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Five Female Literature Characters I Hate (and how their story should have gone)

Anything Articles

Have you ever met a fictional character that drove you so mad that you wish you could slap some sense into them? Or a character that made such stupid decisions that it made you lose all respect for them? Well, I’m going to tell you about five female characters I came across that I loathe.

I have female characters that I admire and look up to. Hermione Granger, Katniss Everdeen, Jane Eyre and Matilda Wormwood are well-crafted characters and carry their stories beautifully from beginning to end. But these ladies completely ruined their stories and made me lose all respect and admiration for them. I would love to take their stories and recreate them so they’re not such pathetic role-models to society.

5. Violet Griffin – Rule’s Bride by Kat Martin

This has the honor of being the only book I’ve ever read from Mills and Boon. I was drawn to it by its description. The titular Rule married Violet in commerce, then left her behind to return to his life. Three years later, Violet unexpectedly arrives at Rule’s home and Rule is overcome by how much she has changed in appearance. All he wants is to take her to bed. But Violet has other plans; she came to get an annulment so she can marry someone else….

The story started out promisingly but fell completelt flat on its face. Violet started as strong in her plans but after a shocking event, allows Rule to take advantage of her emotions and lure her to bed. I hated her for that; she had transformed into a sad sap, easily seduced by her husband’s good looks.

How It Should Have Gone

The story should have gone with Violet staying true to her original plans, see behind Rule’s facade and obtain her annulment to start anew.

4. Tessa Young – The After Franchise by Anna Todd

Now I will be honest, I did not read the After franchise. By the time of its popularity, I was too old for One Direction and had no interest in fanfiction. I did however read the description and all I could think was ‘What was she thinking?’

The franchise follows the tumultuous relationship between Tessa and Hardin Scott who will make an appearance himself in another list. Their relationship borderlines on extremely abusive and unhealthy. Hardin is awful sure, but Tessa is just as bad for staying with him- especially after finding out he used her for a bet.

How It Should Have Gone

This franchise should have ended in the first book. Tessa should have stayed as far away from Hardin as possible and have nothing to do with him. Right from the beginning, she knew he was no good. She should have said no, if necessary, taken out a restraining order, and focused on her career.

3. Clary Fray – The Mortal Instruments by Cassandra Clare

Oh Clary. And I really liked you in the beginning. The Mortal Instruments sees Clary discovering that she descends from a family of Shadowhunters after her mother is abducted. Together with new friends, Clary sets off to rescue her mother and discover who she really is.

I really liked how the story was laid out. What I didn’t like was Clary coming together with Jace Wayland. Their relationship was probably the worst; always fighting, then something happens and it’s ‘I thought I lost you.’ It drove me mad that Clary based everything around Jace as the franchise went on and it really disappointed me that a promising franchise was turned into a clichéd love story.

How It Should Have Gone

Imagine, if in the first story, Clary discovers that Jace and everyone she meets, was just using her to find a way to defeat Valentine. This kills any love she has for her friends and for Jace and she decides to strike out on her own. Slowly but surely, Clary rises to become a great Shadowhunter and outranks everyone. At an event she makes a speech about being lied to and how she’ll never forgive or forget. Now that is a story I’d love to read!

2. Bella Swan – Twilight by Stephenie Meyer

This drippy dope is the reason why I never finished reading the Twilight series! If you could look into the head of Bella Swan, you’d find an empty shell. Actually that’s a lie; you’d find nothing but long and boring descriptions of how gorgeous and stunning Edward Cullen is and how she can’t get enough of him. And she decides to give up everything to be with him. In the words of Ron Weasley, ‘Bloody hell!’

Bella Swan is probably one of the worst female role models in literature history. She encourages readers to learn that you should give up everything for an abusive bastard who treats you like dirt and doesn’t respect your wishes. Not to mention that if your ‘true love’ dumps you, the best thing to do is curl up and shut out the world for four months. Give me a break.

How It Should Have Gone

I’ve read a few amazing stories that are called ‘Twispitefics’ that give ideas on how the series should have gone. I think the best ones I’ve read are when Bella is given a reality check by her family and the people she abandoned to be with Edward. If only she’d come to understand that the world didn’t revolve around a pathetic excuse of a vampire, received the right therapy and moved on with her life. If only.

1. Ana Steele – Fifty Shades by E.L. James

Mirror mirror on the wall, who’s the most pathetic of them all? Why it would be Ana Steele of the worst book series in history. Aside from the series it was inspired by of course.

This empty-headed gold-digger is probably the worst excuse of a female character to ever exist. Right from the start, everything in her life becomes centered on an obsessive stalker who uses his good looks and charm to make her succumb to his desires. She allows that vile Christian Grey to slowly take over everything until her whole life revolves around him. I couldn’t get over how much of a push-over Ana really is. And I have to wonder, would she have been as interested in Grey if he wasn’t a billionaire? Deny it if you want, but Ana definitely qualifies as a gold-digger.

How It Should Have Gone

There have been times where I felt it should have ended where Ana gets a restraining order and started a new life away from Grey but you know what? No. She is just as bad a character as her male counterpart, why should she get to live happily ever after?

I’d like to draw your attention to an amazing fanfiction I read called Right Before My Eyes by Vaneria Potter. It takes place thirty years after the original series and sees Ana come to some shocking realizations about her life with Grey. And what’s even better is that by the time she realises her mistakes, it’s practically too late to fix them. Oh, if only this awful franchise could have ended like this. Vaneria, I salute you. And I recommend you look up her story, it’s amazing.

So, what do you think? Do you agree with my choices? Do you think there are any redeemable qualities to this ladies? Are there any that I missed? I’d like to hear your thoughts about these feeble femmes.

Updating My Site, Updating My Life

Anything Articles, Life Experiences

Well, hello. It’s me. Hi. I know, it has been quite a while since I have written on my website. There have been a number of reasons why as to why this blog has been quiet for a little while. As you already know, I went on holiday across the Atlantic to America for the first time. There is so much I can say about this holiday, but that is something I’d like to write about in my next piece.

Speaking of which, there is a lot about this website that I plan to update and change in the coming months. I’ve had this website for two years now and there are a couple of things that I would like to change a little. These changes will happen gradually, there will not be any major transformations overnight.

I’ve also given myself some time off to reevaluate all of my videos and my future. There are things that I want to change about myself, nothing crazy but things that I would like to do in order to create new prospects in my future. That sounds a bit strange, I know but I know I cannot stay the way I am forever. I have to adapt and change myself in order to move forward.

There will be more posts and videos added to this website in the future. And there will be changes to the view of the site, but I’m still here. I’m still going to be using this site. I’m not going anywhere just yet!

Taking a New Step Forward

Anything Articles, Life Experiences, travel

A while has passed since my last blog piece. I’m writing this piece just as I am about to take a step in a whole new direction. I’m heading on holiday, but this time, I’m leaving Europe all together and heading to America.

America is always a place I always wanted to go to. Several factors in life prevented me from doing so until now. Parents, money, the pandemic, everything got in the way of me going to America. But now, I’m taking a chance and travelling to Orlando, Florida.

It’s a holiday that I have planned meticulously with my sister. We’ve cut a deal; we plan to do Walt Disney World and Universal Studios together. She’s a Harry Potter fan, I love Disney so it works for both of us. It’s a holiday that we’ll probably be able to do once in a lifetime, so we’re going to grab the opportunity while we can.

So now, we are waiting to step onto a plane and head to America for the first time. I know we will have a fantastic time. All I want right now is for us to arrive safely and happy.

See you on the other side.

Why the 2023 Academy Awards Proved There’s No Such Thing as Too Late

Anything Articles

After seeing the results of this year’s Academy Awards, I’ve realized that maybe it is okay to slow down on working toward my dreams.

In recent years, the biggest problem that I’ve dealt with is the fear of being too late. I want to be successful in my life and career and I feel that if I want to be successful, I need to make it happen NOW. I’m reaching my 27th birthday and worry that I haven’t achieved anything substantial in my life. I fear that if I don’t do anything now, it’ll be too late. I’ll have nothing.

I know that I shouldn’t be comparing myself to other people my age, but I can’t help it. I look at all the other people I know, the ones who are making names for themselves, and wonder why can’t I be like that? Everything falls into place for them, while no matter how hard I try, nobody seems to take me seriously. I sometimes feel trapped while everyone else has a perfect life, and I’m left thinking to myself: When is it MY turn?!

That question is why I push myself every day to work hard and make something of myself. Admittedly, there are times when I can push myself a bit too hard, but I just feel that I need to make myself be recognized for my work NOW. The biggest worry for me is that if it doesn’t happen now, in ten years’ time, it’ll be too late.

There are some people who don’t understand my feelings because they’re settled; I’m not. There are some who say that I should have a life as well. That makes me mad; I don’t spend every day holed up in my room working. But at the same time, you can’t just laze about and dream. You have to work hard to make your dreams come true and I feel that I don’t have the right to waste time not working toward success. Is it wrong to have a desire for success as well as happiness?

I’ve always worried about being too late in achieving any success or recognition in my life. That is until I saw the results of this year’s Academy Awards ceremony.

Much to the relief of everybody, there were no major scandals (or slaps) at the Academy Award ceremony this year. The biggest winner this year was Everything Everywhere All at Once, winning seven awards in total. There was a very touching moment when Harrison Ford presented the award for Best Picture to the cast and crew of this film for reasons I’ll explain down below. Meanwhile, John Williams broke his own record for the most received nominations in history, receiving his 53rd nomination for composing the musical score for The Fabelmans, while Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio won Best Animated Feature. There was even an Irish victory with An Irish Goodbye winning Best Live Action Short Film.

But it was those who won the acting accolades who really struck a chord with me. Some of them were anticipated, and others were unexpected. But it was these four people who proved to me that maybe it’s never really too late to reach success in your life and achieve your dreams.

(From left to right) Ke Huy Quan, Michelle Yeoh, Brendan Fraser, and Jamie Lee Curtis celebrating their victories at the Academy Awards

It was these four people who proved to me that success is not defined by your age. They have shown me that it is never too late to achieve success in your life.

Ke Huy Quan‘s amazing story of going from a forgotten child star to an Oscar-winning actor has captivated everybody. He started off his career as Short Round in the 1984 Indiana Jones movie, The Temple of Doom, starring alongside Harrison Ford himself. The embrace they shared during the Best Picture session, touched everybody. Quan also starred as Data in the 80s’ classic The Goonies. But as he got older, he found it harder to land roles, so he ended up leaving the film industry in 2002, thinking he’d never act again. In 2018, he decided to take a chance and return to acting and it paid off brilliantly. He has now become the first Vietnamese-born actor to win Best Supporting Actor at the Academy Awards for his role in Everything Everywhere All at Once. He finished off his Oscar speech, reaching out to everybody with a dream.

“Dreams are something you have to believe in, I almost gave up on mine. To all of you out there, please keep your dreams alive. Thank you so much for welcoming me back — I love you!”

– Ke Huy Quan

Meanwhile, actress Jamie Lee Curtis won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the aforementioned Everything Everywhere All at Once, her first Oscar nomination since she began her career in 1977. She is most recognized for her work in the horror genre, starting off her career as Laurie Strode in the Halloween franchise. Since then, she has achieved great success in both film and television, with roles in Trading Places (1983), My Girl (1991), and Freaky Friday (2003). Only now, however, at the age of 64, has she been ever nominated for an Academy Award. To be nominated is an achievement in itself. But to win is at a whole other level. Sometimes, with all of her success, it is easy to forget that Jamie Lee Curtis is the daughter of popular 1950s actors Tony Curtis and Janet Leigh. Both of her parents achieved Academy Award nominations throughout their careers (Curtis for Best Actor in The Deviant Ones in 1958 and Leigh for Best Supporting Actress in Psycho in 1960). But there is a difference. Her parents were only ever nominated; they never won. But their daughter did.

“To all of the people who have supported the genre movies that I have made for all these years, the thousands and hundreds of thousands of people, we just won an Oscar together.

And my mother and my father were both nominated for Oscars in different categories. I just won an Oscar.”

– Jamie Lee Curtis

Another award this movie achieved was Best Actress for Michelle Yeoh. Starting off her career as a stunt person, Yeoh gained recognition for her work in Tomorrow Never Dies (1997) and Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon (2000). However, it wasn’t until she joined the cast of Star Trek: Discovery (2017-2020) that she gained worldwide recognition for her work. Now, at the age of 60, Yeoh has finally gained worldwide acceptance for her work after winning the Best Actress accolade this year, the first Malaysian to win an Academy Award in any category. Yeoh has proven to herself and to the world that dreams do come true, no matter what age you are.

“For all the little boys and girls who look like me watching tonight, this is a beacon of hope and possibilities. This is proof that … dream big, and dreams do come true. And ladies, don’t let anybody tell you you are ever past your prime. Never give up.”

– Michelle Yeoh

But the biggest success of this year’s ceremony is certainly Brendan Fraser who won Best Actor for his role in The Whale. His story is probably one of the greatest career comeback stories in history. For a long time, many said that his career was over and that he had no chance of ever achieving success in Hollywood again. But now, Fraser has proven everyone wrong with this win at the Academy Awards. He started off as a successful 90s star before his career slowed down in the 2000s due to marital problems, health issues, and a serious allegation of sexual assault committed against him in 2003, which essentially saw him blacklisted from Hollywood. Honestly, I didn’t think I’d see him act in a movie ever again. But as it turned out, I and millions of others were completely wrong. With The Whale, Brendan Fraser gives the performance of his life and proves that success is out there. At 54, it was finally his turn to reach success. From his speech, it’s clear that he was overwhelmed by said success but it was certainly well-deserved.

“I’ve been at that sea, and I’ve rode that wave lately and it’s been powerful and good and I’ve also had that wave smash me right down to the ocean floor and drag my face along there and wind up on some strange beach in a different world, wondering ‘where am I now?’ But believe me, if you just stay in there and you put one foot in front of the other, you get to where you need to go. Have courage.”

– Brendan Fraser

These four people and their victories at the Academy Awards this year really struck a chord with me. All of these actors have achieved recognition and success at different times in their lives. They proved that it is never too late in your life to achieve success and recognition.

I keep looking at the pressure that I’ve been putting on myself to achieve success in my own life. And I’ve realized that maybe it’s okay to ease off on the pressure a little bit. I’ve been worried that if I don’t achieve anything now, at this point in my life, it could be too late in ten years’ time. But maybe it’s not. I’ve felt that I need to reach a successful point in my life right now. But looking at the four success stories from this year’s Oscars, I understand now that success will come for me at the right time. It may not be right now, but it will happen. I can work for it, there is nothing wrong with that. But it’s also okay to ease off a little and enjoy myself. That’s success in its own way.

Right now, I don’t know when I will achieve success and recognition in my life. But it’s something I can work towards and enjoy living my life at the same time.

Burnouts and the Beginnings of Doubt

Anything Articles

Sometimes, you reach a point in time where you just feel like you cannot do anything at all. Where you just feel so drained, physically out of it. Where you’ve lost all love and desire for the things you enjoy doing in life. I hate it when this happens. As somebody who is passionate about the things that she does, I don’t like to lose the enjoyment I feel in the things I do.

Over the last couple of weeks, I’ll admit that I went through a complete burnout. I was emotional, I was tired, work was taking its toll on me and I just didn’t feel like doing anything. I just felt so low, so unsure of myself. I hated it.

People who look at the work I post online can see how passionate I am about my work. I love to be able to create my little history videos, write my articles, and express myself. So I will be honest and say, that to lose all of my passion for all of this over the last few weeks were terrible.

These last couple of weeks were tough, no doubt about it. I had to go through a lot of things in my job and while it was good things that happened, all of the things I had to do was just really draining on my mind. When I would finish work in the evening, I’d be too tired to even switch on my laptop, let alone write anything.

As some know, my greatest passion is writing. One of my dreams is to become a published author and have a book published. I’m not going to be the sort of person who makes empty promises about her writings (I know that there is a certain someone who has done that but I am not going to name her), I know what I want to do. It’s not like I am empty-handed in terms of my writing. During COVID, I actually to write the full drafts of not one but TWO stories, which was amazing. I would love to be able to have at least one of my drafts edited and properly written out. One of my resolutions for this year is to send a story off to publishers.

Over the last week, I tried and tried to put together a writing schedule. Set myself a little time during the week to just sit down and actually work on my writings. But no matter how hard I tried, I just could not get a schedule together. I found it so frustrating that I couldn’t even put that together, let alone work on my passions. I hated feeling so burned out because it made me doubt myself and my dream of being an author. Looking at all the people getting their work published left me wondering ‘Am I really as good as them?’ I began to wonder if maybe I wasn’t.

Slowly but surely, I began to recover from my burnout, letting myself rest over the weekend and trying to find myself in my writing again. With this post and my freelance position, I’ve managed to regain my love for writing. I still haven’t worked out a schedule but I will get there!

Doubt is always going to be there. I think I’ll always question my skills and whether I’m as good as the writers who came before me. And there will be times where I will feel like my candle is burned out and I can’t do it anymore. But like the Take That song, you can only relight your fire, and find your passions for life once again.

The Lost Boy: The Tragedy of Peter Pan’s Bobby Driscoll

Anything Articles, history, research

Disney’s Peter Pan celebrates it’s 70th anniversary this year. But what many people don’t know is the tragic story of its lead actor…

The Lost Boy: The Tragedy of Peter Pan’s Bobby Driscoll

Find the second star from the right and fly straight on till morning. Those are the instructions given to Wendy Darling, Michael and John by Peter Pan as they fly off to Neverland, a place with no rules, no grown-ups, nothing but magical forests and endless adventures. Home to the boy who never wants to grow up.

This year, Disney’s Peter Pan is celebrating its 70th anniversary. It is one of Disney’s most successful animated movies of all time and has inspired different sorts of merchandise, amusement park rides and video games.

But what many people don’t know is the tragic story of Peter Pan’s voice actor, Bobby Driscoll. It’s a story that reflects on many child stars today. Child stars have great success in movies, tv shows and are recognised everywhere…until they grow up. And while there have been some who have successfully transitioned from child stars to adult roles, other have not been as fortunate. Bobby Driscoll’s story is only one of them.

Bobby Driscoll

Born an only child in 1937, Bobby Driscoll started his acting career at five with a small role in the family drama Lost Angel (1943). His role only lasted 2 minutes but it was enough for him to land the role of Al Sullivan in The Fighting Sullivans (1944).

Alongside Luana Patten, Driscoll was one of the first two actors placed under contract with Walt Disney, and quickly landed roles in Song of the South (1946) and So Dear to My Heart (1948). His success continued into 1950, starring in Treasure Island (1950). With a steady workload and recognizable talent, Driscoll received an Academy Juvenile Award in 1950 (which in an ironic twist of fate, was lost in a house fire years later).

Bobby Driscoll receiving his Academy Juvenile Award

Driscoll was on the rise when he landed the lead role in Disney’s latest animated movie Peter Pan. His co-star, Kathryn Beaumont (who voiced Wendy Darling) remembered him as ‘very lovely. went to his own public school when he was not working. He had normal experiences with his peer group—just as I did.’ By 16, Driscoll seemed to have it all – until he did the one thing that his character never wanted to do; he grew up.

Bobby Driscoll dressed as Peter Pan in Disney Studios

By the time, he had reached his teen years, Driscoll had grown from a cute little boy to a lanky teenager with bad acne – a precursor for child stars of today. By 1953, he had unexpectedly been dropped from Disney Studios, despite having signed a multiple-year contract. Overnight, he had gone from Disney’s Golden Child, to thrown out in the trash. As Hollywood biographer, Marc Eliot explains, ‘When Howard Hughes bought RKO, he, in effect, became the owner of the Disney studio. He controlled the money and he hated Bobby Driscoll. He hated Hollywood kids. He thought they were precocious, weren’t real, and were incredibly annoying. He didn’t want Bobby Driscoll to be with Disney anymore.’

Having been dropped by Disney, Driscoll was left wondering where to go. At 16, he moved to New York City hoping to study acting but ultimately dropping out of UCLA and Stanford. He found some happiness in TV work and tried to settle down with a young woman named Marilyn Jean Rush. They eloped to Mexico five months after meeting, but three years, three kids, two marriages, and two divorces later, their relationship was over.

Moving to Topanga Canyon, Driscoll befriended Beat Generation artist and photographer Wallace Bearman. Driscoll even dabbled in art himself with some his work surviving today. But then he began to dabble in drugs, ultimately getting arrested in 1961 and sent to California Institute for Men. This proved to be the final nail in the coffin for his acting career as he was unable to find any work after his release in 1962. “I had everything,” he said in an interview after his sentence. “Was earning $50,000 a year…working steadily with good parts. Then I started putting all my spare time in my arm. I’m not really sure why I started using narcotics. I was 17 when I first experimented with the stuff. In no time at all, I was using whatever was available…mostly heroin, because I had the money to pay for it.”

Bobby Driscoll under arrest for drug possession

Driscoll seemed to drift in his final years, unable to truly find a place where he belonged. Nobody knows how he ended up alone in a derelict apartment block in 1968 when two young boys discovered a body lying in a cot. Beer bottles and religious pamphlets were scattered around his body but investigators could not find any identification. With nothing to go on, the body was buried in a mass pauper’s grave on Hart Island.

In fact, the discovery of Driscoll’s death would not be discovered until a year later, when his mother, Isabelle, who had not seen her son in years, tried to get in contact. A fingerprint match at the New York City Police Department would reveal Bobby Driscoll’s death at just 31 years of age. News of his death would only come to light in the 1970s, due to the re-release of Song of the South. From one of the most recognized stars of his generation, to being just a brief news report, is a tragic fall for this young man who once had it all.

Bobby Driscoll in his final years

Bobby Driscoll is immortalized as one of the most tragic child stars in Hollywood history. He was truly a Lost Boy who after being cast aside by the movie industry, couldn’t find a place where he really belonged. Even now, he is still lost on Hart Island; the whereabouts of his grave are unknown as the burial records between 1961 and 1977 were lost in a fire.

The story of Bobby Driscoll has proven to be a cautionary tale for the child stars of Hollywood today. One minute you can be the most adored little star, then the next, you can be cast aside for the next big thing.

Perhaps Driscoll described his downfall best in his own words: “I was carried on a silver platter—and then dumped into the garbage.” But thanks to bringing Peter Pan onto our screens and into our childhood memories, many believe that Bobby Driscoll has emerged from the garbage heap. Hopefully now, he has finally found the second star to the right and has flown on to eternal peace.

A Tale as Old as Time that Will Never Grow Old for Me

Anything Articles, Life Experiences

Here’s my experience watching my favorite Disney movie as a musical at the Bord Gais Energy Theatre! Let’s just say that it was definitely a night to remember…

Sometimes, when I take walks, I like to walk down the Grand Canal Dock. There’s always something about the water that just draws me in. I am convinced that I was a mermaid in my past life.

One day, when I was walking down past the Bord Gais Energy Theatre, I saw the posters of shows coming to the theatre. I looked through them with interest and then I saw one I knew immediately that I wanted to see.

Beauty and the Beast

Four words, one story, one movie that has been part of my life for years. When I was little, I played the Disney movie continuously, played the soundtrack on my morning walks, and collected as many dolls and figurines as I could relating to Belle and the Beast. When I played the Kingdom Hearts Playstation game, I was delighted to see that there was a level in the Beast’s Castle. I think that was my favorite part of the game, aside from the actual Disney castle.

When I saw that the musical was coming to Dublin, I knew that I wanted to go. But then a little something happened that caused me to put everything on hold. A little thing called the coronavirus pandemic. Once I saw how long Ireland was going to be stuck in isolation, I knew that there was no point in even trying to get tickets to the show. What was the point? All shows were canceled for the foreseeable future.

Two years later, and with the coronavirus now just a small part of society, I saw that Beauty and the Beast was coming back to the Bord Gais. And I knew immediately that I was going. It took a bit of time as getting tickets proved to be more difficult than I thought (popular demand!) but I ultimately managed to get two tickets for myself and my friend Silvia.

I knew exactly what I was going to wear the night of the show. It was easy: a few months prior, I’d bought a gorgeous t-shirt depicting the stained glass window at the end of the movie. I knew it was perfect.

On Thursday 15th December, we got ourselves ready, made sure the tickets were safe on my phone and the two of us walked from our home to the Bord Gais Energy Theatre. Although I admit, a couple of times we did question why we chose to walk because it was absolutely freezing!

Silvia and I arrived and we managed to get into the theatre no bother. To see the show illuminated on the building thrilled me. I knew it was going to be an amazing night.

Before the show, I warned Silvia that she was not to hold me back at the merchandise stall. And to her credit, she didn’t! I walked away from the stall with two programmes, a tote bag, a beautiful book necklace, a magnet, a keychain and a gorgeous hand mirror. (The mirror was a gift from Silvia to say thank you for getting the tickets and inviting her to the show. How lovely was that?) It wasn’t too long after we finished at the stall, that we found our seats and the show began!

I am the sort of person who has watched Beauty and the Beast repeatedly for years. I have listened to the soundtracks religiously. I have a video on my On This Day channel dedicated to the movie! You can definitely say that I was really excited for the show!

At the start of the show,there was a wonderful tribute to the late Angela Lansbury who voiced Mrs. Potts in the original film. It was her voice reciting the introduction to the story. To hear her voice say ‘For who could ever learn to love a beast?’ was such a moving tribute to the late great actress.

So what can I say about Beauty and the Beast as a musical? What word can truly describe it?

Amazing?

Fantastic?

Brilliant?

Breathtaking?

Wonderful?

Maybe…all of the above? I think that’s just about right!

Let’s talk about the performances. Courtney Stapleton as Belle did an amazing job, she really captured the character and the emotions of Belle wonderfully. With her naturally curly hair and reading glasses, she showed everybody in the audience that anybody can be their own Belle if they really want to be. And I have to be upfront and honest and say that I fell in love with Shaq Taylor as the Beast. His dark sultry voice sent chills down my spine. His solo of If I Can’t Love Her was just…ooh. Yes, I know I must sound like a giggly schoolgirl but he was amazing.

I have to say though, it was Alyn Hawke as Lumiere and Nigel Richards as Cogsworth who really stole the show, they were hilarious together. In every scene they were in, they had me in stitches. Their work in the big performance of Be Our Guest was just out of this world! I also enjoyed watching Tom Senior as Gaston and Louis Stockil as Lefou together, but I think they didn’t get enough stage time. But Tom Senior did a fine job with Me, he gave me plenty reasons as to why I don’t want a Gaston in my life, thank you very much!

In retrospect, I already knew that Beauty and the Beast was going to be an amazing show. I just did not expect it to be as amazing as it was. I am really happy that I finally got to see it. It’s a musical that I have always wanted to see and I’m really thrilled that I finally did.

My dear Silvia thanked me for inviting her along to the show; she had only ever watched Beauty and the Beast in Spanish prior to this so this was her first time hearing the music in English. But she absolutely loved it! She said to me as we went home that we’re now going to have to watch all of the versions of Beauty and the Beast together! You don’t hear me complaining about that!

Beauty and the Beast is a fairytale that has been around for over two centuries. This movie has been an aspect of society for over thirty years. It’s certainly a tale as old as time, but it’s a tale that will never grow old for me! If you’re fortunate enough to have this musical arrive at your closest theatre, you should definitely take the time to go and see it. It’s definitely worthwhile!

P.S. I’m finishing off this article with a link to my On This Day video, talking about the first release of Beauty and the Beast in 1991. It’s nothing fancy or anything like that, but I’m happy I did it anyway!

Me, Myself and My Life Online

Anything Articles

After watching the movie Not Okay…I have to admit, I feel a lot better about my status on the world wide web.

Hello. My name is Eidhne. The answer is no. I don’t get stared at in the street. I don’t have a big following on Instagram. I’m not a verified TikTok star. I don’t have a thousand friends on Facebook. I don’t get called out on Twitter. Aside from a few that I actually can consider friends, nobody really gives a damn what I do. And you know something?

I prefer it that way.

We live in a society where everybody is competing to see who can get the most likes on Instagram, and who has the most friends on Facebook. Social media is continuing its quest to consume all of mankind. In my teenage years, I admit, I was the sort of person who was desperate to get some form of attention online. I’d write posts, upload photos, share links, send out multiple friend requests, all in an attempt to get noticed online. Looking back on it, I think I was really desperate for someone – anyone – that I ‘friended’ on Facebook, would reach out and become a real friend.

I’m just after looking on my Facebook page. I don’t post on there anywhere near as much as I used to. At the moment, I’m currently sitting at 599 ‘friends.’ How many of these friends actually interact with what I post online? Only a few. But they are the few that actually do care about me.

Back when I was a teenager, I was desperate to be recognized. I tried everything, acting, singing, performing. I’d post photos online all the time, make status updates every half an hour, but the attention would only last for a short while before it would disappear. Once it went, I would be left wondering what I’d have to do next to get a bit more attention. I’d be staring at my Facebook page, scrolling through the posts, comparing the amount of likes I got to the ones received by others. It was maddening.

I guess, at some point in our lives, we all want to be just a little bit popular.

If I could speak to my sixteen-year-old self, I’d say to her that popularity isn’t everything. The ‘friends’ you have on social media, are not real friends, not really. It is better to focus on real life rather than the next big thing on Facebook. Those who are really your friends, are the ones who actually spend time with you, do things with you. They don’t just interact over a computer screen.

I now know that popularity is not the most important thing in life. The movie Not Okay has enforced that.

The movie looks at Danni Sanders, a magazine photo editor who wants to make it as a writer. She struggles with her job, having no real friends and – worst of all – no followers on Instagram. In order to impress her influencer crush, Colin, she lies about going on a writer’s retreat to Paris. In order to keep up the lie, Danni creates a fake retreat website, and posts edited photos of herself on her Instagram. Her plan unexpectedly goes belly-up when a terrorist attack takes place in Paris and she is mistakenly believed to be a survivor. Finding herself caught up in a lie, Danni gets the fame and attention that she has always craved but she soon comes to learn that notoriety comes at a terrible price.

On a side note, do you know what it took me to get to Paris for my birthday this year? I went through the channels to prove that I had been fully vaccinated, I searched and booked my flights, my accommodation, I bought my own coach tickets and I got myself to all the locations that I wanted to go to. And I documented everything I did with my camera, because I wanted to show that I travelled to Paris, all by my sweet self! I wanted to actually visit the Palace of Versailles, I did not want to just act like I was there by posting edited pictures of myself on my Instagram account. (Not that I would anyway because I’m terrible at Photoshop!)

Me actually visiting Paris for my birthday.

Watching Danni sink deeper and deeper into her lie in Not Okay, made me realise a few things about searching for fame and attention online. It’s all well and good to make up stories about yourself to try and get a bit of attention online but sooner or later, the truth always comes out. Danni learns this the hard way when she is forced to come clean about her lie and she faces online hatred and slander.

Another thing learned from Not Okay, is that fame and being admired by people who don’t really know you, is not as desirable as simply being a good person for those who actually care. Danni learns this after an uncomfortable sexual encounter with her crush Colin at a party. After leaving, she looks on her Instagram and sees her new friend Rowan playing in a softball game with her trauma support group. Seeing this gives Danni a wake-up call about the company that she keeps and she decides to join the softball game. Danni arrives in a dress and heels and is open about bring not good at sports. Despite this, she ends up having a great time and realises that there are good people out in the world.

In life, I would rather have a quiet night with my friends because I know we would have fun. I’d rather not be stuck in a large party with a thousand people who only see me as an online figure. They could look, like and admire but they’d never really want to know me. Danni comes to this conclusion at the end of the movie, as she attends an online shaming support group. She comes to the realisation that she had a much easier life being nobody than being known for her horrific lies. Sometimes, it is better to be unknown than to be hated in the world of social media.

Ten years ago, I thought that all I wanted was to be internet famous. But after watching Not Okay, I feel a lot better about being one of a million online. I would rather be a nobody with real friends than be famous and not have anybody really care about me.

Social media can have its benefits in terms of keeping memories alive. But do not focus on the amount of followers you have on your Instagram account; if you ever find yourself doing that, always ask yourself how many of them you actually interact with once you log out of your account.

Writing Out My Path In Life

Anything Articles

To write is a form of art. Paper is my canvas. A pen is my paintbrush. For me, to write is to express my emotions, tell a story, reach out to others.

I have always wanted to be able to let my writing do the talking. For a long time, I wondered, how could I do that? Where can I start? A couple of months ago, I found the answer.

On a whim, a couple of weeks ago, I decided to apply for a freelancing position for a website called ScreenRant. It’s a website that provides reviews and stories about movies, games and tv shows. I wondered what it would be like to write for them, so I sent in my application and left it at that.

A couple of days later, I received a response. They asked to test my writing skills by having me write out a review for anything on Amazon. Rising up to the challenge, I chose to write about a Kingdom Hearts Playstation Boxset. It was a good combination of two things that I love: Gaming and Disney!

I sent in my review and waited to hear a response. They got back to me saying they’d had to freeze my application but would keep it on record. I thought ‘Fair enough, it’s not the first time.’

In all honesty, I had forgotten about my application until a few weeks later, when I got another email. They said that they would like to offer me the chance to work as a freelance commerce writer for ScreenRant. I was a bit confused until I remembered my application from before.

In my riddled up mind, I wondered, ‘Is this real?’ I had to analyse everything about it, to be sure. But you know what? I decided to grab the bull by the horns and accept the offer.

And I am really glad that I did.

Now, I can say that I am working as a writer. I write articles and reviews for ScreenRant. It feels amazing to be able to write that. I’m proving that I am able to write anything and it feels great.

I am not saying that I have now officially become a well known writer. But what I can say is that I have made a start. And that really means a lot to me.

Removing The Face Mask: Why We Must Stop Hiding Our True Selves

Anything Articles, Society

This is an article that I wrote earlier in the year, explaining about why we must be true to ourselves and not hide our personalities.

We all have our own little routines every morning. Getting up, picking out clothes to wear, checking out how we look in the mirror. We are always looking at ourselves in the mirror, staring at our reflection. But what do we really see?

One night, after having a shower and changing into pajamas, I looked at my own reflection in the mirror. My hair was tied back in a ponytail, my skin was still glistening with moisturizer, my eyes had a hint of mascara leftover from earlier in the day. I stared at my reflection like I was looking at myself for the very first time.

How often do we truly look at ourselves in the mirror? Remove the cosmetics and make-up that we apply to our faces and look at ourselves as natural human beings? Is there even such a thing as a natural human being in today’s society?

Society has its take on the way that people should look. As life has changed and the world has continued to evolve, people feel the pressure to fit into society. Young people, in particular, are constantly examining what they can do with themselves to be popular and accepted. In a way, it’s as if two beings are living inside of us; the outside, the side that is expected by society. And the inside, the one being hidden for fear of rejection.

In the last entry of her diary dated 1st August 1944, Anne Frank wrote about the inner struggles that she faced with herself. She wrote about how she had always felt split in half. She hid her true self on the inside, covering it up with being boisterous and cheeky on the outside – the way others had expected her to be. As she said herself ‘no one knows Anne’s better side’ because she kept it hidden by a mask.

Masks have become common today; we all have to wear them to protect ourselves from the coronavirus. But we’re also wearing another type of mask, protecting our personalities. With these masks, we’re shielding ourselves from the scrutiny and disdain of others, pretending that we’re fine. In the opening scene of the controversial movie Joker, we see Arthur Fleck (Joaquin Phoenix) sitting in front of a mirror, putting on clown make-up and turning his mouth up in a smile. As he is doing this, a tear rolls down his cheek which symbolizes his inner turmoil. It could be argued that we are all clowns – we use make-up to paint our faces to cover up how we feel on the inside. We feel this pressure to wear these masks to be accepted in society.

It is very easy to be fooled by the mask. It can be so convincing that many times, we do not see what’s hidden underneath until it is too late. It’s especially dangerous for young people – they feel forced to hide their problems, not say anything until eventually, they turn to self-harm and suicide.

In 2018, there were 730 noted suicides in people under the age of 25 in the United Kingdom. Imagine that; 730 suicides in one year. Every person who chooses to end their life is somebody’s child, sibling, grandchild, friend. There are people who love them without the mask, but many find it difficult to see that. They find it difficult because they feel that they cannot love the most important person in their lives – themselves.

Peer pressure and images on social media influence people to change their personalities, hide their true selves to be accepted. Anybody who is considered ‘different’ from how society wants them to be, is labeled as an outcast. That is extremely damaging to any individual.

There is a song called ‘Outside Looking In’ by Jordan Pruitt that perfectly highlights the struggles with acceptance and the pressure to be perfect. Those who are not considered perfect are cast aside by society. There is a moment in the music video where young people are sitting down to have their school photos taken. Their smiles – their masks – hide their inner turmoil.

https://youtu.be/ND2-XCcwzt4

We all wear masks. Not many of us realize it, but we subconsciously try to cover our true personalities to fit in. We try to blend in, become ‘part of the crowd.’ But are we truly happy with that? As a person who once tried to change herself to be accepted, I can say that you will never find true happiness if you cover your inner self with a mask.

Do not hide your true self. Do not cover yourself up with a mask. If you change yourself to fit into society, you are eventually going to want your own self back sooner or later. It is important that we love ourselves for who we are. Ditch the mask, let your true personality shine out.

Be true, be happy, be you.