to clarify about fan fiction

to clarify something chuck said in post about being PRO FAN FICTION, some buds have asked if i misspoke when i said ‘fan fiction is part of the original art’. i did not misspeak. i really truly believe this.

if i write a story and you read it an this moves you to paint a picture of snabe and harriet porber, that WHOLE EXPERIENCE FROM ME TO YOU is its own mixed media piece. the medium is motion (getting up and getting the paints) visual (painting) literary (reading the book in first place and then writing your own commentary when you post about it later). it is drama and performance. it is meditation. it is dance in its own way.

i very much mean this: art does not begin and end on the canvas or the page. it is what you had for breakfast the morning you wrote those words, or the story that stuck in your head after watching a show the night before. art is the buckaroo who was moved to pen a whole five page romance story about your characters having a kind picnic in the part.

we are here to create as we push back against the blank empty void, and we prove love is real every time we fill this blank space with little pieces of us. i will not stand in the way of that, and it is an honor to fill this space with this web of inspiration from one bud to the next. ALL OF THIS TIMELINE is a piece and we are one big writers room. there is no shame in this and it is a group project i am proud to be a part of.

Hi!! First I want to say that A Fresh Start is absolutely my favorite thing I’ve ever read. I binge read it over the past week and I’m getting ready to re-read it. You write so amazingly that I was hoping I could ask you some questions? I’ve been trying to write a Din Djarin piece for a couple months now and I just hate it every time I read through it; and you write him so well! I am not new to the Star Wars fandom, my parents practically raised me on Star Wars, but I’m new to writing fan fiction for the Star Wars community. Do you do a lot of research to get the languages/terms? Do you also do a lot of research on the different worlds? When you’re writing do you pre-plan your plot or do you just write while it feels good? How extensively do you edit? I feel like editing is my downfall. Do you have any advice for for someone like me who is striving to be as good of a writer as you? 🥹 thank you and I can’t wait to read more of your writing!!

PS. Don’t feel like you have to answer this publicly or at all! I mostly just want to give you love on your writing because it is absolutely amazing!! 🩵🩵

OKAY FIRST OF ALL, YOU’RE SO FUCKING SWEET. Thank you so much omgg. And absolutely yes ask me all the questions. I will always answer (you didn’t even have to butter me up with compliments💁🏻‍♀️✨)

I love when people say they like how I write Din b/c I’m low-key just throwing a bunch of headcanons together and praying for the best lolol.

Long rambles ahead of me attempting to answer questions:

For Mando’a, I am not awesome at it. Some people are so way better. I had someone actually correct me once on the tense of a word and it blew my mind. However, I use this dictionary and this translator. I have no idea how accurate either is but I wing it from there lol.

I am a big researcher and it’s b/c I’m a perfectionist. I’m shockingly more lazy about it when it comes to Star Wars worlds. Like, I’ll search it up and get the big things (world name, setting, city names, etc.) but from there I just toss things in that I think would make sense? And in my last chapter of AFS, I just straight made up a world b/c I didn’t feel like doing research. I think that’s part of the beauty in working with a medium like Star Wars is that when it comes to setting you have a lot of free reign.

Ah. The age old question of ‘plotter vs pantser’. There are huge merits to both. For my original story, I have sat down and extensively plotted things out. Like a good little organized writer, which tbh is part of the reason why I’ve been lazy with it. Naturally, I am very much a pantser. I will come into a story with a vague idea of what I want, a few mental scenes I want to play with, but from there I just sort of let it roll. Writing fan fiction is like playing jazz for me. Very in the moment, improvisation, winging it.

Many times, I am surprised by my own ideas and that’s why it’s so much fun. Now, granted once I start writing a plot begins to form in my head. A rough outline. For example, in AFS, I started out with one idea: Domestic Din Djarin. And I had one scene in my head I specifically wanted to write: the scene where reader save a sick Grogu. So, I just started writing things and around chapter 6 or 7 my brain had a rough plan on where I wanted the story to go and how I want it to end, but I still leave it very open for if a new idea suddenly comes to me.

UGH EDITING SUUUUCKS. I go through one round of editing b/c otherwise it feels miserable. I write the chapter or the drabble without stopping to look back and edit. My only recommendation is ‘DONT EDIT WHILE YOU WORK’, b/c you end up getting stuck in this loop. Write it all out, just get it on paper, then read through it and edit afterwards.

I’ll type out a Drabble in google docs without re-reading it or editing it, then I post it over to Tumblr and when it’s on that new page win a different style I read through it and edit as I go. Then I hit post. (So if you come across errors in my work that’s why lolol)

My advice is don’t strive to be like me. (I mean I am totally honored to hear that you think I’m a great writer and want to be like me, that went STRAIGHT to my ego).

But what I mean is, never try to shape yourself into any other style. Don’t ever compare yourself to others. Because I guarantee you, right now, that you have skills and gifts that I probably can’t bring to the table. You are going to write something and just by it being in your voice you are creating something unique and beautiful. So don’t ever try to edit the way you write to match someone else b/c then you’d be depriving the world of your own voice. That being said the best advice I was ever given about improving my own writing skill and style was ‘JUST WRITE’ and it’s so hard lolol. B/c I wanna write but I don’t wanna write. You feel me? I just want all the words in my head to be on paper and that be it hahah. But the point of that is, it’s like any other skill or hobby or sport, the more you do it the better you become and the more comfortable you feel with your style.

I have no formal training in writing. My degree is in science, only took the baseline literature classes in college, so everything I know and do is self taught through trial and error. One of these days, I might post one of my early works b/c it is ATROCIOUS. Like literally godawful. I swear to you I’m not being humble, it was actual trash BUT IT IS SUPPOSED TO BE. The first things you create are not going to be brilliant or moving and they might even make yourself cringe when you look back on it, but as long as you had fun writing it that’s what matters. Then you keep writing and writing and writing and eventually you find your rhythm.

I started writing in the 7th grade. If you compare my 7th grade work to my 10th grade work, I improved by leaps and bounds. Compare my 10th grade work to my sophomore year of college works, again HUGE changes. Compare my college years of writing to what I do today? Even better.

I still have days where I’ll stare at a page and feel incompetent and illiterate. It happens. But I never gave up on writing, b/c it was truly what I loved to do, and gradually I found and solidified my voice. I don’t think I’m an extraordinary writer by any means, but I am confident in the words I use and the style I write in. And that makes me happy.

So, that was my VERY long winded way of saying: I am so proud of you, I think you're being harder on yourself than necessary (everyone is their own worst critic), and have fun. 💜

Beauty and Her Beast: Chapter 3

Warning: This fic is rated NSFW and contains graphic depictions of things some people may find disturbing or alarming, including, but not limited to: violence, gore, unhealthy family relationships, Oedipus complexes, gratuitous amount of pornographic literature, ableist language, physical, mental, and emotional abuse, etc. If you are someone who does not enjoy fiction with these elements in them, then I suggest you refrain from reading this, because this fic will have all that, and probably a lot more. So, this is your first and final warning to turn around and go somewhere else if stuff like this just isn't your vibe, because from this point forward, your emotional wellbeing is in your own hands, and I will not be accepting blame if you disregarded my warnings and ended up reading something you didn't like. Idk why I feel compelled to write one of these despite this being Resident Evil fanfic, but I figured I'd cover my ass just in case.

(Link to ao3 version in comments below)

“Going off the information I have listed here, it appears as though you’ll be receiving subject N-45, today. She’s a healthy 22 year old female. Her short, but muscular body weighs 95lbs with a childish height of 4’10” tall. She possesses primarily Romanian and Filipino ancestry, with some Dutch or Finnish or... whatever, thrown in there as well. And according to the various items we found on her person when she was first brought in, she’s apparently a graduate student at the University of Bucharest, or, at least she was, before she drove her car into a tree while driving up the mountain and was recovered by Heisenberg” Miranda explains robotically, reading aloud from a piece of paper held inside a thick manila envelope. “Of the 4 remaining test subjects, N-45 is easily the most violent and difficult one to work with, having to be either anesthetized or restrained every time I wanted to so much as take her vitals or stabilize her condition. When given smaller doses of sedatives she-”

For the first time in his entire life, Salvatore completely ignores whatever unimportant nonsense Mother Miranda is going on about, continuing to take in and analyze the strikingly unique appearance of the young woman before him.

Upon first inspection, N-45 appeared to resemble that of a normal woman in just about every way possible. Her hair was scruffy and very short, barely long enough to reach her eyes, and a deep black color that looked so soft and luxurious that Salvatore ached to run his fingers through it. Her face was slightly round, giving the young woman a very youthful appearance, with her sharp jawline and prominent cheekbones being some of the only things keeping Salvatore from mistaking her for a child. And lastly, her... figure, if Salvatore had to put such an embarrassing idea into words, was similar to that of Mother Miranda, only shorter, more compact even. It reminded the hooded man of those small packets of candy Duke occasionally gifted him that said “fun sized” on the label, in reference to them being much smaller than the standard sized candy bars and yet somehow being… better, despite technically giving you less candy.

She was already perfect as she was, but it was not just N-45’s beautiful human features that pulled Salvatore in and refused to let him escape the stupefaction he’d been placed under, but also her mutations.

A soft royal blue coated her from head to toe, giving way only to a large patch of solid white located on her chest and stomach. Her skin catches the light in a way that reveals areas of tiny overlapping scales, glimmering like stars in the midnight sky, or freshly polished armor, perhaps, along the bony ridges and tender curves of her figure.

Small white dots distributed like paint splatters across the colored sections of her flesh give a similar visual effect as freckles, starting from her hairline and extending all the way down to the very tips of her toes. These galaxies of white were invisible only on the white patch along the front of her torso, as well as on the lighter blue hue taken on by both the palms and webbings of her hands and feet.

Long Fin-like extensions grew along both her forearms and lower back. The former extended outward and inward like a windshield wiper, likely used to decrease water resistance. The latter, however, perhaps used to increase fine motor maneuverability while swimming at greater speeds or in tighter spaces, grew straight downwards from her lower back in an overlapping fan configuration that marginally covered her rear end, though not by very much. The fins looked like a soft, delicate material that was probably very flexible but very durable, if Salvatore had to guess just from looking.

And to top everything off, N-45 even appeared to even have gills, 2 different sets by the looks of it. The first set of 3 breathing slits was located horizontally along both sides of her neck, while the second set could be found on both sides of her torso, following the downward angle of her ribs but stopping just underneath her soft, plump-looking breasts.

Salvatore feels a sudden wave of heat cascade over his body and he turns his face away in shameful embarrassment as he suddenly realizes that N-45, much like every test subject undergoing cadou treatment, was still very, very nude at the present moment.

“I can’t make any promises regarding her disposition, but physically speaking, she’s ready to be released to you whenever you’d like. I’ll have some of the villagers transport and release her into the reservoir later this week” Mother Miranda says, pressing a button to close the pod now that Salvatore was no longer staring at her.

“W-wait just a m-moment” Salvatore calls out, prompting Mother Miranda to halt the closing of the pod.

“Yes? What is it?” The woman asks curtly, clearly not wanting to stand here and watch Salvatore any longer than she has to.

Wringing his hands together nervously, Salvatore meekly asks, “C-could… could y-you wake h-her up… s-so that I can s-speak with her… j-just for a m-moment?”

Mother Miranda remains silent for a moment, blank face staring directly at Salvatore as she contemplates what to do.

“No, Moreau,” she says finally. “I’ve had a very busy day today and I'm quite tired. N-45 is a menace that I struggle to deal with even on my best days. The last thing I need is something going wrong and her getting out and causing all sorts of chaos.”

Salvatore’s shoulders slump in disappointment, but he makes no further attempts to argue.

Mother Miranda rolls her eyes at the incredibly childish display, walking over to place a gentle hand on Salvatore’s head. “Would it make you feel better if I agreed to have N-45 be the first of the subjects to be dropped off? It’ll be more difficult than my original plan, but I suppose it was a bit unfair that you were the only one who didn’t get to “pick” their gift.”

“Yes, M-Mother Miranda… I-I’d like th-that very… very m-much” Salvatore says, leaning into the touch as Mother Miranda begins guiding him back toward the hallway leading to the exit door.

It wasn’t until after Miranda had exited the lab and begun walking down the long hallway toward the exit that Salvatore dared cast another glance back at the pod that contained N-45, wistfully thinking of how amazing her hand had felt in his, and how much he wanted to speak to her.

Just as the disfigured man was about to turn back and follow Miranda out of the laboratory, a flash of movement out of the corner of his eye caught his attention, prompting Salvatore to tense and snap toward the 4 pods, frantically trying to figure out what it was he saw. A few seconds of stillness pass before Salvatore sees movement again, not freely moving about the room like he originally expected, but from within one of the 4 pods, his pod to be exact.

His curiosity momentarily outweighing his nerves, Salvatore slowly approaches the metal capsule, trying to get a look through the small pane of glass that allows visual access into the holding pod.

Another flash of movement has Salvatore flinching, jumping back as though he’d been advanced upon. After several seconds of stillness, however, the hooded man regains his confidence and once again inches his way toward the capsule, moving his head up and down to try and get one more glimpse at N-45 before he has to leave. One last look before she lays eyes upon his vile and disgusting body for the first time, screaming and calling him a monster as she runs away, leaving him alone and without anyone to call his own. Just like always.

“ Hello ?”

Salvatore froze dead in his tracks, his heart pounding and his lungs refusing to take in air, as a soft, muffled, questioning voice reaches the deformed man’s ears, followed by two golden orbs with narrow black slits running vertically through the center, that slowly peek into view from the bottom of the glass window. Salvatore’s eyes widen in shock as he quickly realizes that the orbs of gold are not, in fact, just spheres of color, but rather a pair of eyes, staring intently at him from inside the pod.

“Uuuuuh… u-u-uuum… I-i… I w-was just…” the disfigured man stuttered as he struggled to move his body, seemingly paralyzed by the bewitching gaze currently locked onto him, looking at him with an intensity that makes Salvatore wonder if this is what it feels like to be a cell put under a microscope.

It isn’t until Salvatore notices the golden orbs moving and shifting from one corner of the window pane to the other that the hooded man realizes, to his immediate horror, that he might not be the only one trying to get a better look at the figure located on the other side of the pod door. Panic and fear immediately fill Salvatore from deep within, growing strong enough to allow him to finally overcome his temporary paralysis and skitter away from view. Pulling his hood even further over his petrifyingly grotesque face in shame of himself, Salvatore flees the laboratory as quickly as his hobbled limp would allow.

His heart pounds to the beat of the soft, but desperate pleas of protest coming from N-45’s pod in response to Salvatore’s rapidly retreating form, yet the hooded man cannot bring himself to believe what he hears as true. Perhaps believing that the siren-like voice he hears echoing off the metal laboratory walls to be nothing more than a trick of his sick and lonely mind, Salvatore does not stop, nor does he turn back around until he’s met up with Mother Miranda at the exit to the surface, lungs burning and legs aching from running for so far and long.

“Oh, there you are, Moreau,” Mother Miranda says suddenly, stopping just before they are about to exit the laboratory. “I’m glad you chose this time to finally catch up, because I just realized a second ago that I’d forgotten to give you N-45’s previous name. You can name her something else if you’d prefer, of course, but I offered the information to your siblings so I suppose I should offer it to you as well. Would you still like to know N-45’s name, or would you rather abandon her given name for one of your own choosing?”

After a few seconds of silent contemplation, Salvatore lifts his head, “I… I-i would like to k-know… her n-name… please...” the mutant man says softly.

Mother Miranda briefly raises a questioning eyebrow at Salvatore’s nervous body language, but ultimately rolls her eyes and shrugs her shoulders, all but tossing the Manila envelope containing N-45’s information at the hooded man before disappearing out the large metal door.

“If you’re going to read that now, feel free, but return to the meeting room once you're done. And be sure to lock the door to my laboratory behind you” Miranda commands, her voice having grown echoey due to how far away she now was.

“Yes, M-Mother” Salvatore calls after her as he scrambles to catch the thrown file and prevent any loose papers from falling out. Once he’s got a solid handle on the thick envelope, he opens it, casting a quick glance back in the direction of the pod room, where Nadine and the other 3 gifts were being held for the time being.

Returning to the file, Salvatore frantically flips through every page, trying to find the one that held N-45’s personal background information.

After several minutes of desperate flipping back and forth, Salvatore finally focuses on one particular piece of paper that looked to have been in the file for the longest. Pulling out the particular page he’d found, the disfigured man drops the rest of the folder onto the ground and begins rapidly skimming through the information printed on the page, his hungry eyes refusing to stop until they finally zeroed in on the information he’d been looking for.

Project: E.V.A. Resurrection

Subject: N-45

Parasite Administered: Cadou (Series- N; Strain- 45)

Family Name: Bogdan

Given Name: Nadine

“N… Nadine” Salvatore said slowly, feeling slightly lightheaded and out of breath as each individual letter of the young woman’s name rolled off his tongue like Camembert cheese; smooth, creamy, decedent, and likely to keep him up all night with an upset stomach and a racing heartbeat.

Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine. Nadine.

The name quickly became a broken loop played over and over and over again inside Salvatore’s head, his mind unable, or rather unwilling, to think of anything else as he read, reread, and then re-reread Nadine’s name at least 100 times, before finally setting the piece of paper down.

“Nadine...” Salvatore breathes the name once again, his voice carrying a wistful tone. “E-even your n-name is wonderful...”

An already beautiful woman, made even more perfect through the power of science and Mother Miranda’s grace, only for all that potential to end up wasted in the hands of a desperately lonely and horrifically mangled fish mutant, who was more likely to accidentally dissolve her in stomach acid than woo her like some kind of aquatic Prince Charming.

“Y-ya right... e-e-even with a-another mutant… I’m s-still so disgusting a-an… and horrifying in comparison… n-not even my o-own kind can b-bring thems-themselves to love me f-for who I a-am… not th-that there’s much of m-me that’s worth l-loving to begin w-with” Moreau laments to himself, wondering if it was even worth holding out hope that things with Nadine could go his way. As if one look at his monstrous form wouldn’t be enough to ruin everything Salvatore already has an agonizingly low chance of ever having with that magnificent specimen of a woman.

Even with Nadine’s own external mutations making it clear that she was no longer fully human, her form had still retained such a beautifully strong, yet womanly shape to it, and her face still looked so young and innocent despite everything that she’s been through. Someone as beautiful as her was far too good and pure to be tainted by his filthy hands.

‘Maybe I should just kill her when the villagers arrive with her at the gate? At least then... I could say I put her out of her misery before she had to experience it for herself…’ Salvatore sulks mentally.

However, despite the self degrading thoughts running through his mind, the memory of the curious look Nadine’s shockingly bright and mesmerizing golden eyes held when trying to look at Salvatore through the pod window made the hooded man shiver, having never been looked upon in such an innocently curious manner before. Most people who got that close to Salvatore didn’t even need to see his face in order to start screaming and running away in terror. However, if the deformed man allowed himself a brief moment to believe that it was indeed her who’d been calling him to come back and show himself, then from the tone and rushed quality of her voice, it would seem as though Nadine was unsatisfied with the fact that she hadn’t seen all of Salvatore’s face and body, not terrified.

How strange...

How very strange indeed…

Extra thoughts on Daisuke x Suzue (Anime and Novel)

I was prompted to write this when a friend asked me several prodding questions on Daizue’s relationship and feminism several days ago. Obviously my friend knew where to hit the right nerve LOL

So I thought about it and I’d like to share my thoughts. I don’t know whether my DaiSuzu followers are still hanging around, but if you see this, then this is for you. This post is very opinionated of course so you may not agree with what I have to say. 

I took the initiative to go back and watch some of the FKBU episodes, and then top it off with the novel. As I mentioned in numerous older posts, the novel is the original and was written sometime in the 1970s. If you can read Japanese, I strongly recommend you grab a copy and read it for yourself. It goes into a lot more depth with regards to Daizue’s relationship and there is a lot more development between the two.

Novel and anime are different yet there are similarities. What I am going to write here is purely about DaiSuzu and because there are only minute differences in their interactions in both novel and anime, I will combine the two elements together. But before I do that, I want to talk a little about Suzue.

Suzue

I absolutely love Suzue’s character - in almost every single aspect. She is strong, clever, independent and defies all odds. Her personality and interests are definitely more pronounced in the anime in terms of strength and defying the odds. She does the hard yard - a mechanic, an engineer, a creator, a pilot, a spy, an intelligence operator - she is a one stop shop and she is not just a pretty face. Then we have her novel counterpart, who shares similar traits that concerns intelligence and independence. She does intelligence and spy work for Daisuke as well, and the only thing that was absent would be her ‘mechanics and gadget development role.’ Given that the book was written in the 70s by a misogynistic piece of shit, I am surprised the author gave Suzue that level of prominence. 

When I saw the promotional materials and then the second episode of FKBU, I was so excited! Finally, a strong female character who has all the ‘male dominated’ traits! I was looking forward to what the anime had to offer her, considering the creators were talking about giving Suzue an ‘important’ role in the anime.  And throughout the series, her character in that sense did not disappointment. She did a lot of work for Daisuke and she was the backbone of everything. She even had to rescue him at times. What an incredible woman.

In comparison, novel Suzue, although a prominent, intelligent character, still had some level of submissiveness to her that screamed ‘I need a man to save me and do things for me’ kind of way. Unsurprising of course being written by an old fashioned man in the 70s. So the anime in a sense was a breath of fresh air.

Then we see the lack of screen time. Although Suzue was just a supporting character, she was quite prominent in the novel. The anime went through all this trouble to create such an incredibly strong female character, but gave her such little screen time. Disappointment doesn’t even begin to describe it. I’m just frustrated that it is always the bloody male characters that gets a lot of screen time. I don’t give two fucks about your need for a fanservice or to appease fujos, we need more female characters who are strong, clever, independent, does not need a man to save her, is not overly sexualised and gets plenty of screen time. If it’s not one, it’s another. Can’t they just bloody do it all together? Also, have three main characters, Daisuke, Suzue and Haru ffs.

Feminism & Anime

If you trawl through my blog, there are a lot of posts about women, feminism, misogyny, toxic fandoms and a lot of het ships. Although I do absolutely love my M/M and F/F ships, there is a reason for my interest in anime het ships. I am a social worker who specialises in working with victim/survivors of family/domestic violence and sexual assault (DVSA), and complex trauma. Considering the majority of perpetrators are men, and the majority of victim/survivors are women, it is important to emphasise the need for a healthy and respectful relationship. I enjoy bringing my feminist perspective to film and fiction because they are an extension of society. Film and fiction (including anime and manga) are based on societal perceptions, and characters are still, unfortunately, heavily gendered. 

The anime fandom consists of real people and if you look all over social media, people talk about the characters all the time and their thoughts on them. It comes from somewhere. So when I watch anime, and when I see a male and female character get together in a manner that is healthy and respectful, they get a standing ovation from me. In particular, is when a male character treats his female partner in a way that empowers her or if he abstains from using his male entitlement to demean her. Because in society, there is still a large proportion of men who continues to abuse women in every way possible. If fans are constantly viewing content (yes, even ‘cartoons’) where women are objectified and disrespected comparatively to men, that rigid stereotype is reinforced and ingrained. 

I just want to add a note here that the LGBTQIA+ community do experience DVSA as well and this post does not disregard or invalidate them in any way. The focus of this discussion however, pertains to men, who make up the majority of perpetrators and, women, who are the majority of victim/survivors.

Daisuke and Suzue

I answered an ask sometime ago about why I ship DaiSuzu and although that has not changed, I have given a lot more thought to the reasoning behind it. The one thing I dislike about Suzue is her obsession with Daisuke, both in the novel and anime. It does take away her cool, independent like character, and submit her to the idea that she is nothing without first appeasing a man (Daisuke in this case). I don’t want to put too much dislike into her character in the anime, because we never got to see what her history was like with Daisuke. In the novel, I do see elements as to why she can be a bit obsessive, and that was most likely to do with her being ‘adopted’ and given a second chance. It was her way of showing appreciation. Yet she does have romantic feelings for Daisuke, so in essence, her character was emphasised as a typical lovestruck woman 😒

Again, she was incredibly loyal and forgiving towards Daisuke in the anime, despite his shitty attitude towards her at times. You’re probably wondering, after all that I wrote about feminism, why I would still ship DaiSuzu? In the anime, that comes down to Daisuke’s trauma. It added an extra layer of complexity. Daisuke’s standoffish, cold behaviour towards Suzue was not out of a sense of male entitlement and disrespect towards Suzue being a woman, rather, it was a manifestation of his trauma. Of course, it does not excuse his behaviour, but this is the reason why I really enjoyed watching their relationship. There was a lot of mutual trust going on (which I wrote about), covert appreciation of Suzue’s skills and abilities and Daisuke’s own way of making amends with her. 

In the novel, however, Daisuke does not have a history of any traumatic experiences. His personality was a lot more animated and though he does exhibit some weird behaviour towards Suzue, he does not do it out of male privilege or misogyny. He was just dense (and an idiot).  

Regardless, DaiSuzu’s relationship isn’t just as simple as black and white. There are elements of feminism that intertwines the anime and what I love a lot about Daisuke was that he never put Suzue down, felt intimidated, or tried to make her feel inadequate for being more clever and more intelligent than him. He relied on her knowledge, her skills and her expertise to guide him through his missions, because not only did he trust her with his life, he believed in her skills. He quietly allowed her to do her job without questioning her abilities or intervening.

I won’t discuss how shit the anime was and how much they shat on Suzue’s character by making her Daisuke’s relative, but like I said, I was pretty impressed with the way they turned Suzue into a strong character, and Daisuke’s perception of Suzue as a woman.

And yes, Daisuke doesn’t deserve Queen Suzue. And if you were again to ask me about Daisuke’s true feelings for Suzue? I am pretty damn certain that he loves her to death - in both novel AND anime.

Familiar

Cyrus and Ortega go on the perfect date... for a pair of powered heroes, that is.

Fluff, inspired by all those hand-holding references on the Discord channel.

Spoilers ahead.

____________________________________________

Want some?” he asks motioning to the ice-cream truck. He noticed you can’t take your eyes off it.

“Is that even in question?”

He chuckles and buys a cone for each of you, as you walk down the pier.

“You know, I’ve never done this,” you say taking a lick of your lime ice cream

“What Icecream? I’ve seen you eat so much of it one would think you’re made of the stuff”

“No” you groan “Dating. I mean for real. Without the secrets” you add, taking a small bite

“Oh… I see. Well, I’ve got to tell you, I keep feeling you’re going to run away any minute now…”

“I did that a lot, didn’t I?” you ask trying not to get stained with the melting lime

“Every single time. It was kind of your thing.”

“Well, I’m not going to do it now. I…. I…,” you say holding your temples

“What…?” he looks at you concerned

“Brain… freeze…”

“Wh… pff… hahaha!”

“Idiot…” you can’t help laughing too.  “it really hurts… “ you complain…  

It takes a moment for it to go away, and he’s giving you an amused look as you raise your gaze again. He takes your hand and you both resume your walking… as he rubs your fingers softly with his thumb.

It’s a beautiful day, is all you can think as you turn to look at the glorious sight of the sea. You’re happy to be alive here. Sharing this moment with him.

“You were saying..?” he asks bringing you back to earth.

“I’m saying I’m really not going to run off again.”

“Really?” he grins. “That’s good to know”

He lets go of your hand and runs his arm around your waist. Ok, you can handle that…

And then it slowly goes lower…

You can’t stand the look he’s giving you. He’s having a day, seeing how far can he go before you panic. But you’re not going to panic… are you…?

Lower… and lower…

What the hell is he doing?

And then his hand goes inside your jean’s back pocket.

Oh. So that’s what he…

You feel yourself blushing furious red. It’s not like he’s grabbing or anything, but he’s basically got his hand on your butt.

“Sooo… Is this ok?” he asks in a neutral tone. Not laughing, nor teasing. Just asking.

You don’t answer but walk even closer to him.

It’s hard to accept that he’s doing this in public, where everyone can see…

But then again, it’s probably the cutest thing you could think of right now and you feel ready to melt and break in pieces.

You don’t answer, but just run your arm around his waist. You could do to him what he’s doing to you, but you’re not quite as comfortable yet…

“You’re so darn smooth... it’s not fair”

“I could give you some pointers If you want”

“Oh really?” you squeeze closer to him... “Tell me then, Mr. expert... How do you go about this dating thing?”

“Come back home with me and I’ll show you,” he answers confidently.

You smile at him “Suppose I do… what would we be doing there?”

“Well, we can chat… have a few drinks.. and then you can eat what my mom made”

“Oh, she Was here? What did she make?”

“Me”

You snort and blush even further.

You should have probably seen that one coming to be honest… but your two remaining brain cells are not cooperating. He’s got you right where he wants you, and you’re loving every second

He clearly knows it... but you’re not going to admit it just yet... let him use all his tools. He’s enjoying this just as much as you are.

You open your mouth to answer when you see something in the distance that draws your attention. It’s triggering every alarm your training taught you to look for.

Your eyes go from him to the smoking explosions in the distance.

He looks at you puzzled and then turns to look in the same direction you are, letting out a groan as he realizes what’s going on.

“Really?” he complains

“Well I don’t know dating, but I do know how this part goes. Black Nano-Ranger Activate!” you say with a smile, leaping forwards as soon as the transformation takes place.

“Hey wait for me! Blue Nano-Ranger Activate!” he commands, transforming and coming after you.

...............................................

Leaping over rooftops, running towards unknown danger together again. You’re even wearing the same colors...

If only Anathema were here…

Are you tearing up under your mask?

Ortega engages his intercom as he follows. “Steel are you seeing this?”

Steel takes a few moments to answer, announcing they are moving in as well. Mortum’s teleporter will take a few minutes to activate.

“Seems it’s just us”

“We’ve been into worse,” you say confidently…

That is until you get to next jump lets you land over a building with an actual good view of what’s going on. You freeze immediately, and Ortega can’t help bumping into you as he lands from his own jump.

“Hey, are you ok?”

You point forward, and he turns to see what’s ahead.

An army of bladed creatures assaulting the town hall building. The LDPD officers are holding on behind a few barricades while some army soldiers provide cover with machineguns…  but none of it is really working. You gasp as one of the creatures cuts down an overturned car and walks over the flames without a second thought, tearing an officer to pieces in a split second...

A group of three men and a woman wearing medical gowns and strange gas masks seem to be overseeing the assault. They seem to have extensive mods attached to their skulls… gross.

“Greetings Citizens of Los Diablos!” they all speak in unison. “We are Doctor Grim. We are delighted to show you our latest creations!”

You recognize the hive-minded doctor. They are an abomination, the ones who inflicted the most experiments on you during your captivity. But even that’s not the cause of your hesitation.

The creatures assaulting the police, they all happen to look like one of your worse nightmares. The same is probably happening to Ortega right now...

Same blades… same multiple arms…

The Catastrofiend times a dozen. All of them bearing Regene Tattoos.

Ortega holds you down as you try to keep yourself from throwing up in your helm

It takes a few seconds for you to look back at him giving him a weak “I’m ok” nod. You’re not though. You know you’re both equally terrified.

You both walk up to the border of the rooftop, trying to figure out what to do next.

Still, your creative side isn't working right now. All you can think of is the taste of lime in your mouth.

"We have to do something," Ortega says.

He's right. If you don't move soon, the police will be ripped to pieces, along with anyone inside the building once those things get inside.

"There's 12 of them... possibly more," you say counting them. "Oh... there's 13 and 14 behind that bus..."

"I know... but we have these now, right?" he says patting the chest piece of your nano armor.

You nod slowly "Yes... we've got them," you say trying to convince yourself

"We're Charge and Sidestep! We beat it before, we can do it a dozen more times!" He boasts.

"Sidestep and Charge you mean…”  you correct him smiling under your helm “And you're right. Let's do this!"

Leaping forward, both of you fall in the middle of the small park, the creatures instantly turning on you.

"Hold it right there monsters! We won't let you kill anyone else! Blue Nano-Ranger, ready for combat!" he says posing with a kata, cracking his fists, and electrical current going between them.

"We've defeated the original once, and can sweep this place of your minions no matter what your plan is Dr. Grim!" you reinforce your words with a different kata displaying your suits enhanced strength with a strong fist to the ground that causes a light rumble.

The Grims turn on towards you. All of them smile at the same time. “Glad you could join us Rangers. We’ve been expecting you”

Oh. Those are the words you don’t want to hear when you’re facing a villain that has you completely outnumbered and outmatched. It still doesn’t stop your charge, clashing against the Catastrofiend clones to save the people in dangers.

That’s what heroes do, even if they sometimes end up in pieces. You and Ortega would know.

You hope Steel and the others don’t take too long... but until then... You’re going to give the things a hell of a fight. 

Together.

_________________________________

My Fanfics: https://chaniters.tumblr.com/post/181692759294/my-fanfiction-for-fallen-hero 

DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fan fiction using characters and the setting of the Fallen Hero: Rebirth and upcoming Fallen Hero: Retribution games written by Malin Riden. I do not claim ownership of any characters from the Fallen Hero wold. These stories are a work of my imagination, and I do not ascribe them to the official story canon. These works are intended for entertainment outside the official storyline owned by the author. I am not profiting financially from the creation of these stories, and thank the author for her wonderful game/s, without which these works would not exist.

Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1: The Most Epic Sword Fight Ever Filmed

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When it comes to action choreography, any long take sequence that lasts more than a few minutes is an achievement. Stunts and fights are risky. They can even be deadly. The longer the scene, the more chances of an accident. But a 77-minute one-er? That’s just crazy. 

Talented filmmakers strut their stuff because the technical skill behind a good one-er demands next-level directorial and choreographic mastery. Setting up a long take scene is exponentially more challenging than a normal scene with cuts. For example, the short one-er that opens Lindsay Vonn’s new Amazon Prime reality game show series The Pack only runs a few minutes and is split by a cut in the middle, but it took 26 hours to prepare, film, and strike the sequence. Plus they had to shut down the 110 Freeway to film it.  

The extensive long takes in Alejandro González Iñárritu’s Birdman and Sam Mendes’ 1917 have won international acclaim, Oscars, and other notable awards. Asian cinema has also been delivering some impressive one-ers. Standing out among the rest is rising director Bi Gan, who blew his entire budget for his second film Kaili Blues just to create a complex 42-minute long-take sequence. He topped that with a convoluted 59-minute one-er in his last film, Long Day’s Journey Into the Night, in 3D no less. It was such a remarkable achievement in filmmaking that it was recognized by Cannes.

Making the Cut Before Someone Gets Hurt

Action one-ers are the most challenging because so much can go wrong in fight choreography. There’s no room for error. Even with regular action sequences with plenty of safety edits, stunt people can get injured, even killed. This makes action one-ers shorter, but far more intense, especially from a technical standpoint. Although there is a place for good wire-fu, martial arts fans have the highest admiration for fight scenes grounded in reality so when actors can pull off long complicated fight scenes, it’s a testament to pure skill. 

Recent Hollywood action movies have embraced long take fights with films like the Keanu Reeves John Wick films. That franchise is directed by Chad Stahelski whose background is in stunt work. Director Ryan Coogler delivered some gripping long-take scenes with the Casino fight in Black Panther and Adonis’ first fight in Creed. 

These recent one-ers stand on the shoulder of past ones, so cherished by action fans that some have their own nicknames. John Woo’s Hard Boiled included a 3+ minute single-tracking take known as the “hospital scene.” It’s a wild piece of Woo’s signature balletic gunplay that is off-the-rails ballistic and explosive. And that film was shot in 1992, long before CGI allowed such destruction to be faked. According to film lore, the scene was originally meant to be 5+ minutes but the crew couldn’t sustain it. 

Chan Park-wook’s Oldboy included a 3+ minute brutal “hallway fight” that allegedly took 17 takes over 3 days to capture. It’s an incredible piece of ultraviolence that gave new meaning to hammer usage. It’s even more impressive considering that actor Choi Min-sik didn’t come from a martial arts or stunt background. He learned his fighting skills specifically for that film. Oldboy was also recognized by Cannes for its daring filmmaking. 

Tony Jaa’s legendary 4+ minute staircase fight in Tom-Yum-Goong (a.k.a. The Protector) took a month to prepare. According to Jaa, they got it in 8 takes, but they could only attempt 2 takes per day because it was so complicated. Jaa also claims they would’ve gone longer but were hampered by the how much film their camera would hold. Today’s digital recording allows one-ers to go much longer than in the days of film. In 1948, Alfred Hitchcock’s groundbreaking long-take film Rope! was limited to one-ers under 10 minutes because that was the maximum length of film in his camera magazines back then. Digital filmmaking has no such constraints and today’s directors are exploiting this. 

The Sword Saint – Miyamoto Musashi

Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 is a fictional story about Japan’s most famous sword saint – or Kensei – Miyamoto Musashi (1585-1645 CE). The original Japanese title is Kyo Musashi (Kyo means “crazy”) and an alternate anglicized title is Crazy Samurai Musashi. However, beyond the name, this is not any sort of biopic of Musashi. The real Musashi was undefeated in 61 duels, and although that falls far short of 400, that’s the most documented victories of any swordsman in Japanese history. 

Musashi’s first duel was against Arima Kihei. Musashi accepted a public challenge from Kihei and beat him to death with a bo staff. That was when Musashi was only 13. Musashi went on to write one of the most venerated treatises on swordsmanship of all, The Book of Five Rings. 

However, if you’re looking for Musashi’s history, Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 isn’t the film for you. This film is about fight choreography. Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 clocks in at 92 minutes total running time. Subtract that 77-minute fight scene and that only leaves 15 minutes for story development. The premise is established within the first 8 minutes. 

Musashi (Tak Sakaguchi) has killed Seijuro Yoshioka, and the Yoshioka clan wants revenge. Anticipating Musashi to answer a challenge, the clan lays a trap. The new head of the clan is a prepubescent boy, Matashichiro Yoshioka (Kousei Kimura), and the clan sets him up to challenge Musashi to regain the clan’s honor. But it’s a ruse to ambush Musashi at a dueling field with 100 of their students and 300 mercenaries. A white moth flutters by. In Asian culture, white moths are messengers of death (some claim this underpins the Kaiju monster Mothra). Then Musashi enters and the sword swinging craziness begins. That’s all we get for story development. 

Anyone familiar with Musashi’s real history recognizes that Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 is loosely based upon his battle with the Yoshioka clan. In a series of duels, Musashi defeated the Yoshioka brothers, Seijuro and Denshichiro. The clan did use Matashichiro as bait to lure Musashi into a trap. A retinue of followers lay in wait to ambush Musashi, but there weren’t 400 of them. Musashi arrived late, launched a surprise attack, beheaded Matashichiro, and then fought his way out. 

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The battle against the Yoshioka clan occurred when Musashi was turning 20 and allegedly inspired him to invent his signature two-sword method of fighting known as Nitenichi (Two Heavens are One). Within the 77-minute fight, Sakaguchi does demonstrate a few instances of double sword play, however the bulk is single sword work. Two swords are twice as heavy as wielding one, so this was surely a strategy to conserve Sakaguchi’s energy so he could go the distance. 

Beyond that, Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 offers a few more Musashi Easter eggs. Most of the battle consists of hordes of hapless swordsmen rushing Musashi only to get cut down in a few strokes but there are some more notable opponents plucked from Musashi legend. Separating the horde of ambushers are a few distinguished fighters who declare themselves to Musashi before engaging him one-on-one.

His first duelist is Nanpo Yoichibei, who is mentioned as part of the Yoshioka clan in Eiji Yoshikawa’s timeless novelization Musashi.  Shishido Baiken (Akihiko Sai) is his second challenger and he fights with a kamagusari (sickle and chain). There are stories about Musashi facing a kamagusari wielding fighter named Shishido, but they aren’t verifiable. Ueda Rhohei (Kazuto Nakamura) is a fictional character from Vagabond, a popular manga based on Musashi by Takehiko Inoue. 

400 vs. 1 in a single TAK

Tak Sakaguchi often just goes by TAK (and yes, that’s in all caps). This is how he is credited in Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1. TAK claims to have been an underground street fighter until he was discovered by firebrand director Ryuhei Kitamura. Kitamura cast him in his debut role as Prisoner KSC2-303 in the zombie Yakuza cult classic Versus in 2000. Since then, TAK has worked in nearly 50 action films in roles ranging from actor, director, writer and of course, fight choreographer. Beyond several collaborations with Kitamura, he has also worked with film maverick Sion Sono. The concept for Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 came from Sono. Sono and TAK planned a project together called Kenkichi, which was to feature a long one-er, but the film was never made.

Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 is directed by Yuji Shimomura, who like Stahelski, has a background as an action director or fight choreographer. In 2019, Shimomura and TAK partnered for manga-based actioner Kingdom. They filmed Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 nine years ago. It was completed two years later, but it languished in storage until last year. Albatros, an independent distributor, showed last August in Japan, but given the pandemic, it was only presented on 50 screens. The film performed poorly at the box office and received mixed reviews. Critics who were unimpressed by fight choreography panned it and rightly so. There’s not much here beyond a marathon fight scene. 

But still, what do you expect from a film that sells the gimmick of a 77-minute one-er fight scene? Story and character development are not what this film is about. There’s minimal dialog. There’s barely a story. Even the soundtrack is sparse. There are some moments of Taiko drumming or mournful piano, but mostly it’s whistling blades, dying grunts and blood gushing spurts. It’s like sword fighting porn – hardcore porn violence – relentless and unforgiving.  

“How many more?”

Despite its shortcomings, any genuine fan of fight choreography must bow down to what TAK and Shimomura have achieved. Within the first five minutes of shooting, TAK took a hit that broke some of his fingers. In later filming mishaps, he also broke some ribs and some back teeth. Despite his injuries, he managed to fight through it all, cutting through a ridiculous number of assailants, and his pain and exhaustion is palpable.

Remarkably, there are very few moments where a digital stitch might have been inserted. A common trick with one-ers is to pan across something static like a wall. That can hide a cut in the action. There aren’t very many of these – a few walls and a shot of a dead body – but for most of the 77 minutes, moving actors are in frame. 

The fight choreography is simple, practical, and somewhat repetitive. It’s choreographed for the long haul. TAK’s Musashi usually adopts variations of hasso or waki stances which place his sword on the right side of his body. It’s an invitation for his attackers to come at him on his left side to which he responds with a lot of spanking parries. He deploys many ripostes repeatedly – a standard cut to the head or belly, a cut to the leg, a common move from Kendo where the right hand releases its grip to lengthen a strike with using the left hand. There are several scenes where about half a dozen swordsmen charge Musashi one by one, each to be cut across the gut in succession. 

This is not the sort of flowery swashbuckling flourishes shown in most sword fights. To endure for that long, TAK relies on techniques that are simpler and, in many ways, more real. If an uninitiated viewer doesn’t grasp the tremendous staying power of TAK’s performance, they will leave unimpressed. To martial arts practitioners, TAK’s use of feints and his control of distance are superb. And anyone who has worked out for an hour straight will be humbled by TAK’s stamina.

After half an hour, Musashi takes his first water break. Bamboo thermoses are stashed throughout an abandoned village where much of the fight takes place, along with snacks and fresh swords. How those got there is never explained in the film, but it makes perfect sense from a choreographic standpoint. TAK had to pace himself to make it through. The rest of the fight is choreographed so TAK gets a water break every five minutes or so.

Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 isn’t a film for everyone. As a film, its storytelling is sorely lacking. However, for genuine connoisseurs of action cinema and fight choreography, it is a masterpiece.

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Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1 premieres on February 12, 2020 on Hi-YAH! and comes to Blu-ray and Digital on March 2. 

The post Crazy Samurai: 400 vs. 1: The Most Epic Sword Fight Ever Filmed appeared first on Den of Geek.

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5 ‘Star Trek’ Actors Are Out LGBTQ, But How Many Are Nerds? This Guy!

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5 ‘Star Trek’ Actors Are Out LGBTQ, But How Many Are Nerds? This Guy!

Actor Anthony Rapp plays Paul Stamets in the Star Trek: Discovery Season 3 episode Terra Firma, Part … [] 1

Note: For fans who have not yet seen this week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery, there are spoilers ahead.

“I don’t think it’s a secret, I’ve been a nerd,” said actor Anthony Rapp. “I’ve been very outspoken about that.”

He has. but don’t just take his word for it. Check out the Star Trek: Discovery star’s Twitter feed: Rapp tweets ratings for science fiction and fantasy novels, and most recently: Dungeons and Dragons games with stars of the show and their friends.

That’s of course in addition to Rapp’s tweets promoting social justice, LGBTQ equality and his pro-mask pandemic posts. The Illinois native engages with his fans on a daily basis, and interacts with them about everything from civil rights to politics and theater, and when appropriate, he gets personal.

But when it comes right down to it, Rapp is a nerd. And he’s not alone:

Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber of the CBS All Access … [] series, Star Trek: Discovery.

That’s a parody of perhaps the most well-known song from Rent. Rapp starred in the original production on Broadway in 1996 as Mark Cohen, alongside his current co-star Wilson Cruz, who played the part of Angel in the touring production. Together, they play the science fiction franchise’s first regularly appearing gay couple aboard the U.S.S. Discovery, serving aboard a 23rd century starship that in this third season has flown 930 years into the future.

In our present day, the veteran actor of stage and screen — known also for roles in the films A Beautiful Mind and Adventures in Babysitting — is in Toronto, Canada, where he is filming season four of the CBS All Access streamed series. He took a break Wednesday evening to talk about being a nerd, his castmates, his thoughts on acting and LGBTQ representation in Star Trek.

This interview was edited for clarity and space limitations. Scroll down to watch the video of the full interview. Note: if you have not yet viewed this week’s episode of Star Trek: Discovery, Terra Firma Part 1, there are spoilers aplenty ahead!

Dawn Ennis: The mirror universe is back!

Anthony Rapp: Yes!

Ennis: How long ago was it you filmed this?

Rapp: Oh, my goodness. Sometime, maybe about a year ago? I want to say, -ish, give or take.

Ennis: The wonders of Hollywood. Your character, Stamets, in the alternate universe, in the Mirror Universe, has a devious plot. Do you remember anything about the idea that you would have what every actor lives for, a glorious death scene?

Michelle Yeoh stars as Empress Georgiou in the Star Trek: Discovery episode, Terra Firma, Part 1

Rapp: Well, it’s not just a glorious death scene, but it’s a glorious death scene at the hands of Michelle Yeoh. You know, when I was first cast in this show, about three and a half, four years ago, one of the first things that was shared with me was that Michelle Yeoh was going to be a part of it. And my jaw just dropped because, I mean, she’s a legend. And you always hear that you shouldn’t meet your heroes because they’ll so often disappoint you. And it’s the exact opposite with Michelle. She is a consummate human being, in every way.

I didn’t get a lot of chances to work opposite her with her directly as part of the show, but we hung out and our cast is very close. We do social things together. And she was always fantastic to talk to and be with.

But to finally get to play opposite her a couple of times over the last season and a half, and then to get killed by her, that’s the sort of “pinch-me” moment that if you’d asked me, when I first saw Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, I would have looked at you like you were speaking in tongues, because it would have seemed so unlikely that anything like that would ever come my way.

I don’t remember exactly how many times we did the shot. There were a couple of different shots, but one of the main shots was me creeping up behind her, and then she quickly turns and stabs me in the throat. She did that perfectly every time; the knife was incredibly, perfectly situated exactly at the right angle to my throat.

She has an otherworldly gift at such things. We are so lucky to be graced by her.

Ennis: You have a theatrical background which plays into this particular episode in which you are the the narrator of a big production. And I imagine that you must weekly call upon your theatrical skills, because acting on the small screen is not small.

Rapp: I think other actors have said something like this, that acting on a show like Star Trek is in some ways at times like acting in Shakespeare or a period piece, where the language can be really heightened. Like when you’re in Hamlet, you’re talking to a ghost; When you’re in Star Trek, you’re talking to an alien.

Some of our training comes from inhabiting any kind of fantastical realm or world, or you’re doing Midsummer Night’s Dream, or the Scottish play, and then also having the heavy lift of of technical language, or language that I would never utter in my normal life.

I think a lot of actors who grow up only doing film and television sometimes can feel a little nervous about taking big risks, because there’s this notion that when you’re on film, things have to be small, quiet. I think in Trek, people like Patrick Stewart, William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy, they had tremendous theatrical backgrounds. Brent Spiner, too, and that that absolutely served them incredibly well.

Left to right: Brent Spiner, William Shatner and Patrick Stewart, Leonard Nimoy with William … [] Shatner.

Ennis: You stand on the shoulders of giants, that’s for sure. Now, you and Wilson Cruz, you play partners on the show, and now you each have a death scene that you can compare notes. And of course, they’ll be fans who say, ‘”Oh, they’re killing off the gays again!” Any thoughts on those two things?

Rapp: Well, I think A., in the Mirror Universe, who knows what anyone is? I think everyone’s a little bit pansexual, probably. And B., Yeah, not to give any more spoilers away, but you know this version of the Mirror Universe we’re seeing is also in some ways a mirror of the mirror.

So it’s not canon in quite the same way as what we saw in season one. It’s another peeling back of the curtain, and the layers of of these mirrors. But back in season one, Stamets was a part of the plot to overthrow Georgiou. So this is just the natural extension of that.

Blu del Barrio plays Adira on Star Trek: Discovery

Ennis: Those you follow you and Wilson on social media have seen that people are starting to call Wilson the Space Papi and you the Space Dad to Blu del Barrio’s character, to Adira. Not being a parent yourself, is that a stretch?

Rapp: Well, I’ve been a parent to pets and animals my whole life. I’m not equating Blu with a pet or an animal. But, you know, from the first day of meeting Blu, I was there for their very first day that they ever set foot on a professional film or television set. Jonathan Frakes was directing the episode, their first scene on camera, when I confront them at the foot of the ladder: “What are you doing up there?”

Ennis: No pressure or anything.

Rapp: And, you know, but Jonathan and I would be watching them work. They’re so incredible, already and with no experience in this arena, in training and acting experience.

Having been on a set for the first time when I was 15: It’s a little weird. And then there’s all kinds of strange things happening. It’s easily intimidating and strange and bizarre, and you have to absorb a lot. They just hit it right out of the park right away. and came at it with such incredible grounded and human energy. So I fell in love with Blu right then and there. Then I just naturally gravitated toward being a kind of, I don’t know, mentor, protective big older brother, dad, kind of thing. That felt very natural to me, personally. That was something that was very easy to “live into,” because I felt that so naturally anyway.

Anthony Rapp as Lt. Commander Paul Stamets and Wilson Cruz as Dr. Hugh Culber of the CBS All Access … [] series, Star Trek: Discovery.

Ennis: As a pioneer in Star Trek, in terms of being an out gay man, playing a gay character, in a relationship with another man, do you see that the unfolding of having non-binary characters like Adira and a trans character, even in a ghostly version, how does that make you feel in terms of the craft and and our community?

Rapp: I think it’s long overdue. I’ve said things like this with you before, probably as we’ve talked over the years: There were times when people within the world of creating Trek were agitating for these kinds of characters to be a part of the fabric, off screen and on screen, but there was resistance from networks or whatever. So, it just took too long, frankly.

Blu del Barrio, left, with Ian Alexander in the Star Trek: Discovery episode, “Forget Me Not”

But the fact that it has come about makes it feel earned. I just feel incredibly lucky and proud that Wilson and I first were entrusted with carrying that mantle. Then, Tig Notaro coming on board, now, of course, Blu and Ian [Alexander].

Blu and Ian are quintessential Gen Z kids, and I am going to say “kids” with total affection and respect. They’re really young, but they’re so much a part of this younger generation which truly is willing to break down all kinds of barriers, and just shake things up in the most grounded way.

Recognizing that all of these different facets of identity and expression and being deserved to be seen, and all light needs to be shining everywhere, at all times. I’m sure that there are aspects of it that sometimes might be a little overwhelming or intimidating, but they are so up for it, and so ready to to carry that that mantle.

Ennis: When I spoke to Tig, they reminded me that her character had lost her wife in the battle of the binary stars. And she addressed a question from a fan about whether the knocking of heads between your characters was carried through into real life. And she said, “I certainly hope not!” She said, “I think that we get along just great.”

Rapp: Yes, I love Tig. I was first was introduced to her with the piece that she’d done when she was first diagnosed with cancer.

Commander Jett Reno, played by actor, podcaster and comedian Tig Notaro, left, with Lt. Commander … [] Paul Stamets, portrayed by actor Anthony Rapp, appearing in the ‘Star Trek: Discovery’ third season episode, ‘Die Trying’ on CBS All Access.

I wasn’t warned what it was about. And my mom passed away from cancer, but just like immediately, I was just so taken by it. And some of the things I was so taken by was her honesty, authenticity, and also humor in the face of it, but just her willingness to be totally authentically herself, and share every aspect of it.

That’s something that I really strive to do with my life. So when I heard that she would be part of the show, I crossed my fingers, this is one of my heroes: “I hope she’s as cool as she seems!” And she absolutely was. We’ve had we’ve got a complete blast. And I really love when she’s on set, and I wish she could be on set more often.

Ennis: What’s next for you? I know you’re so busy shooting the next season of Discovery, but what other projects do you have going on? Anything on the horizon?

Rapp: There’s a sort of small scale thing. I got invited by Swapna Krishna, who’s a writer. She’s written for my SyFy Wire, I believe, and other outlets. She invited me to contribute a story to an anthology that she’s editing called Sword Stone Table, in which writers are taking the Arthurian legends and doing spins on them. That would make them multicultural, LGBTQ, finding ways to adapt some aspect of the legend. Any aspect. That was the only brief: the Arthurian legends, find some way to adapt it to a story you want to tell. I’m incredibly honored to do that and I worked really hard on a story that I’m proud of. It turned out pretty well, I think. And so that’s going to be coming out sometime in the spring or summer.

But not now. We’re very much in the thick of season four production right now in Toronto.

Ennis: Thank you for taking time away from that. Please extend to everybody in the Star Trek: Discovery family, our eternal thanks. I know this seems like I’m blowing gas up your tailpipe, but y’all have brought back Star Trek, real Star Trek, and made us all excited again.

Rapp: Thank you. It’s an honor.

Watch a video of the full interview with Anthony Rapp, in which he discusses playing Dungeons and Dragons, the real Paul Stamets, more thoughts on acting and advice for beginners as well as those hoping to do so professionally.

12/11 Wilson Cruz was inaccurately listed as starring in the original production of Rent on Broadway, but first appeared in a touring company production. Wilson Jermaine Heredia originated the role of Angel and won a Tony Award for his portrayal.

From Diversity & Inclusion in Perfectirishgifts

This month we’re showcasing an author in the fandom who has written popular works such as Quite magical and A promise of forever. Pat is on ao3 as WendigoBaby and on tumblr as @maghnvsbane, and we’d like to thank her once again for taking part in the OML author showcase! 

1. When did you start writing fics? Tell us a little of your journey as a fic writer.

I believe I was 13 when I wrote my first ever piece of fiction (a really bad story about a lady assassin able to turn into a panther, don’t even ask) and it snowballed from there. For two or three years I used to do fics for this French cartoon called Code Lyoko, before moving to original stuff - it was a great exercise for keeping personalities and plot consistent, while also dabbling in character design. Then forth came Shadowhunters and I fell so hard for this show, that I’ve been stuck writing for it almost exclusively since the end of season one, with a small phase dedicated to The Raven Cycle.

2. What fic of yours are you most proud of and why?

My Simple blessings piece holds a special place in my heart, as I’ve poured a lot of emotion into it; the relief related to being able to love and be loved in return, the joy of domesticity and the intrinsic beauty of the world (or maybe I just love waxing poetic). The other one I’m proud of from a more practical standpoint is fire & gasoline; describing fighting is always a bit of a challenge, because you have to imagine all of the movements and stitch them all together into something that flows and reads comfortably, allowing the reader to imagine it all in their head. With that fic I feel like managed that quite decently and I'm proud of it.

3. Who is your favorite character to write and why? Which character do you find the most challenging to write?

My favourite is definitely Alec, since I relate to him in many aspects, both life and personality-wise: we’re both perfectionists, a little closed off and wary of newcomers, but tender and with a lot of love to give beneath a hard shell. Also we both love Magnus Bane, so there’s that. On the other hand, I feel like Simon is the most challenging one and it may be a strange answer, but his kindness and his specific kind of rambling, pop culture-related humour is hard to capture for someone more quiet like me.

4. What is the hardest part about being a fic author? The easiest?

Starting the fic and then bringing it to the finish line, definitely - the longer I work on a piece, the more doubts I get whether the idea is even worth the effort. Probably because the more I read over the same sentences, the more predictable they get and start to feel like boring writing, even when it’s only in my own head. I also get distracted fairly frequently by new concepts, which ends with me surrounded by half-finished fics that gather dust on my desktop. The easiest? Getting an idea - inspiration comes from anywhere and with time I start to hoard these little thoughts that one day may be born into full blown pieces - sometimes all it takes is half a sentence heard in a grocery store two aisles over.

5. What inspires you? Where do you find your muse?

Anywhere and everywhere, but most often from songs and aesthetic pictures I come across on tumblr. Other than that, it's movies, tv shows, video games, real-life conversations or even random things I dreamed about (although those tend to get a little strange and I don’t think should be turned into fanfiction).

6. How do you power through writer’s block?

I cry. No, to be honest, I just try to keep going. I write the most awful, kitschy sentences imagined and yell (complain and whine, more like) about them to my friends until it gets easier and my creativity flows again. If that doesn’t work, then I let myself take a day off, go outside, do something with my family or friends, or just start something new because pushing too hard for will just make everything  worse. Consuming new media also helps - going to the cinema, reading poetry or books, listening to music you'd never think you'd enjoy, anything to widen the horizon of your imagination and get yourself out of your comfort zone.

7. Do you have a favorite fic from another author?

Oh gosh, so many! Some Kind of Wonderful by magnusragnor/@magnusragnor (the best lifeguard au i’ve read ever, well-paced and characterized, I fell in love immediately and it’s one of the first fics that comes to my mind when someone asks for recommendations), and my heart is set on you, plus all of the single parent aus by @lightwoodlesbians /ohprongs (Charley has one of the most incredible styles with great natural humour and in-character writing; she is also one of the only people who can make me like children in fics), hold on to me (cause i’m a little unsteady) by ceciwrites/@daddariossmile (this just stuck with me, the soft way they interact, the whole concept of skating the way it’s used here, 10/10) and Appassionato by Chonideno (this moved me on a deeper level, the love of music included in this, passion written into every word, the original take on the concept of a first meeting, I love it all).

8. What’s something you’re looking forward to in season three of Shadowhunters?

As for Magnus and Alec, I’d love to see them have more conversations about the differences between them without death in the form of Valentine looming over their heads, as well as more casual intimacy and domesticity (hand holding, hello kisses, more hugs, a training scene, I’ll take anything). We’ve got a taste of Battle Couple, which I hope is just an introduction to more great scenes with them as a team. In general, I’m looking forward to Luke’s conflict with nosy Ollie (plus his hot date with Maryse) and more backstory on our favorite Downworlders - Simon and how he’ll get out of the Seelie Queen’s grasp, Maia’s and Bat’s growing connection. I miss this show already, I want to know everything!

9. Can you give us a sneak peek to what you’re writing next? Or at least any hints to what’s to come?

I tend to jump between ideas quite a lot and I like keeping them under wraps, so no sneak peeks from me! But as I’m looking at my to-write list, I can tell you to expect more domesticity, more canon fics with a sprinkle of aus and/or meet-cutes. The one I’m working on right now involves immortal husbands, pretty countrysides and a title inspired by one specific French song, maybe you can even guess which one it is?

10. Do you have advice for anyone who might be interested in writing fan fiction?

First - don't be afraid to start and second - keep going even if you don't feel like it. Writing good fan fiction takes a lot of trial and error as well as practice. My first fics were all around awkwardly written and as I continued with different ideas, I did get better. When it comes to finding the right balance for characters, it's good to read well-characterized fic from other writers plus meta posts as those tend to give an explained look into the character's personality. And if you're not sure about something, don't hesitate to ask others, just don't give up.

11. Does having English as a second language challenge you as a writer?

In some ways, yes. Although since I’ve been using English for about sixteen years of my life, it’s become almost like an extension of my thoughts. That doesn’t mean I don’t get things wrong, because I do, mostly in the department of grammar (all those pesky rules). Some words or expressions don’t translate well (or even don’t exist) in both languages, so as someone bilingual I have to maneuver my way around those obstacles either by looking through a thesaurus or a dictionary (I always have those two open when I write). Yet, beside grammatical nuances, strange expressions that make no sense when translated from Polish, and confusing words, the worst thing about being bilingual is forgetting the word I want to use in both languages at once. I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy!

Plagiarism & Fanfiction

You know, it was only last year with the Jonsa fandom that I went back to writing fan fictions and also, only because of the AO3 platform. And I’m just reminiscing on how far fan fiction has come, I guess.

I used to write a lot way way back circa senior year in high school and back then we were ‘compelled’ to add disclaimers on our work even though I questioned its importance because of the whole point of ‘fan fiction’ but then they had the whole @nne R!ce legal debate team etc etc so might as well comply.

I am in no way saying that I was ‘famous’ under a different name in another fanfiction platform, nor am I saying this because I’m famous now (hardly just seeing one comment is sending me through the roof) but there were a few stories of mine that had some following that I didn’t expect and more surprisingly, I guess, was the fact that I had very touching and concerned readers who were kind enough to contact me (and I was very very hard to contact) to tell me that my stories were being uploaded in Wattpad under different titles and under a different author who claimed all of the credit. (There was another that changed the names and made it into an ‘original story’) Worse thing is that, in Wattpad then, you can download the whole thing and distribute it free. So I can imagine that maybe there are copies of my work with a different author out there in the world. Whatever happened to them, how they are used, I wouldn’t know. (And this was before Wattpad stories were being sold). And even more touching, were the people who read my work and recognized those uploaded unauthorized ones as mine and actually called out the plagiarist and defended me on the comments page. And apparently, this kind of thing has been going on for some time. With my case, I was only called to attention after months of my work being used without my knowledge. Months. Five to be exact. And two of my stories took almost three years each to write. 

I didn’t know what to feel at that time because I didn’t think it could happen to me. And at first, I was incredibly flattered, not because my work was “good enough” to be copied, but because there were people who cared. Because, really, even if I do great effort for my stories, I didn’t expect much out of them other than the fact that my thoughts are out there, appreciated or not. It was done, for me. But when a reader pointed out how unfair it was to me and that I shouldn’t take this in stride, I started feeling upset after I was lectured. They told me that I should care more. That I should do something. And then pointed out the many people who have been doing it for me (there was even a forum! God bless these people!). 

But what could I have done? There’s no protection then (or maybe even until now?) for things like this because it’s fan fiction. It’s a grey platform. The characters, the world...they’re not technically yours to begin with. You’re just borrowing them. Reimagining them so and so. It’s a playground. And I went there to, well, play. (and play with disclaimers as they practically forced us to). But of course, now, we know better. That fan fiction, isn’t a copyright infringement because essentially, we’re not doing it for profit. I won’t go into this in too much detail. Because that’s another issue. My issue here is that, yes, we are essentially borrowing characters and worlds, but the content was made my us, thereby making it our intellectual property. And when they uploaded my stuff without my permission and took credit (even if there’s no profit for them too), my intellectual property was violated. But of course, I don’t know if they can face any legal ramification for this. 

So what happened? I thanked my concerned readers, sent a message to the plagiarist who never replied as expected, then took a writing hiatus for a few months in protest, but eventually came back to tie the loose ends for my WIPs then and then stopped writing fanfiction altogether because suddenly, it wasn’t fun anymore. They took something that was meant to be an outlet, a catharsis, and yes, a source of happiness and tainted it. Because a reader reported it well ahead of me before he (my anonymous knight in shining armor) even contacted me and researched on my plan of action, Wattpad eventually took down the posts and banned the author. But I still managed to find a story that had my plot only with different characters and some modifications, being sold as a cheap pocket book on a book sale (this time, pointed out by my sister who was also my beta for the story). 

And even if I stopped writing for years, I still read fanfiction extensively as a hobby. And seeing the brilliant writing out there, it made me sad that what if so and so story end up like mine? What if it even ends up as a movie rip off? It’s flattering, yes, but every work is your baby. I know. I know it shouldn’t feel like a big deal because, it’s just a hobby. It’s for shits and giggles. It’s for fun. So what if they get your story? You should be proud they like it enough to do that when your story is just a brain fart trash. But trash fic or a heavily researched story or not, it’s still your idea. And admit it or not, reading comments when you think you’d never get them is a very nice experience. I mean, it’s “just fanfiction.” Chill. I thought that initially too, but as my anonymous (to the day) knight in shinning armor pointed out, it’s not just fanfiction. It’s hours of free time and free labor that make other people other than yourself feel something. And there’s no such thing as “just writing” or “trash writing.” Writing is so much more than just typing or penning a bunch of sentences together. Each piece you share is a piece of yourself that you share. So it can never be just fanfiction. Credit earned, is credit due. He told me not to shy away from that because there are people who believe in your work and some may even be transformed by it you never know. 

Now, when I started writing fanfiction, even up to now with my return to the it, I still do it out of fun mostly and also as practice because aside from pursuing my path to medicine, my side life has always been being involved in a publication. I’ve always loved writing. And my years as literary editor were the best writing years of my life, even more than being on the executive board. I just write because I want to write. Not to be published, not to be recognized, but just to share. And then, it happened again. 

And this time, it happened to my published, copyrighted poems and short stories being pedaled in deviant art. This time, at least, our publication had the means to actually do something legally, even if it never reached court. 

It’s just sad again, because, while I can legally do something with my published work, I don’t think I can do anything if it happens to published fan fictions. So this one is just one of those, grin and bear it times. And I’m not about my own work, but for those stories up there that were truly brilliantly and flawlessly written that could easily be extorted and you won’t even know it and you can’t even do anything apart from, well, maybe internet shaming them (which is not cool at any level) and then you’d get a pointless comment wars for it, one sticking up for you, and one saying you’re too dramatic.  

I don’t know. Sorry for the rambling. I just got triggered again when I saw an article on fanfiction and legalities. 

Well, anyway, I’m glad I’m writing again because truly this is the only thing that’s keeping me sane ever since my dad died of a stroke while I was in my neurology residency that I quit from the irony of it. Anyway, pushing that aside, I’m just here to write and write and hope for a better future for this. 

In the end, I’m writing for me. 

And I truly am sending all my love and support for all the fan fiction writers out there who deserve so much more for making a lot of people happy by putting beloved characters in crazy situations that are all very rewarding no matter what the crazy situation. 

​By Roxanne Reid It’s like falling down Alice’s rabbit hole to a wacky world where there’s no front door, walls are made of books, friendly ghosts walk the passages, and you’ll meet a character just as intriguing as the March Hare. Find out why to visit the Royal Hotel, Bethulie, Free State.

​Bethulie lies in sheep-and-cattle country in South Africa’s dry heartland. Call it the Free State or even the Upper Karoo, no one will argue. Founded back in the 1830s, it sits on the northern banks of the Orange River about 50km from the massive Gariep Dam. At first sight this dusty little dorp looks like it has little to offer a visitor. You might wonder what the hell you’re doing here and whether you should turn tail and run – especially when you can’t find an entrance to your accommodation at the Royal Hotel. Litter and dry leaves scuttle across the pavement and the midday heat beats down as you walk the length and breadth of the hotel’s facade. Not a door is unlocked. Eventually you’ll go round the back, through an eerily empty parking lot and hear voices through a half-open door.

The hotel faces the street on two sides yet you have to go round the back to find the entrance

​Yes, the young woman told me, I was in the right place. If I just went to that door around the back and waited, someone would let me in. I did and before long the hotel’s owner, Anthony Hocking, was beetling his bushy brows at me, smiling a Cheshire Cat welcome and gesturing me in. Down the rabbit hole. One step inside and all you see are narrow wood-floored passages lined with books. More books than you’ve ever seen in one place outside a library. (Probably more books than inside a lot of libraries.) This is the reason I’m here. Because I’ve heard about it. And I love books.

The book passage, your first sight of the Royal Hotel's interior

There’s a rabbit warren of dimly lit reception rooms stuffed with books and vinyls too (or LP records to the oldies among you). You see, Anthony is a bit of a pack rat, but with very specific tastes. He reckons his collection totals about 120 000 books and 80 000 records, but only a fraction of those are on display in the hotel. The rest spill over into his house across the road, and one or two other buildings he owns nearby.

No, it's not wallpaper - books, books, books everywhere

The collection is eclectic. Some of the books may be valuable, others he perhaps used for research when he was writing his own books, a medley of works about the paper and mining industries, the Oppenheimers, a few about Canada. The collection includes history and biography, travel and art, as well as a ton of fiction paperbacks, some of them bought for a pittance as job lots to fill the boundless spaces. The tale of the Royal Hotel Back in the 1860s the building that was to give way to the Royal Hotel was a trading store owned by JB Robinson who later made a big splash in diamonds and gold. The hotel itself was founded in the 1880s and has seen its share of well known people, like the infamous Lord Kitchener and Boer President Marthinus Steyn. Anthony has had a home across the road since 1983 so he watched as the Royal Hotel slid into shabby dilapidation. After it was auctioned and the deal fell through he bought it for song in 2005, not quite sure what he was going to do with it. Luckily, he soon struck a deal to fill the rooms with people manning road works in the area. That brought in some income for about 18 months. Later, a Spanish tour company expressed interest in adding the hotel to their stopover route if he’d restore it. And that’s how the Royal Hotel’s renaissance began.

Just a few of the vinyls in the extensive collection

It makes a good base for visitors who want to explore the historical sites of Bethulie. And although nothing was happening when we stayed there, you might strike it lucky and visit when a music recital, poetry reading, wine weekend or murder mystery weekend is on the go. The rooms are nothing fancy, but they’re clean and have all the bits and bobs you need, including a life-saving portable fan to cope with the summer heat. It’s enough for anyone who’s there chiefly for the deluge of books. Stories, stories, stories A collection that’s more subtle, less in-your-face than the books or vinyls is the anthology of stories that Anthony has on the tip of his tongue. He styles himself a storyteller and raconteur and can certainly spin a good yarn, whether it’s about the town’s history or his own life adventures. Over dinner, as we sat dwarfed by books from floor to ceiling, we discovered he’s a keen Bethulie historian and a bit of an Anglo Boer War buff. He drenched us in stories of the war and of his days as a dishwasher in Montmartre or working on a ship during his university holidays. Over breakfast he told us more about ‘the war’ (which around here always refers to the Anglo Boer War of 1899-1902) and about the hoax debutante ball he and some friends at Oxford threw together for a lark. ​He tells a ripping ghost story too. Inset into the walls of books are a few panels where paintings hang. Four of them in one of the reception rooms are blank white spaces. Those, he insists, are portraits of ghosts, who he describes in great detail – like war correspondent Edith Dickenson whose ghost helps to keep the others upbeat. Generally, they’re a peaceful lot so there’s no need to be afraid.  

Portraits of two of the 'ghosts'

Stories come burbling out non-stop. If you look interested and he’s not busy he might volunteer to take you to see historical sites around the town, all the while relating tales about shenanigans and perhaps some bad behaviour in the old days. His Duracell-bunny energy and tendency to jump from story to story can be exhausting, battering your brain with new information at breakneck speed. But if you can keep up, you’ll learn a lot of fascinating stuff. Things to do in Bethulie Obviously, experiencing the Royal Hotel’s book and vinyl collections and meeting its colourful owner are hefty reasons to stay over in Bethulie. But they’re not the only things to do in this small town. Here are some others. 1. Visit the oldest house in the Free State. Back in 1828 there was a London Missionary Society station here to convert the San, until Jean Pierre Pellissier of the Paris Missionary Society arrived in 1832. The Pellissier House museum dates back to 1834-35 and now has displays that include old furniture, photos, clothes and war relics. 

Pellissier House, the oldest house in the Free State

2. See the house where actor and storyteller Patrick Mynhardt lived as a boy. He is most well remembered for his renditions of Herman Charles Bosman’s character Oom Schalk Lourens and for his autobiography The Boy from Bethulie. 3. Visit the Louw Wepener monument on a farm 10km west of Bethulie on the Springfontein road (R715). Wepener led the Free State commandos during the second Basotho War and was killed in 1865 while trying to storm Moshoeshoe’s mountain fortress of Thaba Bosiu.

Louw Wepener monument

4. If you’re interested in San rock art and fossils, you’re in luck. Talk to Anthony or Bethulie Tourism for more info about a guide who can take you to see them. You probably need to arrange this ahead. 5. Pay homage at the Bethulie concentration camp cemetery, Kamp Kerkhof. When it was thought the Gariep Dam was going to flood the original Anglo Boer War concentration camp site, bones were exhumed and reburied on higher ground just out of town in 1966. (Later it was discovered there was too much dolerite rock where they planned to put the dam so it was built in its current position instead.) At one place in the monument it says 1737 people died here during the Anglo Boer War, in another place it says 1714. Either way, it’s a lot. At the back, under lock and key, are some of the original rough gravestones. The monument is made of austere grey stone and when we visited a blistering wind made for an appropriately grim atmosphere. 

Kamp Kerkhof, the Bethulie concentration camp cemetery and memorial

​We also went to the site of the actual concentration camp with Anthony, finding a desolate piece of veld and some remnants of broken gravestones. As many as 5000 people were interred here at full capacity. It was the worst of all 33 camps around the country – largely because the Brit running it was young and inexperienced. He put the tents too close together so disease spread quickly. Water rations were short and the inmates used stream water that was contaminated by cattle that had died of rinderpest and been buried upstream. Typhoid spread like wildfire in the cramped conditions. At the original site there’s also a strange blockish monument that looks like a ruin but in fact was never finished. British women funded the monument that was started in 1918 in solidarity with Boer women but the Boer women were in no mood to accept the gesture, so it was never finished.

Unfinished monument at the site of the Bethulie concentration camp

6. Take a drive to the Gariep Dam about 50km from Bethulie on the R701. It was completed in 1971 and is the biggest in South Africa, with a surface area of 374 square kilometres and storage capacity of 5,340,000 megalitres. Here you’ll find activities like water sports and game viewing in the adjacent nature reserve, where you might spot wildebeest, eland, kudu, red hartebeest, springbok and other antelope. Word is that the dam is silting up and there’s a plan to raise the dam wall. 7. At sunrise or sunset feast your eyes on the arched sandstone bridge across the Orange River. Known as the Hennie Steyn Bridge, it’s the longest road-rail bridge in South Africa. At 1.2km, it connects the Free State to the Eastern Cape.

Longest road-rail bridge in South Africa

8. If you’re a history buff, there are many more old buildings and monuments to discover in Bethulie, from an ox wagon monument and a monument to honour the role horses have played in South Africa’s history, to the Dutch Reformed church completed in 1887 and now a national monument.

What's left of an old water cooling plant on a hill above Bethulie

​9. Visit the old railway station at the edge of town. It’s an atmospheric corrugated iron building dating back to 1894 and painted a sun-bleached red. It has a connection to the Bethulie ‘book hotel’ too. When it was slated for demolition, Royal Hotel owner Anthony Hocking, who loves a bit of history, bought it to save it from destruction. For his efforts in preserving this small piece of heritage, the Federasie van Afrikaanse Kultuurvereniginge (an organisation dedicated to preserving Afrikaans culture and heritage) recently gave Anthony (a dyed-in-the-wool Englishman) an award. He’s understandably chuffed.

The old railway station

10. If you’re looking for something more action-packed, there’s hiking, cycling (on-road and off-road trails), fishing, star-gazing and ghost hunting. If those don’t appeal to you, just sit back and do bugger all – it’s equally exhilarating. ​Like it? Pin this image! 

You may also enjoy 15 things to do in Clarens in the Free State Maliba Lodge: a romantic & honeymoon getaway ​ Copyright © Roxanne Reid - No words or photographs on this site may be used without permission from roxannereid.co.za

The Case for (Imagined) Queerness in the Works of Jane Austen

As 12 years of mandatory English classes taught us, a book’s impact and importance depend on a ton more factors than just “what the author decided the plot should be.” Every story is contextualized and processed by its individual readers. And if you think you understand the power of this reader/text relationship like the bookish queer youth does, oh boy are you out of your league. There’s an entire ocean of characters out there, and so shamefully few of them are non-hetero. Fan fiction, fan art and extensive Tumblr analyses abound trying to engineer Queer Subtext for any book, movie or television show you can imagine. LGBTQ folk are experts at collecting scraps of dialogue, stray looks or ambiguous moments, pinning them to the cork board of Accidental Queer Representation and connecting them with the red yarn of, uh, Extremely Biased Interpretation? Much like the metaphor in that last sentence, these cobbled-together narratives are often flimsy at best, but we stand behind them with conviction. See? I’m a weathered professional at holding together a trembling, papier-mâché construct despite all evidence to the contrary! Plenty of heteronormative franchises and stories have been given new life by the queer reader’s re-programming, but I have felt mostly alone in my bold quest to Gay Up the works of Jane Austen. These stories all at least partially revolve around the stirrings of Heterosexual Love in the hearts of young women and naturally have been favored mostly by my exceedingly hetero, female-identifiying peers. Therefore I have taken it upon myself to do this heavy lifting on behalf of the Queer Agenda. I have labored intensely for many years, and now at long last I present my findings on a few of Jane Austen’s most notable works.   Mansfield Park for Queer Youth Ah, Mansfield Park. The story of a mousy, impoverished heterosexual young woman fending off the advances of a wealthy and charming young heterosexual man in order to ultimately commit to an austere and boring heterosexual young man. Or is it?   Exhibit A: Mary Crawford, The Original Girlcrush   When Miss Mary Crawford and her wealthy and charming heterosexual brother Henry move into the neighborhood, young Fanny Price and her better-off cousins the Bertrams find their lives turned upside-down. Perhaps not quite in the way you would think. Miss Crawford’s beauty did her no disservice with the Miss Bertrams. They were too handsome themselves to dislike any woman for being so too, and were almost as much charmed as their brothers with her lively dark eye, clear brown complexion, and general prettiness. (Chapter 5) The first half of this excerpt is a very informative piece of intel on the lives of conventionally attractive, straight women. (Finally, Taylor Swift’s #girlsquad makes sense!) The second half, however, is queer as hell if you just believe hard enough. “Almost” as much charmed? Come on, Austen. Just give it to us straight. (Uh, no pun intended.) Everyone is in love with Mary Crawford, which is beautiful and tragic. The Bertram daughters are bound by custom and convention to marry men, but in the depths of their hearts, they clearly yearn to leave it all behind and run away with Mary.   Exhibit B: Wait, Is Mary Crawford after Edmund or Fanny?   The ongoing flirtation between Mary and Edmund is explicit enough. While they turn out to be ill-suited for one another, the initial sparks between them cannot be denied. Only slightly more subtle, however, is Mary’s fascination with Fanny which leads the two women to spend the majority of their free time together. Such was the origin of the sort of intimacy which took place between them within the first fortnight after the Miss Bertrams’ going away—an intimacy resulting principally from Miss Crawford’s desire of something new, and which had little reality in Fanny’s feelings.”(Chapter 22) Mary, girl, we’ve all been there. Experiment away! Bless Jane Austen for this completely unintended example of much-needed bisexual representation.   Exhibit C: Fanny Just Wants a Beard I have always found protagonist Fanny Price’s rejection of rich, effusive and affable Henry Crawford in favor of her stoic and dare I say withholding cousin Edmund Bertram to be one of the most frustrating heterosexual choices in literature, which is already full to bursting with the baffling entanglements of straight people. Ostensibly, Fanny has chosen a life of quiet morality as worth more to her than indulgence and having fun and being happy. And at first glance, the moral of this story seems to be the bland and inoffensive message that it’s actually okay for straight women to love solemn contemplation and quiet alone time and reading indoors on a rainy day. Oh, and being sexually attracted to one’s first cousin too, obviously. But is there perhaps a more original and insightful takeaway from this novel? Of course there is! Arguably, a queer reading of Mansfield Park is the only thing that would explain why in the end, Fanny falls for the least threatening or exciting man she has ever met. It also explains her intense discomfort with male attention. (She’s described in Chapter 21 as “almost as fearful of notice and praise as other women were of neglect.”) She’s not looking for sex appeal or chemistry, because she knows she will never find them in a man, nor does she want such a thing. The best case for Fanny is a dependable and amiable enough life partner with whom to pay the bills, share in life’s various duties and sleep in separate beds. Edmund is certainly that.   Emma, Obviously in Denial   In addition to having the most personally relatable protagonist I have ever encountered, Emma is coincidentally also the easiest of Jane Austen’s works to jam into a queer-shaped mold. You can read a good 85% of this novel as the story of a lady-loving lady in very deep denial struggling with the heterosexual inclinations of all the women she cares for. Unfortunately things go a little off the rails when Emma finally realizes her love for Mr. Knightley, which is difficult to handwave away seeing as how it is actually a rather compelling Heterosexual Romance. We’ll just ignore this minor detail that is arguably the culmination of the entire novel and focus on the rest.   Exhibit A: Feelings? For Men?   We are often reminded in this book that Emma has little to no interest in ever marrying. And why would she? She does not lack for money or status. Her only reason to marry would be True Hetero Love. “I have none of the usual inducements of women to marry. Were I to fall in love, indeed, it would be a different thing! but I never have been in love; it is not my way, or my nature; and I do not think I ever shall.” (Chapter 10) Okay but is it not your nature to be in love or to be in love with men? Maybe this requires just a bit more introspection, Emma. Indeed, let us examine Emma’s attempted quasi-relationship with Frank Churchill. Emma realizes that she feels left out of all the fun watching her friends fall in love and circle through flirtations and makes the decision to get a crush on Frank with the aim of adding a little excitement to her life. (Relatable!) She notices that there seems to be something missing in her feelings for Frank, but she boldly soldiers on through the motions of being In Love so as to better fit in. Eventually, even Emma, queen of self-delusion that she is, cannot continue to pretend to love a man as anything more than a friend. But, on the other hand, she could not admit herself to be unhappy, nor, after the first morning, to be less disposed for employment than usual; she was still busy and cheerful; and, pleasing as he was, she could yet imagine him to have faults; and farther, though thinking of him so much, and, as she sat drawing or working, forming a thousand amusing schemes for the progress and close of their attachment, fancying interesting dialogues, and inventing elegant letters; the conclusion of every imaginary declaration on his side was that she refused him. Their affection was always to subside into friendship…When she became sensible of this, it struck her that she could not be very much in love. (Chapter 13) Because “I can like Men if only I just try hard enough” has always worked out!   Exhibit B: I Only Sabotaged My Best Friend’s Relationship For Her Own Good   Who among us hasn’t vehemently encouraged our dearest friend Harriet to turn down the advances of a perfectly lovely boy whom she likes very much ostensibly because he’s not good enough but actually because lurking in the deepest recesses of our subconscious, we could not bear to see her with someone else? This is so classic, I could rest my case right here. I probably spent my entire teenhood trying to subtly manipulate my secret lady crushes into dumping their boyfriends. “I lay it down as a general rule, Harriet, that if a woman doubts as to whether she should accept a man or not, she certainly ought to refuse him. If she can hesitate as to ‘Yes,’ she ought to say ‘No’ directly. It is not a state to be safely entered into with doubtful feelings, with half a heart. I thought it my duty as a friend, and older than yourself, to say thus much to you. But do not imagine that I want to influence you.” (Chapter 7) I would never tell you what to do! I’m just saying maybe think about it. And while you’re thinking about it, think about the fact that you’re thinking about it. If you really loved him, would you even need to think about it? Makes you think, doesn’t it?   Exhibit C: Serial Monogamy   On the topic of Harriet, let’s take a closer look at a pattern of behavior Emma seems to set up. She was exceedingly close to Mrs. Weston, her old governess-turned-best-friend before this woman had the nerve to move out and get married to a man. Emma, drowning in sorrow at the loss of this relationship, cannot handle being single and working on herself for a while, therefore she immediately turns her faculties to selecting herself a new girlfriend. When Emma decides that Harriet shall be her next life partner, she cleaves to her wholly and immediately. Harriet must accompany Emma on all her errands, must call on her nearly daily and must attend every party Emma attends as well. The poor girl doesn’t know how to exist without being in the constant company of a woman who adores her. Have I mentioned how relatable Emma is enough times yet?   Pride and Prejudice and Homosexuality Yes, Pride and Prejudice is perhaps the most Heterosexual piece of literature ever written at first glance, but please! Do not doubt my ability to make Austen’s most enduring triumph Extremely Gay. I told you I was a professional. By the time my case is finished, you will see that Pride and Prejudice is one of the queerest classic works in the canon.   Exhibit A: Uhhh, Why Do Darcy and Bingley Have to Be Together All the Time?   Darcy has Pemberley. Bingley has enough money to buy any property he pleases. There is no reason these boys need to follow each other from estate to estate, attending parties together, traveling to all the same boroughs. Darcy, if you hate the country so much, why don’t you just go live at home in your home that you own? You know, the home that everyone constantly talks about how incredible it is? The home you can just ride a horse over to right now? That home? Darcy gets a lot of guff for convincing Bingley not to propose to Jane. And yeah, that screams Jealous Secret Crush on Darcy’s end. But one must also wonder why Bingley would have been so very easy to persuade. If he truly wanted to marry Jane, I think it would have taken more than a slight nudge from his platonic best bud to ghost her the way he did. I mean, he didn’t just stop answering her texts. He moved himself and his family out of town. However, it doesn’t seem quite so inexplicable to dump one’s beard at the urging of one’s Secret Boyfriend now does it?   Exhibit B: Everyone Is Gay for Georgiana   “I really do not think Georgiana Darcy has her equal for beauty, elegance, and accomplishments; and the affection she inspires in Louisa and myself is heightened into something still more interesting…” (Chapter 21) I swear to God, no one in this book will ever shut up about Georgiana Darcy. We get it! She’s so very beautiful and kind and charming and talented! The Bingley sisters practically salivate over her. Lady Catherine admires her in her own grumpy old elitist way. Elizabeth finds her fully delightful. Everyone is obsessed with Georgiana. She’s like the Shane McCutcheon of Regency England.   Exhibit C: Relax, Elizabeth, People Get Married.   Elizabeth has decidedly no interest in marrying the human embodiment of Oblivious Mansplaining, Mr. Collins. Elizabeth’s best friend Charlotte Lucas, however, seems to think the constant stream of ignorant babble is worth the cash money. So she locks it down, infuriating Elizabeth. She had always felt that Charlotte’s opinion of matrimony was not exactly like her own, but she had not supposed it to be possible that, when called into action, she would have sacrificed every better feeling to worldly advantage. Charlotte the wife of Mr. Collins was a most humiliating picture! And to the pang of a friend disgracing herself and sunk in her esteem, was added the distressing conviction that it was impossible for that friend to be tolerably happy in the lot she had chosen. (Chapter 22) Lizzy. We get that you weren’t into him, girl, but why are you, like… so upset about this? Could it be that your dearest partner and secret love Charlotte has accepted a Heterosexual Union. And immediately after you yourself made such a display of rejecting one? Ouch!   Sense and Sensibility   Guys, I tried with this one. I really did. But all the women in this book are related and also obsessed with dudes. I thought I could stick it to the straight people, but I must regretfully concede that this task is beyond even my expertise. If anyone has a queer angle on this one though, please contact me immediately. We queers have always been around, even when every offshoot of culture has tried to erase us from existence. Yeah, it’s super fun to retroactively barge our way back into old literature. But it’s also a much-needed assertion that we exist, we matter and we deserve to see ourselves. Even in light-hearted novels about manners and marrying rich and falling in love with one’s first cousin. Ashley Chupp is a Chicago-based writer, crossword enthusiast and frequent crier at the local Trader Joe’s.   Gif 1: fibu.tumblr.com Gif 2: teenvogue.tumblr.com Gif 3: BBC Gif 4: bringmybooks.com http://dlvr.it/PZ94CB

I’m a Walking Travesty

Genre: Fan Fiction Pairing: Jai Courtney/OFC (Roo) Warnings: Language Rating: PG13 Length: Short Story Disclaimer: a strict work of fiction, I own nothing except the original characters and the plot line. In no way am I affiliated to any of it.

A/N: I can’t wait for everyone to see what I have planned for these two :D 

Read:  Can You Not? & Dirty Laundry

"Honey, do you know where the joey hid his wetsuit?" Jai called into the hall, as she passed by Denzi's room.

Still in his phase of hating swimming, Denzi was know for hiding his trunks, wetsuit, and water shoes in various places around the house. Placing the laundry basket on the floor, she scratched the back of her head and shrugged.

"Have you checked the garage or under his bed?"

Denzi was getting excessively clever on his hiding spots. While she had been in charge, during Jai's absence, she'd found a pair of water shoes in a kitchen cupboard and a life jacket stashed behind the couch in the basement.

"Not under the bed, I'll check the garage later." Jai rolled his eyes, folding a tshirt and shoving it into the suitcase.

"Well, I'm sure you'll find it before we leave." She offered a ghost of a smile. Bending to pick up the laundry basket, her own suitcase was waiting in the spare room, she paused when Jai stopped her.

"So, um, I uh...I've been meaning to ask." He cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Yes?" She placed a hand on her hip, the other holding the basket to her body.

"Are you still going to Boston?" Jai asked, barely glancing up from putting Denzi's clothes in the Spider-Man suitcase.

"I am, for a little while." She replied, lingering in the door of Denzi's room. "I'll be back in a week, it was all I could spare from the office."

"A week isn't bad, it'll be good to get away. Can you hand me that jacket?" Jai motioned to the blue rain coat on Denzi's door rack. Picking up the slick coat, she handed it over, taking a step back. "Kids, they require so much shit."

"It's because you over pack, Denzi doesn't need half of that." She pointed out with a slight smirk. "Move over, let me pack for him."

"If you can do it better, please, be my guest." Jai held his hands up in surrender, backing away from the suitcase on the bed.

Clothes basket on the floor of Denzi's room, she crossed in front of Jai, pulling the suitcase off of the bed and sitting cross legged in front of it.

"Okay, let me see." Rubbing her hands together, she began pulling out items.

When she had packed for Adelaide, everything had gone into one large suitcase. A week and a couple of days allowed for lighter packing, the two and a half week father - son trip was a little more extensive, but similar rules applied.

Anything small or trivial was left at home, with the intentions if it was needed later, it could be bought. Anchorage wasn't Adelaide, but she was certain they would have toothpaste and sun block, if Jai ran out of either.

Clothing rules were still the same - two sweaters, a good versatile jacket, one pair of sneakers, one pair of boots, the rest to be packed accordingly.

Emptying Denzi's suitcase, she laughed at some of the items Jai had in there. When would Denzi need a full snow suit? Better yet, where had Jai found a full snow suit? The four pairs of shoes were also not needed, nor were the six stuffed animals.

Tunks was the only animal needed to make the trip, the slightly worn elephant would go in Jai's carry on, in case a quick access was needed.

"Boomer, in what part of Wilderness Adventure Holiday, will Denzi need three pairs of dress pants. When do you plan on him wearing the loafers?"

"I don't know." Jai shrugged, sitting on the edge of Denzi's bed.

"Men, you're hopeless." She laughed, pulling out the dress pants and small loafers, which matched Jai's perfectly.

Half of the items in the case weren't needed. Jai wasn't stupid, in fact, this was all perfectly coordinated. Knowing that she would be home this afternoon, Jai had planned the task as carefully as he could.

Since arriving home from his shoot in Australia, they'd hardly saw one another, in almost two weeks Jai could count on one hand the times they'd talked. Actually had an honest, decent conversation, or stayed in the same room.

She'd tried to convince Jai that going back to Miles' apartment was her best course, but that had been squashed when Miles announced he was leasing the apartment to continue his work on the east coast.

Perfect timing, or a perfectly crafted plan?

Staying in the spare room hadn't been that terrible. For the most part, things had been going well. She came and went as she pleased, all while Jai kept his promise to allow her space. No interference. Her therapist had told her that interaction, on a limited basis, with Jai was a good thing. It was obvious that she had feelings for the man and shouldn't cut him out completely.

"Need help?" Jai asked, wanting to do more than sit on the bed and appear useless.

"You can put away that pile." She motioned to the things that were not going. "And, Boomer, learn to pack." She teased him, as she folded a pair of jeans – one item Jai had packed, which could actually be taken - and laid in them Denzi's suitcase.

"I know how pack," Jai defended with a sheepish smirk, "as a parent I worry. You can never be too careful."

"For a man who packs a lot of suit cases, you sure are messy." She commented, sorting out the mess of clothing that had been shoved into Denzi's case.

"We don't have much time and I still have to pack my bag." Jai used his excuse.

Lies.

She had spotted his packed suitcase, resting against the end of his bed, when she'd walked by his room earlier. She admired his attempt though. Jai had been trying to spend more time with her; she wasn't stupid and anybody could see that. As nice as the space was, she did enjoy the few times they had been interacting.

"After this, you're on your own. Unlike some people, my bag really does need to be packed." She snorted with a chuckle of disbelief. "If I miss my flight, I can't get another for two days."

"You'll be fine, Roo. We'll get you packed and there on time." Jai picked at a loose string on the end of his shorts. "You know, Alaska is always an option."

Checking the clock on Denzi's bedside table, she wrinkled her nose, and sighed. Her plane was leaving in a little over ten hours, which put her on a flight two hours before Denzi and Jai. A week in Boston was going to be the exact cure she needed to break out of this rut, she could feel it. Along with the need and want of seeing Cora, her therapist had suggested taking some time out.

Go somewhere comfortable, enjoy the surroundings, and the people she found along the way. Jai had invited her to Alaska with him and Denzi, as much fun as that had sounded, now was not the time to go play Outdoors Woman while Jai trotted around the Alaskan summer looking like a dirty lumberjack.

Declining Alaska had been for several reasons: The trio needed time apart. Bugs. And lastly, back to that lumberjack Jai. The mere thought of him in flannel, playing rugged outdoors man did things to her libido.

"No, Alaska isn't an option. Mom would kill me, if I back out." She shook her head. "Which is why I also need to be on time, she won't pick me up if I land after 10PM."

"Are we heading to the airport at the same time, or?" Jai posed the question.

He had planned to take a taxi, saving him from having to rent a space for his suv, while they were away. Sera was kind enough to look in on the house and even keep Dorito at hers, while they were on vacation.

"Oh, I hadn't thought about that. I'm leaving so much earlier, do you think that is a good idea?" She looked up from folding another pair of Denzi's shorts.

"Naw, yeah, I doubt we need to be there that early." Jai mulled it over. "Of course, if we get there early, I can settle the joey in before the flight."

Denzi wasn't always the easiest flyer, not that Jai would fault him. Flying with a four year old was tough, how parents did it with multiple kids was some sort of miracle, Jai was sure of it.

"If he has the iPad to watch videos then he settles a lot faster. His books on tape are also in the carry on we took to Adelaide." She instructed the father. "When you get there, give him a movie to watch, and on the plane he is happy to colour and listen to stories."

"Maybe I'll try that, thanks, Roo." Jai's usually bright smile was a little lack luster.

"You've flown with him before, Anchorage is a lot closer than Sydney." She tried to smooth over any edges she may have ruffled. "You two will do fine."

Picking up the last item of clothing, the blue rain jacket, she tucked it into the suitcase before using the red zippers to close it. Tapping the top, she looked up at Jai smiling. "All finished. Now, I have to go pack."

"You are a genius, firecracker!" Jai exclaimed, picking up the suitcase to admire her work. "Thanks, love."

"Any time." She clapped a hand against his shoulder. "Oh, uh, Boomer. Do you mind if I leave my car in the garage? There are some things in it, I'd rather it not stay at the airport."

"Of course, feel free to leave whatever you need here." Jai nodded, placing Denzi's suit case in the corner of his room. "Anything I need to unload, before we go?"

"It can wait." Shifting the basket, she answered with hopes of squashing any curiosity. If she told Jai her plans, then she would get his hopes up. Leaving him in the dark made it easier, in case minds changed while in Boston.

Coming back, earlier than Jai, had given her the perfect opportunity to move some of her things in. A few pieces of her favourite art work, some more clothes, a few pieces of furniture - and above all, her own chair for the fire pit.

"It's not important, just a chair."

Sage: Chapter Seven

Note: Originally I was going to give up on fan fiction. Instead, I shifted some things around.

Chapter Seven: The Treasure Seeker Episode: Live and Let Fly Please Note: This is no longer a Hiccup x OC fan fiction. It's a Snotlout x OC fan fiction. It makes more sense haha Sage’s façade screamed at her. It felt like someone was tugging at her chest, crushing her lungs and slamming her forehead with a blunt instrument. But she tightened her fists around the piece of parchment stuffed deep into her pocket, and set out across the dark forest. She couldn’t forget those weird symbols. Or the girl with orange hair who threw her glares so stiff, she couldn’t help but swallow and pray she didn’t eat her. Bur her façade wouldn’t leave it alone. ‘Stop!’ said Sage’s façade, ‘If you go back to that cave, you’ll get caught.’ ‘So?’ said Sage’s gut. ‘So…the riders will get suspicious,’ said Sage’s façade, ‘if they find you poking around, they’ll figure out you aren’t who you say you are.’ Sage scoffed, ‘They won’t get suspicious.’ ‘Yes they will.’ ‘And if they do, so what?’ said Sage’s gut, ‘it could be key to getting into the Rider’s inner circle.’ ‘We already have a way in,’ said Sage’s façade, ‘if I could draw your attention to the chubby dragon tailing us. We don’t need another.’ ‘You always need a back-up plan,’ said Sage’s gut, ‘this won’t hurt.’ ‘Did you not listen to a word I just said?’ said Sage’s façade. Sage rolled her eyes, trying to ignore the bickering as it continued. Her chest welled up as she pushed through the trees, and felt the brush rub against her ankles. Did it matter what other people thought? Probably; but the symbols had been running through her head since she’d left Fishlegs and Hiccup to their “secrets.” She hadn’t been able to forget they existed. Besides, Viggo had shown great…delight whenever she had a moment of curiosity. He’d be proud of her. She was sure of it. Maybe. Something heaved behind her, “I told you to go home,” said Sage, “I fed you after we left the arena. What more do you want?” Little yellow Gronckle jumped out of the bush, tongue hanging out of its mouth, panting as if it had just finished a day of hard training. Sage doubted the little guy would survive against any of the beasties Viggo had forced her to fight. Though she’d never been offered the name, she didn’t care. The only thing that mattered was how fast they ran, when they would attack and avoiding whatever they tried. Sage shook her head as the memories flooded in. The only memories. She was not sure how she ended up with Viggo. Though he had told her sad tales of a young child hanging on to a crate in the middle of the ocean, and the kindness of her crew to drag the child on deck and keep her. There was no doubt she was grateful. The scars on her back proved that. The forest thickened for but a second before Sage stepped into a familiar opening. The sun glistened against the rock, and as clear as day sage gazed upon a jumble of symbols etched above the cave door. Sage had seen weird symbols scribbled on parchment pieces in Dorfrifjall's home, and on banners from the dragon parade. These were not like those. Unlike those lines that looked as if they were written for purpose, these were scattered as if placed at random. Sage glanced around. The day was still, with not so much as a ruffle in the bushes. Her eyes darted to a sudden rustling in the bushes, but sighed when the little yellow Gronckle pounced, wagging it’s chubby tail. Sage groaned, but slowly crept towards the cavern wall. When she got closer, she glanced over the symbols. There were diagonal lines, squares with circles within, boxes, and dots. ‘Why are we still here?’ said Sage’s façade. ‘Because we want to look at this,’ said Sage’s gut. ‘Uh, no we don’t.’ said Sage’s façade. Sage glanced around for something to stand on to get a better glimpse, but found not a rock in side, ‘this is completely unnecessary.’ ‘Seriously man?’ said Sage’s gut, ‘we talked about this a moment ago. This could be important.’ ‘Important how?’ said Sage’s façade, ‘some long lost treasure with a million death traps?’ ‘And enough money for the Academy,’ said Sage’s gut, ‘we can get into the dragon riding academy.’ ‘We have our ticket in,’ said Sage’s façade, ‘why do you forget the little chubby thing?’ ‘I haven’t,’ said Sage’s gut, ‘but this is a good back-‘ ‘Don’t say back-up plan,’ said Sage’s façade, ‘I don’t care about a back-up plan.’ ‘Chill, man,’ said Sage’s gut. ‘I gotta chill?’ said Sage’s façade. Sage stuffed her hand deep into her pockets and pulled out the charcoal and parchment piece she had stuffed into her pocket before leaving Dorfrifjall’s house. ‘What is she doing?’ said Sage’s façade. ‘What does it look like?’ Sage quickly scribbled down the symbols. ‘Why is she doing that?’ said Sage’s façade, ‘Don’t do that.’ ‘Calm down macho macho,’ said Sage’s gut, ‘with the symbols on parchment, we don’t have to come back.’ ‘Are you joking?’ said Sage’s façade, ‘what if someone see it? It’ll look suspicious. A random stranger-‘ ‘It will not,’ said Sage’s gut, ‘Viggo liked curiosity, remember?’ ‘But we’re undercover,’ said Sage’s façade. Sage rolled her eyes, finalizing the last symbol and stuff the materials back into her pocket. She turned to see the little yellow Gronckle yawn, “I need to get out of here before.” “‘hose there!?” Before that. Sage jumped into a nearby bush and tip toed away, jumping behind a tree. Little yellow Gronckle followed, tilting it’s head. Sage peaked, seeing a familiar orange haired Viking girl and grey Changewing. Amor growled. Sage’s eyes widened. “Someone’s been ‘ere,” said Ivari, “someone that shouldn’t ‘ave been.” Little yellow Gronckle tilted its head. Sage breathed deeply, “Time to go.” Suddenly, the up took off running into the woods. Sage didn’t care what direction they went. Her entire being screamed at her to get as far away from the rascals as possible, and for a moment she felt a slight freedom sweep in. And then she heard the brushing of bushes, and trees swaying behind her, “Get ‘em Amor,” said Ivari, “Get ‘em!” Sage’s eyes widened, “Hurry up, cupcake.” Little yellow Gronckle trailed behind her, flying every once and a while to keep up. Suddenly, the baby stopped to take in deep breaths. Sage groaned. ‘Grab it,’ said her gut, ‘you need the dragon to get into the riding academy.’ Sage expected the façade to argue, but when it remained still she groaned and scooped the baby in her arms, “If we get caught, it’s your fault.” Sage darted in between trees and brush. The baby Gronckle’s tongue hung outside its mouth, slobber fell on to her arm. Sage winced as the thick slime fell down her arm, Disgusting. “Faster Amor!” said Ivari. Sage’s eyes swept the scene as she continued weaving around trees and jumping over bushes, Hiding spot. Hiding spot. Hiding spot. Her eyes fell on a bush, too obvious. And a tree, too out there. But then she found a larger cluster of trees close together. Without hesitating, Sage darted for the trees and climbed as quick as possible until she reached the highest branch. From her spot, she could see the rustling of brush. Moments passed before Ivari and Amor came into view. Their eyes danced around them. “I know yer here somewhere,” said Ivari, “we’re gonna find ya.” Sage held her breath, tightening her grip on the little yellow Gronckle who was so close to whimpering; she could felt its stomach begin to rumble. For a few seconds Amor snapped his head at her tree, and she thought he’d discover her. But then Amor roared, stamping his feet. Ivari growled, “Ya stupid little runt. Yer a dragon,” She hit the top of Amor’s head, “A Changewing. Yer suppose to be invincible!” But Amor roared in response, snapping his head to look at her. Ivari sighed, “Whatever, lets go back to the cave. Gotta find more shiny things for ma new sword.” Amor let out an ear-piercing roar, before disappeared into the brush. For minutes, Sage sat holding her breath, gripping little yellow Gronckle and listening to thick silence. She sighed, and retreated down the tree as quickly as possible. The moment her feet hit the ground, she released her grip on little yellow Gronckle. The dragon fell to the ground and stood up, shaking and yawning. Sage rolled her eyes. And then it hit her. Sage’s eyes darted all over the place. To the cluster of trees to her far right, and the extensive brush to her left. It wasn’t recognizable. She didn’t recognize anything. She had no idea where she was.

_______

Want to read the rest? You can find the rest HERE or HERE.

Set Report: The Space Between Us with Asa Butterfield & Britt Robertson

From War of the Worlds to Rogue One, humanity has had a longstanding fascination with sci-fi and the idea of life on other planets. The Space Between Us – an interplanetary adventure from STX Entertainment hitting theaters next month – embraces elements of the science fiction genre while telling a very human story… and showing us that the futuristic fantasies of its predecessors are much closer to reality than we might think.

Fangirlish had the opportunity to visit the Albuquerque, New Mexico set of The Space Between Us – which stars Asa Butterfield, Britt Robertson, Gary Oldman, and Carla Gugino – in late 2015. There, Asa, Britt, Director Peter Chelsom, and Executive Producer Richard Lewis talked us through the timely premise of the film, the unique relationship between its two central characters, and more.

The Premise

The Space Between Us imagines a future that doesn’t seem too far off: one where humans have colonized Mars. Between recent NASA discoveries and the ongoing fascination with both real-life and fictional developments concerning the Red Planet, this is one science fiction story that feels more like a matter of “when” than “if.”

Speaking of Mars missions, SpaceX’s work involving the Red Planet was a major source of both inspiration and research for the team behind the film. “It’s unbelievable,” Director Peter Chelsom said. “It’s like my 9-year-old kid Ollie designed and drew a rocket station – there’s a Starbucks over here, and there’s people building a rocket there, and people going ’round on skateboards, and the average workforce is 32 years old. It’s incredible. There’s none of that kind of Apollo 13, white shirt and collar with ‘Houston, we have a problem.’ It’s not like that. And it’s very, very imminent. The t-shirts are ‘Occupy Mars,’ and when you leave the building, you’re kind of overwhelmed by the power of one man’s conviction.” That man, of course, is SpaceX founder Elon Musk, who is given a clear nod in Gary Oldman’s Nathaniel Shepherd.

The film opens as a group of astronauts heads into space on the first mission to establish this Mars colony, spearheaded by Shepherd’s company. However, soon after takeoff, they discover that one of the astronauts is pregnant. As Executive Producer Richard Lewis explained, this scenario is very much on the minds of NASA’s scientists, one of whom he consulted while writing the script. “He said, It’s gonna happen and we don’t know what to do.”

The result in the movie, at least, is bittersweet. The astronaut in question dies due to complications from giving birth shortly after landing on Mars – but her child survives. Gardner Elliott (Butterfield) – whose name is drawn from Being There‘s Chauncey Gardner and E.T.‘s Elliott – grows into an extraordinary, brilliant teen fascinated by the home planet he has never known.

The film’s central focus is the human element of Gardner’s story – the discovery and wonder of seeing our planet through new eyes, first love, and so on – but it’s all the stronger for the real science behind his circumstances, which also drives the plot in an essential way. This required extensive research not only into Mars itself, but how a human born on the Red Planet would develop and what would happen to them if they made their way to Earth, as Gardner eventually does. Lewis consulted with his father, a heart specialist, as well as a number of other medical and astrophysics professionals while working on the script. “The science has been well researched,” he said. “It’s obviously fictional, but we feel we’re pretty damn close to what would really happen.”

The Characters

Richard Lewis, who also produced 2007’s August Rush, originally envisioned Freddie Highmore as Gardner. Though Freddie aged out of the role, Lewis became familiar with Asa Butterfield’s work and finished developing the script around him. “I’ve actually put a sizzle reel together, which Asa’s never seen, of him at that age – at 14 or 15 – playing this character,” he teased. “It would be so shocking to him. What’s been terrific [is that] he’s been in my eye since really the conception of the story. He’s got an otherworldly quality -he’s so disarming and so charming.”

Butterfield, who also starred in Ender’s Game, is no stranger to out-of-this-world stories. But his role as Gardner Elliott presented a new challenge: What would it be like to be the only human who has never known his home planet? Rather than alienating (no pun intended) us from its protagonist, The Space Between Us answers this question by bringing things closer to home. “This is science fiction, but it’s a lot more than that because of all the themes and the ideas are sort of more relatable,” Asa said. “It’s set in the future, [but] all the things they’re dealing with are [still] very current, about finding where you belong – something that I think everyone goes through and something that you see Gardner and Tulsa both are going through in the film.”

Tulsa (Britt Robertson) is a street-smart girl biding her time until she ages out of the foster system and can get on with her life. She and Gardner strike up a fast friendship in an online chat room (Gardner, of course, not telling her that he’s from Mars). “I think when you go online to meet people, you’re searching for something – whether it be friendship or romance or just companionship,” Britt said. “I think when [Gardner and Tulsa] met, what drew them together is just a connection and a bond and being curious about one another.”

Though Tulsa is initially wary of Gardner – who shows up unannounced at her school after he makes his way to earth – she soon realizes that he is who he says he is and lets her guard down. “There’s no harmful bone in his body, and that’s reassuring for someone who doesn’t trust,” Robertson said. “[She] realizes that he’s just a good guy and he’s been through a lot of different circumstances than, say, the average human.”

As the two travel across the country to find Gardner’s father, we see just how wondrous Earth is to the boy from Mars. Every experience is brand new for Gardner, who is blown away by everything from rain to horses. Asa revealed that these scenes proved rather difficult to shoot. “It’s hard to put yourself into that kind of position because we are so experienced in the world,” he said. “To completely strip all that back and just be in absolute awe about everything you see – whether a tree or a dog – it’s just, everything’s interesting.”

Tulsa plays a significant role in helping Gardner acclimate to Earth, and their road trip only brings them closer together. Britt describes their relationship as a partnership – “romance-wise or not.” “He is her family in some way, shape, or form. She doesn’t have anyone, she barely has friends, and her life feels like there’s something missing – and that piece of it is companionship and family, and that’s what he is to her,” she said.

The Set

Though filming for The Space Between Us took the cast and crew from Vegas to Malibu, it was Albuquerque, New Mexico that served as home base. Our set visit brought us to Highland High School: a real, very much in-session place of learning standing in for Tulsa’s Colorado high school.

The first scene of the day took place in an outdoor courtyard, with Tulsa confronting some bullies before riding off on her motorcycle. (Yes, Britt Robertson actually did that and yes, it was awesome.) The second brought us inside for Gardner and Tulsa’s first meeting, which doesn’t go quite as smoothly as Gardner expects.

Since both scenes take place during the school day, things got a little interesting. Not only were there lots of extras standing in for Tulsa’s fellow students, but Highland’s actual students passed through the set between classes and at lunch. These circumstances made for an authentic environment, if a slightly chaotic one. “I haven’t been to school in so long – nor have I actually been to a public high school before – so it’s overwhelming,” Britt said. “I hear they were getting a little confused as to who the actual students were and who background was. But it’s fine. Everyone’s been really cool.”

From a filmmaking standpoint, the high school actually made for one of the easiest shooting locations. “Compared to all our other challenges, this feels really like a walk in the park,” Chelsom said. “This is a kind of easy film environment. No one’s at zero gravity, no one’s in harnesses and wires, no one’s having to avoid an explosion, no one’s standing clear of helicopter blades. I find this kind of thing easy compared to all that.”

Asa talked us through the experience of filming in some of these more challenging environments, including the quarry standing in for Mars. “We had some great exterior things in this quarry where they made the Martian landscape, wearing the big space suits. I am a massive science fiction fan, so I was so excited to try an astronaut suit. I was walking around, [breathing] like Darth Vader. It was fun.”