Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 142
December 30, 2017
Yuletide Recs, Part 5
Don't Need to Know Canon
On The Trail Of The Killers Of My Father. The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells. I never set out to start a robot uprising when I came to Pelling Station. I just wanted the leaked pilot of the new Sanctuary Moon spinoff, On The Trail Of The Killers Of My Father.
What it says on the can. Murderbot is a cyborg on the run that just wants to be left alone to inhale its favorite TV shows. I am enjoying the hell out of this Yuletide's run of stories in which Murderbot engages more with canon and/or fandom and/or fellow fans.
Borderline Regarding Need to Know Canon
Those parts, which maids keep unespy'd
Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline Carey. There are few things Phedre has never done. There's one she's never done with Joscelin.
Hot and sweet porn. Could probably be enjoyed just as that, but what I liked best was how in-character it was.
Light in Midwinter. Mushishi. In the depths of winter, a strange warmth. Casefic.
If you don't know canon, a manga and anime set in a pastoral Japan in which a traveling naturalist/seer studies and solves problems involving mushi, supernatural creatures which are part of the ecosystem, this might be a good intro. If you do, this story really captures the delicate yet earthy atmosphere of canon.
Need to Know Canon
dust of the chase. Dark Tower - Stephen King. The man in black knows the score, but who's counting?
Fantastic prose, great concept (the man in black remembers everything; Roland doesn't), great execution of the concept, great characterization. Definitely a don't-miss if you like Dark Tower. In fact, if you like Dark Tower, you should just read all the stories this Yuletide because while I still have one or two left to read, every single one I've read has been excellent.
One Leaf Falls. Clover - CLAMP.
Only when they are not lost does your heart remain intact.
That something, someone, who makes a piece of your heart take on their own shape
And where is that happiness inside a now-broken heart?
A woman with two loves: a man and her music. A girl who listens from inside a cage. The point where two lines that never touch, converge.
Absolutely stunning story which manages to recreate the comic onscreen just with graphics and typography - and not just visually, but also by telling a touching and heartbreaking story that is completely served by the visuals. A tour de force. I think you have to read it online rather than downloading it.
comments
On The Trail Of The Killers Of My Father. The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells. I never set out to start a robot uprising when I came to Pelling Station. I just wanted the leaked pilot of the new Sanctuary Moon spinoff, On The Trail Of The Killers Of My Father.
What it says on the can. Murderbot is a cyborg on the run that just wants to be left alone to inhale its favorite TV shows. I am enjoying the hell out of this Yuletide's run of stories in which Murderbot engages more with canon and/or fandom and/or fellow fans.
Borderline Regarding Need to Know Canon
Those parts, which maids keep unespy'd
Kushiel's Legacy - Jacqueline Carey. There are few things Phedre has never done. There's one she's never done with Joscelin.
Hot and sweet porn. Could probably be enjoyed just as that, but what I liked best was how in-character it was.
Light in Midwinter. Mushishi. In the depths of winter, a strange warmth. Casefic.
If you don't know canon, a manga and anime set in a pastoral Japan in which a traveling naturalist/seer studies and solves problems involving mushi, supernatural creatures which are part of the ecosystem, this might be a good intro. If you do, this story really captures the delicate yet earthy atmosphere of canon.
Need to Know Canon
dust of the chase. Dark Tower - Stephen King. The man in black knows the score, but who's counting?
Fantastic prose, great concept (the man in black remembers everything; Roland doesn't), great execution of the concept, great characterization. Definitely a don't-miss if you like Dark Tower. In fact, if you like Dark Tower, you should just read all the stories this Yuletide because while I still have one or two left to read, every single one I've read has been excellent.
One Leaf Falls. Clover - CLAMP.
Only when they are not lost does your heart remain intact.
That something, someone, who makes a piece of your heart take on their own shape
And where is that happiness inside a now-broken heart?
A woman with two loves: a man and her music. A girl who listens from inside a cage. The point where two lines that never touch, converge.
Absolutely stunning story which manages to recreate the comic onscreen just with graphics and typography - and not just visually, but also by telling a touching and heartbreaking story that is completely served by the visuals. A tour de force. I think you have to read it online rather than downloading it.
comments
December 29, 2017
Yuletide Recs, Part 4
This has been the most wonderful Yuletide for reading. Conveniently, I also have time for reading. And I haven't even begun to dip into a bunch of fandoms I know, like Nirvana in Fire (in which someone wrote a full-length novel!), Killjoys, most anime/manga fandoms, or many of the longer stories.
Don't Need to Know Fandom
As Ice in the Desert. Historical RPF. Saladin visits Richard's sickbed with fruit, and a question in his eyes.
If you know in general who King Richard the Lionheart and Saladin were, that's all you need for this one. Has the excellent tag "erotic snacking" (but is only PG-rated) and is very well-written and vivid.
The Exchange. The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells. Murderbot hitches a ride on a starliner, makes a friend, and saves space Yuletide.
Exactly what it says on the can; funny and sweet. All you need to know is that Murderbot is a cyborg who likes TV and doesn't like socializing.
Need to Know Fandom
Reward. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin. A beautifully written short piece that captures the unique tone, style, and off-kilter humor of the novel.
keep you safe and sound. The Fire's Stone - Tanya Huff. They’d come if they knew how, he thought, and touched this thought with his swollen tongue like a piece of sweet forbidden fruit. If they knew how, they’d come. I believe that now. I’m grateful to die knowing that.
Sweet and satisfying hurt/comfort coda to the novel (which if you haven't read it, is a fun 80s fantasy with a canonical threesome.)
comments
Don't Need to Know Fandom
As Ice in the Desert. Historical RPF. Saladin visits Richard's sickbed with fruit, and a question in his eyes.
If you know in general who King Richard the Lionheart and Saladin were, that's all you need for this one. Has the excellent tag "erotic snacking" (but is only PG-rated) and is very well-written and vivid.
The Exchange. The Murderbot Diaries - Martha Wells. Murderbot hitches a ride on a starliner, makes a friend, and saves space Yuletide.
Exactly what it says on the can; funny and sweet. All you need to know is that Murderbot is a cyborg who likes TV and doesn't like socializing.
Need to Know Fandom
Reward. Winter's Tale - Mark Helprin. A beautifully written short piece that captures the unique tone, style, and off-kilter humor of the novel.
keep you safe and sound. The Fire's Stone - Tanya Huff. They’d come if they knew how, he thought, and touched this thought with his swollen tongue like a piece of sweet forbidden fruit. If they knew how, they’d come. I believe that now. I’m grateful to die knowing that.
Sweet and satisfying hurt/comfort coda to the novel (which if you haven't read it, is a fun 80s fantasy with a canonical threesome.)
comments
December 28, 2017
Yuletide Recs, Part 3
This has been a wonderful Yuletide for reading, but not so much for people commenting. It would be great if people would comment if they enjoyed something, even if it's just "I liked this story." Especially my fantastic gift stories, which aren't getting half as much appreciation as they deserve.
Don't Need to Know Canon
The Cassini mission to Saturn. All you need to know is that the Cassini orbital, which was named after the 17th century astronomer who discovered four of Saturn's moons, was an unmanned robotic spacecraft that orbited Saturn for thirteen years, before burning up in Saturn's upper atmosphere to avoid contaminating its moons with Earth microbes.
7:55:46 AM, EDT. A planet, a recently deceased spacecraft, and an astronomer walk into a bar. Short and wonderful; despite the summary, not a joke.
Yearning's End. One of my favorite things about Yuletide are the odd little snippets of wonderfulness that turn up in Madness. Here, have a perfect sestina about the Cassini mission.
In the end, it was easy: a target, a fear of loss
Hardwired in, a yearning strong enough to brave space,
And a machine was taught (learned) to feel.
And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side - James Tiptree Jr.
The Locust. Letter of Fr. Francisco Nadal to Fr. Bartolomeo Strozzi, 1588.
Inspired by the story, but essentially original sf. Disturbing, creepy, and compelling: so, just right for Tiptree fanfic. (One commenter wrote, "It feels like I found it in an anthology I am somehow not old enough to be reading.") The author's note remarks, "I know this is way off in the weeds (and 100% less porny/100% more priesty than desired when I set out, augh) I couldn't resist your prompt to transpose the alien contact scenario of this story to other settings and places and their own baggage. Thank you so much for letting me take such weird liberties with this fabulous, bleak universe.There's already one semi-famous "Jesuits vs. sexy aliens" narrative out there but when have I ever let being derivative stop me?"
Need to Know Canon
Logan (2017 movie).
Hope is a dangerous hole (will you join me?). They miss the rendezvous. (In which Logan gets just a little more time)
That was one of the most well-done excruciatingly depressing movies I've ever seen. I loved Laura and will never watch it again. This story gives Laura and Logan a little more time and a lot more hope; it's sweet without being sappy, very much in-character, emotionally honest, and exactly what I wanted to read in the fandom.
Carrie - Stephen King.
No Peace in the Kingdom of Women. Carrie turns down Tommy's invitation to the prom, so Sue offers her own friendship instead. It doesn't go exactly as planned.
Sue/Carrie. Beautifully written, heartbreaking, dark but also hopeful.
If You See Her, Say Hello. Sue moves on.
Sharply written, sort of a five things but not quite.
Locusts in the Grass. An account of life in Christ's Blood, Maine - formerly Chamberlain - under the rule of Carrietta White. By Susan Snell, ages eighteen to twenty-three.
A short, nightmarish canon AU. It actually covers more time than noted in the summary; I'm not sure if that was a cut-and-paste error or yet another ultra-creepy implication.
comments
Don't Need to Know Canon
The Cassini mission to Saturn. All you need to know is that the Cassini orbital, which was named after the 17th century astronomer who discovered four of Saturn's moons, was an unmanned robotic spacecraft that orbited Saturn for thirteen years, before burning up in Saturn's upper atmosphere to avoid contaminating its moons with Earth microbes.
7:55:46 AM, EDT. A planet, a recently deceased spacecraft, and an astronomer walk into a bar. Short and wonderful; despite the summary, not a joke.
Yearning's End. One of my favorite things about Yuletide are the odd little snippets of wonderfulness that turn up in Madness. Here, have a perfect sestina about the Cassini mission.
In the end, it was easy: a target, a fear of loss
Hardwired in, a yearning strong enough to brave space,
And a machine was taught (learned) to feel.
And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side - James Tiptree Jr.
The Locust. Letter of Fr. Francisco Nadal to Fr. Bartolomeo Strozzi, 1588.
Inspired by the story, but essentially original sf. Disturbing, creepy, and compelling: so, just right for Tiptree fanfic. (One commenter wrote, "It feels like I found it in an anthology I am somehow not old enough to be reading.") The author's note remarks, "I know this is way off in the weeds (and 100% less porny/100% more priesty than desired when I set out, augh) I couldn't resist your prompt to transpose the alien contact scenario of this story to other settings and places and their own baggage. Thank you so much for letting me take such weird liberties with this fabulous, bleak universe.There's already one semi-famous "Jesuits vs. sexy aliens" narrative out there but when have I ever let being derivative stop me?"
Need to Know Canon
Logan (2017 movie).
Hope is a dangerous hole (will you join me?). They miss the rendezvous. (In which Logan gets just a little more time)
That was one of the most well-done excruciatingly depressing movies I've ever seen. I loved Laura and will never watch it again. This story gives Laura and Logan a little more time and a lot more hope; it's sweet without being sappy, very much in-character, emotionally honest, and exactly what I wanted to read in the fandom.
Carrie - Stephen King.
No Peace in the Kingdom of Women. Carrie turns down Tommy's invitation to the prom, so Sue offers her own friendship instead. It doesn't go exactly as planned.
Sue/Carrie. Beautifully written, heartbreaking, dark but also hopeful.
If You See Her, Say Hello. Sue moves on.
Sharply written, sort of a five things but not quite.
Locusts in the Grass. An account of life in Christ's Blood, Maine - formerly Chamberlain - under the rule of Carrietta White. By Susan Snell, ages eighteen to twenty-three.
A short, nightmarish canon AU. It actually covers more time than noted in the summary; I'm not sure if that was a cut-and-paste error or yet another ultra-creepy implication.
comments
December 27, 2017
Yuletide Recs, Part 2
I have been reading so many great stories, I'm going to try to make a rec post every day till reveals. And probably a couple after, since there's also a number of long stories I won't get to till later. If anyone would like to join me, that would be really fun.
If you enjoy a story, it would be great to comment so the authors knows.
You can cross-post and read recs at https://yuletide.dreamwidth.org
Don't Need to Know Canon
The Drive to Musquash Mesa. EDS Cat Herders Commercial. A few days in the life of a cat herder. All you need to know is that it's based on a commercial with cowboys herding cats. Deadpan absurdity that escalates into an Old West Looney Tunes cartoon in written form.
After the Battles. The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son - J. R. R. Tolkien. By one man's will many must woe endure. - Wiglaf. The canon is a short play about a pair of soldiers in search of their lord's body after a battle. This story is a short play that uses the "five things" format to make a beautifully written and haunting statement about what changes and what's eternal.
Arise the Sun (Rejoice!). A gorgeous, joyful art treat of the trio from Ladyhawke.
The Properties of Lemons. Unknown Armies. All you need to know is the synopsis: "Why accept a lemon in exchange for telling the future? Here are a few possible reasons." A short, sometimes spooky, sometimes funny, charming and strange list that is exactly what it says on the can.
Color Theory. Vantablack Artists Pigment Feud. I think all you need to know is that this is a real thing where a pair of artists are feuding over who has the right to use the "blackest black." (And if you've never heard of this, give yourself a treat and google "Vantablack feud.") The story is appropriately metafictional, erudite, strange, and hilarious.
Need to Know Canon
And Her Hair In Golden Fire. Dark Tower - Stephen King. Susan and the man in black make a palaver. An AU with an older, wearier, gunslinger Susan Delgado grappling, literally and metaphorically, with the man in black. Beautifully written, short but dense enough to show a whole world--or rather, many worlds.
Print the Legend. Thelma and Louise. They say you'll see 'em sometimes out there on the road. Call 'em ghosts or spirits or avenging angels. Two redheaded women in a green 1966 Ford Thunderbird.... A set of interviews with various people about glimpses of the ghosts of Thelma and Louise. Funny, unexpected, touching, makes great use of the format.
comments
If you enjoy a story, it would be great to comment so the authors knows.
You can cross-post and read recs at https://yuletide.dreamwidth.org
Don't Need to Know Canon
The Drive to Musquash Mesa. EDS Cat Herders Commercial. A few days in the life of a cat herder. All you need to know is that it's based on a commercial with cowboys herding cats. Deadpan absurdity that escalates into an Old West Looney Tunes cartoon in written form.
After the Battles. The Homecoming of Beorhtnoth Beorhthelm’s Son - J. R. R. Tolkien. By one man's will many must woe endure. - Wiglaf. The canon is a short play about a pair of soldiers in search of their lord's body after a battle. This story is a short play that uses the "five things" format to make a beautifully written and haunting statement about what changes and what's eternal.
Arise the Sun (Rejoice!). A gorgeous, joyful art treat of the trio from Ladyhawke.
The Properties of Lemons. Unknown Armies. All you need to know is the synopsis: "Why accept a lemon in exchange for telling the future? Here are a few possible reasons." A short, sometimes spooky, sometimes funny, charming and strange list that is exactly what it says on the can.
Color Theory. Vantablack Artists Pigment Feud. I think all you need to know is that this is a real thing where a pair of artists are feuding over who has the right to use the "blackest black." (And if you've never heard of this, give yourself a treat and google "Vantablack feud.") The story is appropriately metafictional, erudite, strange, and hilarious.
Need to Know Canon
And Her Hair In Golden Fire. Dark Tower - Stephen King. Susan and the man in black make a palaver. An AU with an older, wearier, gunslinger Susan Delgado grappling, literally and metaphorically, with the man in black. Beautifully written, short but dense enough to show a whole world--or rather, many worlds.
Print the Legend. Thelma and Louise. They say you'll see 'em sometimes out there on the road. Call 'em ghosts or spirits or avenging angels. Two redheaded women in a green 1966 Ford Thunderbird.... A set of interviews with various people about glimpses of the ghosts of Thelma and Louise. Funny, unexpected, touching, makes great use of the format.
comments
December 26, 2017
Happy Yuletide!
This Yuletide I got THREE amazing stories! Check them out.
The Tale of the White Lady of Iffish. It is not told in the Deed of Seren how Tenar of the Ring became the White Lady of Iffish. This is that story.
A beautifully-written 8K Earthsea AU in which Tenar goes to Iffish, where Vetch and Yarrow live, instead of Gont. The language and themes are completely in tune with the earlier Earthsea books, and I highly recommend it if you like them.
Baby, Can You Dig Your Gal? In which Nadine makes some different choices, and things fall out differently.
A sexy and thoughtful AU of The Stand in which Nadine defies Flagg by having sex with Lucy Swann. It's tagged "lesbian sex as radical praxis:" fuck yeah!
For Glory or an Early Death. Nadine takes steps to end Flagg's claim on her, and the ka-tet finds a door in the woods.
An absolutely brilliant, engrossing 13K story crossing over The Stand and Dark Tower. Pitch-perfect Stephen King voice, resonant themes, and great ensemble character work, taking my prompts for both canons and running with them. I do think you need to know both canons.
What good things have you found so far this Yuletide?
comments
The Tale of the White Lady of Iffish. It is not told in the Deed of Seren how Tenar of the Ring became the White Lady of Iffish. This is that story.
A beautifully-written 8K Earthsea AU in which Tenar goes to Iffish, where Vetch and Yarrow live, instead of Gont. The language and themes are completely in tune with the earlier Earthsea books, and I highly recommend it if you like them.
Baby, Can You Dig Your Gal? In which Nadine makes some different choices, and things fall out differently.
A sexy and thoughtful AU of The Stand in which Nadine defies Flagg by having sex with Lucy Swann. It's tagged "lesbian sex as radical praxis:" fuck yeah!
For Glory or an Early Death. Nadine takes steps to end Flagg's claim on her, and the ka-tet finds a door in the woods.
An absolutely brilliant, engrossing 13K story crossing over The Stand and Dark Tower. Pitch-perfect Stephen King voice, resonant themes, and great ensemble character work, taking my prompts for both canons and running with them. I do think you need to know both canons.
What good things have you found so far this Yuletide?
comments
December 24, 2017
Year in Fandom Meme
Polite request: If you hated anything I loved, here is not the place to share. Enjoyed with caveats is fine. Shared delight is welcome, and/or chime in with your own favorites!
Your main fandom of the year?
I'm not sure I've really been involved in fandom per se this year. Yuletide? Black Sails? Stephen King?
Your favorite film watched this year?
Baahubali 2 and The Last Jedi. The former is available on Netflix, along with Part 1, and I recommend the hell out it.
Your favorite book read this year?
This was not a great year for me getting a lot of reading done. But I did read some new-to-me books that I loved. I'm probably forgetting some, but favorites that come to mind are The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon[image error] by Stephen King, The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made[image error] by Greg Sestero and Tom Bisson, and Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me[image error] by Bill Hayes - the latter highly recommended to get in hardcover, as it's a beautiful physical object. I am also listening to Bruce Springsteen's autobiography, Born to Run[image error], on CD read by himself, and enjoying the hell out of it. I only wish I could have listened to or read it when I was much younger, because his desperation to make his skills match his ambition and fear that they never would really resonated with me.
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
The Low Highway[image error] by Steve Earle, and some Bruce Springsteen live albums, Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2CD)[image error] and Live in Dublin: Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band[image error].
Your favorite TV show of the year?
This was a great year for new or new-to-me TV. I adored Better Call Saul, Black Sails, The Good Place, Legion, and The Punisher. (I have not yet finished Better Call Saul, Black Sails, Orphan Black, so please no spoilers for the final or latest season.)
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
The Punisher. I am not recommending this to anyone who thinks they'll hate it, because they probably will hate it. I am not recommending this to anyone who thinks it will anger and offend them, because it probably will. I will just say that given that the comics character is one of my least favorite ever, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the show and its version of Frank Castle. Sometimes things just get to you on an emotional and personal level, and this show really got to me.
Please do not comment to say that you can't see it because it will anger and offend you. Let's just take that as read.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
The Runaways TV series. The casting looked so great. The acting is very good. And the writing and directing is so, so inexplicably boring. I am baffled by how a creative team that got the casting so right could so utterly and completely miss what made the comics so fun, which was 1) the fact that they are fucking RUNAWAYS, 2) the premise that it's about kids who discover that their parents are supervillains, 3) it's about the CHILDREN OF SUPERVILLAINS, not their parents, 4) the speed at which events happen and plot twists pile atop each other. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to not have the kids run away, have half the show be about their parents, put in some mysterious conspiracy rather than supervillains, and pace the show at the speed of molasses in February?
I realize that very similar things are probably said by fans of Punisher comics, only "WTF is up with the ratio of talking to shooting people?" "Why is there so much talking about feelings, what the hell?" and "WHERE IS THE SKULL SUIT?" but I am not a fan of the comics so I'm OK with that.
Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
It feels very inappropriate to call Captain Flint my boyfriend, so Frank Castle. Honestly I think we would get along very well, though long-term relationship prospects look dim.
Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
REY. I love the women of Black Sails, but I also love my continued existence. I do realize this should also rule out Frank Castle, but sometimes you just have to live dangerously.
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
About one-fourth of the entirety of The Last Jedi and Baahubali 2, almost all of which is hugely spoilery. Pretty much every appearance by older!Devasena in the latter, but the moment she appears in the spyglass is probably my single biggest of the year.
The most missed of your old fandoms?
Saiyuki.
The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Stranger Things and Dark Matter .
Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Black Panther looks AMAZING. So does A Wrinkle in Time.
comments
Your main fandom of the year?
I'm not sure I've really been involved in fandom per se this year. Yuletide? Black Sails? Stephen King?
Your favorite film watched this year?
Baahubali 2 and The Last Jedi. The former is available on Netflix, along with Part 1, and I recommend the hell out it.
Your favorite book read this year?
This was not a great year for me getting a lot of reading done. But I did read some new-to-me books that I loved. I'm probably forgetting some, but favorites that come to mind are The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon[image error] by Stephen King, The Disaster Artist: My Life Inside The Room, the Greatest Bad Movie Ever Made[image error] by Greg Sestero and Tom Bisson, and Insomniac City: New York, Oliver, and Me[image error] by Bill Hayes - the latter highly recommended to get in hardcover, as it's a beautiful physical object. I am also listening to Bruce Springsteen's autobiography, Born to Run[image error], on CD read by himself, and enjoying the hell out of it. I only wish I could have listened to or read it when I was much younger, because his desperation to make his skills match his ambition and fear that they never would really resonated with me.
Your favorite album or song to listen to this year?
The Low Highway[image error] by Steve Earle, and some Bruce Springsteen live albums, Hammersmith Odeon, London '75 (2CD)[image error] and Live in Dublin: Bruce Springsteen with the Sessions Band[image error].
Your favorite TV show of the year?
This was a great year for new or new-to-me TV. I adored Better Call Saul, Black Sails, The Good Place, Legion, and The Punisher. (I have not yet finished Better Call Saul, Black Sails, Orphan Black, so please no spoilers for the final or latest season.)
Your best new fandom discovery of the year?
The Punisher. I am not recommending this to anyone who thinks they'll hate it, because they probably will hate it. I am not recommending this to anyone who thinks it will anger and offend them, because it probably will. I will just say that given that the comics character is one of my least favorite ever, I was very pleasantly surprised by how much I loved the show and its version of Frank Castle. Sometimes things just get to you on an emotional and personal level, and this show really got to me.
Please do not comment to say that you can't see it because it will anger and offend you. Let's just take that as read.
Your biggest fandom disappointment of the year?
The Runaways TV series. The casting looked so great. The acting is very good. And the writing and directing is so, so inexplicably boring. I am baffled by how a creative team that got the casting so right could so utterly and completely miss what made the comics so fun, which was 1) the fact that they are fucking RUNAWAYS, 2) the premise that it's about kids who discover that their parents are supervillains, 3) it's about the CHILDREN OF SUPERVILLAINS, not their parents, 4) the speed at which events happen and plot twists pile atop each other. Who the hell thought it was a good idea to not have the kids run away, have half the show be about their parents, put in some mysterious conspiracy rather than supervillains, and pace the show at the speed of molasses in February?
I realize that very similar things are probably said by fans of Punisher comics, only "WTF is up with the ratio of talking to shooting people?" "Why is there so much talking about feelings, what the hell?" and "WHERE IS THE SKULL SUIT?" but I am not a fan of the comics so I'm OK with that.
Your fandom boyfriend of the year?
It feels very inappropriate to call Captain Flint my boyfriend, so Frank Castle. Honestly I think we would get along very well, though long-term relationship prospects look dim.
Your fandom girlfriend of the year?
REY. I love the women of Black Sails, but I also love my continued existence. I do realize this should also rule out Frank Castle, but sometimes you just have to live dangerously.
Your biggest squee moment of the year?
About one-fourth of the entirety of The Last Jedi and Baahubali 2, almost all of which is hugely spoilery. Pretty much every appearance by older!Devasena in the latter, but the moment she appears in the spyglass is probably my single biggest of the year.
The most missed of your old fandoms?
Saiyuki.
The fandom you haven't tried yet, but want to?
Stranger Things and Dark Matter .
Your biggest fan anticipations for the coming year?
Black Panther looks AMAZING. So does A Wrinkle in Time.
comments
December 19, 2017
rachelmanija @ 2017-12-19T10:27:00
Can you suggest some stories, in any media, with the theme of something huge or catastrophic going on, like a war or an apocalypse, in which the point is that an individual's personal struggle, triumph, or failure matters even if it doesn't affect the larger picture?
This theme shows up in Connie Willis a lot - in Doomsday Book, Kivrin's presence matters to Father Roche even though it doesn't alter the course of the plague, in "Fire Watch" it matters that Saint Paul's is saved that night even if it isn't saved forever, etc. It seems like a natural for time travel stories, but I can't think of other examples offhand.
comments
This theme shows up in Connie Willis a lot - in Doomsday Book, Kivrin's presence matters to Father Roche even though it doesn't alter the course of the plague, in "Fire Watch" it matters that Saint Paul's is saved that night even if it isn't saved forever, etc. It seems like a natural for time travel stories, but I can't think of other examples offhand.
comments
December 16, 2017
comments
December 13, 2017
comments
December 7, 2017
In case anyone was wondering...
Yes, it's been alarming/fascinating to see how apocalyptic my former commute has gotten: https://twitter.com/WLV_investor/status/938410022538682368
However, it's unlikely that my area will be evacuated. There's no brushy areas near me and a whole lot of city in between me and the fire. It would take an apocalypse event for the completely urban areas that aren't hill-adjacent to burn.
All the same, I have everything ready to jump in my car and go. Somewhere. Unfortunately my normal escape route is unavailable. That pic I posted is it.
comments
However, it's unlikely that my area will be evacuated. There's no brushy areas near me and a whole lot of city in between me and the fire. It would take an apocalypse event for the completely urban areas that aren't hill-adjacent to burn.
All the same, I have everything ready to jump in my car and go. Somewhere. Unfortunately my normal escape route is unavailable. That pic I posted is it.
comments
