Rachel Manija Brown's Blog, page 74
April 25, 2021
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier
I have really been enjoying the MCU TV shows on Disney+, way more than any of the movies but Black Panther. They're very individual and quirky and character-driven, for the most part. Then there's the parts with the contractually obligated punch-ups/explosions. But comics and comic movie canons are like that. The TV shows have more space, and so have more room for other things.
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has two plots. One is A+. One is C-. Like I said... comics.
Plot # 1: Sam and Bucky deal with trauma and adjusting to radically changed lives, apart and together. This is extremely well-done and I loved every minute of it. It was like a live-action version of some beloved Sam-and-Bucky fanfic, with added commentary on race in America.
Bucky's trauma is so weird and extreme and unusual that the sheer uniqueness becomes part of the trauma; other people can't relate or shut down or get scared by it, and this has happened so often that Bucky's mostly stopped giving them the chance to react otherwise.
Sam's trauma is unique to him in its specific details, but otherwise not unusual at all: it's the trauma of being a Black man in America. But in a neat parallel to Bucky's situation, the relatability of Sam's trauma becomes part of the difficulty of dealing with it: every American Black person he meets has the same trauma and so he ends up with a ton of contradictory advice, because they all extrapolate from their own situation. (Though on the plus side, he also has a community, which Bucky lacks.)
Together, they're a great mix of similarities (they're both combat veterans, they both knew Steve), differences (race, era), and similar-but-different (they both have prosthetic limbs, but very different types and acquired in very different circumstances).
What's extra-delightful is that, especially for Bucky but also for Sam, the show understands that trauma recovery isn't just a miserable slog out of misery. It's also reconnecting with fun and joy and love and playfulness and all good things. And so despite all the heavy issues, the overall structure and tone is often distinctly reminiscent of a romcom.
I could watch the Sam-and-Bucky show forever, and I regret that we're apparently only going to get this one season.
Plot # 2: Yeah, so there was this other plot that I did not find interesting, was poorly explained, and concluded in an absolutely nonsensical twist that retroactively makes that plotline make even less sense. My policy with comics and comic-related canons in general is that there is so much contradictory canon that one can easily choose what to regard as canon and what to ignore. I'm ignoring everything involving the Flag Smashers and the nonsense twist, which reminded me of a movie I once saw in which the screenplay's final twist meant that the entire action of the movie consisted of a drug dealer selling his own drugs to himself.
I look forward to the Sam-and-Bucky supercut of this show. If it materializes, someone please point me to it.
I also look forward to all the fic and vids and art that should come out of this show, which rocketed Sam/Bucky and Sam-and-Bucky to the top ten of my forever OTPs. If you have found anything you like, please rec it in comments.
comments
The Falcon and the Winter Soldier has two plots. One is A+. One is C-. Like I said... comics.
Plot # 1: Sam and Bucky deal with trauma and adjusting to radically changed lives, apart and together. This is extremely well-done and I loved every minute of it. It was like a live-action version of some beloved Sam-and-Bucky fanfic, with added commentary on race in America.
Bucky's trauma is so weird and extreme and unusual that the sheer uniqueness becomes part of the trauma; other people can't relate or shut down or get scared by it, and this has happened so often that Bucky's mostly stopped giving them the chance to react otherwise.
Sam's trauma is unique to him in its specific details, but otherwise not unusual at all: it's the trauma of being a Black man in America. But in a neat parallel to Bucky's situation, the relatability of Sam's trauma becomes part of the difficulty of dealing with it: every American Black person he meets has the same trauma and so he ends up with a ton of contradictory advice, because they all extrapolate from their own situation. (Though on the plus side, he also has a community, which Bucky lacks.)
Together, they're a great mix of similarities (they're both combat veterans, they both knew Steve), differences (race, era), and similar-but-different (they both have prosthetic limbs, but very different types and acquired in very different circumstances).
What's extra-delightful is that, especially for Bucky but also for Sam, the show understands that trauma recovery isn't just a miserable slog out of misery. It's also reconnecting with fun and joy and love and playfulness and all good things. And so despite all the heavy issues, the overall structure and tone is often distinctly reminiscent of a romcom.
I could watch the Sam-and-Bucky show forever, and I regret that we're apparently only going to get this one season.
Plot # 2: Yeah, so there was this other plot that I did not find interesting, was poorly explained, and concluded in an absolutely nonsensical twist that retroactively makes that plotline make even less sense. My policy with comics and comic-related canons in general is that there is so much contradictory canon that one can easily choose what to regard as canon and what to ignore. I'm ignoring everything involving the Flag Smashers and the nonsense twist, which reminded me of a movie I once saw in which the screenplay's final twist meant that the entire action of the movie consisted of a drug dealer selling his own drugs to himself.
I look forward to the Sam-and-Bucky supercut of this show. If it materializes, someone please point me to it.
I also look forward to all the fic and vids and art that should come out of this show, which rocketed Sam/Bucky and Sam-and-Bucky to the top ten of my forever OTPs. If you have found anything you like, please rec it in comments.
comments
April 24, 2021
Newbery generator
It's been a while since I checked in with the Newbery generator.
The Pink Cloud of Poppy Allerdon
In the beginning, a depressed teenage girl is diagnosed with Crohn's disease after the spread of a new disease that makes your head fall off. Things seem to be looking up when she befriends a boy with a tragic past. But when her new friend reveals their tragic past as the parent of eight children who died in an epidemic, she learns a valuable lesson about pie crust and that con artists ruin people's lives.
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The Pink Cloud of Poppy Allerdon
In the beginning, a depressed teenage girl is diagnosed with Crohn's disease after the spread of a new disease that makes your head fall off. Things seem to be looking up when she befriends a boy with a tragic past. But when her new friend reveals their tragic past as the parent of eight children who died in an epidemic, she learns a valuable lesson about pie crust and that con artists ruin people's lives.
comments
April 21, 2021
Hot Chicks on Live Camera!
Chicks drinking water!
Chicks wobbling around!
I have one Austra White, one Golden Buff Red Star, two Green Queen Easter Egger, one Exchequer Leghorn, and three that I don't know what they are but they should lay blue or green eggs .
I'm keeping six and raising two for a friend. (She gets two from the Green Queens/mystery chicks, of my choice.)
comments
Chicks wobbling around!
I have one Austra White, one Golden Buff Red Star, two Green Queen Easter Egger, one Exchequer Leghorn, and three that I don't know what they are but they should lay blue or green eggs .
I'm keeping six and raising two for a friend. (She gets two from the Green Queens/mystery chicks, of my choice.)
comments
April 20, 2021
Heads You Win, Tails I Lose, by Isabelle Holland
Melissa lost weight steadily, but her days were spent as unknowing "highs."
A quick check of my author tags reveals that this book has been lurking on my shelves since 2004, good Lord. Never let it be said that if you haven't gotten around to a book in 5/15/25 years, then you never will. It was just right for reading for recovering from the Moderna shot, and soon it will wing its way to its proper destiny and the place from whence it came, a thrift shop.
Too much verbal abuse by parents, not enough unknowing "highs" (via diet pills stolen from her mother). There's really only one high, and it's highly disappointing, consisting mostly of dizziness. Most of the book is Melissa being abused by her truly horrible parents for being fat. Her happy ending is getting introduced to a nutritionist who will help her on her lifelong journey of intensely monitoring her eating to stay thin without speed.
Like many books involving eating disorders or drugs, it functions as an unintentional ad for the exact things it's trying to advocate against. "Speed is bad" comes across mostly as a moralistic "drugs are bad;" while we're told it could kill her or drive her insane, the actual bad consequences are that she has a very mild freakout, then feels crummy for a few days. While Melissa's actually on the pills, she's not hungry, loses weight rapidly, becomes much prettier, and gets tons of positive attention when previously she got zero. They even make her hair--and I quote--longer and swingier!
If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because in addition to depressing YA, she also wrote a bunch of batshit Gothics, including the extremely memorable Trelawny aka Trelawny's Fell in which a pair of twins is switched so often that it is literally impossible to determine which is which, or even what you mean by "which."
[image error]
comments
A quick check of my author tags reveals that this book has been lurking on my shelves since 2004, good Lord. Never let it be said that if you haven't gotten around to a book in 5/15/25 years, then you never will. It was just right for reading for recovering from the Moderna shot, and soon it will wing its way to its proper destiny and the place from whence it came, a thrift shop.
Too much verbal abuse by parents, not enough unknowing "highs" (via diet pills stolen from her mother). There's really only one high, and it's highly disappointing, consisting mostly of dizziness. Most of the book is Melissa being abused by her truly horrible parents for being fat. Her happy ending is getting introduced to a nutritionist who will help her on her lifelong journey of intensely monitoring her eating to stay thin without speed.
Like many books involving eating disorders or drugs, it functions as an unintentional ad for the exact things it's trying to advocate against. "Speed is bad" comes across mostly as a moralistic "drugs are bad;" while we're told it could kill her or drive her insane, the actual bad consequences are that she has a very mild freakout, then feels crummy for a few days. While Melissa's actually on the pills, she's not hungry, loses weight rapidly, becomes much prettier, and gets tons of positive attention when previously she got zero. They even make her hair--and I quote--longer and swingier!
If the author's name sounds familiar, it's because in addition to depressing YA, she also wrote a bunch of batshit Gothics, including the extremely memorable Trelawny aka Trelawny's Fell in which a pair of twins is switched so often that it is literally impossible to determine which is which, or even what you mean by "which."
[image error]
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April 19, 2021
When did we stop caring that elves aren't real?
Starting around the 1950s, a number of books in English for children had the message that magic isn't real. Helpfully for the historical cause, many of them won Newbery Medals or Honor, so they are very easy to come across.
The basic plot is that Protagonist Kid meets a kid (Tragic Kid) who claims that magic (elves, etc) is real. The kids do magic spells, make elf homes, etc. Protagonist Kid usually isn't sure that the magic is real, but wants to believe that it is. At the end it is revealed that magic is definitely not real, there are no elves, and Tragic Kid was making it all up to cover up for the fact that their father is abusive/their mother is an addict/they have no parents and are living alone/etc. Protagonist Kid is sadder but wiser.
There are variants on this, such as Bridge to Terabithia, in which no one ever believes that the magic is real - it's explicitly a game - but it ends in tragedy anyway.
I recently came across an example of this, published in 1996, and realized that it is the most recent example I can recall of the genre. Am I missing examples of it, or did they stop getting written or published?
The thing that has always struck me most about this genre is that it's a solution in search of a problem. Kids believing in magic and elves and so forth is not actually a big social problem, but the books treat it as if is. They are written as if the belief must be broken with a devastating shock, when in reality, most kids gradually learn that their parents are Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, without the need for a dramatic revelation.
Those are also beliefs which are over way before kids are old enough to read the "there's no such thing as magic" books. The books aren't teaching kids there's no such thing as magic, because by the time they're old enough to read them they already know that. They're actually teaching them that if they read a book hoping that it's fantasy, it may in fact be a book about how fantasy isn't real.
Anyway, the genre thankfully seems to have died the death. But that made me wonder about some things. Why was this ever considered worthwhile to begin with? Why is it always fantasy book-style magic that needs to be dispelled, rather than the sort of supernatural things that people really do believe in as adults, like crystal healing and possession by demons and magical-type conspiracy theories?
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The basic plot is that Protagonist Kid meets a kid (Tragic Kid) who claims that magic (elves, etc) is real. The kids do magic spells, make elf homes, etc. Protagonist Kid usually isn't sure that the magic is real, but wants to believe that it is. At the end it is revealed that magic is definitely not real, there are no elves, and Tragic Kid was making it all up to cover up for the fact that their father is abusive/their mother is an addict/they have no parents and are living alone/etc. Protagonist Kid is sadder but wiser.
There are variants on this, such as Bridge to Terabithia, in which no one ever believes that the magic is real - it's explicitly a game - but it ends in tragedy anyway.
I recently came across an example of this, published in 1996, and realized that it is the most recent example I can recall of the genre. Am I missing examples of it, or did they stop getting written or published?
The thing that has always struck me most about this genre is that it's a solution in search of a problem. Kids believing in magic and elves and so forth is not actually a big social problem, but the books treat it as if is. They are written as if the belief must be broken with a devastating shock, when in reality, most kids gradually learn that their parents are Santa Claus and the Tooth Fairy, without the need for a dramatic revelation.
Those are also beliefs which are over way before kids are old enough to read the "there's no such thing as magic" books. The books aren't teaching kids there's no such thing as magic, because by the time they're old enough to read them they already know that. They're actually teaching them that if they read a book hoping that it's fantasy, it may in fact be a book about how fantasy isn't real.
Anyway, the genre thankfully seems to have died the death. But that made me wonder about some things. Why was this ever considered worthwhile to begin with? Why is it always fantasy book-style magic that needs to be dispelled, rather than the sort of supernatural things that people really do believe in as adults, like crystal healing and possession by demons and magical-type conspiracy theories?
comments
Belle Prater's Boy, by Ruth White
The heroine of this children's book, who I regret to say is named Gypsy, acquires a new live-in family member when her cousin Woodrow moves in after his mother, Belle Prater, vanishes without a trace or explanation. It's 1953 Virginia and they're both twelve.
Most of this book is a gentle, well-written story about their relationship. It's a good book, objectively speaking, and I generally enjoyed reading it, but it's a 1996 Newbery Honor book and it is SO Newbery Honor.
There are two central mysteries in this book. One is why Gypsy's father committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. He was a firefighter who was burned on the job, but had recovered before inexplicably killing himself.
Belle Prater's disappearance is set up as this big mystery. She vanished without a trace, no one saw her go, none of her possessions were missing, there was no sign of violence, and her husband wasn't abusive. Woodrow says there was a magical place in their backyard and he thinks she stepped into it. But this is a Newbery book so...
( Read more... )
That aside, it's quite well-written and atmospheric. I can see why it was a Newbery book. In more ways than one.
[image error]
comments
Most of this book is a gentle, well-written story about their relationship. It's a good book, objectively speaking, and I generally enjoyed reading it, but it's a 1996 Newbery Honor book and it is SO Newbery Honor.
There are two central mysteries in this book. One is why Gypsy's father committed suicide by shooting himself in the head. He was a firefighter who was burned on the job, but had recovered before inexplicably killing himself.
Belle Prater's disappearance is set up as this big mystery. She vanished without a trace, no one saw her go, none of her possessions were missing, there was no sign of violence, and her husband wasn't abusive. Woodrow says there was a magical place in their backyard and he thinks she stepped into it. But this is a Newbery book so...
( Read more... )
That aside, it's quite well-written and atmospheric. I can see why it was a Newbery book. In more ways than one.
[image error]
comments
April 18, 2021
Raised beds
I'm lurking in bed recovering from the second Moderna shot (symptoms below cut if anyone's interested) and reading stacks of books, which you may or may not get reviews of at some point. I did extract myself long enough to water though. Behold my garden!
My garden. Multiple pics, click through.
I also have 22 assorted morning glories in teeny sprout stage, mostly growing around a gazebo. Hopefully they will not get eaten and will be the material of spectacular pics at some point.
Cut for non-gross medical TMI.( Read more... )
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My garden. Multiple pics, click through.
I also have 22 assorted morning glories in teeny sprout stage, mostly growing around a gazebo. Hopefully they will not get eaten and will be the material of spectacular pics at some point.
Cut for non-gross medical TMI.( Read more... )
comments
April 15, 2021
All hail the Crimson King
My latest book nook, a homage to Stephen King's Dark Tower. Make sure you click through to see ALL the photos.
This was a gift for![[personal profile]](https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1491408111i/22407843.png)
scioscribe
, along with an accompanying set of figurines, most of which I unfortunately failed to photograph before mailing them. Maybe she will put up her own pics (hint, hint.) It's about 98% complete in these photos--everything done except for sealing and painting over the edges where I cut the cardboard.
Like my hair, many details are only visible in person.
( Spoilers for the book nook, not for the book it's based on )
comments
This was a gift for
scioscribe
, along with an accompanying set of figurines, most of which I unfortunately failed to photograph before mailing them. Maybe she will put up her own pics (hint, hint.) It's about 98% complete in these photos--everything done except for sealing and painting over the edges where I cut the cardboard. Like my hair, many details are only visible in person.
( Spoilers for the book nook, not for the book it's based on )
comments
April 12, 2021
Chicks Delayed (AGAIN)
Apparently five out of my eight chicks failed to hatch. I asked if I could substitute, but all they had available were the special, $40 each breed. No thanks!
Chicks now delayed to the first week of May I HOPE. This entire endeavor is starting to feel like it'll be a triumph of the chicken human spirit if they ever show up.
comments
Chicks now delayed to the first week of May I HOPE. This entire endeavor is starting to feel like it'll be a triumph of the chicken human spirit if they ever show up.
comments
April 10, 2021
I'm putting in my garden
I have two 4x4 raised beds, plus a fair amount of in-ground area (fenced in but susceptible to gophers), some pots, and a gazebo.
I've planted assorted morning glories and cardinal vines along the gazebo and fences, mostly by pulling up weeds/wildflowers/miner's lettuce, troweling a bit, and dumping some potting soil on top. That's still a work in progress. I'm germinating seeds by sandwiching them in damp paper towels, putting them in sealed ziplock bags, and leaving them in a warmish place (I'm using the top kitchen cabinet) for a few days. This is working better here than what worked best in LA, which was leaving them in a bowl of water.
I've put some strawberries directly in the ground, and am going to buy another strawberry pot that I can take with me when I go - I currently have only one.
In the raised beds, so far I have onions, hon tsai tai/kailan (similar to broccoli rabe), one cucumber, nasturtiums, and marigolds to ward off pests. In pots, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, assorted herbs, garlic, and an artichoke. More will be added when the nursery gets new plants in.
I also have a TON of wildflowers: bush lupins, baby lupin, 5-spots, popcorn flowers, vetch, and blue dicks yes really. Also, exactly two California poppies. The wildflowers are growing all over the place, along with miner's lettuce which I've been picking for salads. Spring, glorious spring!
comments
I've planted assorted morning glories and cardinal vines along the gazebo and fences, mostly by pulling up weeds/wildflowers/miner's lettuce, troweling a bit, and dumping some potting soil on top. That's still a work in progress. I'm germinating seeds by sandwiching them in damp paper towels, putting them in sealed ziplock bags, and leaving them in a warmish place (I'm using the top kitchen cabinet) for a few days. This is working better here than what worked best in LA, which was leaving them in a bowl of water.
I've put some strawberries directly in the ground, and am going to buy another strawberry pot that I can take with me when I go - I currently have only one.
In the raised beds, so far I have onions, hon tsai tai/kailan (similar to broccoli rabe), one cucumber, nasturtiums, and marigolds to ward off pests. In pots, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, assorted herbs, garlic, and an artichoke. More will be added when the nursery gets new plants in.
I also have a TON of wildflowers: bush lupins, baby lupin, 5-spots, popcorn flowers, vetch, and blue dicks yes really. Also, exactly two California poppies. The wildflowers are growing all over the place, along with miner's lettuce which I've been picking for salads. Spring, glorious spring!
comments
