The Truly Forgotten Weasley

by Molly

It has been nearly eight years since the finale of the Harry Potter series, the bewitching novels that took the entire world by storm. Even though the Golden Trio will go on no more adventures, and the movies’ casts have all gone their separate ways, there are still many readers out there who love to analyze every word of the text. For those truly intrigued by the series, there has come a phenomena known as the “Forgotten Weasley”.

When talking about “the forgotten Weasley”, most are referring to the elusive Charlie Weasley, who was mentioned only scarcely in the books and only received a minor cameo in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. Remember this guy?

The Harry Potter film series dropped Charlie Weasley from the plot altogether, which was probably a good plan. As having been introduced to so many red-headed young Weasley boys throughout the course of the series, it was beginning to become difficult to keep them all straight in our heads!

As much as we all would’ve liked to have known more of Charlie, though, the Weasley I’m referring to is Percy. I am, and always have been of the opinion that we as a fandom have never given the guy enough credit. When you really begin to analyze the text, you’ll quickly begin to realize that he is both the most underappreciated and underrated of all the Weasleys.

Percy Weasley is often looked at as being one of the minor antagonists of the Harry Potter series. However, this could not be any less the case. Percy is, in fact, what most of us are and strive to be. What could I possibly mean by that? Here are a few of his character traits, which JK Rowling was so clever as to layer in.

• He leaves his family behind because he has different beliefs and opinions.
• He fearlessly follows those in charge.
• In the end, family really is the most important thing to him.

Let’s break this down.

First of all, after his graduation from Hogwarts, he went directly into work for the Ministry of Magic, more or less becoming the Minister’s personal coffee-fetcher. While his family began to realize that the Ministry was not working in their favor, he refused to believe it. He was even estranged from the Weasleys for nearly a book and a half due to having sided with the Ministry. He literally lost everything he ever had while clinging tightly to his belief and faith in the Ministry. This is something that hardly any of us could even imagine doing. When the going gets tough, many of us want to run away with our tail between our legs. Not this guy. Even when the entire Wizarding World was against his beliefs, he clung to them.

In the end, though, he realizes (as all protagonists do), that family meant most. So, before the Battle of Hogwarts began, he came tumbling into the Room of Requirement, a disheveled mess, begging to make amends with his broken family.

That, ladies and gentlemen, in my opinion, makes Percy Weasley one of the most relatable characters in the entire series. Unfortunately, though, most of us glance right over him, because on the surface, he’s just a “filler” character. Let me fill you in on a little something, though. There is not one character in the Harry Potter books that is there to simply take up space! Every one of them has a distinct purpose. You may have to analyze a bit to find it, but I promise it’s there! It is clear that JK Rowling took great care when creating this character. I think the fact that he is so much like so many of us, is the reason behind why we love to hate him.

So, there’s my opinion. What’s yours? Who do you think is the most underrated character of the Harry Potter series? Leave an answer in the comments below!

...And Then There Was Shipping.

by Molly

We’ve all had those time when we’ve found a book series or a movie or even a band that we just can’t get enough of. Then when said book series, movie, or musical group comes to an end, we are all left thinking, “I wonder what would happen if things had ended differently...” Thus, fanfiction was born!

Some fandoms have been more receptive to this new facet of their fan base than others. The cast of The Vampire Diaries has even gone as far as to read (and write) some of the nonsensical work themselves (See here). The show’s writer had become so accustomed to hearing about new “ships” that she actually began to find ways of incorporating them into her scripts. For those who are fans of The Vampire Diaries, you will be interested to know that this is actually how the Klaus/Caroline plot line came to be!

For those of you who don’t know what “shipping” is, this is the accepted definition, cerca internetslang.com:

“ n. short for romantic relationship, popularized in fanfiction circles;         to endorse a romantic relationship.”

We get very serious about our fandoms, clearly. I mean, I’ve been known to creep around an RPG or two in my time. Seriously, though - have we ever put any thought into what the authors and actors think about their fandoms?

For example, Benedict Cumberbatch was said to have been “flattered” after having found Sherlock fanfiction on the web. There are other performers, however, who find the entire idea of the thing completely awkward. And I would have to say that I agree with them. I mean, some of that stuff can get pretty raunchy. I’m not saying that writers shouldn’t write. I’m just saying that if you think to yourself, “Would I be embarrassed if my mom found this?” and the answer is yes, then you should probably banish it to the farthest reaches of your external hard drive where it belongs, only to be taken out once a year for ComicCon.

Some fandoms do have more ships than others, and these are the ones that I find particularly befuddling. The Harry Potter series, for one, has more than 300 characters in its entirety, and nearly every single one has a “ship”. There are the “normal” ones that everyone has thought of, such as Dramione (Draco/Hermione), Snily (Snape/Lily), and Drarry (Draco/Harry). Then there are the ones that, as I mentioned earlier, should’ve been buried in the recesses of the originator’s computer. These include Honks (Harry/Tonks), Vinny (Voldemort/Ginny), or even Dermione (Dumbledore/Hermione).

While it is very enjoyable some times to mess around with your favorite characters in those “‘What If...?” scenarios, a lot of the time it is smart to just leave it in your files. Because remember the old saying: Once it’s on the internet, it’s out there forever.

Do you really want to run the risk of one of your employers finding that LiveJournal or Tumblr account where you posted your raunchy Les Miserables fanfiction when you were fourteen? No?

Just keep in mind, it’s totally fine to have your “ships”. It’s totally okay to have your secret Tumblr account that you go to to fangirl over Glee every once in a while. But unless you’re banking on becoming the next E.L. James (Fifty Shades of Grey), I would be wary and keep it sanitary!

What fandoms are you part of? What ships do you sail? What are some of the best (and worst) fanfictions you’ve ever seen? Let me know in the comments below!

CATS: Now and Forever

by Molly

It’s time for me to shamelessly admit something. I am hopelessly, irrevocably, and unconditionally in love with Baron Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber’s CATS. And it’s all thanks to the movie Barney’s Great Adventure.

I was probably three or four when I got the Barney’s Great Adventure VHS tape. Before the feature on this particular VHS, there was a trailer for a movie musical, CATS. Of course I didn’t know it then, but this trailer would be the prelude to my obsession with musicals, and in later life, my reason for pursuing a career in music performance.

After seeing the trailer (link here), I was quick to tell my parents that I wanted the movie, but as luck would have it, the CATS North American tour was in town later that month. So, instead of buying me the movie, they dressed me up and brought me to the theater to see my first Broadway show. From then on, I was absolutely in love. I would put in my cassette tape nearly every day and dance like my life depended on it.

CATS, based on the Old Possum’s Book for Practical Cats by T.S. Eliot, is the story of junkyard cats who gather together once a year for a chance to go to the Heavyside Layer (Heaven). Candidates are chosen, and they must prove that they deserve to be the one to travel to the Heavyside Layer. Of course, there is a bit of romance thrown in there, along with some mischief, and some good, old-fashioned partying.

One of the most intriguing things about this musical is the fact that it doesn’t have a main character. All of the thirty-something characters are given equal attention throughout the course of the musical. Every performer is given their opportunity to shine, and every character is given their bit of storyline.

After a ridiculously successful run on the West End, CATS was brought to America, where it was performed to sold-out audiences at Madison Square Garden every night for months at a time. CATS was quick to top the charts and was eventually added to the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest running broadway show of all time.

The costuming of the show has evolved by leaps and bounds since the show’s inception  in 1976. I’ve heard it said before that being a costume designer for CATS is like the ultimate Cosplay. After looking at these dramatic designs, I couldn’t agree more. In the costuming department for this particular show, everything is left up to the imagination. You can basically be as creative as you want! This would be the one show that I would kill to design for! See below the difference in the costume work for the original West End cast and their 1998 film counterparts:

For anybody who has not seen CATS, I can easily say that it is one of the most confusing, intriguing, and interesting stories I’ve ever seen on a stage. The experience you get while watching the plot play out in front of you is an addicting one. Every time you see this show, there is something new and exciting about it. I, personally, can vouch for that, having seen the show four times myself.

One of the most entertaining aspects of this show in particular is that so much of it has been left up to audience interpretation and speculation. The family relations between the characters in CATS is never made entirely clear. However, fans of the show have had nearly thirty years to pick up small clues and piece together several potential family trees. Here's an example:

As you can see, this family tree is a fairly convoluted (and polygamistic?) one. We will probably never know the intended family tree (or even if there was one in the first place), so we’ll just have to keep on watching and interpreting and speculating. What does your ideal CATS family tree look like? Let us know in the comments!

All things considered, I would say that this would have to be my favorite musical of all time. It’s the perfect show for children and families, with some phenomenal music and meaningful lyrics. Unfortunately, CATS has not toured the US for many years now, and it probably won’t be in the foreseeable future, but the Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats and its film adaptation is still available in stores everywhere!

CATS is one of those shows that comes along once in a lifetime and changes the face of musical performance worldwide. They say that everything Andrew Lloyd Webber touches turns to gold, and that philosophy started with this show! Leave some comments and let me know if you like articles like this one and if you want to see more of them!

I will leave you with some interesting facts that I found while surfing the web, coming up with the info for this article.

1. After portraying Alonzo in the 1998 film adaptation of CATS, Jason Gardiner went on to be a judge on the television competition Dancing on Ice.

                                          

2.) Susan Jane Tanner, who portrayed Jellylorum in the 1998 film adaptation, also originated the role of Madame Thenardier in Les Miserables on the West End.

3.) Sarah Brightman, the original West End Jemima in CATS, also originated the role of Christine Daae in Phantom of the Opera.

A cat's entitled to expect

These evidences of respect

So this is this, and that is that

And there's how you ad-dress a cat

Life After Divergent

by Molly

Recently a new dystopian novel has taken the world by storm. Divergent has risen up to join the ranks of Harry Potter, Percy Jackson, and Narnia - novels that define our generation. Veronica Roth’s first novel is one that begins at a lightning pace and keeps its momentum up for nearly 500 pages. I, personally, never thought that a modern-day dystopian novel could be as endearing as this. I’m one that enjoys the classics - Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and other legendary stories of people who want nothing more than to be themselves. Nobody ever would’ve thought, before reading Divergent, that Veronica Roth would one day rival George Orwell and Ayn Rand, but it has happened, and it was obvious from the first page of text.

Roth’s main character, Tris, is a young girl from a sector of society which requires its people to be selfless and worry-free. On a given day every year, all of the sixteen-year-olds from all over this society (which we later learn is “modern-day” Chicago) come to choose which sector (faction) they wish to live in for the rest of their lives. Most teenagers choose to live in the same faction that they have know for their whole lives, but Tris and a few others feel like they need a change and choose to go into Dauntless, the faction which trains warriors and forces its people to disregard their fears. The only trouble with her choosing to join Dauntless is that only ten people make it through the initiation, and Tris is the smallest and weakest of them all. If Tris didn’t get through initiation, she would be kicked out of her faction. At this point, she would be considered factionless and have to live off her own devices without any kind of community support.

Through her training, Tris meets a stoney-faced young man appropriately nicknamed Four. In his fear landscape, Four had four fears (see what they did there?), which was an anomaly of sorts. Most recruits had upwards of fifteen fears in their landscapes. Of course, as all books go, Tris and Four forge a friendship that later turns into a romance that evolves over the entirety of the three-book series.

Now that the entire trilogy has been released, we, as the fandom can look forward to the Divergent film, which will be released in March of this year. For those of you who may be fans of the BBC television series Downton Abbey, this may come as a surprise. I know I was shocked when I put the pieces together.

A little bit surprising, yes? I definitely know that I was pleasantly surprised. I mean, I know thirty seconds on Google could’ve told you that Theo also played Kemal Pamuk, but if you’re like me and still live in the dark ages, then this would’ve come as a shock. Talk about night and day!

Anyway, I’m so excited about the casting choices that they’ve made for the film. It is obvious that this film is going to be legendary simply because of the text it comes from, but then factor in the fact that you have some of Hollywood’s finest - Kate Winslet, Shailene Woodley, Ashley Judd - and now they’re preparing to bring in awards by the dozens.

If you haven’t read Divergent yet, I can highly suggest it to anyone. I will wholeheartedly admit that I was skeptical going into it. However, from the first chapter, I knew I was going to love the read. I’m not ashamed to admit that I blew through the entire series and its novellas in no more than a week and a half. Afterward, though, I was left feeling something like this:

Has anybody else ever had this feeling? Before the Divergent Trilogy, I can honestly say that the last time I’d had that feeling was after reading Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows for the first time in fifth grade!

So you just finished the Divergent Trilogy and you’re wondering what to do now? Here is a list of books that I would recommend to somebody who enjoyed Divergent:

1. Matched by Ally Condie
2. 

Matched is the first book in a trilogy of books which takes place in a dystopian society years into the future. In this society, Officials decide who you love, where you work, even when you die. It’s up to Cassia to break from the norm.

2.) Evermore by Alyson Noel

Ever Bloom is the only survivor of a car crash that kills her entire family. After the accident, she has regular, in-person conversations with her dead little sister, develops intense psychic powers allowing her to read minds, and see auras. And, of course, there has to be a bit of romance!

3.) Shiver by Maggie Stiefvater

Shiver is the first of the Wolves of Mercy Falls Trilogy, written in the perspective of Grace Brisbane. For years, Grace has watched the wolves in the woods behind her house. One yellow-eyed wolf—her wolf—is a chilling presence she can't seem to live without.

So, there you have it! Hopefully now you’ve found something to wean you off of your Divergent withdrawals. Let me know what books you’ve found and enjoyed after Divergent in the comments!

Once Upon a Time - Going Home

by Molly

It's been nearly two weeks now since the mid-season finale of Once Upon a Time, and all of us loyal fans have been left reeling from all of the action and all of the cliffhangers in the most recent episode. In the first few episodes, we got answers to a select few of our questions, only to have them replaced by even bigger ones. No doubt these will be answered in the second half of season three and the beginning of season four. Just to recap, here are the things we learned as of the latest episode, appropriately entitled Going Home.

 

 

Back in season two, a prophecy was found, stating that a boy would be Rumpelstiltskin's undoing. The “boy” was, in fact, Rumpelstiltskin's undoing. However, it wasn't Henry (Jared Gilmore), as we'd all come to expect. Actually, it was Peter Pan (Robbie Kay) that this prophecy was referring to. Consequently, we learn in the same episode that Peter Pan is Rumpelstiltskin's father, lending yet another facet to the monumentally confusing family tree that makes Once so endearing.

 

By the end of Going Home, all of the villains who are actually villains (i.e. Felix and Peter Pan) are definitively dead, along with Rumpelstiltskin, whose death was not-so-definitive. Yeah, I know. We all watched Rumpelstiltskin kill himself along with his father. But here's a bit of news to brighten every fan's day: Robert Carlyle's contract doesn't expire for another two years, so we will undoubtedly be seeing more of Rumpelstiltskin in season four, if not sooner!

 

During the most recent episode, Regina (Lana Parrilla) realizes that the only way to stop the curse Peter Pan has set into motion is to send everybody back to the lands from which they came. This means that Henry will have to remain in Storybrooke whilst everybody is dispersed amongst the other realms. It is quickly discovered that Emma (Jennifer Morrison), being the Savior, can stay behind with Henry, in order to continue raising him. But as we've come to learn with Once, all magic comes with a price. Yes, she can stay behind to raise Henry, but her family, friends, and anything else related to Storybrooke, will be eliminated from her memory. Not wanting Henry to go back into the foster system, she agrees to stay behind.

While Emma says her heartfelt goodbyes, Captain Hook (Colin O'Donoghue) admits that he will think of her every day. This bit of information could not have come at a worse time for us fans, though. I mean, we've been waiting all season for an admittance such as this, and then it is cut short by the smoke monster (LOST reference), of all things! With only moments to spare, Emma and Henry cross the town line, losing any and all recollection of the life they once lived, and Storybrooke ceases to exist.

*The Purple Smoke Monster

Flash forward one year, and Henry and Emma are leading completely normal lives in New York City. One morning, as the two of them are sitting down to breakfast, there is a knock at the door. To the viewers' astonishment, it is Captain Hook, coming to warn Emma of the grave danger her family is in. To this, Emma responds that the only family she has ever known is Henry.

   

At this point, the viewers are questioning how Hook is going to remind Emma of her family and friends, who are now trapped in the Enchanted Forest. Of course, what better way to remind someone of their past than a kiss, right? No? Well...oops.

 

This encounter, however, did spark hope for those of us holding out for Captain Swan. I mean, why else would he try the whole true-love's-kiss-can-break-any-curse thing? He must love her, right? If he can just get her to remember, perhaps the feeling would be mutual.

 

So, in short, we've gotten far more questions than answers. No doubt they will all be answered in due time. For now, here are some unanswered questions for you to think about and analyze! Leave some theories in the comment section below!

 

1. Where is Baelfire?

We know that Baelfire was transported somewhere. He was born in the Enchanted Forest, spent most of his childhood in Neverland, and then somehow ended up in New York. Where do you reckon he ended up when Regina's spell was cast?

 

2. How the heck did Hook get to New York?

Hook was sent back to Neverland or Victorian England or wherever the heck he's from when Regina cast the spell. With no magic beans or Pegasus feathers to help him on his way, how do you think he got back to our realm?

Fun fact: Literally everybody on this show is related. I would love to go into detail about this, but that would take an entire article in and of itself. For now, here's a photo of the Once Upon a Time family tree. In the words of Prince Charming, “It’s a good thing we don’t have Thanksgiving in our land, because that dinner would suck.”