The Research Road Trip

For years now, I've been wanting to do a road trip that follows the route in Evva's story. It should be in the late spring/early summer, so I could see what the plants and animals are like during that time of year. But I never seemed to have that time free.

Finally this year I made myself go. No one wanted to come along, so I planned alone. And because Evva usually camps out, I figured I would do the same. Plus, it's cheaper XD

Booking the campsites ended up being a nightmare on its own. The maps were confusing. A lot of them seemed unavailable for no real reason. Other places wouldn't let you camp for one night - it had to be at least two. And when I finally got all my campsites booked, one contacted me to say that the reservations was cancelled, so I had to go through everything again. 

It's a long drive to Portland. I've done it all in one day. Correction, I've been in the car while my uncle drove all day. But I hate driving. Plus this whole trip was for research. So I broke the trip up into three days each way. 

Apple Maps was a lifesaver. I hate listening to that robot voice, but because of it, I was able to drive places without having to stress about whether or not I missed my turn or anything. And I could randomly decide to go somewhere new, and not worry about plotting the course (unlike in Europe, where my phone was mostly out of service). 

I sat in cold rivers on hot days, taught a little girl about pipevine caterpillars, explored amazing caverns, and woke up with the top of my tent covered in dozens of earwings. 

(there was a cool light show in the cave, hence the colors)

Some of the plants are delicious too! My cousin told me about native edible species that aren't from my area. And I rescued a mole that got stuck above ground. It was so silky soft! We found a dog along the road and helped him get home too (the enighbors said that the little dog gets out all the time, right next to a busy, dangerous road. I encouraged the neighbors to report it to the SPCA). Found out that my cousin's kid is now taller than me. Damn. 

It really helped my story research - parts of the route were much different than I expected. I learned a lot about the species of the area. After I reached Portland, I even went camping along the Columbia River with a couple of my cousins. The cottonwood fluff was falling like snow, and gathering in drifts. I've never seen so much of it, and even my cousins were amazed at the amount of it. I gathered some of it and tested it as tinder. It burned like gun powder. I gathered a little nest of it, setting it on a protective wrapper. I got to show off starting a fire with a bow-drill kit. But that took longer than expected, because I had to fix a few of the parts. One of my cousins got bored and left, so she didn't even see the fire start. But that cottonwood fluff worked amazingly (with the proper precautions to not burn your hands off). Astrid had brought some eggs to cook for breakfast, but we cooked about half of them on my pan, right on the coals. So good! (Make sure you have the correct pan for it)

And because I can never really take home plants when I'm in Portland, I got a ton of plants to drive home with! 

I came home during the first days of summer. I visited an antique carousel museum, drove through a safari in southern Oregon, and watched a pair of tiny spotted fawns. 

My last night camping, I got snowed on. Luckily I had a warm sleeping bag! (On the drive up, I had to park in the sun. The car thermometer read 118. Granted, that was a hot hunk of metal sitting under a hot sun, but what a contrast). 

For Good

I finally saw Wicked For Good! 

Spoilers. 

It was good! Though not as good as part one. I knew it wouldn't be as fun, just because of the nature of act two. 

They added quite a bit to the new movie. Part one was longer too, but this time they added several new scenes and songs. I get why they did it. They wanted to make certain things clearer, and answer important questions that weren't addressed in the stage play. But they could have cut some of those extra scenes out. I don't think the animals leaving Oz was really necessary, for example. And they showed giraffes walking toward that little hole, as though they were going to go through it? 

I didn't get hooked on the new songs, but I've only heard them once, so that may change. 

But thank goodness that they freed all the animals! That was one thing that I was desperate for the movie to resolve. Particularly Doctor Dillamond, who never had any resolution before. And they showed through Chistery that the animals can learn to speak again! They also showed Glinda really taking charge in the best way possible. All things that I imagined in my head, but were never confirmed. Until now. 

There was actually one thing I hoped they would change, but they didn't. Boq. His behavior as the Tin Man never made any sense. I always thought that was a great thing about the Wizard of Oz's Scarecrow and Tin Man - they thought they needed a heart and a brain. But the Tin Man was extremely caring, and the Scarecrow had smart ideas. But the Tin Man in Wicked is only ever showed as hateful. I was also a bit disappointed in Scarecrow's design. 

(My cousin told me that some of the actors were shockingly thin after this movie. And I can definitely see that. The dress Glinda wore during the entire finale made her look almost skeletal. Which is concerning...) 

Elphie and Glinda were fabulous. One thing I love about Elphie is that despite being the oldest actor of the main three, she has this amazing youthful air. She's the only one I could believe was a student in part one. 

 

Considering I teared up just seeing the trailers for this movie, I'm not surprised that For Good had me crying. 

London

A continuation of my Dublin post. 

 November 11 2023

My brief stay in Ireland was over. My alarm screamed me awake and I took the bus to the ferry terminal. That was when I realized that my water bottle was no longer in my backpack. It has never stayed in the bottle holder. Every time I put my pack on quickly, it went flying. But it makes a loud clang, so I always heard it and retrieved it. I guess this time it quietly slipped out, probably on the bus. The thing was a mess- covered in dents and chips. Mom had used her tools to flatten the bottom several times, since it would get dinged to the point where it couldn’t even stand up. But it still worked, so I kept using it. Until now. RIP bottle. 

When the ferry was ready, everyone lined up. To my surprise, we were getting in a bus. It took us down the dock and onto a ferry – which was way bigger than I expected. It has (I think) nine floors. Cars go on the bottom levels. 

I watched us pull away from Ireland as I ate pancakes from the café (though I wish the windows were cleaner.) Then I went to explore. Upstairs there was a movie theater area, with a Bugs Bunny movie playing. In the hall, I noticed a shelf with paper bags, with a sign “just in case.” A girl grabbed one and pretended to barf into it for her family’s sake. Went out on the deck for a few minutes and saw Ireland disappearing behind us. I don’t think I’ve ever been on such a big boat. But if you pay attention, you can still feel the slightest rise and fall under your feet. 

The coast came into view, and the captain announced that we would be arriving soon. I got on the first bus out and grabbed my suitcase. The train station was in the same building, and the train was there waiting. I climbed on and got a seat by the window. I watched the Wales countryside fly by. It’s nice to have a day where I can sit and rest, since I’ll be doing so much walking. 

Eventually I got the hiccups. The loud kind. After a couple stops, the train filled up. A girl sat next to me, and of course my hiccups left me periodically squeaking. It was a while before I could get rid of them. 

The sun started to set, painting gold and cream streaks across the English sky. It began to darken to peach before it vanished behind a bank of dark blue clouds. 

I don’t hear the Irish accent much. But I hear the British accent all the time in movies and shows. It feels unreal to hear people using it all around me. When a guy nearby said, “sorry, mate” to one of his neighbors, I couldn’t help grinning. 

My train pulled into London, and I hefted my shoulder-munching pack and towed my suitcase out into the dark city. Hey, it’s not as cold here! 

I had a map and set off with confidence down the road. Except after going the right amount of blocks, the hotel wasn’t there. I tracked back and forth, looking at my map and trying to find where the heck the street was, because I couldn’t even find that. Luckily there are little street maps here and there. I was a few blocks skewed to the side. I found out the next day that I had come out of a different station than I had thought. I thought there were two train stations in a row, but there were actually three. Luckily it was just a couple blocks away so I trudged along, sick of hauling my luggage. The hotel was a narrow building crammed in amongst all the others. There’s no room between buildings – it’s basically all the same structure. I went in and the guy gave me my key. He asked if my bags were heavy, because I was on the top floor and there are no elevators. I assured him I was fine. It’s only four stories tall. I hauled my stuff up. It left me out of breath, but it was doable. 

I watched the first half of Wolfwalkers. Now that I’ve left Ireland, of course. But I don’t have Secret of Kells with me, and this was the next best thing. Anyway, we had been talking about the real-world equivalent of the Wolfwalkers villain. He trashed Ireland, including some of the sites we visited. It’s a freaking great movie. I don’t have many movies on my laptop, but I have a couple of my favorites. 

 

November 12 2023

To my frustration, it took me a couple hours to fall asleep last night. I woke up with my alarm. I didn’t have to be anywhere right away, so I just lay there. I kept almost falling asleep, but mostly resisted. Finally I dragged myself over to grab my laptop and finished watching Wolfwalkers. 

It turns out that my hotel room door doesn’t lock. You can literally just push it and it pops open. I told the front desk, and he said he’d fix it. In the meantime, I started walking down the street to the British Museum. I got there before it opened, and saw a line. Or a cue, as they call it here. I moved around to find the end and saw that the line went all the way down the block and around the corner. At first I wondered if there was a free day. Then I realized that the British Museum is always free. It opened none too soon – it started drizzling. Security peeked in my bag and waved me in. 

A central piece of the Egypt room is The Rosetta Stone. It was originally part of a larger stone slab which recorded a decree made in 196 BC. Without this stone, they would not have been able to translate Egyptian hieroglyphs. No one had been able to read them for 1,400 years. Many people would like the Rosetta stone returned to its homeland. 

 

 

At the Assyrian art, I thought I might start crying at the lion hunt panels. It was a sport for the king. The lions were released from cages and driven toward the king so he could shoot them. Lions are so rare now, and people are working so hard to try to protect them. But to this day, people still shoot them for sport. The images of dead and dying lions hit me. 

 

 

One of the rooms was closed off, but I peeked inside and saw some stunning panels of animal-headed beings. 

I had a reservation for afternoon tea. They brought out a three-tiered platter. It was amazing. Everything was so good! 

 

 

After I ate, I continued around the museum. There was a stunning Irish brooch. I’d wanted to see the Tara Brooch in Ireland, but that didn’t work out. This one must be close to it though. The Celtic knots covering its gold surface are unbelievably delicate. I wonder what gemstones would have once fit into all of the settings. 

 

 

There were carvings from the Northwest Coast tribes. Beautiful Aztec turquoise mosaics. And feathered capes from the Amazon, decorated with shining beetle wings. 

 

 

This is the weirdest museum layout I’ve ever seen. You’ll be walking up the stars and see a little side staircase hidden in the corner that leads up to the Japan room. Or you’ll be looking through one gallery, and there’s a staircase at the end that goes down to the African rooms. I think I saw everything, but I kept stumbling on huge areas that I’d walked past earlier. 

In the Asia hall, there were amazing ivory carvings. For example, those impossible works of art where an elaborate sphere has been carved inside a second sphere, and there’s another sphere inside that. And no, there are no seams. They were carved one inside the other. It’s so beautiful. Yet elephants got close to disappearing due to the demand for these ivory carvings. 

 

There was a hallway full of gorgeous jade carvings. 

The Japanese room was up in the attic, it seemed like. They had amazing animals made of iron. Koi and snakes, which can move and bend just like the real animals. When the samurai were no longer a thing in Japan, the armor and sword makers took their talents in a different direction, making these beautiful creatures. What a shift. Taking crafters of battle tools, and turning to art. 

 

 

The Easter Island statue, properly called “moai,” is one of the many stolen pieces of art in the museum. The islanders where the statue originated have tried many times to get the statue back, ever since British sailors stole it from them. It is one of the most beautiful Moai statues, carved of stronger stone than usual, and displaying many carved designs across the back. When the British took the statue away, the asked the islanders what it was named. The islanders used a phrase that meant, “our stolen friend.” There was a sign by this statue, saying that it has a “complicated history.” 

 

 

Apparently many of the artifacts collected long ago weren’t documented. No one knows where they came from, of how they were acquired. It’s strange that a museum wouldn’t think it was important to know that. 

I had hoped to leave in the early afternoon and go to the London Zoo. But I realized that I’d only seen a fraction of the museum. It’s way bigger than I thought. I’d already gone to a zoo, so I decided to stay. 

But I did have time to go to Platform 9 ¾. I walked back to the hotel, which was on the way. When I got there, the guy was working on my door. So, that meant he’d left it unlocked all day? Not anyone can just walk in to the hotel, and my room was in the top back corner, but still. I had my laptop and everything in there. I put down my bag and went to King’s Cross station. 

I followed the signs to platform 9 and saw a huge line. At first I was worried that was the line to get in the shop. But it was a line to take photos with the trolley. 

The shop was crowded. You had to weave your way through all the people. They had a bunch of Honeydukes sweets. I got a butterbeer, but it wasn't that great. 

 

 

 

They’ve got Bertie Bott’s Every Flavor Beans in random stores around my house. I bought them some as a kid. But I kept getting so many vomit flavored ones. Amongst the other nasty flavors. What’s the point of buying candy that you can only eat half of? 

Then back to the room to rest. My feet are killing me again. But it turns out they couldn’t fix my door, so I had to move all my stuff down a floor to a new room. 

 

November 13 2023

Took me about an hour and a half to fall asleep last night. I guess it’s steadily syncing up. Yeesh. 

I set off for the London Underground. Once you know how it works, the Underground is easy to use. You scan your credit card when you enter the station, and then scan it again on the way out. Not sure how that works with your funds, but you pay for the distance you traveled. There’s all these signs around saying that you get huge fines if you don’t have a ticket. And you don’t get a ticket when you scan your card. Huh. 

I got on a train out to Salisbury. It was about an hour and a half ride. I wanted to watch the country go by. My eyes kept trying to fall asleep. If I’m so tired, why don’t I fall asleep in my dark room at night? I wouldn’t let myself nap. I was afraid of missing my stop. I managed not to pass out by sitting up straight. That way whenever my head jerked, it would wake me. Though my eyes glazed over so much that I didn’t really get to watch the scenery. 

I’d made reservations for a Stonehenge tour. The bus was in the station parking lot. A big green double-decker bus. Though this morning only a few of us were on it. I thought I had signed up for a proper Stonehenge tour. It turns out the bus just had a recording you listened to by plugging in earbuds. I climbed to the top front corner and took a seat. The ride through Salisbury town was kinda like Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride. Salisbury is a beautiful town – I wish I could have explored it. But the streets are narrow, and the bus is huge. From my position in the front top corner, it kept looking like we were about to crash into walls or run over barriers. It didn’t help that we drive on the other side of the road than I’m used to. We didn’t crash, of course. But it still kinda keeps you on the edge of your seat. 

The cathedral towers over the rest of Salisbury. During WWII, the Luftwaffe used the cathedral as a marker, so they were ordered not to bomb the city. 

The bus left town and headed out into the country. The bus comes through every hour, so I wanted to time the day right. I went through the Stonehenge gift shop first, so I wouldn’t have to plan for it later (and waste time like I did at Blarney Castle). 

You can also buy chocolate Stonehenges, and even a plush Stonehenge. 

 

 

Stonehenge has changed owners many times. It was auctioned off after WWI for 6,600 pounds. Three years later it was given to the country. In 1978, they closed off access to walk amongst the stones (except by special reservation). Because some freaks were marking them with graffiti, and climbing them. 

From the visitors center, I got on another bus that took you five minutes down the road to Stonehenge. Just before we parked, I saw the tops of the stones rising up behind the grass. 

I disembarked and walked toward the stones. A pathway circles the site, keeping people away from the stones. Just outside of the walking path there were a bunch of sheep settled down in the grass. The wind was whipping around in an impressive way. The heel stone is the lone stone that stands outside the circle, but points at the rest of the stones. 

 

 

Stonehenge was added to over hundreds of years. From early in its history, Stonehenge has been a burial site. By 2,500 BC, the big stones had been brought in. They’re arranged to frame the sun during the winter and summer solstices. 

The largest stones are a type of hard sandstone called sarsen. Pieces of sarsen this large can only be found about twenty miles to the north. The builders of Stonehenge transferred sarsen stones, weighing up to 35 tons, all that distance (and they would have weighed even more before they were carved into shape). The smaller bluestones were brought all the way from Wales and weighed about three tons. 

Okay, but how on earth did people thousands of years ago move stones that weighed tons? For a few hundred years, there was a popular theory that Merlin had used his magic to bring Stonehenge here from Ireland. They’ve also found that a team of 200 people could pull the large sarsen stones on a sledge. Over the most level land route, it could have taken about 12 days. The smaller bluestones may have been brought by boat, or over land. But why go to so much trouble to move these particular massive rocks so far? No one knows. Maybe the types of stone held special meaning. There are old stories that the bluestones stones have magical properties-particularly healing. So there is a long history of people breaking off bits of the stones to take home. 

My ticket also covered entrance to the Old Sarum castle ruins. I followed vague directions from the driver. A couple ladies were walking by with their dog. They confirmed that I was going the right way. There were a couple gates, and I failed to open the first one. The ladies opened it for me. Yep, dumb tourists. They also called my “lovey.” The bus driver this morning had used “my love.” Heh. It’s like being called “Tara-chan” in Japan. 

There wasn’t much of Old Sarum still standing, but it was really cool. It’s from 400 BC. But there’s evidence of inhabitants from 3,000 BC. Now only rough, weathered walls mark the outlines of the structures. The old walls rose part way out of the grass. Like the flanks of some huge serpent rising out of the sea. Trees stood bare, their branches weaving patterns against the sky. The wind was howling, and the country was beautiful. 

 

There was the obligatory sign reminding people not to climb on the ancient castle ruins. 

I got back on the green bus and we went through the wild ride in town again. I caught the train, and Waterloo was the last stop. I didn't have to worry about missing my stop this time, so I let myself nod off. I must have slept through most of the ride. So it’s lucky I didn’t nap this morning, or I likely would have missed my stop. As it was, I woke up one station before Waterloo. 

I left Waterloo and went out to the Thames. I passed the London Eye and crossed a bridge. It was so windy that the pigeons were getting blown off the bridge railings. They’d land, and a gust would come up. They’d run in place, skidding on the slick surface, and finally give up and jump off to fly somewhere quieter. 

Big Ben stood above the river. The sky was stunning, with the low sun lighting clouds with blazing gold. At one point, a sort of portal opened up in the clouds, and beams of light shot straight up into the sky over Big Ben and the government buildings. Usually light beams down, but the sun was low enough, and the clouds in the right position that the beams went up. 

 

On this side of the Thames, there are some of the red phone booths. People were lined up to take photos at them, with Big Ben in the background. It was cool to hear the clock chiming. 

I walked through St James Park. There was a flock of pelicans out on the rocks. They live here. The first pelicans were brought by a Russian ambassador in the mid 1600’s. 

At the end of the park is Buckingham Palace. I walked past the front, taking pictures of all the lion statues, and the unicorns on the front gates. A couple of the guards were inside. 

 

 

It was starting to get dark, so I headed to the nearest train station. To my astonishment, there was a poster advertising a Totoro stage play. 

 

Then back to my room to pack. 

The Real in the Fiction

A few months ago, I wrote a short story about a real person. I've never done that before. It's strange, because I didn't actually know the person. I wonder for those people who did know him, how they'll see my version of him. 

I think I already have to add an event to his life to fit the story. Unless I can figure out an alternative. 

I just wrote a proper romance. Not a story where there happened to be a bit of romance on the side. And I think I only managed it because of the movie Elemental... 

It's only a first draft so far. And considering how little I tend to care for romances, I have no idea if it's any good. But I like it XD

Reading Update

Arrival, Chiang

This was a book of short stories. I learned about it because of the movie Arrival, which is great. The other stories had fascinating concepts too. The one that I remember the best is based off of the Tower of Babel. 

Babylon's Ark, Anthony

An amazing true story of trying to save the remaining zoo animals that are trapped in a war zone. 

Wayward Son, Rowell

I quite liked Carry On. The other two books in the series I wasn't as crazy about. Possibly because Simon was so depressed, which made him mean to everyone. He did go through a lot. Anyway, I just didn't find the sequels as fun as the first book (which was the freaking book that made me actually enjoy a vampire romance). 

Sharing a House with the Neverending Man, Alpert

Stories of Studio Ghibli as told by a rare westerner who has worked with them. It's fascinating to hear about the company, and to hear some of the cultural differences are explained. 

One thing that surprised me is that there's a character based off of him in The Wind Rises. He didn't even mention it in the book! I was wondering why that character was on the book cover, so I looked it up and discovered that I was right. 

Warriors, Hunter

Okay, I finally finished the first series of Warriors. Only because I promised two of my cousins that I would. But the books drove me crazy. And not just because they glorify feral cats. The characters were all so frustrating. They didn't share information that was vital, or refused to believe certain things for no reason. Or just randomly went crazy. Yeah, I rather suffered through these books. If I want cool animal cultures, I'll stick with Watership Down. 

Challenger Deep, Shusterman

I learned about this book because I went to an event where the author was present. He said that the book is based off of what his son went through. The book is amazing, and harrowing. It was really good, and quite stressful to read. I felt off balance for a while after reading some parts of it. It's about a boy with schizophrenia, and the story is split between the real world and the world that the illness has created. 

My Side of the Mountain, George

Kids fantasize about running away from home and going to live in the wilderness. This kid does. It takes a while to adjust, but he learns to live on the mountain. 

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrel, Clarke

I've heard about this book so many times. It's amazingly written, and a good story. I think I need to read it again though. There's so much happening. I even missed part of the ending. I keep meaning to find a book so I can go back and see what I missed. It was something important. TT^TT

I just saw that they made a show based on the book! Gotta check that out. 

Sailing with Noah: Stories from the world of zoos, Bonner 

Some great stories about zoos, animals, and the people who care for them. 

Rogues, Martin

A collection of short stories about characters who are, well, rogues. The stories are in a variety of genres, and there are some big-name authors in it. I learned about it because there's a Name of the Wind story amongst them. I think my favorite was where the team managed to steal an entire road. 

Sheine Lende, Little Badger

The prequel to Elatsoe. This is the best book comp I've found. It's good, but why can't I find mooooore? 

Beauty and the Beast, Rudnick

A novelization of the Disney live-action movie. I just stumbled upon this at a used store, so it was a cool find. 

Annihilation, Van der Meer

A strange, dangerous, fantastical land is slowly spreading. A team of people crosses into this land, to try to learn what they can about it. It was a pretty bewildering read. The strange land is interesting, but they didn't give me enough of it to want to read more of the series. 

Tending the Wild, Anderson 

A great book of how the native California people cared for the land in ways that the Europeans never bothered to understand when they arrived. The entire state was cared for, unlike now where much of the land has been destroyed, or is in danger of burning to the ground. 

The Star-Seeking Demon

I drew the demon from the plum blossom story. 

The creature I learned about was called the celestial stag, but that seems to be a strange translation from a larger group of monsters. I renamed it the star-seeker stag, which keeps the feel but implies that they're trying to get above ground to where the stars are. 

Star-seekers slink low to the ground, and looks like skin and bones. The antlers grow into each other, pressing together painfully. 

I made the antlers bigger, but they still seem too small. 

This Year at Fanime:

There were a couple cool guest speakers at Fanime this year! 

My anime/manga repertoire is slowly expanding, so I actually know some of the Fanime guests now. This year there were two anime voice actors that did roles I liked: Atsushi Abe and Tsubasa Yonaga. 

Atsushi Abe was Mashiro from Bakuman. He was one of the racing members in Yowamushi Pedal too, and he did a character in Haikyu.  He's also been in an X-Men anime? I'll have to check that out. 

Tsubasa Yonaga was also in Yowamushi Pedal, and he did one of my favorite characters from the series: Manami. He also had a role in Tiger and Bunny. 

I always liked Manami though, because both he and Onoda just seemed to enjoy biking up hills. Why was that important? Because it encouraged me to bike the unending hills around my house! Though Tsubasa Yonaga admitted that he's not a sporty person himself. 

I got to say hi to each of them. I told Atsushi Abe that Bakuman was. great inspiration for my writing. And I told Tsubasa Yonaga that he encouraged me to bike the steep hills near my house. I've put that to good use. 

Mapping Snags

After my road trip for planning Starsung, I decided it was time to finalize the map. I printed out the chunk of land they cover, and started plotting out locations. As well as the distance they could cover in a day in a horse-drawn wagon. Some locations needed specific features, like forests or lakes, so I needed to account for that.  

Yeah, it's a much longer trip than I had originally planned for. It turns out that their starting location is about two weeks south of the main events. I may have to change it... Which means the research I did at that location is no good. And I didn't really research the area where the new beginning will be. 

And even if I do move the starting location north by two weeks, their trip will still take longer than I thought. I don't know what happened. I had calculated this stuff out long ago. I guess I made a mistake. 

Yeah, I guess maps are important. 

Is it weird to look up someone's height?

I often don't notice how tall actors are. When I was watching some Star Wars bonus features, they said that Dooku is 6 1/2 feet tall. Holy crud! Well, movies like to use tall people for villains. They can look more looming and dangerous that way (In Back to the Future, they chose a different villain because an earlier option wasn't as tall). 

Unfortunately, short guys are often not picked as a main hero. Not always, luckily. Though as I've mentioned, I'm unlikely to notice either way. Mostly because I don't really care how tall they are. 

For example, Matthew Broderick is known mostly for "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." But I mostly know him from Ladyhawke (and The Lion King, but you don't actually see him in that movie). In Ladyhawke, his character is called Philippe the Mouse. Everyone makes a big deal about how tiny he's supposed to be. It didn't occur to me for a while to wonder if the actor really was that small (They're sitting on a horse here, so it's hard to really tell). 

I also saw a video that teased Harry Potter (Daniel Radcliffe) for being short. He never struck me as short. Even looking at pictures, he's not that much shorter. 

All this is buildup to my actual point. 

When I was watching Spider-Man earlier this year, Tobey Maguire was standing next to another actor. 

The height difference struck me for the first time. Which got me wondering, Tobey Maguire he short, or is the other actor really tall? Or both. In Seabiscuit, Tobey Maguire plays a jockey. Jockeys are small, because that means the horse can run faster. But Red (the jockey he plays) was a very tall jockey. They even make fun of it in the movie. So I don't think I can judge by that (Why do I know so much about this? I read the Seabiscuit book, and I have the documentary, which is really good. I've watched it several times with my dad, who also loves it). 

I would have stopped there. But I wanted to draw one of the characters in a comic with other characters. So I needed to know his general height. 

Now, this may seem like a random aside, but it will work its way back in. In manga, they'll often slip in character bios. These bios generally have a picture, the character's likes and dislikes, foods they enjoy, their age, and blood type (I never understood why the blood type was in there). One of the factors is height. 

I suddenly wondered if wikipedia did that for actors. I really hoped it didn't - that would be weird. I usually only check out an actor's wikipedia page to see what movies they were in. Maybe they really did have personal stuff like that. I waffled around for a while, not wanting to look it up. But finally I caved. And I was rather relieved to find that wikipedia didn't list the actor's height. 

Except I'll still need to figure out how tall to draw the character... Is it weird that I feel really strange doing an internet search about that? 

I Think That was Misread

Occasionally I've watched movies with people, and been stunned at their totally flat interpretations of scenes. 

One friend, who I love, made some comments that stunned me. To be fair, this was back when we were in middle school. Neither of us had taken any classes in analyzing literature (or cartoons). Fantasia 2000's Pines of Rome is a beautiful animation about flying whales. They fly up into the sky, where they arrive a sort of heavenly sea. But because the whales ended up leaping out of the water, she decided that they hadn't actually gone anywhere. To me it seemed so obvious that they had reached a special land (sea) in the sky. I think I was wondering where her sense of imagination was XD 

But the funnies one was when we watched X-Men 2. At one point, Magneto says, "you are a god among insects." And she decided that in the next X-Men movie, giant insects would take over! 

That's not what that phrase means! It's possible she was teasing, but I don't think so.  

Gotta Love the Cameos

How is it that Hugh Jackman gets the best cameos, even if he doesn't appear in the movie? 

His appearance X-Men First Class cracked me up. 

(the prequel where he was basically a crazed lab animal was just depressing). 

And I may not be much of a Deadpool fan, but the end of the second movie had me laughing too (while at the same time cringing as Deadpool shot his other self repeatedly. Or maybe it was stabbing?) 

Even the first Deadpool, he had stapled a picture of Hugh Jackman's face onto his own. 

But the cameos go far beyond Marvel movies. I haven't even seen the sequels for Night at the Museum (though I may have to). But I have seen on Youtube where he's in a stageplay, and even references the fact that he played Wolverine. I can no longer find the full scene, which is tragic. I want to see it again! 

I watched Despicable Me 2 with my cousins. The cool lady was planning to go to Australia, and figured she'd better practice her Australian phrases. "Hugh Jackman" was one of those phrases. 

And in Penguins of Madagascar, they slipped in all kinds of actor names, by using them as words in sentences. Apparently two of the octopuses are named Hugh and Jack. So the leader octopus calls out, "Hugh! Jack! Man the battle stations!" All of the actor names were cleverly done. But of course that one had me laughing the hardest. 

I guess filmmakers have found creative ways to include him in their movies, even if he never shows up on the set. Would I do the same thing if I were making a movie? Very possibly. 

Cringe Can be Fun

The day after Halloween, Nicole and I watched Van Helsing. I told her that it was one of two movies that I was embarrassed to admit the I like. 

To which she replied, "why would you be embarrassed? It's Hugh Jackman!" 

I couldn't argue with that statement. But I said, "some of the scenes are so cringey." 

She said that cringey is good sometimes. 

So we watched the movie, enjoying the interactions between the three heroes (they're a fun team) and laughing at the cringey parts. Like poor Velkan. 

I said, "Movies look like they can really fun to make. But then there's this poor guy who has to writhe around in agony." 

"He's like that in most of the movie!" Nicole exclaimed. It's true. Poor Velkan must have had to do a lot of that during all the takes. 

I told Nicole some random facts. Like how the original character of Van Helsing, in Dracula, was an old professor. And how the Frankenstein monster tried so hard to be good, but everyone treated him so bad that he eventually did become a monster. And I mentioned other movies some of the actors were in (Like Faramir, which blew Nicole's mind). When I watch all these bonus features, I start spouting commentary when I watch a movie with someone. 

 

I said the baby vampires were "Goo Balloons." And then felt very proud of myself for coming up with that phrase. Because they fly around, and pop, and are full of goo. 

Is it Mean for a Reason?

Grease was on Youtube for free, so I decided to watch it. Now I really liked this movie as a kid. I still like some of the songs. But I hadn't seen it in a long time. And now I know why. I kind of registered this subconsciously as a kid, but Grease is really mean-spirited.  

And there's West-Side Story. I only saw that once. Then earlier this year, we performed a medley of music from the movie. So I rented it to watch again. And yeah, its basis is pretty mean. But that's the point. At the end, Maria calls everyone out on it. And they all realize that she's right. 

Unlike Grease, where Sandy apparently decides to join the mean people? 

But how many people in West Side Story are actually Puerto Rican? 

The Best Battle Scenes

I think I started thinking of this post after I saw Avatar the Way of Water. The final battle in that movie felt unending and tedious. It was a jarring comparison to the original Avatar film, where the final battle kept me on the edge of my seat. 

So, I started thinking about the best battle scenes. In my opinion, any way. 

For example, the battle at the end of the Avatar film. The heroes don't have many assets to work with, but they put everything to excellent use. Knowledge of terrain, a helicopter pilot with a few communicators, an ex-marine riding a huge dragon, and a lot of warriors with determination and skill. And though it has been done a million times, I still love when the cavalry arrives to save the day. In this case, all of the wild beasts. I bought the book about the creatures of Avatar. The thanator - the huge black panther creature, is one of the most feared creatures to the Na'vi. No one has ever ridden one. But the thanator comes to Neytiri and offers its alliance. I wish they mentioned that in the movie. It adds so much more to that scene! 

Then there's the ewok battle. It does a similar thing, where the people without technology use determination and creativity to kick butt. I love that stuff! 

The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. This has another great end battle. All of the different creatures use their own strengths and skills. And it too has the cavalry arrive. 

(Prince Caspian didn't rise to the occasion. For some reason, they had to randomly add in a new battle, where they killed most of the good guys? That movie kept all of the war, and pretty much none of the wonder and fun). 

Lord of the Rings has amazing battles. My favorite part is when the ents take down Isengard. My parents love to come in and watch that scene, even if they haven't been watching the rest of the movie. And it's awesome when Gandalf brings the Riders of Rohan in to win the day (I told you, I love it when the cavalry comes to the rescue). 

Princess Mononoke does it differently. You see the boars preparing for battle, but we see almost none of the actual fight onscreen. It's mostly told through the account of a traumatized survivor, which gives it a very different gravity.  

 

Willow has some good battles. Like how Willow and Madmartigan single-handedly rig the abandoned castle with booby traps and manage to hold their own against an entire army for a good amount of time (and Willow does so while carrying a baby around! Not to mention the fact that he has absolutely no fighting experience, but still holds his own) My favorite part of the final battle in Willow is how it starts. Willow and Raziel stand alone, challenging the enemy. They're clearly not fighters, but it's the perfect trick to get the upper hand in the battle. And Willow's strategy works perfectly. 

I'm not sure Mulan counts, because Mulan ends the big battle before it even begins. But wow, that scene with the enemy coming down the mountain is so awesome. I guess the scene in the palace doesn't really count as a battle. More like an infiltration. But it's awesome too! 

The Twelve Kingdoms also manages to end the battle before it begins. But the buildup and execution is so awesome! 

And in an extremely different direction, I might even choose "All You Need is Love." The words themselves become physical to defeat a giant flying glove. Which sounds so bizarre if you don't know what I'm talking about. 

 

And ever since I was a kid, Brother My Brother  from Pokemon: The First Movie" has always gotten me. It really drives home the message that there are no winners in these kinds of conflicts. 

These are more fight scenes than battle scenes. They're between two people, or a few people, instead of entire armies. But I'll give them quick mentions. 

The House of Flying Daggers, Hero, and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon have stunning fight scenes. They're more like dances. Where people can almost fly. 

Some of the lightsaber duels. Like Qui Gon and Obi Wan against Darth Maul. Or Anakin vs Obi Wan. 

The battles in Doctor Strange were really cool. What awesome effects. 

Pirates of the Caribbean. What awesome choreography. I think my favorite is at the end, between Jack and Barbosa, going in and out of the moonlight. Freaking awesome! 

Same with Princess Bride. Westley and Inigo trained with a fencing master. They got so good that they could duel too fast. Which meant they had to extend the fight so it would take up more time. 

The live-action Rurouni Kenshin fights. 

The Mask of Zorro has some great fencing fights too.  

Avatar: The Last Airbender has amazing elemental battles. Some of the highlights are Katara vs. Master Paku, Toph vs. the wrestlers, and Zuko vs. Azula. Though Zuko is awesome both in his bending battles, and his sword battles. 

The end of How to Train Your Dragon. A dragon battle which leaves your heart in your mouth. I am so sick of the, "oh no, the character died! Oh, never mind. He's fine." But this movie nails it (though the live-action one milked it too much). 

Fullmetal Alchemist has great battles. 

Big hero Six, seeing them figure out how to get out of tight spots. 

The Pixar short, Sanjay's Super Team, has a super cool animated battle. 

And finally Stronger than You, with Garnet vs. Jasper. Hell yes. Best fight song ever. 

So, now that we've mentioned the visual battles, what about the written ones? 

Dramatic arrivals may be overdone, but there was a good one in the last Harry Potter book. They didn't really go into that as much in the movie. But the first time I read the book, that scene got me pumped! 

Brandon Sanderson has amazing battle scenes. I haven't read all of his books yet, but Wax's fights have been my favorite. There was one in particular that I could see so clearly. 

And in middle school, I was crazy about the final battles in Tamora Pierce's books. Her newer books don't have as much of that. I should reread some of those. 

I have a few honorable mentions. These were less about particular fights and battles, but more the way the battles are portrayed. 

For example, Howl's Moving Castle and The Boy and the Heron. Those bombs are chilling. And while The Wind Rises is an anti-war movie, you only see a couple seconds of the "cursed dreams," going down in flames. Then there's Grave of the Fireflies, which shows the horrors of war. 

Wolfwalkers is fascinating. Not only are there flames and guns and wolves, but you can see the battle through different senses, like sound and scent. 

This is more of an invasion than a battle, but I love it. Nightcrawler attacking the White House. 

 

And I've gone this far, so I might as well throw in a couple video games! 

My favorite game is Twilight Princess. The final battles in that game were awesome. I especially loved beast Ganon. 

In Pokémon, I think Ghetsis was the most heart-in-my-mouth battle. I barely beat him the first time. (Cynthia in Brilliant Diamond is difficult too, but that was mostly just a tedious battle because it takes  so freaking long to beat her Milotic). 

And the final battles in Pokémon Colosseum and Gale of Darkness might be a bit hokey, but I was crazy about them when they came out. 

Zack's last battle in Final Fantasy: Crisis Core. Mostly because you literally experience how he's given everything he had, until he can barely move. I'd never seen anything like that in a game before (and maybe not since, either). 

And freaking Underale, which breaks all the rules of gaming. Particularly the battle against Sans, which you should never do. 

My blog posts seem chronically behind @_@  

I start most posts as a list of notes, so I remember what I want to write about. Then I go back and try to finish older posts. And I stall on the really big posts. So the newest ideas I have get pushed back. It's a never-ending cycle. 

Actors as Real People

As you may have gathered, I like seeing how movies are made. And hearing what actors have to say about their experiences in films. 

And some actors just seem really awesome. For example, I didn't choose Hugh Jackman as my favorite actor until I'd seen him tell a lot of stories. And also heard what other people said about him - he's supposed to be a really great guy. I couldn't pick a favorite actor until I'd seen what he was like outside of his characters. And I do love many of his characters and movies. 

Some actors are just like that. I enjoy watching them, and hearing their stories.  Alfred Molina was one example. He tells great stories and seems like a cool person. Which is curious, because most of his characters are not people that I would want to be around. 

And I got to meet Anika Noni Rose. I've really only seen her in one movie, and it was a movie that I didn't get too attached to. I only talked to her for about a minute, but I immediately liked her. By the time I spoke to her, she had been talking to strangers all freaking day. And yet she was so nice. I loved her story-telling during the panel she was on too. 

And on the flip side, there are actors that have done characters I love, but when I see them on bonus features and stuff, I just don't particularly want to watch them. They seem unappealing, somehow? And I'm not talking about famous people that have been busted for doing awful stuff. He didn't even say anything that weird (for example, one singer I like has a way of speaking about women that kinda objectifies them, but not out-right). It's just something in their attitude makes me not connect to them as much. I'm thinking of one actor in particular who has actually done multiple characters I love, but when I see him doing interviews, I just don't get very interested in them. I won't say his name though, because I feel bad. 

And oddly enough, for some of my top favorite characters I haven't seen enough from their actors to decide how I feel about them. Then again, sometimes it's hard to pin people down. Probably especially with actors, who get overwhelming attention, and also have to change a lot of masks.