caption, Madalyn famous that during reality, neither image is an accurate representation of what she really seems like. in one image, Madalyn writes that she become pushing her hips ahead, making them seem wider and making her belly seem extra distinguished. inside the 2d photograph, Madalyn has pushed her hips returned, making them look slimmer and her belly look more toned. The message? Nothing is because it seems.

“I do not look like either in Real existence… In Actual life, I am not flexing like at the proper and I am now not pushing my hips forwards like within the left,” she wrote. “Real lifestyles is not what you see on Instagram peeps.” Of direction, this is the message of every 30-2nd transformation, But because Madalyn would not without a doubt look the manner she does in either of those images, hers is pretty unique.

It sincerely drives home the points that what we publish on social media is cautiously selected to make our appearance one way or another. This, of the route, is something all of us understand from our very own social media behavior, However, for some purpose, we don’t usually agree with it is real of different people. Madalyn proves that regardless of how we seem on social media, it’s something We’ve selected and groomed.

If you really want to recognize what Madalyn looks as if, you may seize her in movement. In Real life, Madalyn says she’s chasing her cat around her apartment, picking aside reality Tv with buddies, or cuddling with her boyfriend. Considering maximum folks best realize her from Instagram, we might not ever recognize what she actually seems like, and that’s Ok.

The Blogger by using James Raven Ebook Assessment

James Raven’s stalwart and astute detective Jeff Temple is lower back for the 5th time around in the Blogger. A fast-paced and plot-twisting examine, Raven’s most modern work is a nicely-written and well-timed thriller best for our modern-day age.

Internationally recognized and certainly arguable Net sensation Daniel Prince isn’t any stranger to controversy. On his blog, Humans-Strength, Prince is well-known for breaking hard-hitting, and frequently politically devastating, tales that expose scandals, corruption, and other unpleasantries which can be rampant within national governments. Most recently, a submit on his weblog caused several high-ranking British ministers to surrender. Needless to mention, Prince has made quite a few enemies. However, while he’s discovered dead outside his condominium building one night, all signs and symptoms factor to suicide.

Jeff Temple and his team are called in to research what looks like a textbook suicide case. But one interview with Prince’s fiancé, Beth Fletcher, but, raises Temple’s suspicions. Beth is adamant that Prince wasn’t suicidal, that he had by no means even proven any signs and symptoms of despair. She’s satisfied that one of the limitless enemies that he had made through his running a blog is responsible for foul play. And in spite of all different proof, Temple is inclined to believe Beth. Similarly, evidence in Prince’s condo points towards homicide, as nicely.

But sadly, there’s no lack of suspects in this situation. Other than the endless enemies that Prince had made abroad, there are lots of suspects at home as properly. In his condominium by myself, there are several unsavory characters. There is the sneaky rental constructing concierge George Reese, whose wallow-demeanor and entirely get entry to the whole constructing makes him more than capable of wearing out the deed.

There may be resident Hari Basu, regarded for his temper and quick-fuse, who had already quarreled with Prince several times; the seemingly mild-mannered Mr. And Mrs. Connor, who are mysteriously amassing a scrapbook of newspaper articles that referred to Prince; and sooner or later the mysterious married woman with whom Prince become supposedly having an

It is as much as Temple and his crack-crew, which includes his lifestyles-partner Angel, to delve through the numerous suspects in the hopes of ultimately catching a killer. However whilst Beth is going missing after vowing to take over the reins at Prince’s weblog, the stakes come to be even higher, and Temple ought to race towards the clock to stop a ruthless killer from hanging a 2d time.

Even as now and again containing stilted communication and clichéd mystery tropes, Raven’s The Blogger is in the long run an fun and fast-paced examine for any lover of thrillers, mysteries, and plot-twists.

The way to Get Instagram Followers rapid

Instagram is another of the various social networking websites running out at the web today. It’s miles a platform where you can proportion your pictures privately or publicly. Now, if you want to attain out to a much wider audience, you need to begin collecting your Instagram Followers.

Here are a few reputable and tried and tested techniques to get Instagram Fans fast.

Public debts –

If you have a non-public account, It’s best your friends who can see what you share. Subsequently, step one to getting Instagram Fans speedy is to head public. For those of your surely concerned about privateness, you could constantly keep a take a look at on what you select to share.

Hashtags –

Instagram uses hashtags to filter out photographs. Whilst you look for pics, the social media community will display all of the snap shots with a commonplace hashtag. Recognition isn’t the most effective standards when selecting the hashtags to go with your photos. You should additionally use applicable ones. three is a super quantity of hashtags to apply with your image.

Ordinary uploads –

A dormant account does not typically get too many Followers. Instagrammers on a Ordinary basis have a tendency to unfollow inactive accounts. Therefore, the approach is to refresh your account with new, original and charming content.

Mostly of the thumb, don’t publish too little and do not flood your page. A photo every day is a great preferred.

Use filters –

Why you must use filters? nicely, they surely improve the look of your snap shots adding a greater personalized touch. This feel of brought splendor is enough to draw greater Followers who love following quality work. test how a selected filter appears earlier than you simply apply it.

Photograph collages –

In preference to uploading a lone Picture, you can combine a couple of pics right into a single one. Such photos are greater attractive as they tell a story. There are numerous paid and unfastened, 1/3 party collage makers and photo-editing apps you could use for the motive.

Time it right –

The Most breathtaking pix will don’t have any viewers in case you publish it whilst the whole Instagram community is asleep. The height times on Instagram are in the morning before work and inside the night after paintings. That is when Maximum Instagrammers take a look at their accounts. So, time your uploads proper.

Observe, like and remark –

Yet every other tip to growth your visibility on Instagram is to Observe others. They could Comply with you in go back. Take it a step Further with the aid of liking and commenting on other’s photos and videos. You’re probable to grab the attention of the photograph proprietor as nicely his/her Fans. It might set off them to check out your Instagram account, increasing the chance of Followers.

Sync with Fb –

With Fb taking over Instagram, you can now share your pics across each the structures through integrating your Fb and Instagram account. This manner your Instagram activity gets streamed on to Facebook. Fb buddies that still have an Instagram account will start following you, if they prefer what you add.

Call to Action –

Your captions have to have a robust Call To Motion. You have to intention for better engagement with your captions. In that, they have to compel them to comment or begin an interesting dialogue.

So, those are distinct approaches wherein you may get Instagram Followers speedy. you could also be part of micro-running a blog businesses and take part in discussions there.

Instagram, the picture-sharing website had gained huge Recognition over the previous few years. With Maximum social networking sites, the greater Followers you have got, the greater you are able to leverage their ability.

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amazonauthorinsights-live · 7 years

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So you want to be a writer

By Hugh Howey

You have to work harder than anyone else. Period.

Sitting in your underwear, hearing voices, talking to people who are not there, mumbling to yourself, Googling how to dispose of bodies and the firing rate of an uzi submachine gun. Assuming this sounds like the ideal life for you—and you don’t want to be certifiably crazy but only a little crazy—then the life of the professional writer is what you’re after. And I’m going to tell you how to make it happen.

Right now, some people reading this are already raising objections. Sure, it’s easy for me to say post hoc what worked and didn’t. I’m suffering from bias confirmation and the self-selecting nature of successful people telling others how to be successful. These same people will say that success is completely out of our control, that it only happens to a fraction of a percent, that you shouldn’t even try. This is good. This is awesome. The more people you hear this from, the better. It means they’ve given up and you now have less competition.

Because make no mistake, you are competing. That doesn’t make authordom a zero-sum game. It’s more complex than that. A great book by another author can cause a reader to read a lot more (rather than spending their time playing video games or watching TV). Authors can cross-promote and join box sets and anthologies. You network, share what works, read each others drafts, and so on. I’ve never been a part of an industry where “help your colleague” is so paramount, and that includes an industry (yachting) where rescuing your colleague at sea is practically the law.

But before you have works moving the needle, which is where the cooperative effects really take place, you are competing with your fellow aspiring writers. So here’s the #1 secret to success and a career of working in your underwear: You have to work harder than anyone else. Period.

Look around. What are other aspiring writers doing? That’s your ground floor. Your minimum. That’s where you begin. Double that. I promise you, this is the easiest path to success. What follows is specifics. But this is the general rule: Work harder than anyone else. If you don’t have this as your benchmark, you are going to have to rely on too much luck. And this blog post isn’t about the luck, it’s about how to minimize your required dosage.

Let me tell you about my luck. I was lucky in that I started writing when a whole lot of people were working a whole let less. The amount of effort required to make it as a writer today is in some ways greater, even as the tools of access have lowered the barriers to entry. Yes, barriers are down. And yes, the castle courtyard is now more crowded. So you’ve got to do more than your neighbor. Below, I’ve ranked the priorities I believe you should have and how to approach them. Anyone who follows this list has a great chance of making a living as a writer. I don’t say this as someone who saw it work for me; I say this as someone who has studied the hell out of this industry and profession, who has taken a very large sample of those trying to make it and those who are making it, and finding out what the latter group has in common and what separates them from the former.

1) Make a long-term plan. My plan was to write two novels a year for ten years before I ascertained whether or not I had a chance of making this work. You don’t get into the NBA without at least ten years of shooting drills and pickup games. If you set a long term plan like this, and stick with it, you will succeed. Because you’ll find yourself in the top 0.1% of aspiring writers. 99.9% of your colleagues will drop out before they finish their plan. But you’ll outwork them. And yes, even if a thousand of you read this blog post, and all thousand of you implement the plan, all thousand of you will earn a living with your writing, leaving not much room for everyone else. Tough shit. There are more seats on this bus than there are people willing to put in what it takes to make it. Keep in mind that the videogame and TV busses are packed. We can lure more and more of them over if you implement your plan. And that plan all starts with:

2) Reading. I assume this is a given, but you never know. I’ve met people who don’t read at all but want to become writers because they think it sounds like an easy gig. The underwear! The mumbling! The Googling! The thing about writing that’s different than playing a guitar for a living, or acting on stage, or painting, is that we all do some writing. In fact, we do a lot of writing. We write emails. Blog posts. Facebook updates. A novel is just more of that, right? Wrong. The writing is the easy bit compared to the crafting of engaging plots and characters. There are some things you only gain through absorption. Reada lot, read the greats, and read outside your comfort zone. Want to write science fiction? Read crime thrillers and romance novels. Learn how to unspool a mystery and how to inject love into your stories.

3) Practice. Everyone wants to write a novel, and they want to do it without stretching. You don’t lace up and run a marathon without first learning to run a mile, two miles, five miles. The day you implement your plan is the day you start reading and the day you start writing. Start a blog and post to it every day. It might be a single line from a story that doesn’t yet exist. Or a scene—maybe a first kiss or a bar fight. Maybe you write a different first kiss scene every day for a month. This is like--practicing your layups. So when you have to nail one in a game, you don’t freak out and go flying into the stands. The importance of a blog is that your posts remain up and visible forever. Facebook will hide and destory your content. Cross-post to Twitter and Facebook if you like, but the blog is your hub. This is your street corner. This is where you strum your instrument and improve. After you start blogging, start writing a few short stories. Work on completing what you start. Set goals. A new short story every month for the first year. That’s twelve publishable works. Maybe they go up on your blog for free to get feedback. See what friends and family think. You aren’t trying to sell a million books right now; you are seeing if you can make someone your fan. My first cousin Lisa was my first fan. She was the first person who didn’t have to tell me my book was great but said so anyway. The first person to beg me for the sequel. You want one fan like this. The rest will come.

4) Daydream. Most of the writing takes place away from the keyboard. I did most of my writing as a yacht captain, roofer, and bookseller. I also got in the habit of driving with the radio off, in silence, with just my thoughts. Tune out the distractions and live in the world of your creation. Know your characters, your plot, all the twists, the larger world, before you start writing. And then keep most of that shit to yourself. The reader doesn’t care. Most of what you think is interesting is boring. Your novel is going to be a greatest hits collection, every one of your best ideas packed into a single volume. Hold nothing back. You’ll have more great ideas.

5) Learn to fail. Your first book will not be your best. The elation of completing that first draft is awesome; soak that up; remember it; get addicted to it. Because you’ll want to do this ten or twenty times before you write your best work. We’ll get to the craft stuff in a bit, but for now, just know that you should revise, revise, revise, edit, publish, and then get started on your next book. This was the best thing I ever did: I didn’t waste time promoting my works until they were already selling. I kept writing. So when things did heat up, I had seven or eight works out there. All those works are brand new as long as they stay undiscovered. You aren’t in a rush. Remember the plan. Learning to fail also includes learning to write like crap and not care. Push through. We all write like crap, some of us by the steaming, fly-buzzing bucketload. The reader will never see it. You’ll revise it to perfection and delete the bad parts. The key is to have something down to work with. So learn to fail. Keep going. Ignore the sales of existing works. Ignore the bad reviews. Keep reading, writing, practicing, and daydreaming.

The top five on this list will get you there. If the time and effort you put in are greater than your peers, you’ll make it. I personally know many of the top-selling indie writers working today, and they make me feel lazy by comparison. And I make most of the people I know feel lazy. We’re talking forty hours a week on top of day jobs and taking care of families and households. While writing and working in a bookstore, I did all the grocery shopping, cooking, and most of the cleaning. All the household repairs. Took care of the dog. And found time to spend with my girlfriend and my family. I cut out videogames, mindless web-surfing, and TV, and I was amazed at how much time this freed up. I also didn’t own a smartphone and didn’t use social media for anything other than to share my writing and my blog posts. Cut out everything that isn’t helping make you a writer. How badly do you want this? More than your peers? Good. Less than your peers? You won’t make it. Look at any professional athlete and all the sacrifices they made, all the mornings getting up early to hit the gym. That has to be you. No excuses. Now for the more craft-oriented bits:

6) Plot trumps prose. The thing you absolutely should not do if you want to make a living as a writer is go to school to learn how to write. MFA programs churn out editors and waiters. Sure, you can craft a perfect sentence, but you’ve got nothing to write about, because you’ve been in school your whole life. Readers prefer the clear and concise delivery of an exciting story more than the flowery and sublime delivery of utter ennui. Hell, they’ll even take the horrible delivery of a great story over the absolute perfection of dullness. Some of the bestselling novels of my lifetime have been lampooned for the writing style therein. Granted, if you can do both, please do. But first learn to craft a story and tell it in the clearest manner possible. That means studying story. Read Campbell’s Hero of a Thousand Faces. Watch great films and TV shows to see how they pull it off. Read what’s selling and ask yourself why it’s selling.

7) Live fully and cheaply. Yes, this goes with the craft of writing. Writing is much more than putting your butt in a seat. It’s making sure you have the time and financial freedom to write, and it’s ensuring that you have something to write about when you do plant that butt. There’s some truth to the starving artist cliche. You need to make sacrifices. Control your spending. Avoid debt. Live a small or shared lifestyle. The less you spend, the less you need to earn, the more time you can spend on your craft. Not everyone has the same good fortune here. That sucks. But Muggsy Bogues was too short for the NBA, and he made a career of it anyway. You already have five kids before you decide to make it as a writer? Crushing debt? Medical bills? You’ll have to work as hard as Muggsy did. I wish I could sugarcoat it or tell you what I wish were true, but this is the reality. Live cheaply. Living more fully is easier, because it’s a choice. Talk to strangers, everywhere. Waiting in a line? Talk to the people around you. See someone interesting on the street? Stop them and strike up a conversation. Memorize what they look like, what they sound like. This is the foundation of your craft. Park your car and walk for miles and miles through your hometown. Do it again one town over. Volunteer at soup kitchens and for Habitat for Humanity. If you’re in college, go on Alternative Spring Break. If you’re not in college, see if you can chaperone the same. Get out of your comfort zone. Read magazines about hobbies you never hope to have. Browse websites you never go to. Your books need to be full of characters you’ll never be and places you’ll never see. Meet them. Find them. Study them.

8) Network. Surround yourself with other aspiring writers. One of the best things I did for my career is attend bi-weekly meetings of the Highcountry Writers group in Boone, NC. Your hometown doesn’t have a writing group? Form one. Or join an online crit group. Nothing is better for your craft than reading and critiquing the rough draft of others and having the same done with your writing. And nothing will cement in your brain that you are going to make it as a writer quite like being in a writing group. It reenergizes you. It reminds you of your goal. Dress the part. Live the part. You should also go to writing conferences that are nearby or affordable. There’s one every weekend somewhere in the States. There are a few that are better than others, especially in certain genres. But don’t break the bank to go to these. There is a lot of networking you can do for free. I’ve watched Hank Garner put together an amazing podcast of writer interviews. And Eamon Ambrose make a reputation for himself first as an indie reader / reviewer / promoter, and then as a writer. And Jason Gurley became one of the most popular indie authors in the land by volunteering to amp up our cover art. There are anthologists like Samuel Peralta and editors like David Gatewood who can call on hundreds of heavyhitters because of how they’ve given back to the community. You can do the same by beta reading for your favorite authors and providing quality feedback. Or any of a dozen other ways. Leverage your talents. Do web development, or SEO, or handmade crafts.

9) Write Great Shit. This seems obvious, right? But here is what separates failed works from those that succeed. I think a lot of craft writing advice is outdated. Times are different. Attention spans are shorter. You can coax a reader along, and give them a slow build, but only if you hook them first. So start your story at the most tension-filled moment, even if that’s in the middle or at the end. Introduce a likable, flawed character in the first paragraph. In that same paragraph, name the stakes. It used to be that we had to distill our novel down to an elevator pitch for prospective agents. Now we need to do the same for readers, and your book should open that way.

I recently watched The Maze Runner, and that story opens in a way that requires you to stick through to the end. The concept is brilliant. An amnesiac rides up an elevator and is deposited in a glade in the center of a giant maze. I empathize with the character; I understand his plight; I want to read until his challenge is resolved. Back to the plot/prose point above, stop stressing over the flowery sentences and trying to sound like a writer and come up with a story that, even told simply, is riveting.

10) Find your voice. I put this last because it’s the hardest, will take the longest, but may be the most important thing you ever do as a writer. What the hell is your voice? It’s how you write when you aren’t aware that you’re writing. Everything else you do is mimicry. Self-awareness is the enemy of voice. When you fire off an email to your mom or best friend, you are writing in your voice. When you blog, you will begin to find your voice. Your voice will change the more you read and the more you write. That’s normal. It’s still your voice. Why is voice important? Not because it will land you an agent. Or because your works will win literary awards. No, screw that. Your voice is important because you can’t enter a flow state without it. When you find your voice, your fingers won’t be able to keep up with your writing. You won’t stumble. You won’t flail. You won’t sit there wondering what the next best word is. You’ll have an idea or a concept, a visual image, a conversation that you want to convey, and you’ll know immediately how to convey it. Your voice will get easier to find the broader your vocabulary becomes. You’ll have more pieces to slot into the jigsaw puzzle of your prose. Your voice will improve as you study your own writing to see what works and what doesn’t. My voice is sing-song. I fell in love with Shakespeare’s sonnets and read so much iambic pentameter that I can’t help but have my syllabic stresses rise and fall to a beat. I like the way it feels. It feels like me. I also discovered that I love run-on sentences, with lots of comma clauses, but only if I intersperse those sentences with a bunch of choppy, short, incomplete clauses. My mother pointed this out to me. She was right. Nailed it. And I learned to embrace this. Getting comfortable with your voice means becoming less self-conscious about your writing. When this happens, you can tell the story in your mind without getting in your own way. Stop reading what you’re writing as you write it. See the world in your head. Visualize it. Smell it. Hear it. Sprinkle in details from the periphery of your character’s senses. Make the world real. Then just tell it as naturally as you can. I promise this will go better than trying to impress yourself or anyone else. I promise.

Whether or not you succeed as a writer is almost entirely up to you. How much do you want it? Are you willing to fail for years and years and not give up? Are you able to network, get along with others, be helpful to your community, without feeling any pettiness or envy as others get where you want to go? Can you handle critique? Does it make you want to work harder? Can you read across a broad spectrum? Can you stick to your goals and put in effort every single day? Can you work harder than anyone else striving for the same goals? Can you help lift others up, even if that means them taking a seat on the bus in front of you? Can you live simply and fully? If you can do these things, you can some day work in your underwear and Google how to dispose of a ody. Or you can be like me and realize the underwear was a crutch and forgo even that.

This article originally appeared on Hugh Howey's blog The Wayfinder.

Hugh Howey

Hugh Howey is the author of the award-winning Molly Fyde saga and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling WOOL series. The WOOL OMNIBUS won the Kindle Book Review 2012 Indie Book of the Year Award.

#write #craft #self-publishing #essentials #writing life

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