#of all the asshole misogynistic power fantasy characters he is one of the worst

[thesoftboiledegg]

Season 5 is good on its own, but from a narrative standpoint, it's brilliant in how it shows us that everything we thought about Rick is wrong--even before the big reveals in the last three episodes. The season pulls the threads of Rick's character one-by-one until the whole toxic masculinity shitshow of the earlier seasons unravels.

This had already started in season 4--Rick still does shitty things, but he's not as terrible as he was in earlier seasons. He's more civil, forgiving and willing to admit when he's wrong. When he and Morty think they're dying at the end of the Glorzo episode, he drops the bullshit altogether and frantically apologizes to Morty, saying "It's all my fault!" Still, he crashes and hits rock bottom with "The Vat of Acid Episode," showing that his worst instincts are still in there somewhere.

Season 5 changes that. The first episode starts with Morty carrying Rick to safety while Rick rambles that he's a "small, silly man," showing that the balance of power has shifted.

As the season goes on, Rick gradually drops his cold exterior. Make no mistake--he's still an asshole when he wants to be. But he smiles fondly at people, shows sorrow and regret, and sighs endearingly at Jerry's corny jokes. He accepts a hug from Summer even though it clearly makes him uncomfortable and returns it in a loving way, not in a manipulative way like he would have in season 3.

When he does get annoyed, his expressions are funny and endearing, not cold and frightening. And even then, he's willing to let the issue go half the time instead of going on a destructive rampage.

What I'm getting at is that "badass Rick" who kicked everyone's ass and never showed emotion is slowly disappearing. Say goodbye to that aspect of toxic masculinity, fellas--the "sociopath" from season 1 (I never agreed with that label anyway) is actually a vulnerable human being.

Rick gets over his pointless feud with the president, and the narrative actually sides with the president a little instead of agreeing with Rick's constant anti-government rants. "Haha, Rick hates the gubmint just like me!" goes down the drain. Rick refuses to replace his Bird Person with another Bird Person who would do what he wants, so "Nothing matters, everyone's replaceable" falls away, too.

His romantic and sexual relationships also lose their male power fantasy aspect. Rick having sex with every alien chick in the galaxy becomes Rick clinging to a woman who's using him because he's lonely. When he has a kid with the horse lady, he promises to take care of them instead of running off.

And then there's the infamous Birdrick reveal. Even if you want to pull the whole "It's platonic!!" crap, Rick still admits his love for his male best friend. And not in a bro-y "Haha, you're my best friend, man" way--he just outright says it.

Season 5 even corrects some of the toxic masculinity from earlier seasons. When you first watch "The Wedding Squanchers," it looks like Rick's pitching the typical misogynist "wah wah my bro's getting married and won't be able to hang out with me" hissy fit. Watching it again, that episode becomes deeply sad.

Rick still gets his licks in, but he also fails, falls apart and starts to realize how much damage he's caused. He's not miserable because he's the smartest man in the universe and nobody understands how great he is. He's miserable after a lifetime of grief, trauma and self-hatred that he turned inward--and later, started to turn outward. He was a toxic presence in Morty's life, and he knows it.

By the end, the Rick who was always in control, kicked everybody's ass, spoke uncomfortable truths (i.e. was an asshole for no reason), cursed out his grandkids, whined about "political correctness," laughed at violence and murder, took his anger out on everyone, claimed that nothing mattered, wallowed in self-pity, fed his own ego and smacked down everyone who defied him had unraveled to reveal that all of it was bullshit. From the first episode, he was full of shit.

He's still miserable, selfish, emotionally immature, deeply flawed and barely functioning, and he's done so many awful things that he'll never be able to atone for them, but he's done pretending that he doesn't love his grandkids--in fact, he'll prove it right now, and show Morty love, affection and sincerity for the first time in the entire series.

It wasn't the end, but I actually think that this all culminated with Rick becoming the crow witch. That was Rick's fantasy, not the audience's, because the incels who think they're Rick sure as shit aren't going to imagine themselves in that outfit.

Rick's still mean to Morty, but we also see Rick carrying Morty in his arms later on--a parallel to the opening scene of the season and a sharp contrast to the brutality of Ricks who clone Mortys and butcher their tiny little bodies.

Then, at the end of "Rickmurai Jack," Evil Morty deconstructs Rick's bullshit and points out his pettiness, selfishness, toxic attitude to Morty and the unhealthy ways that he justifies it all. After that, Rick doesn't even try to manipulate his way out of the situation. He lies under a pile of rubble and tells Morty to save himself. Morty's love is the only reason that he doesn't die on the citadel.

Of course, we've got five more seasons to go, so who knows what's going to happen. But as it stands right now, the show that once fed into science bro MRA culture--and I think it was intentional and the writers 100% sided with Rick at the time--became a deconstruction of toxic masculinity. And maybe a critique of it, too.

#this post has obviously been sitting in the slow cooker (my brain) for a while #rick and morty #rick sanchez #morty smith

[wilde-writing]

WIP Prep Tag Game

@siarven​ and @kittensartsbooks​ tagged me. Thank you so much! I really want to do this.

Rules: Answer the questions and then tag as many writers as there are questions answered (or as many as you can) to spread the positivity! Even if these questions are not explicitly brought up in the novel, they are still good to keep in mind when writing.

I’ll do this for my Eskaron Wip (god, I need a better name...) which is still at a really really early stage. Most I do at the moment is figuring out the history of the world, but anyway. I’ll share what I can with you!

FIRST LOOK

1. Describe your novel in 1-2 sentences (elevator pitch).

A bunch of guys who don’t know each other end up relying on each other to face a colossal change that affects their whole world.  

2. How long do you plan for your novel to be? (Is it a novella, single book, book series, etc.)

I want it to be a series. Don’t know how many books yet. Let’s see what I can make out of it. 

3. What is your novel’s aesthetic?

Mountains. Castles. Deep Forests. Crystals. Swords.

4. What other stories inspire your novel?

Obviously Lord of the Rings. But also Holly Black’s writing which was always a big inspiration to me regarding the fairy world. Also fairytales and greek/roman and norse mythology. 

5. Share 3+ images that give a feel for your novel.

MAIN CHARACTER

6. Who is your protagonist?

If only I knew... I can give a a few character ideas I had yet. Because all characters I have yet are historical figures that don’t really act in the main story (cause they already dead).

a) Queen who killed her husband to rule over the kingdom instead and has to fight against the misogynistic laws of mankind. 

b) A royal shapeshifter whose shifter mother was forced to marry a human prince. He doesn’t know which race he owes his loyalty. 

c) Young girl who figured out that she is a witch and got chased out of her village. Now she has to find The Coven. 

d) Elf who was switched at birth with a human prince. It’s time to return to the elf kingdom now, leaving the human kingdom in a mess.

Aaaaand as an extra (because I can’t really answer any of the following questions) historical characters who are still pretty important in the present. 

Tysia and Doam: Belong to the direct descendants of the sparks (who literally created the entire world) and are some kind of gods to the elves because they created them. Tysia and Doam are responsible for the fact that sun and moon exist and also founded the two courts that the land of elves is split into. 

Aelin and Rowá: Human girl and shapeshifter wolf who made the first step for their races to trust each other again (and a few hundred years later this asshole comes along and destroys everything again). Their children married each other. 

7. Who is their closest ally?

//

8. Who is their enemy?

I actually have an idea for the antagonist, but I want to keep it a secret~

9. What do they want more than anything?

//

10. Why can’t they have it?

//

11. What do they wrongly believe about themselves?

//

12. Draw your protagonist! (Or share a description)

(Sorry, I was too lazy to make a proper scan. I’ll do that when the aquarelle is finished.)

Concept art of Tysia and Doam and some lazy doodling of the spark descendants.

PLOT POINTS

13. What is the internal conflict?

//

14. What is the external conflict?

//

15. What is the worst thing that could happen to your protagonist?  

Die, I guess. //

16. What secret will be revealed that changes the course of the story?

I actually already know this, but I won’t reveal it yet. But I’m already excited because of it. :D

17. Do you know how it ends?  

I don’t even know how it starts...

BITS AND BOBS

18. What is the theme?  

Balance. Especially regarding to power. Which power lies inside the powerless (or those who think are powerless) and what can’t the mighty ones do? 

19. What is a recurring symbol?  

//

20. Where is the story set? (Share a description!)

It all started with the idea of an island where the elves live (called Eskaron) and now I also have a giant (still unnamed) continent with four mighty human kingdoms and a bunch of shapeshifters and witches.

21. Do you have any images or scenes in your mind already?

Oh yeah, definitely. I managed to re-use the very first concept (which was for a short story) as a sub plot. It involves a dragon and a young girl that coincidentally stumbles into his halls.

 22. What excited you about this story?  

It’s been already such a long journey. My biggest desire was always to write a great fantasy story with elves and I want to fulfil this wish to me now. 

23. Tell us about your usual writing method!  

First comes worldbuilding. A lot. I don’t feel save navigating in my world, when there are still things unset. 

Then I note down the major plot points that I want to happen and make up everything in between (or almost everything). I want the story to develop naturally so I don’t create a strict plan anymore.

Then the writing itself... When I have a lot of ideas I make a sloppy pre-draft first. Means, I just write down major plot points and rough dialogues. The re-writing of that is the actual first draft. And this draft I give a first edit when I finished a chapter. So it’s at least readable. 

Then, when the story is finished I give it a second edit. Which almost never happens. 

Thanks to all who actually read all that, because it’s not a lot I could tell you, since I still have to work a lot on it. Bit this actually helped me to figure out a few things. Super hyped again! I can come up with the rest! It’s gonna be great!

I’m tagging @desperatlytryingtowriteabook, @unfocused-overwriter, @lumina-rhiver, @atelierwriting, @thewingwriter, @delphwrites and @madmoonink. No pressure though. As always.

#tagged #wip #writeblr #eskaron

[thecinephale]

Nicole Kidman 59 - #5-1

5. The Paperboy (dir. Lee Daniels)

Hell yeah the movie where Nicole Kidman pees on Zac Efron made the top five. I saw this in theatres and I too went in knowing only about that notorious moment. Most of the movie was sweaty and campy and fun and ridiculous as I hoped it would be. But as it kept going I found myself thinking, “Wait. Is this movie actually good??” Layers revealed themselves moment to moment and by the time the film ended I was convinced that, yes, it was good. Quite good. And as time has passed and I’ve revisited it I’ve only become more and more certain that it’s a brilliant and complex masterpiece. It’s still ridiculous and entertaining, but it’s also incredibly deep in its examinations of gender dynamics, racism, homophobia, and the ways they intersect.

4. To Die For (dir. Gus van Sant)

This is the film that won the Twitter poll and I have a hard time arguing. Between Gus van Sant’s direction, Buck Henry’s last great screenplay, and Nicole Kidman’s greatest performance, this is truly a remarkable film. Kidman isn’t just good in this movie. She gives the kind of performance that declares: No other actor could do this role. I have talents that are completely mine. And I am amazing. Like all 20th century media satires the subject matter only feels more and more relevant as the years go on. This is a nasty movie that’s equal parts hilarious and disturbing.

3. Dogville (dir. Lars von Trier)

Lars von Trier is a brilliant filmmaker and a terrible director. If a director’s job is to create a safe, supportive environment for cast and crew to create their best work, then he’s an utter failure. While the Björk sexual harassment accusations and the many more accusations against his producer Aalbæk Jensen are new, we always knew that von Trier was a terror. But our culture celebrates these attitudes in white men as a necessary downside to genius. Well, I’m in full agreement with Steven Soderbergh who in addressing all artists who harass, abuse, assault, or are just in his words “extreme assholes” said: “You’re 50 percent of what you could have been, because of the way you behave.” So, hey, I’m not going to lie. I still think Dogville is one of the best films of all time. But it was intended as a trilogy and because of the way he treated Nicole Kidman she did not come back for the much less accomplished sequel (Manderlay) and the third film never happened. I also do sincerely believe with his creativity and with the brilliance of the concept and cast, even this movie could have been better if made in a more collaborative space. Obviously that’s just speculation but it’s something I fundamentally believe about art and filmmaking. As is, it still is great though. I thought about this film every time the New York Times or some other publication wrote about the plight of the Trump voter. This film angrily and aggressively dismisses the romanticization of the white working class. As James Caan’s gangster dad wonderfully mansplains, refusing to hold people accountable for their actions, to ignore people when they make it clear who they are is extremely arrogant. Von Trier’s misanthropy can be tiresome, but this film has a lot of important things to say about America even if its filmmaker has never been here.

2. Eyes Wide Shut (dir. Stanley Kubrick)

Speaking of brilliant filmmakers who are terrible directors… this is my favorite film by this famous auteur. Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman (especially Kidman) add a humanity to this film that is missing from some of his others. And yet it still takes place in Kubrick’s usual cold, detached, semi-surreal film world. It creates an odd balance that works in some really interesting ways. I’ve been told that my reading of this film is too generous by people who think it’s a misogynistic mess, but it really feels like an indictment of a kind of pathetic upper-middle class man that is unfortunately quite common in our society. Cruise’s Dr. Bill Harford is so shaken by his wife’s stoned revelation that she once had a fantasy about another guy that he goes on a desperate journey to prove his masculinity and status. He’s constantly flashing his doctor card around and making idiotic gestures of power like tearing hundred dollar bills in half. He wants to be rich and powerful to prove he’s a man, but he’ll never be accepted by the top elite. He will however continue to hurt an array of women including his wife, sex workers, and abused children with few consequences in his quest to be like the ultra rich men who get to hurt an array of women with absolutely zero consequences. This movie is really complicated and there are moments that bother me or where I simply don’t know what to make of them. But as a whole I think it’s exploring some really interesting topics in a way that reveals new layers each time I see it. And the cinematography is so great that I’ve actually watched the movie on mute and still enjoyed it.

1. The Portrait of a Lady (dir. Jane Campion)

“They’re just people in different clothes.” Jane Campion’s period pieces always feel alive. So it didn’t surprise me when she gave that simple explanation at a recent Q&A. No film is that made clearer than in her Henry James adaptation. The movie opens with various contemporary female voices discussing their feelings about sex and love and then transitions into the credits played over images of contemporary women dancing, staring pensively, listening to a portable CD player (okay, contemporary to the 90s). And then she cuts to Nicole Kidman as Isabel Archer, as if to say, this famous literary character, this 19th century person, she’s just a woman. This is just a portrait of a lady. She manages to make the film feel both epic in importance and like an intimate reflection of common female experiences. Campion always places so much trust in her protagonists. Often when choosing among potential male lovers there are no good options, but Campion makes it clear that the bad option her character chooses is better because he is her choice. Even in this film where Isabel chooses the worst of them all, her choice is treated with respect. It’s her right to make a mistake and change her mind and live a life as a full person. Nicole Kidman is perfect in this role. Her Isabel is self-aware. We see in her expressions that she doesn’t always approve of her own actions, that she feels torn between what and who she’s drawn to and the expectations places upon her and that she places upon herself. The character changes over the years but in only the subtlest, truest ways. If you’ve read through this list and are disappointed the number one movie I’m recommending is a 2.5-hour period piece based on a Henry James novel, just trust me. Actually, don’t just trust me. Trust Jane Campion. Trust Nicole Kidman.

We made it! Thanks for going on this journey with me. I hope you learned something about Nicole Kidman and the film industry she’s worked within. The great news is she has all sorts of exciting projects coming up including John Cameron Mitchell’s already finished How to Talk to Girls at Parties and new films by Rebecca Miller and Karyn Kusama. But she also has the Weinstein-produced remake The Upside starring Bryan Cranston in a wheelchair. I guess that’s how it goes when you make more movies than years you’re alive.

#Kidman 59 #Nicole Kidman #The Paperboy #To Die For #Dogville #Eyes Wide Shut #The Portrait of a Lady