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marysfoxmask · 4 years

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Have you done The Misselthwaite Archives webseries? It's obviously one of the looser adaptations, but I thought it was really well done. Love to hear your thoughts on it!

my first ask!!! i’m so excited!! thank you, anon! i love asks, btw, and would love for people to continue to send them!

i actually watched the misselthwaite archives as it was coming out! every wednesday, i watched the newest episode after coming home from school. it was the highlight of my week!

i actually rewatched a good chunk of episodes the other night. it dredges up a lot of nostalgia for me in a bittersweet way. i appreciate the series a lot, and i think everyone involved did a great job, but it’s the way the creators approach adapting the source material that i find to be a little off the mark.

this is mainly because i think something is inevitably lost when bringing the secret garden into modern day (which was, back then, good old 2015). i think, if i were trying to adapt the book into a modern setting, i’d minimize the modern day trappings as much as possible; references to modern pop culture like parks and recreation and beyoncé, like misselarch employs, are fleetingly fun, but i think they date the material too much. they also feel too kitschy and cute, in my opinion. that’s my opinion of a lot of the misselthwaite archives’ adaptation choices—they’re cute, but don’t feel like they do justice to the material.

i feel making mary a snarky, bitter teenager seems like a good idea at first, but i think it’s ultimately a misrepresentation. in the original novel, she’s prickly and prone to insulting others, sure, but she’s also sullen, withdrawn, and socially awkward—her inability to connect with others is derived from the lack of positive social interaction she had since she was born. she’s emotionally stunted, which mary in the misselthwaite archives doesn’t communicate at all in her video diaries to dr. burnett (which is a very nice homage, i will admit).

on the contrary, teen!mary is charismatic, with a biting wit; she’s had friends in the past, but they only cared for her parents’ money. ironically, her friendship with declan seems almost to benefit him more in terms of social development than it does her. her petty cruelty seems more the product of watching mean girls one too many times than any deep-rooted emotional trauma. though there are gestures made to indicate that she feels badly about her celebrity parents’ deaths, i never found them particularly convincing. i felt her vulnerability as an orphan, as a young woman with no prospects, with no real friends—as she is at the the beginning of the story—never came through properly. it felt like the writers wanted to modernize mary’s contrariness in a way, metamorphosing it into a more palatable 21st-century diagnosis: jaded teenager syndrome.

which is cute, but not very book-accurate, i feel. it colors the rest of her journey if she hasn’t been socially deprived like she is in the novel. i can’t imagine the mary of the misselthwaite archives having a profound revelation about how much nicer people look when they smile, for instance. as a result, her journey feels a lot less interesting to me.

i personally feel mary should have been prickly, of course, and sometimes aggressively mean, but more unwilling to talk about her feelings than anything—more emotionally numb after years of neglect, more uninterested in nearly everything. she shrugs when spoken to, looks eternally glum, glares at the pitying glances of sarah medlock. it’s only with the influence of the characters in the story that she’s coaxed into opening up and begins to bloom.

i really liked sarah medlock’s characterization, as well as uncle art’s and phoebe’s! i love that aunt sarah is presented as having positive intentions from the get-go, as i’ve always hated her vilification in other adaptations. i also really like the portrayal of declan—i like the idea of him being a bit of a social misfit.

with callie, i really enjoy her actress’s portrayal—she’s properly hysterical and catty! but i feel like turning colin into a girl doesn’t add anything to the story, and removes some of the narrative tension that comes with mary coming into contact with a member of the opposite sex that mirrors her in terms of upbringing and attitude. if anything, i feel it downplays the tension of their budding friendship, as the subconscious assumption that people are more likely to become friends people of the same sex is one that the audience undoubtedly has.

i don’t particularly like callie being steeped in pop culture, either, though it makes sense in a modern setting, technically. in the source material, though, colin is surrounded by interesting things to engage with, but he’s disinterested in all those things when mary stumbles across him. he’s more interested in thinking about his illness. i think having callie be immersed in pop culture as a way to entertain herself indicates a level of engagement with the world that colin is completely shut off from, which definitely affects his characterization. a version of colin that is invested in things enough to buy merchandise of them, etc. is a version of colin who is already significantly more “alive” than his book counterpart from the beginning. a more accurate idea of communicating colin’s isolation, i feel, would have callie being too cynical and emotionally stunted to be interested in anything, at least for very long; any media about characters going on interesting adventures only reminds her of the lackluster quality of her own life and makes her insecure, so she eschews pop culture in favor of frequent depression naps and bullying aunt sarah and phoebe. sometimes she’ll read if she’s bored, but not often, and she refuses to have lessons with phoebe unless she feels well enough to learn, leaving her education full of gaps despite her intelligence. callie, in my hypothetical adaptation, is determined to live a miserable, barren existence, much like colin.

anyway, it also seems that canon callie isn’t dogged by colin’s negative thoughts quite as much, and her feelings surrounding her condition feel too subdued to communicate colin’s utter maladjustment. the episode where callie “explodes” feels too muted by half! this girl should be furious, incoherent with hysteria, raging at the world for her mother’s death, stricken with self-loathing and misery! but, while callie’s actress does an amazing job with what she has, i can’t help but feel that the adaptation of her character was a bit lukewarm.

i also think giving mary and callie a history together undermines the importance of them finding each other for the first time, and gives their friendship too much of an instant leg-up from the minute mary finds her. it makes the work she has to do to befriend/reform callie feel too easy.

not to mention, the pacing of the second half of the story, where mary finds callie to the point where she and declan plan to take her to the glade, seems way too fast. i feel there was a lot of missed potential there; they could’ve really drawn out the rockiness of mary and callie’s relationship, like mary and colin’s in the book.

i think my big problem with the misselthwaite archives is that the creators, in service of adapting it to modern times, undercuts and downplays a lot of the earnestness of the characters’ relationships that i found so charming in the book. instead of instantly loving dickon and breathlessly calling him beautiful, mary only grudgingly admits that she needs declan’s help, and any affection she has for him she keeps close to the chest. colin’s desperation for mary’s company, his screaming for her to come to him, is rendered as needy over-texting, devoid of any emotional urgency; callie seems more bored, rather than truly lonely and unable to communicate in an emotionally mature manner, like colin is. even declan is subdued in his love for nature, more shy. it makes sense for a modern adaptation not prone to the novel’s 1910s sentimentality, but i can’t help but feel that the adaptation feels dull and repressed as a result.

i also wish we got a proper video of callie and declan meeting!

like a lot of adaptations, i think the pacing is off; more time should be spent on ironing out mary and callie’s relationship, more time should be spent in the garden, helping callie bloom. the “eye of the tiger” bit was cute, but gah, colin walking took months and months of practice, and to see all that development be reduced to a short little montage feels disheartening. i’d love to see at least 10 episodes of the teens just chilling in the glade, talking about their childhood traumas in more detail, having little conflicts among each other, planting flowers and setting up decorations...for a series with such short installments, that kind of episodic structure would be perfect. maybe they could create a subplot where mary suggests callie go to her high school and she has to work that out with medlock and that becomes a whole character-building thing, or she has a conflict with basil, or callie properly hashes out her negative feelings toward declan, or something. i dunno. i just wanted more.

i think the misselthwaite archives was really cute, but i feel it misses the mark on the melancholy of the original story; the glade itself is perfect, but the interpretation of mary feels too derivative of the “bratty teenager” trope to be honest to her book character, in my opinion. and i dislike pop culture references in timeless classics, even modern-day interpretations of them, lol. but i still appreciate it as an adaptation, though—it’s just so eager to translate the sentimentality into something more modern that it loses the essence of what i find so charming about the book, which is the unabashed intensity of the characters’ friendships, the extreme character development, and the scale of the emotional and social deprivation mary and colin suffered before said character development occurs.

i also wish declan had more animals around him, though obviously that can’t be helped, haha.

please send more asks, anon! i’d be happy to answer them! :)

#the secret garden #frances hodgson burnett #misselthwaite archives

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torisfeather · 7 years

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You can also read it on Archive of our own :

http://archiveofourown.org/works/10845891/chapters/24429021

Based on @fablegate‘s Baby Frisk AU. Papyrus and Frisk have a wonderful time playing in Waterfalls, at least until they meet Undyne, who probably has some anger issues.

At first, Papyrus had purely reflexively headed towards Waterfalls. That was where Undyne would meet him for reports and training and he went there on foot nearly every day, which is why he hadn’t immediately thought that riding the Riverperson’s boat would get them to Hotland faster. He only realized that halfway between Snowdin and Waterfalls, and decided he wasn’t going to turn back now. Besides, his baby monster was quivering in his arms. Better get to a warmer place first, then he’d figure things out. He’d look stupid if the baby caught a cold over shedding their fur.

They were barely past the area where the snow melted when Frisk signified to him, very clearly, that she loved Waterfalls. Her large hazel eyes kept wondering with amazement over her surroundings. She’d throw a fit of laughter when Papyrus lifted her over his head to cross high grass – “WHOOPSIE DAISY! COMING THROUGH!” The pretty shining stones, on the walls and ceiling, especially caught her eye. Sometimes, she’d reach out to try and touch them, and when he could, Papyrus would lift her again until she did.

It was late already, there were barely anyone outside at this hour. Everyone was having diner, or already in bed. Except for a few teenagers who’d sneak out and whose whispers the echo flowers would repeat each time Papyrus shoved them.

Wanna hear a joke?

Come on, we’re gonna be l…

Over here!

Oh Mary~ Contrary~ How does your garden grow~

So the bear says to the snowman…

She was surprised, the first time. She had wiggled about, looking for the voice’s owner, to the point she almost fell from Papyrus’s arms. Then, after a few more tries, she ended up realizing the flowers were talking, and started crying out happily every time Papyrus touched one.

Tell me your wish.

Come on, let’s swim!

… thes in the bushes, see?

Papyrus soon figured out what was amusing her this much and gladly “accidentally” shoved as many flowers as he could. He was almost forgetting about the baby monster’s assumed illness. They didn’t look sick at all, after all, he might as well take some time on the way to have fun. He suddenly had an idea.

“Baby! Do you want to see something very cool?” Frisk looked at him, oblivious. Papyrus settled her a little better on his arm, raised his other hand to his mouth like a megaphone and yelled : “NYEHEHEHEHE I AM THE GREAT PAPYRUS, FUTUR AMAZING MEMBER OF THE ROYAL GUARD!!!” Frisk slapped her little hands over her ears, emitting a high-pitched cry to show her disapproval. Papyrus apologized by cradling her a little, then, without another word, picked up a stone lying on the floor and threw it in the middle of an echo flower patch. An opera of Papyrus voices suddenly flowed into Waterfalls, and Frisk forgot about being angry.

Nyehehehehe I am the Great Papyrus, future amazing member of the royal guard!

… am the Great Papyrus, future amazing member of the royal guard!

… hehe I am the Great Papyrus, future amazing member of the roy…

Frisk laughed and clapped her hands, pleased. Papyrus bowed his head like a king, flattered. He walked faster, shoving as many flowers as he could on his way, as they sung his phrase around them.

… the Great Papyrus, future amazing member of the royal guard!

… Great Papyrus, future amazing member of the…

… Papyrus, future amazing member of the royal guard!

“Papyrus, what the heck are you doing?!?”

Papyrus jumped and stopped, almost falling over. He turned around. Undyne, hair down, wearing only a tank top and sweat pants, was staring at him with a completely perplexed look. The skeleton looked around, a little surprised. He hadn’t realized until now, but his running had brought him very close to the Royal Guard Captain’s house.

“Oh, hello Undyne! I was playing with Baby… Nyehe, I guess we’re a little bit too noisy, aren’t we?”

The fish lady didn’t answer, her stunned eye stuck to the little girl wiggling in Papyrus’s arms as she didn’t understand why the game was over. Papyrus followed her gaze and his face lit up.

“Oh, you two are not introduced yet! Baby, meet Undyne! Undyne, this is Baby!”

“Where did that come from?” Undyne exclaimed, still very perplexed.

“From… My closet? I found them at home, and now I’m bringing them to Dr. Alphys.”

“Why?”

“Because they are shedding! They might be sick!”

Undyne sighed and pinched her forehead. “For the love of Asgore, Papyrus, they are not shedding.”

“How would you know?”

“Because humans don’t have any fur to shed!”

“Uh… I know? What about it?

“Oh my God, Papyrus!” yelled an exasperated Undyne. She pointed at Frisk. “This. Is. A. Human.”

Papyrus blinked once or twice and looked at the little girl in his arms. “That’s a human baby?”

“That’s a human baby,” Undyne repeated.

“It’s a human baby!” Papyrus’s face lit up with a huge smile and he started jumping up and down, completely overexcited, causing Frisk to laugh. “Does this mean I finally captured a human?”

“I guess?” Undyne shrugged but couldn’t repress the large smile deforming her jaw as she witnessed the joy of the adorable idiot she called her student. She hesitated for a moment when she saw the cute little thing giggled in the skeleton’s arms, and shook her head. Orders are orders. She reached out. “Give it to me, now. I’ll bring it to the king.”

“Oh, yes, yes, right!” Papyrus took a few steps, then looked at Frisk and looked puzzled. “Uh, hey, Undyne? Why does the king want humans, by the way?”

“To break the barrier, of course!” Undyne said a little too fast. Papyrus looked confused.

“I don’t think Baby knows how to do that either.”

“No but… It… Gaaah, Papyrus, I’m tired, ok? It’s too late for this kind of questions! Give it to me so we can get this over with!”

“But it’s a baby!” Papyrus cried, almost offended. “You have to be careful, they’re fragile!”

Undyne gritted her teeth. “I know, I’ll be careful, I promise.”

That’s not so sure, actually, Papyrus thought without daring to say it out loud. A drop of sweat was slowly rolling on his temple. Undyne was growing urgent, something was wrong. The skeleton might be naturally innocent, but he wasn’t as thick as he let show. In his arms, Frisk’s eyes travelled between him and Undyne, filled with curiosity. “O… Of course you’ll be careful, Undyne!” the skeleton said with a big smile, hoping to deescalate the growing tension. “But maybe the king didn’t think Baby couldn’t open the barrier. What if I came with you, we could talk about it, what do you say?

Undyne sighed between he clenched jaws, tense, and her eye quickly looked around before focusing on Papyrus again. Yes, clearly, something was wrong. “Stop that, give it to me, go home and forget about it, do you hear me?”

“Eh, but why? Undyne, I have the very vague feeling there is something you do not wish to tell me.”

“Damn it Papyrus, that’s it!” the fish lady snapped at him, and Papyrus jolted. The hand she held out turned upwards and closed around a suddenly materialized magic spear. Others appeared behind her, dangerous, ready to throw. “As head of the Royal Guard and in the name of king Asgore, I ask you to hand the human to me.”

“Undyne, please!” Papyrus held Frisk closer. The little girl wasn’t laughing anymore, she looked shared between confusion and panic. She started to whine, frightened. “You are scaring me, what’s wrong? We can always talk!”

“Undyne, n-no! Don’t hurt them!”

Undyne and Papyrus both jumped. Sans on his brother’s side in a second, aggressive, protective, left eye lit with a dangerous bright blue. As for Alphys, she walked hesitatingly into the space between the skeletons and the fish lady, trying not to look too terrified.

“Alphys? What the hell is your problem today, you all!?” Undyne roared. “Let me do my fucking work, damn it!”

“Undyne, killing the human won’t do any good!” Alphys spat in one breathe.

Papyrus jumped, but didn’t say anything. Frisk had started crying in his arms, scared by all the yelling. Sans wanted to slap Alphys. Neither him nor Undyne had ever had the nerve to tell Papyrus the truth about the humans’ fate when they were brought to the king. Undyne, filled with rage, now seemed far from those worries.

“Alphys, get out of my way!”

“N-n-no, Undyne, you don’t get it…”

The Captain wasn’t listening and seemed about to attack, completely mad with some sort of overwhelming rage. Sans reacted immediately. The monstress’s soul went blue and she was suddenly stuck to the ground. A bone broke the spear in your hand, just in case. “Damn, dude, you need to see someone about your anger issues,” he commented casually.

Undyne hissed at him like an angry cat, but Sans was holding her soul. It would last a few minutes, at most, so the skeleton was getting ready to take his brother and teleport. Papyrus was petrified, stunned, like he couldn’t believe what was happening. Frisk was sobbing in his arms, terrified.

Alphys gathered up her courage and walked up to her, slowly. “Please, Undyne, calm down.”

“You’re on their side? What’s wrong with you Alphys? That’s a human!”

“I know but…”

“The king needs their soul! We are this close to breaking the barrier, Alphys!”

“Undyne, you have to listen to me! This is all just a huge misunderstanding! But first, please, calm down, you are scaring everybody!”

Undyne’s incredulous gaze stayed on her for a moment, then rushed to Sans, Papyrus. Frisk. She pressed her face against the ground, deliberately bumping her own forehead, and gave a good long yell while punching the stone, so loud the cave’s walls trembled around them. Frisk echoed with a long terrified screech.

Undyne finally looked up, slightly calmer, and looked at Alphys again. “You’ve got five minutes to convince me, Al’, and I hope you know what you are saying.”

#my work #fanfiction #undertale #here i am #baby frisk au

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