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Kate's Curiosities
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KATE'S CURIOSITIES


STORIES, PARALLELS, CROSSOVERS, AND ADAPTATIONS

Posted on March 8, 2017March 13, 2017 by kateorgera


NEW SITE!

 



Hello everyone!

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted on here. This is mostly because I’ve
started up a new official site as a platform for my writing and marketing
career.

I’m not sure if I’ll be posting on here for the foreseeable future. The new
site, while a little more professional, will still be analyzing stories and
their place in our world, so I encourage you to check it out.

Stay positive!

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Posted on July 30, 2016July 30, 2016 by kateorgera


7 THINGS TO CONSIDER WHEN READING HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD

 



The new play script being released tonight at midnight is sure to cause some
stir, good or bad.

With this in mind, I have some words for the Harry Potter fan community to
consider for the inevitable emotional upheavals that will (and have already)
occur.

 1. THIS SCRIPT WASN’T WRITTEN DIRECTLY BY JK ROWLING
    
    
    
    If you look carefully at the cover, you’ll see that JK Rowling is credited
    with having created the “Original Story,” along with two others, John
    Tiffany and Jack Thorne. Jack Thorne is credited as having written the
    actual script. So while Rowling played a huge part, huger even than in the
    movies, the words themselves, unlike her work for the Fantastic Beasts film
    later this year, are not really her own.
    
    So, though I’m sure Thorne did the best he could to capture the feel of her
    words and her world, it might not feel quite the same for some readers.

 2. THE IDEA FOR THE PROJECT WAS NOT JK ROWLING’S.
    
    
    
    Producers Sonia Friedman and Colin Calendar are credited with presenting
    Rowling with the idea for a straight play dealing with Harry as a father.
    Before this, I’m sure Rowling was content to leave the ending as it was.
    Though Rowling had gotten stage offers for Harry before – huge spectacles
    and musicals. This one she vetted because it was more intimate and
    character-based.
    
    So just to keep in mind – this is not a cash grab. Rowling would not have
    worked on this project if she didn’t think it fit the world, but it wasn’t
    her idea to do this.

 3. THE WORK WAS WRITTEN FOR THE STAGE
    
    
    
    You remember trying to read Shakespeare to yourself for a school assignment
    and maybe having a difficult time envisioning certain things?
    
    While plays should definitely be considered literature, and I’m glad this is
    being distributed widely in response to the fears of alienating worldwide
    Potter fans, we must keep in mind that unlike other Potter works, this is a
    work meant to be performed and said aloud. It may be difficult to envision
    how actors would inflect certain phrases.
    
    So you might want to find a quiet room and read aloud to yourself if having
    trouble (or ask your friends and make it a full-cast reading! Why not?).

 4. THE PUBLISHED SCRIPT IS NOT THE FINAL VERSION OF THE STORY.
    
    
    
    As a “Special Rehearsal Edition,” the version of Cursed Child being
    distributed is not quite the version that will premiere live in London on
    the same date. Production constraints simply wouldn’t make it possible. But
    between the last dress rehearsal, previews, and the premiere, certain lines
    could have been changed, whole scenes cut.
    
    It is really awesome that Bloomsbury and Scholastic managed to pull off this
    publication so quickly, but I’m hoping we see a final version script
    published at some point, to get the most developed version.

 5. JK ROWLING – AND AUTHORS IN GENERAL – ARE ALLOWED TO QUESTION THEIR OWN
    WORK.
    
    
    
    Cursed Child is, in essence, questioning  the ending and perhaps other
    elements of the earlier series. Fans have gotten angry and confused when
    Rowling would say something, completely conversational, that she maybe
    regretted or could have done differently.
    
    But, haven’t we all looked back on things we’ve done or made and wondered if
    we could have done them differently? Time changes perspective on many
    things. And sometimes, those perspectives do make their way into an official
    work.
    
    Harper Lee’s Go Set a Watchman, last year, was actually written prior to To
    Kill a Mockingbird. Clearly, she rethought her original idea, and it
    resulted in one of the greatest classics of all time.
    
    Lois Lowry’s The Giver was originally meant to be a standalone, but she
    created three more stories within the world, one of which may take away the
    mystery of The Giver’s vague ending. Even Ray Bradbury, when creating a
    stage version of Fahrenheit 451, altered the original ending to reveal the
    survival of a character who was originally thought to have died, because he
    realized the possibility had been left open.
    
    Authors are allowed to re-explore the worlds they created, to go deeper, add
    details, some of which may shift readers perspective. They may go a
    different direction than you would have, but that’s why we’re all
    individuals. If done for reasons of creativity and not for money, there is
    nothing wrong with this exploration, even if we as consumers may not agree.
    So let’s let authors be authors and agree to disagree.
    
    Rowling and the others did not set out to ruin any childhood imaginings of
    yours, only to satisfy a natural curiosity, and ask: “what if?“

 6. IT MAY BE THE EIGHTH STORY, BUT IT’S NOT THE EIGHTH BOOK.
    
    
    
    I don’t love how the marketers are really trying to spin this as a sort of
    “eighth book,” what with the midnight releases and all. But I get it – why
    wouldn’t you milk the opportunity for all it’s worth?
    
    Still, let’s keep in mind – Cursed Child will never really be part of the
    seven-book series that is Harry Potter. It won’t be sold alongside the
    others in a boxset, or have a matching cover. This is a sequel, an addition,
    a companion. it may be canon, but the Potter series still stands as a
    complete work. It’s the Legend of Korra to Avatar the Last Airbender – the
    works are certainly connected, but you don’t need one to love the other.
     They are each their own thing.

 7. THERE’S MORE THAN ONE DEFINITION OF “WELL.”
    
    
    
    “All was well.” That is how JK Rowling chose to end the seventh book, and it
    is this point that she chooses to engage with, along with the other two
    writers, in this play.
    
    But, what does “well” mean?
    
    I can say my life is well. I have lovely family and friends who love me and
    care for me. I went to a good school, and I’m generally a happy person.
    
    But does that mean there aren’t things in my past that I struggle with? Or
    that relationships don’t hit snags? Does it mean I don’t worry about the
    future?
    
    Absolutely not. 
    
    Clearly, Cursed Child is going to deal with Harry’s life and his family’s.
    And it’s going to challenge the definition of “well” for many readers. But
    for this reader, “well” can mean a lot of things. “Well,” to me, is about
    finding balance and building and maintaining resilience. It’s about never
    giving in to despair. For survivors of a war, that is a challenge, but not
    an impossible one.
    
    It reminds me of a scene from Legend of Korra. In the second season, the
    grown children of Aang, the protagonist of the prequel series Avatar the
    Last Airbender, reunite in a… not-so-harmonious-way.
    
    After a whole two episodes of clashing personalities, dishing out the past,
    and accusations of favoritism, all of which cast the beloved (and deceased,
    within LOK) Aang in an unfavorable light. But in the end, the siblings can
    look at a childhood family photo and say, honestly, “That’s one happy
    family.”
    
    Family is hard. And for someone who never had a traditional family, I can
    imagine it’s a little harder for Harry, as it was for nomadic Aang after the
    events of Avatar the Last Airbender to raise the family that comes to
    squabble in Legend of Korra. But love was there. And whatever hurt feelings
    existed, doesn’t mean things weren’t, in general, “well.”
    
    Tolstoy once said, “All happy families are alike; each unhappy family is
    unhappy in its own way.” But to me that suggests that “happy” equals
    “perfect,“ which is simply not true. The Weasley family was certainly happy
    most of the time, but it wasn’t perfect. Stressed parents, children who
    sometimes felt overlooked, struggles with money, all played a part in the
    Weasleys’ lives. But Weasleys were happy. They loved each other, they
    persevered with or eventually sorted out what problems came up, and had
    enough love to extend to others, like Harry and Hermione. The Weasleys had
    problems, but they were “well,” at the end of the day.
    
    “Well” was never meant to mean “perfect.” But it does mean, I think,
    appreciating what you have. Harry Potter can, in the moment we left him on
    the platform at Kings Cross, feel that “All was well,” even if overworked,
    even if struggling in everyday life, even if there are more struggles with
    his children to come. Because he isn’t doing any of this alone anymore.
    
    And for Harry, considering where he began? That’s pretty amazing.
    
     



So, how are you guys feeling about the script? Going to a midnight release
party? Discuss below!

 




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Posted on April 23, 2016 by kateorgera


FAVORITE SHAKESPEARE ADAPTATIONS (AND REFERENCES)

Today marks the 400th anniversary of the death of the Bard himself, William
Shakespeare.

For me personally, my high school had a fantastic theater program, so that I
studied Shakespeare more than most at that age. I made fake blood for a
production of Romeo and Juliet, performed in a cabaret of Shakespeare monologues
and scenes, even saw the Globe Theater and went to Stratford-on-Avon as part of
the program’s trip to England to see The Tempest. I’ve also attended a number of
outdoor productions at the Vanderbilt Mansion, which makes a lovely setting for
any Shakespeare play.

Shakespeare has inspired people for centuries now, and inspired many works along
the way. This is a brief overview of my favorites. Let me know yours in the
comments!

“Brush Up Your Shakespeare”



A song from Kiss Me Kate, itself an adaptation within an adaptation of The
Taming of the Shrew, imagine two hardened gangsters singing about how to use
Shakespeare to woo women, complete with heavy Brooklyn accents. That is this
song. Guaranteed to bring a laugh.

Captain Shakespeare



I love the movie Stardust, based on the book by Neil Gaiman, for many reasons,
one of which was not in the book at all.

Captain Shakespeare, played by Robert DeNiro, seems like a tough
lightning-harvesting pirate in the magical realm of Stormhold, but once behind
closed doors he is… very much the opposite of a macho man. His name is a
reference to this dual nature: “I’m thinking ‘Great English wordsmith,’ my
enemies and crew are thinking ‘Shake! Spear!'” Sadly, the character never quotes
the Bard he is named after, but he makes the movie very fun.



Comic Relief Sketch 2007



Before Catherine Tate joined Doctor Who as a companion, she collaborated with
David Tennant, then the Doctor, on this hilarious sketch taking place in a high
school Shakespeare class. They have since worked together on a production
of Much Ado About Nothing as the hilarious Beatrice and Benedick.

The Lion King



Much has been made of the parallels between The Lion King and
Shakespeare’s Hamlet. What irritates me is when people say this makes is
derivative or unoriginal.

Shakespeare himself took from other writers, from myths and legends, to create
his works. Very little is truly “new” when it comes to fiction, but it is how
creators rearrange and make things relevant that makes a work stand on its own,
apart from what inspired it.

Other than the, y’know, lions, there is a lot to be said of how Lion King makes
Hamlet new and awesome. Nobody dies except Mufasa and Scar, for one.
Ophelia/Nala doesn’t go crazy, and is actually pretty awesome. No mothers making
out with uncles, or convoluted “let’s make them think I’m crazy” schemes. The
“ghost scene” between Hamlet and his father doesn’t come until much later
instead of the top of the show. And Hamlet/Simba blames himself for his father’s
death. So, though one is inspired by the other, they are not the same, and
that’s what makes both awesome.

Reduced Shakespeare Company, “The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
(abridged)”





This is just a short clip of the awesomeness that is Reduced Shakespeare. In
trying to cram the complete works of Shakespeare in one 90-minute show, the
company parodies the whole of Shakespeare canon, while still giving due
reverence. You can find the whole taped production here.

“The Shakespeare Code”, Doctor Who


This is definitely one of my top five Doctor Who episodes for multiple reasons,
but one is the time-traveling Doctor interacting with the genius Will
Shakespeare. David Tennant, who himself has performed Shakespeare brilliantly,
spouts off many of the Bards best lines… inspiring the Bard who has yet to write
them. Also features a trio of witches/aliens who use Shakespeare’s genius to
almost bring about the apocalypse through the rumored lost play Loves Labours
Won.
Yeah. Just go watch the episode to get the full context.

Shakespeare in Love

It isn’t historically accurate. I know. But you’ve got to love the concept: a
young Shakespeare, still overshadowed by his peers, finds the inspiration for
one of his best-loved works from a real-life tragic romance. The play, of
course, is Romeo and Juliet. Say what you will about the original, but this film
makes a good case for the fact that in an age of plays with broad humor and a
bit with a dog, Romeo and Juliet would have stood from the crowd. Sometimes the
emotion trumps the logic of the plot.

Something Rotten



Basically the polar opposite of Shakespeare in Love, in which Will is on top and
the other playwrights are down in the dumps. Two brothers end up, through
bizarre means, creating the world’s first musical. The depiction of Shakespeare
himself is… unorthodox, but with Christian Borle in the role certainly
hilariously rock star-esque.

Théâtre Illuminata Series



This young adult fantasy series by Lisa Mantchev was one of my favorites as a
theater geek teenager, and for good reason. The first book takes place in a
magical theater called the Theatre Illuminata, where the characters of every
play ever written all exist, bound to the place by the Book of scripts. Within
the world is teenage Beatrice “Bertie” Shakespeare Smith, who is not a player or
a crew member, but an orphan who has grown up in this world and fears to leave
it.

Shakespeare is just all over this series. The titles, Eyes Like Stars, Perchance
to Dream, and So Silver Bright, are taken from Shakespeare quotes. The first
book features Bertie trying to stage Hamlet in Ancient Egypt. And many of his
most famous characters show up, bumping and fighting and snarking: Bertie’s best
friends are the troublemaking fairies from A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Ariel
from The Tempest is portrayed as long-haired, blonde, and sexy, and Ophelia
shows up to drown herself if there is a body of water around.

This is just a sample of the magic of these books. Some great lines:

 * “[Hamlet] dodged remarkably fast for a melancholy introvert.”
 * “Maybe I got sick of accusations, sick of being Polonius’s daughter, and
   Laertes’s sister, and Hamlet’s girlfriend. Maybe I wanted, for a short while,
   simply to be myself.”
 * “The fairies put on their thinking caps, which were red and pointy.”

William Shakespeare’s Star Wars



Imagine Star Wars… in iambic pentameter.

I’m just going to stop there and give you some lines.

 * “I pray thee, sir, forgive me for the mess/And whether I shot first, I’ll not
   confess.”  – Han Solo
 * “O help/ Me, Obi-Wan Kenobi, help. Thou art/ Mine only hope.” – Leia

 * “LUKE —But O, what now? What light through yonder flashing sensor breaks?
   HAN It marks the loss of yon deflector shield.”


West Side Story

Based on classic Shakespeare, though it lost the Tony Award in 1958 to The Music
Man, it became a classic itself in the musical theater world. Originally
conceived as “East Side Story,” a Romeo and Juliet between a Jewish girl and
Catholic boy, the creators were inspired by headlines of gang violence between
Puerto Rican and European immigrants to give the story even more relevance.
Though the portrayal of the Puerto Ricans is… debatable, the music and the story
are timeless.




 


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Posted on March 8, 2016March 8, 2016 by kateorgera


AGENT CARTER SEASON 2: FEMINISM AND WOMEN’S CHOICE

Happy International Women’s Day! What better to celebrate than by discussing
awesome female characters?

It’s been a week since Agent Carter wrapped Season 2. While Agent Carter’s
second season garnered both applause and criticism from fans, there were certain
discrepancies in the fandom reactions that I found a little surprising.

Namely, reactions to Peggy’s origin story in 2×04 “Smoke and Mirrors,” Ana
Jarvis’s fate and character reactions to it in 2×08-09, “The Edge of Mystery”
and “A Little Song and Dance”, and the general love triangles seen throughout
this season in the form of Jason/Peggy/Sousa and Peggy/Sousa/Violet. A lot of
the negative reactions had to do with how… not-so-feminist the writing choices
were perceived to be, for a show that claims to be so.

I gave this some immense thought, and I think there is an alternative way at
looking at these plot choices that does fall in line with the feminist aims of
the show. Namely, the fact that these all come down to a question of choice for
the characters.

Choice is the key word here. Because the conversation about feminism should
always be about choice, making sure all women and men of all types can choose
the lives they want and have access to the resources that would make it possible
with enough work.

Image: Peggy says “Now, I go to work,” hair tossing behind her as she gets in
vehicle. Source.

The following contains spoilers for Agent Carter Season 2

Read more


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Posted on March 1, 2016March 1, 2016 by kateorgera


5 WAYS AGENT CARTER MATCHES UP TO INDIANA JONES (AND 5 WAYS IT’S BETTER)

In honor of the Agent Carter Season 2 finale, let’s see how Peggy matches up to
the legendary Indiana Jones. Can this modern action series stand up to a
classic?

HOW THEY MATCH UP

Action/Adventure

Probably the easiest similarity to spot about these two is the genre. Indiana
Jones and Agent Carter both center around a typical action-adventure concept:
keep the powerful object out of the wrong hands. They also pack in quite a lot
of exciting, well-executed action fare: car chases, explosions, air fights, gun
fights, fist fights, the whole shebang, without going too much for the gore
factor, which makes them such crowd pleasers.

Brains and Brawn

Indy and Peggy are both action stars, so of course they know how to give a beat
down. They may not have gracefully lethal moves like a lot of modern action
fare, but they know how to throw their weight (and others’  weight) around, and
use anything at their disposal. At the same time, however, they are both noted
for their intelligence, which is crucial in the field. Indy has a doctorate
after all, and can figure out a historically-based clue without much trouble.
And Peggy, even before getting trained as a spy, was a skilled code breaker for
the Allies.  They’re also adept at disguising themselves while on a mission,
which takes good thinking on the fly (Though Indy’s Scottish accent could use
some work).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WiZ8D9akdV4

Double Lives

It could be said that Indy and Peggy are so good at disguises because they
basically disguise themselves in everyday life. Both are multifaceted characters
in that their world sees one side of them, while the audience and trusted team
members see another side.

After witnessing the man navigate dangerous booby traps in an ancient temple to
steal a golden idol, Indy’s civilian identity of Dr. Henry Jones Jr., a boring
(but attractive), bespectacled professor at Princeton, is intended to come as a
surprise to the audience. But the moment he dons the fedora, leather jacket, and
whip, he’s a completely different person.

Peggy, as introduced in Captain America: The First Avenger, is a tough-as-nails
SSR agent who shines in the heat of battle during World War II. So upon picking
up the series in New York after the war is over, it is disheartening to see her
pretend to the world to be a telephone operator, and reduced to secretary within
the SSR itself because she is a woman.



Watching both characters play with these double lives is a part of what makes
them memorable, and makes those characters who see them as they really are all
the more valuable.

Period Pieces

Part of the intrigue of Indiana Jones and Agent Carter is that they are set in a
specific time frame. The original three Indiana Jones films take place in the
years leading up to World War II, while Agent Carter takes place soon after the
war. Not only does it give both a similar aesthetic in terms of costumes and
tech which appeals to the nostalgia factor, but also allows them to deal with
the worldwide effects of this huge event in world history, whether by preventing
threats or dealing with the aftermath.

Humor

I love a good one-liner, and Indiana Jones and Agent Carter both have tons of
them! Personal favorites:

 

 * Indiana Jones: “Snakes. Why did it have to be snakes?” (Raiders)
 * Indiana: Do we need a monkey?
   Marion: I’m surprised at you. Talking that way about our baby. He’s got your
   looks, too.
   Indiana: And your brains.
 * Henry Jones: [accidentally shoots their own plane with the machine gun]
   Indiana Jones: Dad, are we hit?”
   Henry Jones: “More or less. Son, I’m sorry… They got us.” (Last Crusade)
 * Peggy Carter: [Cuffed to the table in the interrogation room] Mr. Jarvis, how
   would you feel if we smashed that mirror with this table?
   Edwin Jarvis: I would feel splendid about it.
 * Daniel: This is a bad plan.
   Jarvis: It’s a horrible plan.
   Peggy: It’s a solid plan.
 * Peggy: How are you now?
   Sousa: I still want to kill Thompson, but no more than usual.
 * Mr Jones: I didn’t know our government had such good taste in secretaries.
   What’s your name darling?
   Peggy: [deadpan] Agent.

HOW AGENT CARTER IS BETTER
Strong Nuanced Characters (and Hey, Look, There Are Women!)

Agent Carter, as a TV series, already allows more room for character depth than
Indiana Jones. Not that Indiana Jones doesn’t have some great character
development – just compare Indy in Raiders to Indy in Last Crusade, plus all the
father-son stuff in the latter.

But even accounting for length of time, the characters of Agent Carter are just
so striking, breaking boundaries on many levels. Of course, a big selling point
for this series is the women. I’ll be addressing Peggy herself later, but let’s
look at some f the other women in this series:

 * Dottie Underwood, who seems like a sweet girl, but is not as guileless as she
   appears.
 * Ana Jarvis, a Hungarian Jew living in America who totally gets the need for a
   gun holster under one’s skirt
 * Rose, who may wear glasses and floral patterns, but can bring the heat just
   as well as Peggy
 * Whitney Frost – delicate starlet? Not so much. When her facade cracks, it
   cracks horrifically, and makes for a truly fascinating antagonist.



While Indiana had some strong female costars, Agent Carter deserves extra props
for the strong female representation. But the male characters get some great
diversity and development too:

 * Daniel Sousa, a handicapped vet who starts the series as just a nice guy, but
   proves his keen intellect and ability to lead, an equal with Peggy in the
   field. His injury does not define him, but it causes him to find creative
   solutions and value those he trusts.
 *  Jack Thompson may seem like just another misogynist jerk. To a degree, he
   is. But it is so, so hard to figure out whose side he’s on or what he ‘s
   going to do next. And thankfully, he is never set up as love interest to
   Peggy
 * Jason Wilkes was an ordinary physicist (albeit one used to being looked down
   upon), until put in a unique position that endangered his life. This conflict
   gives him a chance to really show his smarts, but also pushes him to the
   point of desperation, causing him to make choices that make him neither
   villain nor victim.

Actually managed to pull off Sci-Fi in a cool and intelligent way

Remember when Indiana Jones attempted to tackle sci-fi elements?

Did you want to remember?

After three films focusing on supernatural elements, Indy 4 tried to pay homage
to 50s sci-fi with a story of crystal skulls and aliens. And honestly, I think
it could have worked. But the film didn’t quite manage to pull off the concept
convincingly. Agent Carter, on the other hand, deals with sci-fi level crazy on
weekly basis. Of course, maybe it’s the lack of aliens, maybe it’s the already
established connection with the pseudo science of the Marvelverse. But let me
put it this way:

When Indy handled a nuclear test, it went for the expected: Indy hides in a
refrigerator and survives (despite that the fridge probably should have been
flattened). It is then quickly forgotten as Indy goes on his way.

But when Agent Carter handled a nuclear test in Season 2, it went for the
unexpected: instead of exploding mushroom-cloud style, the bomb implodes and
produces an alien substance dubbed zero matter, capable of swallowing anything
in its wake. This substance becomes the heart of the rest of the season, and the
implications of it are almost more devastating than a nuclear bomb! Hard to beat
that.
Marvel-Ish

Related to the above, Peggy, having come from Captain America: The First Avenger
along with Howard Stark (Iron Man’s father), has ties to the ever-growing Marvel
Cinematic Universe. It thus gets to play with some cool comic book elements.
Again, it’s not as if Indiana Jones wasn’t known for things beyond the norm, and
some would say the deeper connection to mythology made the Indy films more epic.
But there’s a particular reason people love Marvel movies, and Agent Carter
captures quite a bit of it. What other show set in the 1940s gets to play with
stuff like miniature implosion bombs, emotion manipulating gas, and zero matter
without blinking an eye? It also gets to hint at future developments in the
Marvelverse, but since it takes place before the majority of those events, you
don’t have to see every single Marvel movie to understand what’s going on, and
the show can go on its own tangents, to a certain extent.
All the Feels



While Indiana Jones had some great emotional moments (particularly, for me,
between father and son in Last Crusade), for the most part these were
fast-paced, action-packed films with little time to get really emotional. Plus,
nobody wanted to shatter the idea of Indiana Jones being a super tough guy by
having him get too moved by emotions, and it works for Indy.
But Agent Carter is more comfortable with emotionally devastating its audience
by giving the characters some truly gut-wrenching scenes. It isn’t that Peggy or
her colleagues are any more apt to show emotion than Indy. But they are allowed
to go to some deep, dark places emotionally —  when these characters are honest,
or angry, or sad, they are brutally so.
Peggy Herself

Just… I mean … look at her!

I’m not saying Margaret Carter is better than Dr. Henry Jones Jr. as a
character. I love them both, and Indy is such an icon.

But Peggy is a force in her own right, and the show deserves to be viewed for
that alone.

She is tough, yet she is gentle. She is brave and knows her value. She is kind
and sticks up for others. She knows how to manipulate emotion within the field,
but has trouble dealing with her own in real life. She has high standards, but
for no one more than herself. And she kicks serious butt. In heels! She’s a
complex lady with flaws and fortitude , and she deserves to have her greatness
witnesses more!

Peggy deserves to be as iconic as Indiana. Let’s give her a shot at doing so and
rally for another season!


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Posted on January 22, 2016January 22, 2016 by kateorgera · 1 Comment


WHAT TO MARATHON WHEN YOU’RE STUCK INSIDE: 2016 EDITION!

Snowed in this weekend? Sick with whatever’s going around school/the office?
Just received one of those miraculous days where you have nothing to do and
nowhere to be? Unless you have a great book to curl up with (or, y’know,
homework), sounds like you need something to marathon!  Read more


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Posted on October 21, 2015January 22, 2016 by kateorgera


POWER OF LOVE?: THE PARALLEL LIVES OF THE MRS. MCFLYS (BACK TO THE FUTURE)


Welcome to the future, everyone!

For those not in the know, October 21, 2015 is a very special day in the history
of film and pop culture – it’s the day Marty McFly and Doc Brown arrive from
1985 in Back to the Future Part II!


The vision provided by the film of the potential future has been sparking the
imaginations of fans for thirty years, and now we can officially see how close
the predictions come to the truth.

In terms of technology, there are plenty of articles circling around on that
topic, so I’m not going to touch it. But the future society presented in 2015, I
think, could use some discussing.

Read more


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Posted on August 25, 2015August 25, 2015 by kateorgera


WHY I’M EXCITED LIN MANUEL MIRANDA IS COMPOSING MOANA (AND YOU SHOULD BE TOO!)

Source: Broadway World

In the wake of the D23 convention over a week ago, there were a lot of great
announcements made in regards to upcoming Disney movies and such.
 
But the one that got me really excited?
 
Lin-Manuel Miranda is composing the next Disney Princess movie.
 

 
The thing is, I don’t think much of the general population understands just how
awesome this news is.
 

That’s why I’m here.

The movie in question, Moana is described as such by Disney: “Moana introduces a
spirited teenager who sails out on a daring mission to fulfill her ancestors’
unfinished quest. She meets the once-mighty demi-god Maui (voice of Dwayne
Johnson), and together, they traverse the open ocean on an action-packed
voyage.”

With the film set in the South Pacific, Moana is being touted as the first
Polynesian princess. So, what does Lin-Manuel Miranda, a composer-lyricist of
Puerto Rican descent, bring to this project?

Read more


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Posted on July 2, 2015July 2, 2015 by kateorgera


HOW (NOT) TO SAVE A LIFE – THE FLASH FINALE VS. THE KID FROM THE FUTURE TROPE

 


(WARNING: This thing is full of spoilers, and super sad ones at that, for Season
1 of The Flash, Season 3 of Static Shock, Doctor Who 1×08, and The Sarah Jane
Adventures 2×10-11/serial 11)
 .
So, it’s been over a month since The Flash finale.
 
And I’m still wrapping my head around it.




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Posted on June 23, 2015July 27, 2016 by kateorgera · 1 Comment


WHAT MAKES A GOOD LITERARY WEB SERIES?

(Note: This is an updated version of an article originally posted in May. You
can see the original here, but it might be better to just read the latest
version. Spoilers of all series up until their last/latest episode to follow)
I love web series. And this isn’t the first time I’ve said as much.
.
In particular, I love web series that are literary adaptations, because due to
budgets and copyright laws, literary web series have to be particularly
inventive in bringing classic stories to modern day, making them relatable to
internet audiences. 
.
This post is going to be a brief structural analysis of what, in my view, should
be considered in a web series adaptation. (Based on series I’ve seen from
beginning to end/most recent episode).
 
.
Components
 1. Initial conceit (or, why does this character have a blog?)
 2. Audience acknowledgement & interaction
 3. How are other perspectives integrated?
 4. Inventiveness (with camera stuff, settings, etc.)
 5. Quality of Adaptation (modernization of problematic elements, captured the
    spirit of the original)

.

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WHO AM I?

Children's fantasy writer. Recent graduate in creative writing and psychology.
Ravenclaw. "Fantasy's hardly an escape from reality. It's a way of understanding
it."


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