Tag: writing

“No, it’s about your good heart.”

So, I have finished Reign, which has kept me from several other projects (such as Season Four of Race to the Edge), but mainly because it’s lead me to writing my longest story yet and the greatest interest I’ve had in writing something in years.

So here are some of my thoughts and reactions to the show:

First, what many people argue and what kept me from watching it for several years (the show is older than I originally thought; but I wasn’t really watching CW as a channel when it was on), is the historical inaccuracy.  They’re right.  A great many liberties are taken.  There’s an age lift (though they might be portraying them at the correct age, but since the actors are older, I tend to read it as the characters are older…and considering some of the scenes shown, the network should believe the characters are older).  I’m personally fine with the age lift. 

The costumes…I tried watching the show once about a year ago and couldn’t get past the first episode because the dresses were so wrong.  I’ve since read that the budget was tight the first season, so they literally used prom dresses…we can tell.  The men’s costumes are fairly typical for a historical series, lots of leather, but female viewers tend to like that (guilty).  Costumes did get better as the series went.  I do rather like some of Lola’s dresses.  Catherine has some gorgeous dresses and Mary’s get better in season four.

In addition to historical inaccuracy, they forget about geography some times.  They never actually name what castle the French court is residing in; I think the fandom has named it Fontainebleau.  It’s often commented to be about two or three days from Paris.  Fine.  Then, in season four, the writers claim that men can make it from Edinburgh in Scotland to London in England in a single night.  Even more, they can get there, kidnap someone, and return to Edinburgh by morning.  Then return him the same day.  Nope.  Not possible.  (And we are expected it’s supposed to be a single night because Elizabeth is not more concerned, nor sent search parties after the man.)

As for characters, Francis and Sebastian quickly became my favorite.  I quickly loved their brotherly relationship; they’re close despite one being legitimate and the other illegitimate (they will certainly make it into my brothers in fiction essay).  And Bash never truly wants to usurp Francis’s place.  (As noted below, I disliked the love triangles.)  They’re best when they’re working together and supporting each other.  That hug at the end of Season 1!  Loved by all! 

I have mixed feelings about Catherine.  The actress did a superb job, because you root for her, even though she does absolutely terrible things.  Her love for her children triumphs over all.  As with many other relationships in this show; I like it when the characters work together.  She’s a nicer character when she supports Mary.  Still does horrible things because she thinks it’s helping, but they often come back to bite her.

Clarissa is not my favorite character and it’s more the working in the shadows.  I’m not sure how she’s motivated; I don’t think you can trust her.  Mary seems to, but that’s not a smart idea; don’t trust someone you don’t know or can’t see.  Of course, she tries to hurt her younger brothers after gaining their trust.  I also don’t always trust Nostradamus.  He has good intentions, but relying so heavily on visions and prophecies brings chaos.  I certainly don’t trust Diane, especially when she’s trying to get Bash legitimized. 

There are times I like Mary; she’s a strong queen and someone who doesn’t take what is thrown at her lying down.  However, she also makes some dumb choices.  I am not fond of any of the love triangles that pop up throughout this show.  Mary can’t seem to make up her mind on whom she wants to love.  She and Francis work well together, when they actually decide to work together.  I would have been happy to watch just their love story; and once Francis was crowned, there’s plenty of political drama that they did not need to add personal drama.  King and queen can disagree about how they want things done and that’s suspense.

An argument I have between Mary and Francis; Mary doesn’t like that Francis wants to put the needs of France first.  However, she does the same thing for Scotland.  Honey, you can’t have it both ways.  You’re each the sovereign of a different country, so your priorities are going to differ.  As with Bash, Francis makes a great team with Mary when they settle down, but the show is determined to throw hurdles in their way constantly.  The scene in the field where Francis proposes is utterly romantic.  Several of their scenes get hot and heavy.  And then it all goes to pot shortly after that.

The plotline with Lola and Francis comes out of nowhere and is a monumentally dumb idea.  They both know things are out of whack at the moment, but let’s do this thing that has potential consequences.  And now they have to deal with those consequences.

The first episode feels off from the rest of the show at times.  They had Bash give odd looks to the camera that made one wonder if he was plotting something as well.  That luckily went away.  I was utterly taken by the show by the fourth episode, when Bash came back wounded (don’t ask).  I was intrigued by the pagan plotline and think they could have done more with it, but the show had too many storylines they were trying to juggle.  (However, gives me lots of ideas for stories of my own.)

Henry going mad was an interesting plotline because it brings added danger to everyone.  He tries to kill Bash, more than once.  He oddly ends up working well with Catherine, which is nice, but still odd because we don’t know what’s going on.  And there are dead girls to contend with.  He’s so consumed with glory and gaining control of England.  Then he wants to kill Francis, his heir, and marry Mary.  So Catherine and Mary want to put an end to him.  Franics argues, until he realizes how dangerous his father is and takes the responsibility himself and rides against his father.

I have mixed feelings about the pairing of Bash and Kenna.  They seem good for each other, because Bash comes to care for her, even though he’s also focused on defeating the Darkness.  Some of their scenes are steamy.  And Kenna encourages Bash that he is enough, just himself; he doesn’t always have to prove himself.  Having Pascal around humanizes her, because she’s typically selfish.  Then…that plotline gets destroyed in the second season.

I never trust Narcisse, even when he tries to do something good.  I almost want the relationship between him and Lola to work out, because maybe she’ll bring the good out in him.  Nope.  Still is a complete jerk.  Yet, he oddly pairs with Catherine well.  Except they can’t trust each other enough to go far.

The triangle with Louis of Conde was unneeded.  A love triangle almost destroyed Francis and Mary before, so what do they do?  Bring in another one.  I mean, at first, I thought he was a nice guy, helping out his cousin.  But then I want to hit him as the season goes on.

The rape scene and plotline in the second season was unnecessary.  Yes, it brings drama, but all it does it throw Mary towards Louis.  She already has the mindset that if Francis won’t do what she wants, she’ll go to Louis to get it.  Not a good idea.  The only decent thing out of that scene was Catherine’s support of Mary.  I don’t know if it could have been avoided if Francis had told Mary the truth about his father’s death earlier; he was on the cusp of it at the end of season one when Mary sent him to Lola.  And he was on the cusp of it when he broke her heart by telling her he was upset she wasn’t pregnant.

I expected Mary’s pregnancy to Francis to last longer than one episode. Even though I knew, historically, Mary and Francis never had children, I was still happy that Mary was pregnant. And to have her miscarry so suddenly and so soon after it’s introduced was a bit heartbreaking. Catherine’s response was a bit funny, barging into their room with things for Mary.

Claude was genuinely affectionate with Francis and I wish we saw more of that.  And not the weird previous relationship between her and Bash.  However, her storyline with her mother was interesting, and played into the ghosts Catherine started seeing, same as Henry.  Once Claude settled down from trying to make Bash uncomfortable, they worked well together uncovering the truth of her sisters’ death.  And Diane’s back, and still making a mess of things.  Am I surprised that Catherine took the opportunity to kill her?  No.  I do like that we start seeing Bash and Catherine work together and be nice to each other.  (Diane’s death will surely become a problem later.)

Louis has a brother Antoine, who also needs hit.  The whole issue with their oldest brother being killed, they think by Bash, is never fully solved.  They think it’s Bash.  Bash admits it may have been him, but I’m not wholly convinced.  Antoine also tries to break up Bash’s marriage.  So it’s not wholly Kenna’s fault, but she’s still fairly selfish and is more concerned with nice things.  She also did not trust Bash enough at the end to be honest with him and instead tries to trick him.  Like, she had to have known it wouldn’t work well.  I had wanted the marriage to go well for Bash, for his sake.  For something happy and good in his life.

Which leaves the door open for Delphine.  Who I also don’t trust.  I am grateful for her powers when she saves Bash; which that scene was a total shock and I just sat silently for a few minutes when it went to commercial (and wished my mother would stop talking.  I have not recovered emotionally yet, leave me be).  But she strongly claims she is not a witch.  Honey, you can mystically heal people; yes it has a price, but magic often does.  You have visions.  You can bind yourself to someone, which was just a bit creepy.  I have no problem with you being a witch, just, admit it.  Don’t be frightened of it, but take advantage of the power.  You can’t have it both ways.  Is she a better match for Bash than Kenna?  Maybe.  That plotline needed better developed just the two of them.  But Bash is so often investigating things for Francis.

Odd as it sounds, Catherine kidnapping Lola and John and making Francis think John is dead goes a long way in bringing Mary and Francis back together.  Mary doesn’t attempt to take to Louis’ side and is instantly by her husband’s side and quite willing to help in whatever way she can.  Thankfully, John is safe, and Narcisse finds Lola and her child.  Though I do think the reveal that Franics is still not wholly well goes far in Francis’s desire to easily reconcile with Mary.  And a pairing between Catherine and Elizabeth I is not for anyone.

Catherine gets her comeuppance for that in the beginning of season three, easily getting captured and taken back to France to be thrown in the dungeon.  But Francis’s lingering illness makes that beginning of the season heartbreaking.  Charles has certainly grown up in the few intervening years and then grows up with the events of the season.  Hurrah for Narcisse doing the decent thing and helping Charles and Claude.  Now he has Francis’s permission to pursue Lola.

I like that England began to play more of a role in the politics and drama of the series.  There are still some historical inaccuracies, but Elizabeth I did have a very well-known affair with Robert Dudley.  (I don’t think it resulted in a child, miscarried or not.)

That dance in episode three is utterly beautiful and utterly heartbreaking.  The tune is Stay with Me, which suits the mood, and is so pretty played on violin.  The choreography is perfection.  I wish we had more scenes like that throughout the show.

Delphine saving Francis, even at the possible expense of Marie de Guise, gives us a spot of hope.  We’re happy; Bash has a love interest, Francis and Mary can plan a future.  Even Greer is happy with her new career, and having favor at court again.  Francis plans to whisk Mary away to Paris for a romantic getaway, then they stop to be a happy couple.  And it’s utterly ruined by the attack.  Even though I knew it was coming, I cried when Francis died.  The heartbreak that everyone plays; gosh, look at Bash’s face, and having to carry his brother away.  Placing the sword and crown on his casket.  Mary kissing the casket farewell, after her screams.  Not a dry eye at the end of that episode.  Then a few episodes later for Catherine and Bash to bring his casket back in order to clear Catherine’s name.  The audience knows that Catherine would never kill Francis.  And Catherine telling Mary not to look.  We’re not so happy with Narcisse after that.

Now Mary has to marry again, for the sake of her crown and country.  Most of the French court is still nice to her, even Catherine.  A pox on Narcisse for trying to force her out.  Don Carlos is kind for a moment, then manipulative.  I didn’t initially trust Gideon Blackburn, but he turns out so kind, and Mary is so sweet to his daughter.  Mary even saves Elizabeth’s life from a Vatican plot and gives Robert Dudley back to Elizabeth, even at the expense of sending Gideon.  Mary just needs a hug at the end.

It’s a tangled mess when Catherine takes a lover who turns out to be a killer, but being blackmailed into nonaction.  Her actions against Claude are terrible, but at least Charles is behind Claude (and Claude using what she learned from Leith was great).  Christophe was creepy from the moment he came on screen.  He attacks Delphine and later kills her.  I may not have trusted Delphine, but I didn’t want her dead; poor Bash.  Then he has to confront her killer.  And then confront Catherine.  Gosh, the heartbreak for him.  He’s already confessed he still has feelings for Mary, and will follow her to Scotland to continue to be in her service and protect her.

They’re shipwrecked on the shores of Scotland and Narcisse is not impressed and leaves Mary as soon as he honorably can.  Bash is almost killed, but we get to meet the Druids.  (Though that bit with the snakes was…gross and a bit weird.)  And find out that Bash may have a connection to them as well.  Mary gets revenge for Francis by killing the clan leader (John Barrowman, who is Scottish and is Captain Jack Harkness in Doctor Who).  Except, now she has to deal with John Knox, who dislikes female monarchs (not something I knew about the man) and even tries to get James to disband the monarchy.

James Stuart is probably portrayed nicer than he was in life.  I was fine that; I’m familiar with the actor from Good Witch and several other Hallmark movies where he tends to play royalty.  Actually, the number of Hallmark men who are in this show is just shy of absurd.  Torrance Coombs (Bash) is in Royally Ever After, Jonathan Keltz (Leith) is in Once Upon a Prince.  Will Kemp (Darnley) is in three movies with Lacey Chabert: Love, Romance, & Chocolate, The Christmas Waltz, and The Dancing Detective: A Deadly Tango, amongst others.  Steven Lund (Luc Narcisse) is in three of the Heart Around the Table movies [fairly new, and Torrance Coombs is the male lead in the fourth] and at least three other Hallmark Christmas movies.

It’s Knox who arranges word to get to Lola that Mary wants Elizabeth assassinated.  Mary gave no such word, but Knox doesn’t care; he just wants both women off their thrones and Protestant men put in their places.  Lola is caught and her friendship with the queen does not save her from being executed.  Narcisse was there, hoping to rescue his wife, and is forced to watch her beheading.  Mary is devastated.  Her only companion left is Greer, who returns to Scotland after Lola’s death.  She brings her young daughter (from a fling with a privateer.  Her husband is rescued from prison, but ultimately finds other companionship.)

I was terribly sad when Bash left.  I understand the actor left to pursue another show, but story wise it seems so odd for him to travel all the way to Scotland to be by Mary’s side, then leave her.  I mean, at least, they try to explain it with him pursuing his own supernatural talents.  Then, he’s mentioned in the fourth season that he’s had a vision, which he passes on to David Rizzio that Mary may have love, or an heir that will unite Scotland and England, but not both.  David oddly comments that it’s Bash’s spirit that leads him to Mary.  Uh, does that mean Bash is already dead?

This news just affirms that Mary will marry Darnley, who has a claim to the English throne himself.  Elizabeth fears this and even allows Gideon to return to Mary and propose marriage.  Again, they’re so sweet together and happy.  But Mary is afraid that the match will make her a prisoner in England.  So she breaks Gideon’s heart.  In England, Gideon ends up close to Elizabeth and the queen is kind to his daughter, particularly her last few days before she passes. 

I want to smack Darnley on a constant basis.  He’s arrogant and flippant and a jerk.  He’s only concerned with his position and not helping Mary as the current monarch.  He has a few charming moments, which is how Mary is able to conceive a child, but then the man goes along with a plot to rid the court of Bothwell, whom Mary has grown close to (admittedly, the man is handsome, and a right spot kinder than Darnley).  When the council can’t get their hands on Bothwell, they stab Rizzio in front of a pregnant Mary (that is historically accurate).  Mary does help Darnley escape the castle because she figures the other members won’t stand behind him long.  Then, the man, after several pledges to protect her, leaves his pregnant wife in the woods, alone. 

Meanwhile, in France, Catherine’s eldest daughter, Leeza (actually Elizabeth, but goes by a nickname so as not to be confused with Elizabeth Tudor) visits from Spain.  Yet, she wants Spain to have more influence in France and since Charles has been traumatized by an attack from the Red Knights, he’s not a strong king.  He gets better, with a bit of help from Claude’s new husband, Luc Narcisse.  Luc is actually a decent guy, unlike his father.  He tries to be understanding of Claude’s state of mind after Leith was killed.  Though, Leith returns, briefly.  He survived, but can’t stand that Claude is now married, so he leaves, hoping they all might find new happiness.  (Nothing can be straightforward, can it?)

Catherine is not happy that Leeza is home, or what changes she tries to make.  Catherine is trying to keep hold of the regency, though that too slips from her grasp.  Leeza eventually leaves, but also has instructions that Charles’ younger brother, Henry (who oddly looks older than Charles now), should take the throne.  That pits the two brothers against each other.  Further complicated by Charles’ female companion, Nicole.  Nicole is fairly kind, but wants more out of life than her humble beginnings.  She pursues Narcisse, who goes along with the affair so she’ll help control Charles.  Then, Henry arrives and is interested in Nicole, who is interested in return.  Then…Charles wants to marry her.

Catherine arranges for her death so the boys will unite against Spain.  Which involves making a deal with a witch…you know, for someone who spouts that France must remain Catholic, Cathreine sure makes use of magic a lot.  That whole deal, and Narcisse’s involvement just becomes last episode weirdness.  We finally see Catherine’s other daughter, Margot.  They almost seemed to be setting up another season, but the show definitely ended.

Narcisse briefly returns to Scotland to exact his revenge on those responsible for Lola’s death.  He castrates Knox, especially angry that Mary is not able to legally capture him for his wrongdoing.  He also arranges for Gideon Blackburn to die in Elizabeth’s arms, so the queen will know the loss of love.  Elizabeth is still not keen on marrying, so she makes use of Francis Drake (that is partially historically accurate; they mess with timelines again).  Then she has to prepare for the Spanish Armada.

Mary continues to have problems in Scotland; she almost dies in childbirth, but Bothwell calls her back.  That tender scene with Bothwell, Mary, and her newborn son is sweet.  And interrupted by Darnley doing something stupid.  A little later, what do we expect from the man who abandoned his pregnant wife in the woods?  He leaves his newborn son in the woods, on the word of the vision of his dead lover.  Darnley was killed and history points to Bothwell, possibly with Mary’s knowledge.  Just, not only a few days after her son’s birth.  Hurrah for seeing her brother again, for about ten minutes.  Mary asks for Elizabeth’s help and the time skip of two decades shows that that did not end well.  Yes, Mary was prisoner in England for many years before she was ultimately executed.

I do love the final scene, reuniting Mary and Francis.  Since this show portrays their love story, as up and down as they wrote it, I was happy to see Francis again.  Maybe their time in the afterlife will be better.  There’s a montage of bits through the seasons while Mary smiles to be back with her love.

In general, I liked the show.  I have to suspend my knowledge of history for a bit.  But the characters are compelling.  And I wanted to know how the twists and turns worked out.  I agree with a comment I read that the show might have done better if they had tossed the historical connection out and just placed it all in a fantasy universe.  Will I watch it again?  Yes.

There are some YouTube mixes that I keep going back to, that mainly deal with the brotherly relationship between Bash and Francis; they do tend to be a bit bittersweet, considering how their stories end.

Say Something by Ariana moreau

See You Again by LongMayYouReign

Brother (Kodaline) by Julia Defávari is wonderful.  The music has been used in other videos for other brotherly relationships [which leads to more videos and all influence the essay I will someday write]

Hey Brother by Dragon Wishes is also in that category.  [Side note: there’s an excellent version of this song done by D’Artagnan]

Some of the fanfiction stories I keep going back to:

The Favourite Son by Beserk

I really like It takes a boy to live but it takes a man to pretend he was there by lorarawr

I’ve Got You, Brother by MarieBloom is rather nice

My Brother’s Keeper by OUATLovr is good as well, there are more chapters in the version on fanfiction.net.  The author has several other stories for Reign as well.

I have read several of MissWhitneyBex’s stories, which are modern takes and they’ve honestly given me ideas for modern takes on my story, but I usually end up wanting to hit her characters for being making consistently stupid choices.

A Continuing Historical Fandom Update

First, another apology for the delay in posting Season Three of Race to the Edge. It will actually be posted imminently. However, as stated in the last Random Fandom Update, I’ve been distracted by Reign. About halfway through the series at this point (I’m aware of most of the highlights.) However, it sparked a massive amount of inspiration and creativity with certain elements. Love several of the characters and some of the fantasy elements play well with ideas in my head. And thus is born the longest piece of fiction I have ever written (actually, longest anything I’ve written). At the time of this posting it is 37,000 words. Making it officially novella length. And it’s not complete. It’s shaping up to be the sequel to the book that I should be working on, which itself is the fourth in a series. – I cannot explain how my brain works, I just go with it. It’s a continuing saga.

We Have Claimed These Characters as Our Own

The series as a whole is the best-selling book series of all time and the movie series is the third highest-grossing in history behind Star Wars and the MCU.  Single books held records for being the fastest selling.  With Harry Potter being around for over twenty years and the kind of people who got interested in the universe, there should be no surprise that there are a lot of fan theories out there.  Same as Marvel, I’ve got a whole board on Pinterest devoted to “Potterverse”

These are the headcannons that fans have created that I totally support:

We want a Marauders movie, or story, or book…anything.  What was the last straw that made Sirius run away?  How did they make the map?  How did Filch get it?  What made Sirius tell Snape about the Whomping Willow?  What made Lily agree to date James?  Proof they weren’t just a bunch of jerks.  When did Peter switch sides?  Proof he was a friend and not a tagalong fanboy.  (Cast: Ben Barnes as Sirius, Andrew Garfield as Remus, Karen Gillian as Lily, Aaron Taylor Johnson as James)

What name did baby Harry say first?  (It’d be hilarious if it was Sirius or a version of Padfoot)

They became Animagus for their friend and told no one.

Prank wall covered in notes and photos

Pairing Sirius and Remus

James covers for Remus as prefect during full moons.  McGonagall totally supports this.

Sirius and Lily friendship.  Lily and Remus friendship

Lily’s friendship with all the Marauders, and individually

The Potters taking Sirius in

How did James and Lily fall in love?

James and Lily’s Patronus are complimentary (stag/doe), while Severus and Lily’s are same (doe).  Love and obsession are not the same.

James Potter was more than a bully.  A fully fledged person with a host of emotions.  James changed for Sirius when he ran away, it just so happened that it coincided with Lily noticing and agreeing to go on a date.

When Lily Evans told James Potter she wouldn’t go out with him because he was a bully, he stopped bullying people and redeemed himself.  When Lily told Severus Snape she wouldn’t go out with him because he called her a racial slur, he went and joined a racist terrorist group.  Conclusion: James Potter handled rejection much better than Severus Snape did.

The bravest things James Potter did were secrets

What if James had transformed into his stag form to take on Voldemort on Halloween night, and trampled him to death.

The novel idea that Severus and James actually work together so no one else can ask Lily out; they take care of the competition.

Or Severus and Regulus stand in front of Remus when other students try to mess with him (for instance, the other Marauders are serving detention)

We respect McGonagall.  She is as golden as her reputation.  Imagine if she had raised Harry; he’d be super polite and probably managed to kill Voldemort when he was eleven.  She also cares greatly about her students.  The Marauders would have had Transfiguration questions about becoming Animagus and posed them to McGonagall.  Yes, she got Harry a broom first year and just told Ron to replace his wand second year; but it was more giving a gift to a child who had been neglected and trying to get a family to recognize their youngest son.  She’d be a more reasonable and responsible headmaster than Albus.  Also, her sass to Umbridge.

McGonagall mothering students who need her, like Sirius.

An idea that McGonagall and the Weasleys start a program for students who are not safe at home.

Note that students get out of McGonagall’s way when she draws her wand.

James standing up to McGonagall for Sirus and Remus when Severus makes a crack that they’re privileged, and James hit Severus for it.

Harry being raised by Sirus and Remus [there are wonderful fanfiction stories out there]

We all hate Umbridge, even more than Voldemort.  (Because we know people as bigoted as Umbridge)

Dumbledore knowingly put children in danger.  And we realize that Dumbledore is manipulative and abusive, and not infallible. 

I thought Albus was a great mentor the first time I read the books; I cried at his death in Half-Blood Prince.  By Deathly Hallows, I was probably starting to lose faith.  But as I’ve matured and thought of other points of view, I’ve changed my mind.  No, he’s not a terrible person.  He was just convinced he was right and he was the only one who knew what was right and what needed to be done.  And he failed Harry.  He allowed a child to be miserable to years when he could have changed the situation and then let the child go back, so that by the time the child has grown up, he doesn’t know how to be around his blood family because they’ve hurt and dismissed him.  Great for self-esteem; but maybe that was what Dumbledore needed in order for Harry to willingly allow himself to die.  Keep him dependent on Dumbledore for information and answers, but limit how much he’s allowed to know.  Dumbledore is by far not the most evil character in the story, that lies with Umbridge and Voldemort, but he’s not a shining gold star.

Dumbledore collects outcasts: expelled half-giant, young werewolf, repentant Death Eater.  But Sirius was a rebel, not an outcast.  He knowingly chose his path and chooses the price, refuses to be used.  So Dumbledore abandons him.  Knows Sirius loyalty lies with Harry, not Dumbledore, and has no use for someone not willing to follow his orders without question.  Harry is outcast because of abusive family, which is where Dumbledore knowingly placed him.

What if Remus yelled at Dumbledore for Sirius and then quit?

An AU where Remus keeps his job.  When Umbridge comes to make rounds two years later, no one will say a bad word.  Draco won’t mess up his OWL.  Snape won’t say anything against his potion making.  Everyone behaves because the student to get Lupin tossed out will be ruined and face the wrath of Hermione Granger.

I’m on the side of Severus Snape was not the greatest guy.  He bullied a child for many things that were not that child’s fault.  You think Harry can help he looks like James?  Or he has his mother’s eyes?   Snape only cared that Voldemort was going to murder a family and one-year-old boy when he found out it was Lily.  He only wanted to rescue Lily, not her family.  He was Neville’s worst fear.  He got Remus fired and also set an essay while he was off hoping that the students would realize he’s a werewolf.  He may have had a hard job, being a spy in two camps and keeping his true allegiance a secret, but he damn well could have been a nicer person!  Saying he did it all for Lily doesn’t really absolve him of treating her son and other students abysmally.  And admittedly, Alan Rickman portrayed the man splendidly and actually made us feel sorry for the man.  No one could have played Snape better (and we have lost a gifted actor).  Snape is a complicated man, period.

Lily kicking Severus’ butt in the afterlife.  And probably Petunia’s as well

Fred Weasley joins the Marauders in the after life

Gordon Ramsey would be a better Potions professor than Snape.  He’d support kids and call Dumbledore an “idiot sandwich”

There are dozens of other options Harry should have named his son rather than Albus Severus.  For instance, Remus Arthur “you were named after two men who looked out for my safety and cared about my well-being out of altruism and decency rather than because I was a tool for them to use or because I was someone’s son.  And one of them is your grandfather and presumably you mother got some influence on naming you.”

(And seriously, this whole business of the Slytherin one being the bravest man you’ve ever known?  Like, what about Remus, who taught you the Patronus Charm?  Or Sirius breaking out of prison to save you?)

Or, if they had triplet boys and name them James, Sirius, and Remus.  That would be the last straw for McGonagall.  She’s McGonagone.

Decent Slytherins: Slughorn, Andromeda Tonks, Narcisa Malfoy…none of them bullied children

Magical Home Ec

Muggleborn witches and wizards bringing Muggle ideas to school, pop culture.  Pens.  Coffee.

The Houses: “Luna Lovegood did not confront and suffer at the hands of Death Eather for Ravenclaw to be the House of smart snobs.  Cedric Diggory did not die for Hufflepuff to be a forgotten House of underappreciated witches and wizards.  Regulus Black did not sacrifice himself for Slytherin to be condemned as the House from which all evil and selfish wizards and witches come from.  Peter Pettigrew did not sell out his long-had friends to Lord Voldemort for Gryffindor to become the golden House wherein no one can do wrong.”

Separated into Houses due to learning styles.

Remember, Slytherins value traditionalism, Hufflepuffs value hard work, Ravenclaws value creativity, wit, individuality, and Gryffindors value chivalry.

Gryffindors use magic as a weapon, but responsibly.  Hufflepuffs share magic to benefit others.  Slytherins are cautious, keep magic to selves.  Ravenclaws push the boundaries of magic.

Hufflepuffs find beauty in life.  Ravenclaws find wonder in life.  Gryffindors find excitement in life.  Slytherins find hope in life.

Gryffindors don’t care about rules, they care about justice.  Slytherins are ruthless, but they care about rules.  Ravenclaws hate rules, they prevent creativity.  Hufflepuffs emphasize equality.

House bravery: Gryffindor is doing the thing, suppressing the fear and overcoming it.  Slytherin is doing the thing because the goal outweighs the fear and risk.  Ravenclaw is doing the thing because it makes sense despite the risk.  Hufflepuff is forgetting to be afraid because the thing is so important that the risk doesn’t even matter.

Helga Hufflepuff created a secret room which would help all students, called many things, today known as the Room of Requirement

Slytherins protect younger students during the battle since their common room is removed from the fighting.

House unity.  Playing evening Quidditch games against each other.  Mixing tables after the war.  Slytherins have comfort Hufflepuffs.  House exchange programs.

Slytherin Triwizard champion.  Slytherins stand up to Umbridge.  Join Dumbledore’s Army.  Fight against Death Eaters in the Ministry.  Take in Muggleborns.

Harry is intelligent.  He’s good at magic.  Perfectly capable of becoming a terrifying Dark Wizard, times when he seems alarmingly near that point.  But he chooses not to.  Ability to love, accept love, understand love, yes, all important.  But it’s not because he’s an incorruptibly pure hero with an unprecedented fountain of love in his heart, in the end he chooses friendship and family.  Deliberately exchanges his life for the people of Hogwarts.

Harry is more sarcastic in the books

Harry’s life summarized: “Harry then did something that was both very brave and very stupid.”

Ron truly outdid his brothers.  Bill’s a curse breaker, Ron destroyed a Horcrux.  Ron freed the dragon from Gringotts.  Ron rose in status due to being friends with Harry, then married Hermione, literal Minister of Magic.  Ron drove a car to school one year, helped discover the entrance to the Chamber of Secrets, meetings in Room of Requirement.

Ron offered a stranger half a sandwich.  He sacrificed himself for Harry and Hermione at 11 because even then he thought they were more important.  He was Harry’s first friend, the first thing Harry ever had resembling a family.  He took care of Harry and Hermione when they were too busy taking care of the rest of the world to worry about themselves.

“Shoutout to George, Fred, and especially Ron Weasley for realizing that Harry was stuck in abusive and unhealthy household, and in spite of massive trouble they knew they could get in, taking immediate steps to personally see him removed from that environment, something no adult in Harry’s life did.”

Charlie Weasley the next Care of Magical Creatures teacher.

Charlie Weasley bringing dragons to the final battle

Weasley appreciation: Try having a couple Weasleys illegally on the airwaves, one destroying Voldemort’s Horcruxes, one protesting at Hogwarts, one running loose in the government, one housing escaped prisoners, and one getting foreign support!  More children than they can afford?  Try more children than you can effectively stop!  Would you like to pick an opponent based on which Quidditch position they excel at, or do you wanna roll the dice and go with one of the brothers who got 12 OWLs?  Those are your only two options because the Weasleys are EVERYWHERE and the weak link is NO ONE.  Glorious.  Iconic.  Every Weasley has red hair, freckles, and a drive to destroy the concept of blood purity at all cost!!

Characters (particularly the Weasleys and Hermione) recognizing and helping Harry out with PTSD

We want Harry to be the Defense Against the Dark Arts professor, not Auror.  All of them becoming professors; Hermione starts as Transfiguration, then becomes Headmistress.  Ron is the new Flying Instructor.

Hermione returned to Hogwarts to complete her seventh year [this might have actually be verified by Rowling; I don’t remember.  Don’t care.  We claim it]

Nine-year-old Hermione reading Matilda

What if when Scabbers was stuck as a cup, he transformed back into Peter Pettigrew?  McGonagall would have had that handled.

Where do you think magical blood came from?  Cross humans with Fae and other magical beings.

Hagrid appreciation: He’s a better person than Snape; even after having his secret revealed without his consent, and taking the fall for Tom Riddle’s crime in school, was still a good man and supported the trio.

Similarities to James and Sirius’ friendship and Harry and Ron’s: Dursleys abused Harry, Blacks abused Sirius; Weasleys loved and cared for Ron, Potters loved and cared for James; Harry runs away from Privet Drive hoping never to return again, Sirius runs away from Grimmauld Place hoping never to return; Harry basically moves in with Weasleys, Sirius moves in with James while still in school; Whalburga Black blasted Sirius off the family tapestry, Dursleys wanted to erase Harry from lives and memories; Ron comes from old pureblood Gryffindor family, same with James; Harry didn’t want to be in Slytherin and ended up in Gryffindor, same with Sirius.  Harry and Sirius are lost boys and James and Ron are their anchors and support systems.

Note, Sirius did not know the Dursleys were abusive.  And Sirius grew up in an abusive house and if he had known for a single second that his godson was facing the same thing, he would have rescued Harry.  And Harry was more worried about his godfather’s safety and freedom than his own health.  To Dumbledore: “people don’t like being locked up!”

Sirius has PTSD

Don’t think about the fact that Sirius saw James’ and Lily’s bodies

Don’t think about the fact that Sirius spent more time in Azkaban than he did with James

Sirius fell behind the veil; but before his body hit the ground, a set of strong and familiar hands caught him.  Beyond-the-veil James like “What in the world are you doing that you’re falling into the afterlife.”  Sirius like “…definitely not battling Death Eaters with your kid…”

Bellatrix used red light: Stupefy.  If Sirius had not fallen through the veil he would have lived.  Hence why Harry can’t come to terms with his death (in the books; in the movie she does use Avada Kedavra and it’s a green blast).

Someone pointed out that Helena Bonham Carter played the moment after Sirius’ death with remorse for a second.  We applaud her

Dapper and suave Sirius, a gentleman who looks good in full black tail, a charmer

Sirius is the one adult in Harry’s life that prioritizes Harry’s safety and happiness over literally anything else.  In turn, Harry is far more open with Sirius than any other adult.  Sirius listens to Harry’s thoughts and feelings patiently and without judgment. [And this is why I hate that Rowling killed him off…well, if you think about it, with Dumbledore being the paragon of good in her eyes, there’s no room for an actual decent character who would help Harry and not kill him]

Harry knew what he was losing when he lost Sirius.  His parents were abstract; he was too little when they died to fully remember them.  A dull ache.  Sirius was someone who loved him, rooted for him, always come to help, the beginnings of a home and proper family.

If Hagrid and Dumbledore had let Sirius take Harry, Sirius would have never gone after Peter.

Headcannons about Regulus.  Having a complicated relationship with Sirius, still caring about his brother.  Coming out of the cave in Half-Blood Prince thinking Harry is James and wondering about Dumbledore.

Sirius protecting Regulus as a child

Regulus keeps an eye out on Sirius after his death.  Tries to talk sense into him during the whole Pettigrew debacle.  “You do not want to duel Bellatrix!”

What if Regulus was the Death Eater spy turned potions master instead of Snape?  Seeing Remus again.  Seeing Sirius in the third book.

What if Malfoys found Harry at platform, rather than Weasleys.  But Harry still manages to make Draco and Ron friends.

Draco and Harry pairing

Draco and Harry the two sides to the same coin, caught up in something much bigger than themselves, as children.

Draco refusing Dark Mark after fourth year.  Running away.  Lupin finds him and rescues him from danger, brings him to Sirius.  At first Sirius angry for treatment of Harry, but recognizes himself in Draco.

Teddy Lupin’s Patronus is a werewolf

Harry meets Susan Pevensie

Harry and possibly Nevill converting Grimmauld Place into a children’s home.

What if Petunia, or both Dursleys had cared a little more about their nephew?

What if Petunia was magical (and hid it)?  Or if Dudley had a magical child?

Harry fights the Dark Lord, but still scared by angry women…well, when those women are Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley.  If you manage to make Luna mad, watch out.

Mary Poppins attended Hogwarts.  Mentions Walt and Wonka.

The funny notion that Voldemort made a seating chart for the Death Eaters

Hermione creates Lupin’s Law that helps werewolves.

3 things the Harry Potter fandom universally agree on: 1) Umbridge is awful.  2) Maggie Smith is the perfect McGonagall.  3) Everyone should be slightly bothered by DID YOU PUT YOUR NAME IN THE GOBLET OF FIRE

In addition; book Ginny is 100 times better than movie Ginny.  Where was Peeves in the movies?  And Voldemort’s death in the movie was stupid [the battle in Order of the Phoenix was more interesting]

Why the readers disliked the Nineteen Years Later epilogue: we’re millennials; we were satisfied that our young heroes won.  But then there’s a time skip and they’re all happily married with children; they’re financially stable and content, and that is not something we can honestly believe.  We don’t see that in our own futures and we’ve grown up with these characters, we don’t see that happening for them.  An aftermath where they deal with the trauma and fallout, we can believe.  Trying to make it and discover what the future holds; we’re on board.  Trying to fix society, we know all about that.  But who says we want to be exactly like our parents?  “In a world about magic, JK Rowling finally broke our suspension of disbelief by having them all hit middle-class and middle-age contentment and expecting a fanbase of teenagers to accept it.”

Honestly, the book would have been alright ending right before the epilogue, with Harry repairing his wand, planning to get some sleep, hoping that Kreacher will bring him a sandwich, saying “I’ve had enough trouble for a lifetime.”  Satisfying and hey, you let your readers come up with their own endings.  Fans do that for every other book and movie.  There will always be more to the story, but the epilogue just made us mad.

People talk a lot about how Harry Potter taught them about friendship and bravery and love overcoming evil, etc, and of course that is important.  But, Harry Potter taught an entire generation of kids that news media can’t always be trusted to tell the truth, that the government can often be corrupt or incompetent, that the legal system isn’t always right, that the people in power don’t always have your best interests at heart.  That bad things sometimes happen to good people, that your heroes aren’t always as perfect as you think they are, that even those with the best intentions can be wrong, that everyone can make mistakes and that often in order to make things right, it takes a lot of hard work and sacrifice.

I’ve also found as I read fanfiction and see all the headcanons that have emerged on Pintrest about this fandom: Rowling, we have claimed your characters.  They are ours now.  And we will continue to create a more in-depth world for them.  And answer the questions you left dangling.

I have read supplemental material over the years; Harry Potter and Philosophy got me interested in the Pop Culture and Philosophy series and I went on to buy several other editions.  There was even a second Harry Potter edition put out.  The Magical World of Harry Potter is an excellent reference book for general magical research.  Harry Potter’s Bookshelf and Harry Potter and History were not as interesting as I hoped.  Calling All Witches! is a cute book about the women of Harry Potter.  Because of Harry Potter, I did read Alan Rickman’s memoir, which was a bit eye-opening, and Tom Felton has put out a memoir as well.  There are countless other guides out there and “unauthorized” companions and such that the sheer volume makes me shy away.  I’ve also read my companions and that is quite enough for me, thank you.

Again, there will always be a place in my heart for Harry Potter.  I’ve enjoyed re-reading the books, listening to the soundtracks again, watching the movies again and seeing the actors grow up.  There are iconic characters now that are not leaving culture anytime soon.  A whole generation was introduced to the likes of Alan Rickman, Robbie Coltrane, Maggie Smith, and the other adults.  We are sad at the passing of each actor and actress that was involved with the movies as they pass.  These books gave me hope of publishing my own series.  It was fun to read a series about someone my age being the hero.  I was enraptured by the world-building as a teenager.  I still would love to visit the Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando, Florida (okay, I’ll visit while I stop at the How to Train Your Dragon land they’re opening soon).  I will never say I hate Harry Potter, though I may be disappointed with the direction things have gone.  We’ll file this under “childhood nostalgia” with Free Willy and Incredible Journey.

There are of course other Harry Potter fanfictions that I’ve read, such as

Erasing the Future by moxteminator, where Harry goes back in time to change events after things go wrong against Voldemort.  It does not include information found out in Deathly Hallows.

There’s also An Aunt’s Love and What’s Right (and partially year two, but I believe it’s been abandoned by this point) by Emma Lipardi.  In An Aunt’s Love, Petunia actually cares about Harry and makes some changes after Sirius’ death.  What’s Right is another time-travel fic, where Harry goes back in time to set things right and it’s got the interesting addition of becoming friends with Draco and his family; they’re a little more sympathetic.  And some hilarious quotes!  I do recommend them.

There was a site when I first got into fanfiction called The Sugar Quill.  It is no longer active, but there is supposedly an archive of their stories done as captures.  Most of the stories are not canon compliant and go off the beaten path, but they’ve got some zingers.

But I still hold that the best Harry Potter fanfiction I have personally read (and was so happy to find out my cousin has also read it, yay, share the love!) and is miles better than Cursed Child is A Marauder’s Plan.  Warning, if you do plan on reading this, there are SPOILERS Ahead!  As already mentioned, it involves Sirius a lot more.  He makes the decision to stay and help Harry during the events of the Triwizard Tournament (yes, he still gets entered, no way out of that).  Sirius gets custody and gives Harry a loving home.  We learn so much more about the Wizarding World (and yeah, it makes better sense than Rowling’s version).  We learn more about Sirius’ backstory and even James’.  There are more character dynamics and different character relations, like pairing Harry with Hermione.  It incorporates all the vital information from later books (like Horcruxes and Hallows) and the Voldemort issue gets resolved.  The issues with Dumbledore get addressed, Snape remains enigmatic, and other side characters get to step into the spotlight more, like McGonagall.  Draco gets an attitude adjustment.  We see more of Remus and Tonks.  Heck, even Bill is more in this story.   Harry gains power, magical and political, but also gets to be a teen at times.

A Wee Bit of Fandom

I promise, I have not dropped off the face of the Earth! Life is just…hectic, chaotic, all those words. I most certainly will continue with my blogs on Star Wars (I want to share some of my favorite Extended Universe [now termed Legends; we’ll get into that later] novels). Sadly, those will most likely come after the new year. I don’t know what it is these past few months, but free time has floated by. I’m sure it’s a trait of adulthood, that when a day off rolls around, it gets filled with errands and chores and everything else; it’s just getting annoying.

On a happy note, I did accomplish some writing that made me happy…nothing publishable because my brain still refuses to concentrate on that work. Nevertheless, the stories have made me happy and a few plotlines are still floating about in my head. Heavily influenced by re-watching Disney XD’s show Lab Rats. [If adults can like Spongebob (I hated that show when it was out and I still don’t get it), then I can like Lab Rats 🙂 ] The show featured three bionic siblings who saved the world on missions. Adam, the eldest, had super strength, Bree, the middle child, had super speed, and Chase, the youngest, had super intelligence. The show ran for three years, and there was a half season of a spin off Lab Rats: Elite Force which added characters from another show, Mighty Med. The show was just getting interesting when it was cancelled. Chase is my favorite character; I like smart guys, though he could be egotistical at times and could probably use a smack upside the head.

I just needed something fluffy to occupy the time after work and before I fall asleep. It works.

If you happen to be interested in Lab Rats fanfiction, I can recommend: “A Slow Poison and a Final Straw” by WolfenM on AO3 and a whole slew of works by MoonlightMystery13.3 over on Fanfiction.net. 88keys has some good stories as well and “Because Family Matters” by Scribbler123 is worth a read.

I do want to thank everyone who has continued reading these blogs! And I hope everyone has a Happy Halloween! (One of my favorite holidays; I love dressing up in costumes, but kindly keep your gore and horror far away from me. You’re lucky I managed to watch Supernatural.)

I promise, Empire Strikes Back is coming!

“These Aren’t the Droids You’re Looking For”

A New Hope

Originally released as simply Star Wars.  It ranks 13th in AFI’s Top 100 Movies, #1 for Film Scores, #8 in Movie Quotes, and #14 in Heroes and Villains.  This is the film that started the saga.  Expertly cast with Mark Hamill (would later voice the Joker in several Batman cartoons [we’ll catch one later] and Fire Lord Ozai in Avatar: The Last Airbender [we’ve already noted the irony of that casting and characterization]) as wet-behind-the-ears Luke Skywalker, Carrie Fisher as Princess Leia Organa, and Harrison Ford (action star extraordinaire; Jack Ryan, Indiana Jones, Air Force One) completing the trio as Han Solo.  Alec Guinness is Obi-Wan Kenobi, Peter Cushing (he worked alongside Christopher Lee several times, mainly in horror films, but he portrayed Sherlock Holmes as well) is Grand Moff Tarkin.  Anthony Daniels brings C-3PO to life, like Kenny Baker does with R2-D2; Peter Mayhew dons the Chewbacca costume while David Prowse wears the Vader suit.  Of course, James Earl Jones (Mufasa, as well as appearing with Harrison Ford in the Jack Ryan movies) provides that deep voice (though not credited in this film).

And seriously, the original theme is also the best, since it doesn’t have to segue into any other theme.  It’s the most joyful and triumphant.  We also hear the Force theme for the first time, which also plays a huge part in the soundtracks of the rest of the saga.  I could try to go into how this film was pioneering, but I wouldn’t be the best choice since I was not alive to witness this film when it first came out and wasn’t a huge fan of it when I first saw it.  And now that the prequel trilogy is out especially, it’s a bit hard to separate what was all brand new in this film when first released with what we know now.

After the crawl, we see that iconic scene of the Star Destroyer chasing the Rebel Runner and are first introduced to R2-D2 and C-3PO; 3PO is the definition of a fusspot.  R2 is given a secret mission and they must escape from the imposing black-caped Darth Vader.  He is looking for the stolen Death Star plans (which we saw how those ended aboard this ship in Rogue One; which was kind of the whole point of that film) and captures Princess Leia.  R2 and 3PO end up on Tatooine and separated briefly until the Jawas (and their signature “oo-tee-dee!”) get their hands on them.

Enter teenager Luke Skywalker and his aunt and uncle Beru and Owen Lars.  They purchase R2 and 3PO.  But R2 is insistent on pursuing his mission and escapes to find Obi-Wan Kenobi, though Luke only knows an “Old Ben.”  Uncle Owen shuts down his questions, simply stating that Obi-Wan died alongside Luke’s father, and he shouldn’t worry about Ben.  Luke, tired of being stuck on a backwater planet, storms off.  Owen tells Beru he’s afraid that Luke has too much of his father in him [and we know why that would be dangerous].

When Luke goes looking for R2, he runs into Sand People.  Ben is around to scare them off and is surprised that a little R2 unit has come searching for him.  Luke asks Ben if he knows an Obi-Wan.  Of course he does, he’s Obi-Wan.  But he hasn’t gone by that name since Luke was born.  He takes Luke home with him and informs the teenager that his father was a Jedi Knight, as was Obi-Wan; they fought in the Clone Wars together.  They were guardians of the peace and justice in the Old Republic.  Luke inherited his piloting skills from his father and Obi-Wan gifts him with the blue lightsaber; “an elegant weapon for a more civilized time.”  Darth Vader was once a pupil of Obi-Wan’s, until he fell to the Dark Side of the Force and betrayed and murdered Luke’s father (uh, he’ll get to that later…shh, it’s a secret for now).  We finally see the whole message that Leia sent to Obi-Wan, asking for his help in the name of her father, Bail Organa [oh yes, you should totally read Wild Space by Karen Miller to find out how Bail and Obi-Wan ended up becoming friends].  She has stashed important plans inside the R2 unit that are vital to the Rebellion.  “Help me, Obi-Wan Kenobi; you’re my only hope.”

Luke doesn’t want to go running off to Alderaan; he has responsibilities here that his uncle was outlining just the previous evening.  He comes across an attack on Jawas on his way home and Obi-Wan deduces it was stormtroopers trying to disguise there attack as Sand People,  They were looking for the droids.  Which would have led them home.  Luke races back only to discover the homestead to be smoldering and two burnt bodies at the door.  He has nothing now, so he’ll follow Obi-Wan.  “I want to learn the ways of the Force and become a Jedi, like my father.”

First, they must find transport and head to Mos Eisley; “you will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy.”  Obi-Wan gets them past the troopers using a Jedi mind trick [that he probably picked up from Qui-Gon] and they search for a pilot in the cantina (cue that iconic music).  Luke gets in a bit of trouble and Obi-Wan proves he still has some fight left in him, slicing off a criminal’s arm with his lightsaber.  They then meet Han Solo and Chewbacca who agree to take them to Alderaan, avoiding Imperial entanglement, and no questions asked for a pretty sum.  Han briefly deals with Greedo after the pair leave (and yes, he shoots first!).  Then he buys more time to pay back his debt to Jabba the Hutt.  Han also gets the idea that his passengers may be more than meets the eye when Imperials show up and start firing as the pair attempt to board the Millennium Falcon.  Chewie gets them out of Tatooine; “here’s where the fun begins.”  Luke is certainly an eager young kid, contrasting with Han who is more world-wise.

Meanwhile, Leia has been taken aboard the Death Star and Vader attempts to interrogate her on the location of the Rebel base, but she resists the mind probe.  Grand Moff Tarkin (he goes by Governor in the film) has another idea.  If Princess Leia does not reveal the base, he will fire the Empire’s ultimate weapon on Alderaan.  Leia finally gives them the planet Dantooine.  Tarkin destroys Alderaan anyway to prove a point.  Obi-Wan feels the incredible loss of life all the way on the Falcon.  But he insists that Luke continue with his training.  Han’s not one to believe in the Force while Obi-Wan comes back that there is no such thing as luck. 

When they come out of hyperspace, they discover what the Empire has done, though they don’t know how.  Until Obi-Wan realizes that the object in the distance is no moon.  It’s a space station.  And they are caught in its tractor beam.  Luke has a very bad feeling about this.  Obi-Wan has a better idea that fighting.  They hide away in the smuggling holds from the Imperial boarding parties, though Vader senses something. Obi-Wan also has an idea on how to deal with the tractor beam.  Han figured the old man would do something foolish.  “Who’s the more foolish; the fool, or the fool who follows him?”  [Still spouting wisdom.]

Han and Luke then discover that Leia is aboard the Death Star and Luke immediately wants to rescue her.  He persuades Han with the promise of reward.  They use Chewie as a prisoner to get to the cell.  The plan goes pretty well, until Han’s funny conversation and Leia notes that Luke is short to be a stormtrooper.  Proving he is an eager young lad, he announces himself to Leia “I’m Luke Skywalker, I’m here to rescue you.”  Oh, and I have your droid.  And Obi-Wan Kenobi.  As Han predicts, they end up with company and Leia takes charge: “into the garbage shoot, flyboy.”  Han either wants to kill the princess, or he’s beginning to like her.  “What an incredible smell you’ve discovered,” Han snarks once they’re out of the line of fire.  Leia contends that the situation could be worse.  Now Han has a bad feeling about this.  It gets worse when a slug creature grabs Luke.  It only lets go when the trash compactor starts up.  Luke calls for R2 and 3PO, but the droids are almost too late to save their humans.  R2 to the rescue in the nick of time!

And now they just have to get through a couple dozen troopers.  Han and Leia still snip at each other; Han is used to taking orders from just one person, himself.  Leia is used to being in charge and asks someone to get the walking carpet out of her way.  (Gotta admire a woman who takes charge and doesn’t wait to be rescued)  They split up; Han deciding it is great tactics to chase after one’s opponent shouting at the top of his lungs.  His luck holds out.  Luke and Leia have to swing across an opening [which Mythbusters proved was possible; and was performed by Mark and Carrie on set in one take (they didn’t have the money for stunt doubles).]  They all eventually meet up by the Falcon.

Obi-Wan sneaks about the battle station and Vader determines he must face his old master alone.  Tarkin dismisses Vader’s power (which we’ve already witnessed is a bad idea; he choked a subordinate when he found his lack of faith disturbing.)  When he confronts Obi-Wan, he claims he is now a master.  “Only a master of evil, Darth.”  Vader claims Obi-Wan’s powers are weak.  Obi-Wan also warns Vader “if you strike me down, I’ll become more powerful than you can possibly imagine.”  [Yes, this duel is much slower than their epic battle in Revenge of the Sith, but keep in mind that this was the first lightsaber duel ever conceived; and take into account Alec Guiness’s age.  And Vader is impeded by a black suit.  And heck, he probably hasn’t had to duel anyone in a while…yet the end of Rogue One proves he’s still got it.  George Lucas’ original concept was that there was a heft to lightsabers; he didn’t want them flung about.  Obviously, once we got back and see Jedi young and in their prime, the duels are more fantastic.  Nevertheless, the choreography is sound]  Obi-Wan senses his young charges are near and allows Vader to slice through him.  But his body disappears (surprising everyone).  His disembodied voice urges Luke to run and the Millennium Falcon escapes.  There’s a brief dogfight to ensure they get away [I remember reading in a novel somewhere that gravity is a bit off in the Falcon at that ladder] which Leia insists was an easy escape.  In fact, Vader has a homing beacon planted on the Falcon.

Our heroes make for the Rebel base on Yavin 4 with all haste to analyze the readouts on R2.  Han takes his reward and intends to leave.  He’s got debts to pay off and going against the Death Star is not his idea of courage.  The Rebellion is banking on snub fighters getting past the guns, flying through a trench, and hitting a small opening to start a chain reaction.  Luke figures it’s not much bigger than the womp rats he used to shoot on Tatooine.  He’s disappointed in Han, but the smuggler does tell the boy, “May the Force be with you,” in parting.  Luke cheers up a bit reuniting with his friend Biggs.  They’re part of Red Sqaudron, along with Wedge Antilles [played by Ewan McGregor’s uncle, Denis Lawson; and the character is most likely related to the Captain Antilles Bail Organa addresses at the end of Revenge of the Sith].

The Death Star is orbiting Yavin to get into position to fire on the base.  Tarkin refuses to leave, even after the techs figure out what the Rebels are aiming for.  The Grand Moff is certain this is the Empire’s moment of triumph.  Even Vader commented that this day saw the end of Kenobi and will see the end of the Rebellion, though he does take his TIE Interceptor out to shoot down Rebel ships.  [Lucas was influenced by the dog fighting of WWII, and I feel that the effects still hold up well forty years later; proves how well made it originally was]  Wedge is hit and has to break off his attack.  Biggs is killed protecting Luke.  Luke hears Obi-Wan urge him to trust the Force to aim his torpedo.  Vader and his friends are gaining on Luke in his X-Wing and R2 is a bit fried [Anakin!  You shot your droid!]  Han swoops in on the Falcon to save the day; knocking Vader away, and giving Luke his chance.  Bombs away just as the station powers up its giant laser.  Huge explosion!

Luke is greeted by cheers and a hug from Leia.  Han joins in.  Luke’s thrilled he returned; Han claims he couldn’t let Luke get all the credit.  [Note the height difference between Carrie and Mark and Harrison, particular Harrison.  It’s a bit funny]  The Rebels hold a ceremony (cue awesome music) to recognize Han, Chewie, and Luke for their actions. 3PO and R2 are all shined up and the Rebellion lives to fight another day.

The main word I can use to describe this film is “iconic.”  Even if you’ve never watched the film, you probably know a lot of key points and dialogue because it is seeped into pop culture so much.  There are several books and magazines articles that outline all the trouble George Lucas went through to get this film made; I highly encourage you to check them out!  This film, and really the whole saga, echo Joseph Campbell’s idea of the “monomyth.”  There is a path that most major hero stories follow [I’ve read the book twice and not even for a class!  And I totally agree with his hypothesis].  Luke receives his “call to adventure;” there is a “refusal of the call;” then there is “supernatural aid.”  This all happens on Tatooine with Obi-Wan.  Luke crosses his first threshold and is thrown into the “belly of the whale.”  That would be joining the Rebellion.  And he begins to undergo trials.

Up Next: The Empire Strikes Back

Tiding Over

A Random Fandom Update:

I happen to be listening to the Pirates of the Caribbean soundtracks recently, which makes me want to re-watch the first trilogy.  They also have inspired a few scenes and notes for my eventual fantasy epic (which is good, because it needs some major work).  And yep, still love the first three movies!  The original is still the best and looking back, I feel some pity for the special effects team because it could not have been easy timing all the moonlight skeleton effects.  Orlando Bloom is young a dashing (he was a celebrity crush when I was a teen) and still swoon at the kiss at the end 🙂

I like elements of Dead Man’s Chest soundtrack and the battle against the Kraken is thrilling.  And the ending of At World’s End is full of emotions.  That flourish in the orchestra during Will and Elizabeth’s wedding times perfectly with the spin, squee!  And Most.  Epic.  Kiss.  Ever!  Of course, I have to find the few clips of Will in the fifth movie and I think it’s sweet that they use Will and Elizabeth’s theme in the background while he talks to his young son, Henry.

I also really want a good crossover fic between Pirates of the Caribbean and Once Upon a Time because there is such a realm of possibilities between Killian Jones knowing either Jack and/ or Will.  If anyone finds a good story,  let me know so I can check it out!

In the meantime; I’ve read several novels off my shelf, re-reading a couple different fanfiction stories, but haven’t gotten much writing done.  The action-adventure blogs will be starting soon, just gotta get my brain to focus, lol!

Let me know what fandoms have been keeping you entertained!

A Random Fandom Update

Thought I’d take a step away from my musical blogs (don’t worry, already got the next one planned) and mention the elephant in the room: staying at home because of coronavirus. I work retail, so I have not been to work in several weeks. For the most part, I’m handling it fine; I’ve managed to work on other writing projects, I’ve crocheted several afghans, I’ve gotten back to my books (huzzah!), and I’ve caught up on some movies and shows.

So let me go ahead and state: SPOILERS ALERT!

Finally watched Frozen II; I liked the story. I don’t think the music was quite as memorable as the first and I still can’t stand Olaf, but the sisterly bond was great and very interesting to delve into their family history. (Puts to rest the fan connection between Frozen and several other Disney movies, including Tangled).

Also finally watched Crimes of Grindlewald. Excellent. Though while watching, I had to remind myself that Leta Lestrange was not a direct relation of Bellatrix (same family, but distant cousins). And the Dumbledore angle was better than I feared it to be; I thought they would focus entirely on Dumbledore’s infatuation with Grindlewald, but SPOILER a blood pact is a more solid excuse. And I totally do not believe Grindlewald about Creedence’s real name; the only plausible way he is a Dumbledore is as a cousin.

Supernatural has put filming their final season on hold, but it’s ramping up to be a doozy. News was just released that the final seven episodes will air in the fall. Jack is back, yay I guess. I have loved seeing some old favorites again; Benny was seen briefly. Loved that Eileen was back (then dead, then back!) and I really wish that she could get together permanently with Sam. (Then we find Dean someone, unless they make Destiel canon, which would be cool). And it was hilarious to have both Daneel Ackles and Genevive Padalecki back and in the same episode! The alternative universe Sam and Dean were hilarious as well (though can’t beat their father coming back; love that episode and cried along [unless you watch the blooper where Jared hits Jeffrey somewhere with the pearl; everyone is on the floor in laughter]). I really want to punch Chuck in the face and I hope Amara may come back to help. The boys are shaping up to fight God; I believe they will win and save the world because that is what they and the show are all about; but it’ll cost them. I still figure there is a decent chance the show will end with both boys dead; unless they are serious about producing a film later. If not, the only way for the fans to accept that it is over, is for our beloved boys to die. Even then, we’ll still write fanfiction.

Speaking of fanfiction; I was reading something on Facebook the other night about how fanfiction started. I mean, I had an idea, but it was interesting and a little unnerving. I realized why disclaimers are always posted at the top because you don’t want some bigwig suing you, but to find out that fan writers were punished… Some of the more recent successes give me hope; but I still am not likely to post what I have written. I share with a few friends, but I use it for my own practice. And some of this may end up as an essay or article. In case you’re interested, Supernatural accepts its fan writers and the fandom that has sprung up around it, which makes me love the fandom and the stars even more.

MacGyver just finished its fourth season, which went in a different direction than I originally imagined, and has been renewed for a fifth season. Yay! Their season got cut short due to the virus, but they must have filmed enough ahead to finish things up. I personally miss Jack and wish they would at least mention him in the story. Mac’s spiraling a bit and the fans know that Jack would help him. Still not a hundred percent sure of Russ’s motivations, but he at least tries to keep Mac alive; and Matty is still there, yay! I adored the episode with the plane and Mac in Tesla’s house; the writing has been excellent this season. Personally, I have never been fond of pairing Mac with a woman because I feel it detracts from the story and female characters should exist in shows outside their connection to a man. I’ve warmed up to Desi, but still not wholly sure. I like Riley, and I’m liking the Riley – Mac dynamic, but this triangle is only going to end badly. I shed tears when SPOILER James died. And I’m even sad that Auntie Gwen died; because she had just decided to protect Mac and it would have been great for Mac to have a familial connection, particularly to his mother. Though, baby Angus MacGyver is the cutest baby in the world! (And I refuse to believe that he’s named Angus because of a sign for beef; that’s demeaning to the character). Fanfiction should keep me occupied until it’s back.

Also been re-watching Hallmark’s Good Witch, going through the most recent episodes and the movies and now starting at the beginning of the show. Some days I can handle Hallmark and some days I just get annoyed; real life does not give us the right guy and the right job to keep us happy. But I love the magical elements of Cassie and the story. She and Sam are adorable. I’d love to live in Middleton. And when things get rough, there is a comfort in knowing that things will turn out alright; it’s Hallmark.

My mother and I have also managed to catch up on Outlander; we got behind. I miss them in Scotland; that was a reason I loved the show. Not fond of the time they were in the Caribbean, but now that they’ve settled in the colonies, my interest is peaking again. I’m glad Brianna has joined her mother and is bonding with her father. And proud that Roger has followed (though at times he was a bit of an idiot). I’m glad Stephen Bonnet finally was stopped; though I wished it had happened sooner. Whenever I would see Billy Boyd, I kept commenting “bad Pippin!” though I had to explain to my mother what I meant. I like the family that is growing at Fraser’s Ridge, and Ian has returned. Brianna, Roger, and Jemmy have also ended up staying, yay. The final episode; they actually found Claire sooner in the episode I thought they might, but we did get to see Claire’s struggles with the aftermath. I’m sure the time-traveling Native American will return; we’ll have to see what sort of time jump there may be before the next season.

Also enjoying watching the original MacGyver series with my parents and catching episodes of Race to the Edge (still love the show!). We’ve put on a few other movies, like some older James Bond (which was a bit weird), and re-watching the Librarian films (I’ll be covering all of those and the show upcoming. And it also gave me a writing idea). We are also going back and re-watching the newest Star Wars movies in preparation for finally getting to Rise of Skywalker (never fear, they are on the list to cover…down the road; MCU stands between us and them).

As for books; since I am first and foremost a reader; I have made a tiny dent in my “to-read” pile (and bought a few to add). Finally finished Raging Heat, a Richard Castle book (based on the show Castle that I don’t think I’m going to be covering, due to length) and Ireland’s Pirate Queen about Grace O’Malley, which have been on the back burner for a while. Enjoyed Castle and Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Read Jeffersonian Key by Steve Berry. Few other books in there that weren’t great, but a relatively quick read; got around to Sense and Sensibility and that was a bit boring; the movie helped make sense. Just finished a Philippa Gregory book, The Lady of the Rivers which is a prequel in a way to White Queen (my mother and I have watched the first episode of the series). Parts are interesting and it is relatively well-written, but parts are now appearing a bit implausible (which happens with her books). Now I can move on to other books on my list. My Richard Castle, Nikki Heat series is up to date, but I want to get to some others first. I’ve got half a shelf of romances that I need to catch up on, so I can go looking for those newest books. Picked up another Librarians novel (based on the show) and some Peter Jackson/ Lord of the Rings books (like I need more of those). Some history series and the first book to a couple fantasy series I’d like to try. Some fun books I am holding off on as a reward, like behind the scenes of MacGyver, the last How to Train Your Dragon art book (I am that much of a nerd).

What are you guys doing to keep your minds occupied? Any good movies or books? Creative projects?

One Hundred Strong

One hundred posts…wow. I had no idea when I started this exercise that I would carry it on this long (seriously; I originally figured less than a year, then I finally laid things out and understood what all was invovled). I am blown away by the reading response I have built up and the fact that I have over fifty followers – thank you all.

Yes, my posting schedule has lessened a bit, but I am also trying to work on some other writing projects. I’d love to write some short stories to enter in contests to get published. And I have a massive fantasy series that needs laid out…when my brain cooperates. Right now it likes to play around with fanfiction and in turn focus on like the fourth and fifth generation of characters rather than background and world building. And my books also beg my attention; they cry to be read.

With the…current situation, I do have some more free time, so we’ll see how everything best fits in. I do apologize for the breaks that have occurred and I cannot promise that they won’t happen again. When not watching movies for this blog, I’m keeping up with the current MacGyver series (some of the episodes this season have been excellent), the final season of Supernatural (which will end in tears, when it finally does end…my guess is that both boys will die) and also working my way through the original MacGyver series (there are times it is hilarious; though personally I prefer Lucas Till to Richard Dean Anderson, that may be based on my age). Also catching up on Outlander (I finally read the first book; along with the first book of Game of Thrones; both are good, but I kind of prefer the show so I can see the full scope. I prefer the earlier seasons of Outlander, when it is more based in eighteenth century Scotland [a time period I like to study].)

But, I still have a huge collection of movies (one of these days, in a few years hopefully, I will have a place of my own and space to display and organize all of them) and I am looking forward to the upcoming genres. Next are musicals, which I love. Then action/adventure films (another genre I am more fond of) which will phase into the superhero genre (yep, I will attempt to tackle a good portion of the MCU…that’s going to be practically a year on its own). And I will finally get to some of my favorite series, like Star Wars, Harry Potter, and nearest to my heart, Lord of the Rings and Hobbit, and How to Train Your Dragon. And once we get into some newer and more popular films, I can add in the various fanfiction stories that I have read (and keep re-reading…which is how I distract myself from reading proper books).

Let me know what you think and here’s to another hundred!

She has a Friend, Every Time She Paints

Miss Potter

A romantic bopic of children’s author, Beatrix Potter. It stars Renee Zellweger as Beatrix, Ewan McGregor as Norman Warne, her publisher (the two appeared opposite each other in Down With Love, which is coming up soon in my posting schedule). Emily Watson (she was in Testament of Youth [that WWI movie I watched with Kit Harrington] and War Horse) plays his sister, Millie. Beatrix’s father, Rupert, is played by Bill Paterson; we’ve seen him in Amazing Grace and Outlander.

This film beautifully showcases the Lake District of England and is a huge reason why I want to personally visit the scenery at some point in my life. It opens with Beatrix’s voice-over telling us when writing the first words of a story, one never knows where one will end up. We see her struggle to publish a children’s book and be taken seriously as a single, unmarried woman in 1902 London. Her publishers fob her off onto their younger brother who is making a nuisance of himself; if it gets mucked up, it’s no real loss. However, she is determined to look upon this as an adventure and encourages her illustrated animal friends to do the same. There is a flashback to her childhood, showing that she was a talented artist and making up stories even then.

Luckily, Norman loves Beatrix’s book and quite enthusiastic to work with her on it; everything can be done to her specification. Another flashback shows us that when Beatrix was young, her family started vacationing in the Lake District, where Beatrix got a lot of her inspiration. There was even a young man in the area who liked her stories, Willie Heelis. But Beatrix’s mother despairs of her ever marrying, or at least, marrying properly. She has introduced a string of suitable suitors to her daughter, but Beatrix wants none of them. Meanwhile, she and Norman make a good team publishing her book, and Norman encourages her to produce more stories. The first book, Peter Rabbit, is a success. Norman takes Beatrix to meet his mother and sister and Millie is determined to be fierce friends with Beatrix, bonding over their unmarried states.

In turn, Beatrix invites Millie and Norman to her family’s annual Christmas party. Her father comes to her rescue when her mother disapproves of their “tradesman” status. Beatrix’s present for Norman is a new Christmas story, which the party insists she share. She is a bit scandalous, showing Norman her bedroom, but they are chaperoned and Norman leads her in a sweet dance [I saw this movie before Down With Love or Moulin Rouge and was unaware that Ewan could sing]. Norman proposes, but Beatrix’s answer is interrupted. Then she confers with Millie if she minds. Millie encourages her friend to take a chance on love. Beatrix tells Norman yes. The next day, he visits her father. Unfortunately, Beatrix’s parents disapprove, her father mainly on the point that it is too sudden. They compromise; Beatrix can accept in secret. Their family will vacation in the Lake District for the summer again. If the couple still wants to marry at the end after some time, they will give their blessing. Norman bids farewell to Beatrix at the train station in the rain and they send letters back and forth.

Then, Norman’s letters stop coming. Millie writes, informing Beatrix that Norman is ill. She returns to London, sadly to discover that Norman has died. Millie was the only one who knew Norman and Beatrix were engaged. Oh, I cry every time during this part of the movie. Beatrix returns home, utterly depressed. She tries to draw, but her friends run from something. Millie comes to her rescue. Beatrix must get out of the house. She ispotter cottage quite wealthy now with the royalties from her books; she buys Hill Top Farm in the Lake District, from her old friend, William Heelis. Slowly, Beatrix comes back to life. She draws again and has new stories buzzing about. She reconnects with William, and they share the notion that the landscape of the Lake District needs preserved, farms should be kept farming, not bought out by developers.

The film ends back at the beginning, with Beatrix sitting down to write. We are told that eight years after moving to the Lake District, Beatrix married William Heelis and she donated 4,000 acres of farmland to the British people through a land preservation trust.

Miss Potter is not a terribly dramatic movie, which makes it a good movie to put on when I don’t want to have to think too hard on something. The scenery is gorgeous and I love Millie Warne’s views on unmarried ladies. I want a home someday like Beatrix’s cottage; it’s so cute. I have always loved bunnies (though I am quite content to let the bunnies that live in our backyard be as close as I get to having a pet), so I’ve always liked Beatrix’s illustrations.

Up Next: Titanic

“No sensible woman would demonstrate passion”

Becoming Jane

Portrays Jane Austen’s life before she became a famous author and some experiences she may have had that influenced her writing. Stars Anne Hathaway as Jane Austen, James McAvoy (Mr. Tumnus in Chronicles of Narnia, and young Charles Xavier in the prequel X-Men movies) as Tom Lefroy. Julie Walters (Mrs. Weasley) is Mrs. Austen, opposite James Cromwell. Dame Maggie Smith (Professor McGonagall and Violet Crawley, Dowager Countess of Grantham, among her other roles) is Lady Gresham. Anna Maxwell Martin plays Jane’s older sister Cassandra, but the actress also portrays Elizabeth Darcy in the TV mini-series, Death Comes to Pemberley.

Jane spends the early morning hours writing and puzzling through the proper way to phrase a passage. When she figures it out, she rejoices by spiritedly playing the piano, quite early on a Sunday morning. Which her father comments on during the sermon, along with what a lady’s proper place is; at this time point, married with children and obeying her husband. After church, the Austen family visits Lady Gresham; her nephew is slightly captivated by Jane, which would be a boost to the Austen family for he will inherit well. Cassandra is engaged to be married to a young man bound for an expedition to the West Indies as chaplain. The Austens also have two boys, though one seems to be disabled of some sort, and they have their cousin visiting as well, a French comtess fleeing events in France.

In the bustling city of London, Tom Lefroy engages in boxing matches when not studying the law under his constraining uncle. He is friends with the elder Austen son, Henry, who is in the militia. Tom’s uncle wants him to learn to settle down; his sister, Tom’s mother, married for love and now lives in near poverty in Limerick with more mouths to feed than she can handle. So, Tom is sent to spend time with his country cousins, where he encounters Jane Austen. Their small community is delighted by her writing, but the higher educated Tom Lefroy sees areas where she can improve and truly be equal to the greats.

Jane is not terribly impressed with Mr. Lefroy upon first introduction. They end up dancing together at a ball, after Mr. Wisley (Lady Gresham’s nephew) trods on her toes. Tom quietly tells her, “I think that you, Miss Austen, consider yourself above the company…secretly.” That line has always stuck with me. It’s a bit like the theme of Pride and Prejudice; even those of lower means may feel pride; at least we’re better than someone else, or at least we don’t act a certain way. The two young people get to know each other through other encounters. Jane is good a cricket (and she and her cousin make to follow Tom and Henry when they go dashing off for a swim; at least, until the young men strip naked and the young ladies retreat). Tom and Jane meet accidentally in the Lefroy’s library (oh, to have a library like that!) and Tom offers Jane a book to widen her horizons (several re-watchings and age have pointed out the innuendo reading Tom gives).

Later, they discuss the book. Jane disapproves of the morality. She argues that a novel must show how the world truly is; good people do not always succeed and bad people prosper. “A novel should somehow reveal the true source of our actions.” Mrs. Austen personally hopes that Jane will settle down with Mr. Wisely, but Mr. Austen doesn’t want his daughter to sacrifice her happiness. By now, Jane is starting to look at Tom more favorably. Lady Gresham visits the Austens and Mr. Wisley strolls with Jane and proposes. She does not answer immediately, which draws her mother’s ire. Jane must marry well, there is no money for her. Yes, it is ideal to marry for “affection” (they don’t say love), but money is essential. Lack of money can wear away and ruin a marriage. Jane desires to live by her pen, but her mother doesn’t support that notion. Her father asks her to at least consider the proposal; it is likely to be her best offer.

Jane’s French cousin, the Comtess, has also developed affection for Henry Austen. She is more aware of the world and not hemmed in by conservative notions. Yes, Henry is younger and poorer than her, but they love each other, so what does it matter?

Lady Gresham holds a ball (I love the music) and Jane dances with Mr. Wisley again, though Tom joins partway through. Anyone watching can see the difference in Jane between Wisley and Lefroy; she smiles when she sees Tom and can barely take her eyes off of him. Lady Gresham deigns to speak to Jane. Against her own better judgment [oh, there are times that Lady Gresham is reminiscent of Countess Grantham, though Downton Abbey is a few years off], she implores Jane to accept her nephew; Lady Gresham feels that Jane is beneath Wisley, but she is the one that her nephew desires. Outside, as Jane ponders all of this, Tom meets her. Such a romantic meeting; I seriously want my future potential fiancé to propose to me saying: “I am yours, heart and soul,” because I simply melt at that statement. Jane kisses Tom, wanting to have gotten a kiss right just once in her life. He begs her to marry him instead, but he has to persuade his uncle.

becoming jane proposal

So, the couple concoct a plan. Jane, her brother Henry, and cousin Eliza will visit Cassandra on the coast, but stop in London, where Lefroy will host them. The uncle is impressed with the Comtess, but not Jane. Nevertheless, Tom takes Jane to meet Mrs. Radcliffe, a married woman to a man with some money, who makes her own living by writing Gothic novels (played by Helen McCrory, another Harry Potter alum, she portrayed Narcissa Malfoy). Mrs. Radcliffe cautions Jane that society frowns upon a wife who has a mind of her own. That evening, Jane begins drafting First Impressions (the first draft of Pride and Prejudice). Tom speaks with his uncle the following morning, but a letter has arrived prior; the contents of which we do not hear for certain, but they do not speak favorably of Miss Austen and Tom’s uncle denies Tom’s wish to marry Jane. They part brokenhearted; Tom relies on his uncle for money and cannot go against him.

Soon, all the Austens are back home and again at Lady Gresham’s home. Word is delivered that Cassandra’s fiancé has died. Jane and their mother attempt to comfort her that evening. Cassandra cheers a little watching her younger sister write and Jane summarizes her idea for Pride and Prejudice; two sisters, better than their means, eventually make happy marriages. Sadly, Tom is back in town for a brief visit, and is engaged. Jane in turns accept Wisley’s proposal, though walks away after giving the gentleman the news. In the woods, Tom comes upon Jane and her brother George. The couple shares a passionate kiss and plan to run away. Cassandra tries to talk her sister out of it, but gives in.

The two lovebirds’ carriage gets stuck on the way, necessitating Tom removing his coat, which holds a pouch of letters. Due to be his wife, Jane reads one, discovering it is from Tom’s mother, thanking him for the money to support his family. Things begin to clarify for Jane. Once the carriage has stopped for a short break, she tells Tom she found the letter and cannot be the ruin of him. She returns home, only to be greeted by Henry’s more dour friend, John, who has known Jane for years, and he too proposes. She of course rejects him, “are there no other women in Hampshire!” then realizes that he wrote the letter destroying her hopes of marrying Tom. She makes to strike him and he shrinks away.

Mrs. Austen is simply pleased that Jane returned home. Lady Gresham on the other hand refuses to be near the Austens in public, for they are tainted with suspicion. Wisley, having grown a bit of a backbone, defies his aunt’s wishes and speaks to Jane. They part as friends; he would rather not marry simply for his money. He seems to support Jane’s intention to write, as she cannot seem to marry even for affection, much less without. He inquires, “will all your stories have happy endings?” “My characters, after a little bit of trouble, will have all they desire.”

Henry and Eliza marry and are seen together, with Jane years later at a concert. Afterwards, they catch sight of a familiar figure and Henry returns with Tom Lefroy, and a young girl, his daughter Jane. Young Jane is a great admirer of Miss Austen and precociously asks for a reading. Henry explains that Jane does not read in public in order to remain anonymous. But Jane relents, for her new friend. Tom looks on; it seems he still loves Jane Austen as well.

Jane Austen is not my favorite author, though she may be my favorite classic author. But I do what I have read of her. This gives us a glimpse at the woman behind the beloved stories and shows that she may not be so different from her characters. I see so many echoes of this tale in Pride and Prejudice. This film did make me fall in love with James McAvoy a little; I love how passionately he speaks to Jane. As already stated, I swoon at his proposal. It is a movie I like to watch around Valentine’s Day.

Next Time: Pride and Prejudice (the 2005 film with Keira Knightley. I know the mini-series with Colin Firth is well regarded, but it is longer. I feel the film is easier viewing)