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Author: Alexander

Wait what…was Grindelwald doing in the American Ministry for Magic?

Wait what?…is an ongoing series on this blog that asks the little and niggling questions that draw you out of a sub-created world. Whether it’s a plot hole, a logical inconsistency, or simply a character acting completely out of turn, if it makes you ask wait, what?…then it’s fair game for this series. This is the ‘wait what?’…moment that inspired this new blog series, and that (despite only having seen the film once, and years ago) still rattles around in my brain, appearing at inconvenient moments to distract me from more pressing matters, just because it’s so damn incongruous to…

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Wait what?…is this new blog post series?

You know those moments in a story that look like they make sense? Maybe it’s a moment that’s swiftly passed over, maybe a character explicitly draws attention to it and offers a half-sensible excuse that doesn’t really stand up to scrutiny, or maybe (and often worst of all) it becomes a crucial point of the story, that everything hinges upon…despite really not making any sort of logical sense. The internet’s favourite rabbit hole, TV Tropes, calls these moments Fridge Logic. Reddit might consider them to be a type of shower thought. But however you think of them, you’ve probably experienced…

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Generous deed and cold counsel: Gandalf’s humility in Gondor

Following quite a few recent posts about arrogance and pride, it seems like it’s about time to turn to humility and something more positive! I’ve been rereading Book V of LOTR recently, and was struck by Gandalf’s remark to Pippin following the hobbit impulsively swearing fealty to Denethor. ‘I do not know what put it into your head, or your heart, to do that. But it was well done. I did not hinder it, for generous deed should not be checked by cold counsel. It touched his heart, as well (may I say it) as pleasing his humour. And at…

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Miguel’s family and Earth-67 in Across the Spider-Verse

So I’ve actually just come home from rewatching Across the Spider-Verse – partly because damn, I really really like it, and actually also partly because I’ve had a follow-up blog post in mind for some time concerning Gwen and her character’s arc and development throughout the film…and I am impatient and didn’t want to wait for the film’s wide release. That post will hopefully follow in the next few days, but there was one little detail that struck me on this viewing that’s also completely irrelevant, and that struck me as being interesting enough to warrant a short post (especially…

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Blank Pages, Golden Sceptres – Presumption and Power in Art

Anyone who has ever tried to write has likely encountered “blank page syndrome”.  The fear, the paralysing uncertainty that accompanies setting that single and dreadful initial word on a page.  The first word is always the most time consuming, whether it’s a work email, a poem, a novel, or yes, even that noblest form of the written word – a blog post. There is a wealth of advice online and in self-help books concerning this phenomenon, and how to best it, ranging from the maddeningly simple – “Just write something, and the rest will follow” – to the still simple,…

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