Entertaining in a Disturbing Way

If only I liked beer

2022-01-22T02:13:01Z

I return, triumphant!

Not that I was posting regularly, but you don't think about how much you casually scroll, etc., until you're stuck without a working personal computer. :P

During the painfully horrible (month end close sucks) first week of January, I finally managed the right combination of things which finished off my hard drive. I couldn't boot into regular Windows. I could manage safe mode! So I started in on the task of buying a drive to back my data up. Which didn't work with the first drive I bought (it was slightly cheaper than some of the others, and was corrupted very quickly, apparently). So I bought a Seagate and pulled everything off. Again.

I knew it had to be the drive (well, guessed), because I couldn't get into the recovery environment, and it couldn't wipe and reinstall Windows.

So with my roommate's help, we flipped it upside-down and pulled out the old drive, cleaned the fan, swapped in new memory and... she also downloaded the restore utility - and then applied it.

So now I have a shiny new hard drive (with more space, after all, why not upgrade while I'm at it). And all of my files to add (music is all added back except for the variances between the one backup and the newer one).

But it does mean re-downloading all of my games. I'm not sure if I can just shove them back on the computer (I pulled all of them but the really stupid Pride and Prejudice one, oh, and fucking Time Gap, off the old computer). (also, who knows if all of the files are ok) Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Big Finish's Torchwood Monthly Range

2022-01-01T23:25:05Z

This is mostly just quick thoughts, but gets a bit long. Covers episodes 1-25ish, I think, with one or two not listened to.

The monthly range seems to vary in era and continuity, and while I listened to them generally in order, I don't think it's actually required (outside of a couple linked ones, like the Andy + Norton or Andy + Owen ones).

- The Conspiracy. It's hard to tell when this is set, as it appears to be after COE/MD, except that the next couple make it clear Jack had explained to everyone about The Committee back in series one or prior. That aside - I liked this one, the conspiracy theories, the angst, the ridiculousness of The Committee.

- Fall to Earth. ZEYNEP IS MY HERO forever, and I desperately want her seconded to UNIT (Torchwood would get her killed). Anyway, she and Ianto have an excellent back and forth, and even though the setup is silly, everything else is entertaining and brilliant, and heart-rending. I would love for her to show up.

- Forgotton Lives. This was all right. I mean, it was nice hearing Gwen again, and Rhys, too. I just didn't have a lot of interest in the plotline. It had its horror moments, but wasn't ground-breaking.

- One Rule. Highly entertaining, I liked Yvonne as a villain, and she shines as a protagonist here. She's sarcastic and a bitch, but with an undercurrent that is understandable. Not sweet, mind. Because she's still very much England First, no matter who gets in the way. And I'm ok with that. I'd have been very annoyed if she were softened.

- Uncanny Valley. Pure SF schlock. If you like M/M sex, there's kissing in this one. And while I found it compelling while listening to it, I ended up with a "Meh" face once it was over and I was thinking about it.

- More Than This. Highly entertaining - Gwen is in excellent Gwen form. And while the framing of the story was a bit by the numbers, I still enjoyed it. The concept of Gwen running an adhoc Torchwood out of the back of her car is hilarious, and, well, a Gwen thing to do.

- The Victorian Age. Enjoyable, with flirting, and Queen Victoria. Don't have a lot more to say about it, though.

- Zone 10. A Tosh mission! Very Torchwood, with Tosh and double-crossing, and Russians. Because it's always Russians, MI-5 told me so. But I did like this one, and it was great to hear Tosh again.

- Ghost Mission. Andy is very Welsh. This one was entertaining, even with my creeping sense of horror over who really had seconded Andy into Torchwood. It was great to have more canon gay, too. It was a bit weird, but fun, and Andy is a little too innocent and bright for Torchwood.

- Moving Target. I knew where this was going, but I didn't care, because it was so entertaining to listen to it get there. Suzie has to protect the prey of intergalactic hunters (a bunch of rich aliens who want to kill a human), and she and said prey are excellent at survival. Meanwhile, I'm wondering about the Shadow Proclamation.

- Broken. This is a perfect story to slot into series one, filling in some of the character beats between the episodes. From Cyberwoman through Countrycide, this is an excellent character piece about Ianto, with Jack along for the ride by the end of it. And I really really loved how this delved in Ianto and what defines him, and the things he's willing to do to get what he wants and needs.

- Made You Look. I actually found the villain a bit meh, but I loved the pathos of this one, as well as Gwen teaming up with a little old lady to save the day. It also just reminded me how awful Gwen is at really saving the day (she tries so hard, but she's rarely ever going to manage to save everyone). It reminded me a lot of the way she gets Lois to work with them in COE, which is always a plus.

- Visiting Hours. A manic and silly story. I'm finding that I'm just not that fond of Rhys, though I thought he and his mother were entertaining. And this has Martin Dear's actor as a guest star, and his voice is terribly recognizable, so I was having some cognitive dissonance at times.

- The Dollhouse. Torchwood US 1970s, or Charlie's Angels with aliens. This one was a little schlocky, but incredibly entertaining. I could listen to a whole series of these women kicking ass and taking names, and recruiting others. Even with the somewhat predictable plot. Gabi is a speed freak, who jumps at the chance to fly any alien craft she can, Marlow is into math and pointing guns at people (she is v Torchwood), and Charley is an excellent thief and safe-cracker who finds aliens interesting.

- Corpse Day. The first half of this was fun (Andy and Owen are a good team-up). The rest, not so much. I am so very fucking tired of horror means women who are brain-washed and raped, through the lens of the poor poooooor men who have to witness this terror with bonus cannibalism.

- Cascade. I'd actually heard this one before, so I knew what the plot was. It was still entertaining, and I loved the conceit of using the audio medium with splices and repetitive inserts, and bits of the cast interview spliced in. You're not actually listening to the story, you're listening to the scrambled version of it that's about to escape...

- The Office That Never Was. This is a convoluted and weird little two-hander. Not as good as Fall to Earth? I spent most of it trying to care about what was going on. Next time, Ianto, take a chair to one of the windows to get out of the building. (why don't any of these idiots take backup--at least with post-MD Gwen, it makes sense that she's not got any) - I also had difficulty recognizing his voice? I'm not sure why. That said, as with Yvonne and Suzie and Jack, it was nice to see this side of Torchwood. I think the other issue I had with this (aside from the convolutedness), was that I don't understand how Ianto has managed to survive with his memories so swiss-cheesed as this episode implies they are? At the point where he dies in COE, he must assume Jack with just retcon himself to avoid the pain. I do think this episode would improve on re-listen, however. Knowing what it's about helps.

- The Dying Room. The conceit is that this is a German officer torturing a man for information. I really enjoyed the flashbacks (the Madame is AWESOME AND I LOVE HER, Torchwood, give me more of her). But the torture and interrogation portions were very run of the mill and dull. Like, I don't need to be told that Germans tortured people, I am already aware. That said, I did enjoy this one and found the whole conceit and resolution entertaining.

- The Death of Captain Jack. If you want a story full of sex and wrecking history, this is it. If you're bored of that, though, this is kinda... dull. Also, how many times have DW people been on the bloody Titanic. I actually got bored somewhere around when John married Queen Victoria :/ Hart's rampaging through time was predictable (dubconning Ianto is gross, but fanfic and expected). At least the ending makes up for some of it? I did like the twist, but I'm not sure it made up for the boring bits. I mean, I guess it was very fanfic? But not in the way I enjoy (tbf, if it were all chicks, I'd love it. But dudes banging isn't my id).

- The Last Beacon. This one is incredibly Welsh. And while I sort of enjoyed it, it's... a bit meandering and not really all that great? Like, the basic plot is incredibly dull, and the only interesting bits are Owen and Ianto having to get along and try to investigate (which they're crap at). I actually found myself a bit frustrated at how nothing was happening. I did like the little character moments. But, um, otherwise, I'm not sure this is one I'd listen to again? At least it wasn't about women being raped. So, y'know, that was a plus for an all-dude episode.

- We Always Get Out Alive. This one is incredibly tense, or it felt like it as I listened. I liked it! But OMG, I had to actually pause a couple of times just to take a breath and remind myself that it was going to end, and it would all be OK. There is a lot of character stuff in this one with Gwen and Rhys (and, unlike the interviews, I spent parts of it going "yes, this is why they won't actually last as a couple." - which is really fanfic, I suppose).

- Goodbye Picadilly. Not listened yet.

- Instant Karma. Tosh shines in this one, although I'm a little annoyed that they did the "Tosh has no one who loves her, and fails to save herself." thing. I appreciated that she still ends up on top of things, but. It's frustrating, I feel like she should have been able to do it herself. It does slot nicely into the aftermath of the Mary thing, though. And I'm angry at the others on her behalf.

- Deadbeat Escape. Bilis Manger always sounds fucking creepy (and he's the sort of smug I can't stand, though he grows a bit on you). But I do like how they're doing more than just action/adventure. It's almost Twilight Zone, but with added horror and tension in flavor. Also, if I showed up at a place like Traveller's Rest, I would have gone back out into the rain no matter how awful it was. The recurring tap... and Manger was good at stopping time, really ratcheted the tension up on this one. "Has a happy ending for the rabbit, not the farmer's wife."

- Night of the Fendahl. The Fendahl are an excellent classic Who monster, that have featured in at least one other Big Finish episode (during the Further Adventures of Lucie Miller), and I'm always happy to see them show up with batshit mythology. This one has an excellent, creepy vibe, which ratchets the tension quite well. Gwen is a vacant victim of a woman for much of it, which is off-putting, but understandable in the end. And I appreciated that the murder of all of these women was brought to justice by another woman! I just. I think I'm just very tired of women being the victims. The one sour note is the implication that if women just didn't let themselves be victims, they wouldn't become rape and murder victims. That said, excellent outing for the Fendahl, though if you're not a fan of sexist men and using women's bodies for titillation, this episode is not going to work well for you. And the latter doesn't even happen on camera, as it were.

- The Green Life. I found this a frustrating episode. It has the elements of a story that I'd enjoy, but it felt like a slog through the muck to get through. And not in a fun way. I also got very tired of the pointless "let's show up Jo's simplistic worldview" bullshit. FFS, just because she wants to save the world and stop cruelty to animals doesn't mean she wants to go about hugging the fucking maggots. It felt like they took all of the wrong lessons from Green Death and heavy-handedly skewered them. Badly. I'm not too keen on killing off Nancy with the laughing face, either. That felt cheap. I also found it difficult to believe BOSS would allow what happened to it (and the voice wasn't unctuous enough :/)--BOSS was also the obvious choice, but it felt shallow (and the turnabout reveal about the maggots wasn't the OMG moment I think the writer intended, it was mostly just, "Really? That was the dull choice you went with?"). All in all, an episode I really, desperately, wanted to enjoy and couldn't.
Things that would have improved it:
1. Dial back the ~kooky peacenik vs. Stalwart Realist rhetoric - like, ffs, I watched Green Death, which was written in the era and steeped in this stuff, and still managed not to be so heavy-handed and stupid about it.
2. Flirting. Where the fuck was the flirting--there is, like two seconds, near the end, and that's it. Terribly disappointing--though at least it proves Jack will flirt with ancient women! Also, more back and forth that isn't "Old Woman Scolds Young Boy" crap related to point 1.
3. Jo not killing Jack. The entire scene where he asks her to shoot him and she gets hysterical was a fucking waste of time. Cut it entirely.
4. Eating maggots should cause people to mutate and die--as they did in the original episode. Yet, there's fuck all about this in GL, which makes the whole thing feel like a waste of time.
5. If you're killing Nancy, give her an actual line or two. There's zero impact from her death, and it just feels cheap and pointless.

I think I'm just frustrated, as every time BF has brought, like, the Wirrn back, it's been great. But this? They failed at.

- Sync. I really enjoyed this one, particularly with how Suzie and Margaret were bestie frenemies by the end--that dynamic was just fucking amazing, ok. Lying to each other, mocking each other, figuring each other out, trying to kill each other. This one was a delight that had it all. I also liked the look into Suzie it gives (heroic and not, as it were--she's a dark reflection of Gwen, though less certain that she's Always Right because of her Compassion). And yeah, I'd love more episodes with them paired up and doing stuff. Or even just more of Suzie doing stuff!

- Sargasso. So, I don't really like Rhys much. Like, I know this is an odd thing for a lot of people, but, um. I find him boring and over-bearing in his dedication to Being Normal. That said, he was all right in this. Loved the Autons, though. And the rubber ducks, holy fuck, that was hilarious. I just wish the "omg this is not an ending" schtick would stop. I doubt there will ever be follow-up (though maybe all the autons are the people in gated communities that Jack then murders in the next one??? lol) (also, ngl, was expecting Rhys to be an Auton and was a bit disappointed when he wasn't)

- Serenity. This was... like, I wanted to like it but it was dullllll. I've read shitty fanfic that was better and more entertaining. It probably doesn't help that the "We're pretending these aren't POC terrorist stand-ins lol" tone from Sleeper is also here. About the only good thing is Jack murdering all of the ~bad aliens. Although I'm intrigued about Ianto. Does he just not remember all of the times he's murdered innocent people for Torchwood? (oh, wait, he doesn't).

Note: four days later, and I have to revise my opinion slightly: I did enjoy all of the Jack and Ianto back and forth, that felt very them. It was just the framing story and execution that were lacking.

I was honestly hoping for something more like that one X-Files episode, so it being the stupid aliens from Sleeper really disappointed me.

(of course, now I want a crossover episode where Mulder & Scully and Harkness & Jones are investigating the same Weird Community and undercover) Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Big Finish audios - Companion Chronicles + River Song

2022-01-01T23:12:27Z

I'm splitting these in two, so the Torchwood ones can faff about with themselves.

There's only one Companion Chronicle that I listed to, and it was
The Many Deaths of Jo Grant - while at the heart, this is a common SF trope, it still managed to be interesting, if only because of Jo's sheer perseverance in the face of adversity. I sometimes forget how very courageous and brave she is, and this one really encapsulates that. Not to mention her penchant for self-sacrifice. This one just made me love Jo more than I already did, which I was surprised by.

Diary of River Song, series 6 (Series 1-4 are smashing, 5 is the Masters one and also smashing) is a series with ties to four Classic Who episodes--some are closer than others, and except for one, all are prequels of a sort.

An Unearthly Woman (revisiting Coal Hill, but before Unearthly Child kicks off) - I had trouble matching the voices of Barbara, Susan, & Ian (though One was easy), so that kept throwing me out. But aside from that, I really liked this one. River pulling a Seven, and embedding herself, faking credentials (St. TRINIAN'S. River claims to have taught there), investigating and lying. ALSO. She claims to have stolen the uniform from her mother (Amy does not have your hips, dear, you did not).

The Web of Time (revisiting the Web of Fear) - Fuck, John Dorney's personal mission is to depress everyone, isn't it. That said, while I liked the River bits (particularly her moral dubiousness, and the backstory drop), I really didn't enjoy the other characters much (Knight and Erin were just frustrating).

Peepshow (revisiting Carnival of Monsters; the only one set during the actual episode) - OMG, Clive Wood sounds like he had a blast even in character. Dibbsworth is hilarious and I wish he'd show up again. I liked the link to Carnival (an episode I do love so), and the Drashiigs, eek. ALSO ALSO, the Sontaren commander! OMG. Basically, this one was a blast, and I think it's the best of the four.

The Talents of Greel (revisiting Talons of Weng-Chiang)- River visiting Jago is great, I love the idea of them sparring off each other! She's adorable in her fannishness. And says she gets multiple things from her Mum. Cackling, Amy would be so proud. Not so fond of how this episode spends so much time with the dudes.

And unfortunately, this one just sort of dragged (maybe if I were in a less impatient mood?) - I actually ended up skipping to the end about halfway through.

I also don't really understand why you'd revisit such a sexist, racist episode. And Talents didn't really do much to raise it above what it came from (tbh, I think it made it even worse. River may know that women will be saved, but, like, there are still several who die before Four and Leela stop them). The whole thing would, maybe, have been saved if River and Leela got to team up. But River leaves before they even arrive!

The missed opportunities of River mucking about in Four's past and teaming up with Leela was disappointing.

Talents was the worst of the lot, with Web not far in front of it. Peepshow was the best, and Unearthly Woman was just behind it (only marks off was for the voice actors not matching to the original series, which isn't their fault!)

If you're looking for Classic Who stuff, this is a decent one to grab. Although, if you want better, Diary 5 is absolutely wonderful, even if some of it is not Classic.

I've honestly really liked what BF have done with River, giving more expansion to her backstory and letting her interact here, there, and everywhere. It's refreshing to see (hear) her having so many adventures while still being River. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Games Edition - Mystery Case Files mainly.

2021-12-31T02:08:47Z

I'll get the non MCF game out the way first:

Amaranthine Voyage: The Tree of Life. I love the design in this one--it's steampunk. However, they repurposed a spacey game for it, so the base is a crashed spaceship buried in the jungle, with a castle built on top of it! It's a ridiculous mash of periods, and I LOVE it. The game does suffer from bad acting from Real People (photo-realistic), and the one dude tends to just stand around with his bare feet looking confused. You can click to speed up the dialog without losing anything. The mythology backstory is mostly entertaining. Mostly, though, I drool at the buried spaceship.

Mystery Case Files - this is a fairly long franchise that has gone through a couple of different companies since it began.

- Huntsville and Prime Suspects are basic hidden object games, with very little plot or much interest. There's puns and such, but they're pretty bog standard, with not a lot to recommend them.

- Ravenhearst. The series picks up a little, with a plot playing out as you search rooms and find diary pages at the abandoned and falling-down Ravenhearst Manor (named after Emma Ravenhearst, a schoolteacher from Iowa--no, I'm not making that up, I don't know why they went for such a stupid backstory). For anyone who's got even a little Gothic plot history, you know exactly where it is going and how bad things are going to get, but it's still incredibly tense (at least, it was for me. Even though I knew how bad the outcome was). Several Rube Goldberg locks in this one with zero instructions or information on how to work them, which makes them frustrating. It's still only searching for hidden objects, though.

- Madame Fate. Still searching for hidden objects (including 'morphing' ones). There's one RG/puzzle type thing for each member of the carnival, some of them are more elaborate than others (and as with the previous game, zero instructions). This one is a nice time-waster--I've played it three times now, whilst listening to Torchwood audios. It ties into the Ravenhearst arc as Charles Dalimar is murdering everyone and stalking the Detective.

- Return to Ravenhearst. More backstory on the terribleness of Ravenhearst Manor. Kidnap, rape, murder, it's all here. This one has a more linear narrative, and more game-play as you wander through the manor. There are still hidden object scenes and RG devices, but it's closer to the standard game experience. It has a great, tense, atmosphere. However, it all falls down in the final confrontation where the RL actors are just awful and OTT in a way that completely destroys any of the built-up tension. NGL, people in video games should be pixels, not photo-realistic, as that just ruins the entire premise. (but all of the underground locations and such were heart-breaking and disturbing, auuuugh)

- The 13th Skull. Not part of the Ravenhearst arc. This is apparently one of the highest-rated of the MCF games, and is considered the best of the best. I hated it. The RL actors/photo-realistic thing continues here and it is awful and execrable. Like, they cannot fucking act, and it is the WORST, because while most games allow you to read fast and click to the next line, this game requires you to read at the speed of the 'acting'. And it is painful, painful acting. I mean, like, if you want bargain-basement ~magical black people, ~white trash gardeners and maids, and white trash living in trailers and shooting people from their porch, like, this is totally the game for you! But if you want non-stereotypes you are fucking out of luck.

I have no clue what most of the plot of 13th Skull was, because I couldn't stand the acting and clicked through each 'dialog' scene as fast as possible (and there a LOT of them, and you are required to suffer to advance through the game), which meant I didn't get any of the plot information (when you click, the dialog just stops and goes to the next dialog prompt, there's no text to read). Even with the audio turned off, the physical acting was just painful.

This game also suffered from too many "character won't help until you provide a bunch of stuff to them" which was all mundane things like cleaning up trash or finding gardening tools. Fucking dull shit.

It was frustrating, as the atmosphere was nice, and some of the non-mundane parts were interesting. I also liked a lot of the non-people game design! The swamp, for instance, is an utter delight as is the graveyard. But unlike the rest of the series, I don't think I'll ever play this one again. (I will, otoh, play the sequel again and again, as that was entertaining and didn't suffer from the horrible acting)

The extra game was much better - very little acting, though even there, it suffered.

- Escape From Ravenhearst. More photo realism, but the narrative allows clicking to speed it up, so it's easier to ignore. It still completely ruins the finale moments, as the OTT acting is so fucking awful. But otherwise, this was all right--I didn't and don't give any fucks about Charles Dalimar, so all of the "this is why you should feel bad for the evil serial killer" stuff was obnoxious. OTOH, it was interesting to see some of the locations used in Black Crown! That asylum certainly gets around.

- Key to Ravenhearst. This is the first of the Eipix installments, and I'm a little confused as to why everyone claims it went downhill? This was weird and complicated and LONG. I thought it was pretty good, even the voice acting (no photo-realism, thank fuck). I wasn't pleased about the twins, though, I thought that was a bit stupid and a bad choice for the overall mythology (also, I dislike what it does to Rose's whole life not to mention her husband :/ not to mention the extra rapeyness, ugh).

I'm also not sure what to think of the town that shows up and disappears. Not to mention the hundreds of people that are murdered for this one felt egregious and barely-touched on.

- Black Crown. I stand by my initial assessment that this one is entertaining, with a couple of turns and twists that are standard, but still entertaining. There's at least some back and forth mechanics (moving from one room to the next, then back, to complete the puzzles) that gets a little frustrating and repetitive. And there aren't enough of the Rube Goldberg things, but that's ok. The bonus game is a sequel to 13th Skull, but with less shitty acting (the main game is a sequel as well, but the bonus one seems more of a direct link). They did an OK job re-creating the swamp, too.

It was interesting to replay it after playing 13th Skull, and it was also interesting to play Escape From Ravenhearst and see the Asylum.

All in all, I've mostly enjoyed the Mystery Case File games, as long as there aren't real people in them, 'acting'. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

we'll hold the line

2021-12-31T01:59:16Z

Have survived most of 2021.
Got my booster shot for Covid (yay)
Went down and visited family for the holidays (also yay).

Watched Queens of Mystery with my mother, and it was cute (and I want to bang Julie Graham, no lie).

Also have now re-watched all of season one of Leverage Redemption, and I still love it. (reading the comments on imdb/amazon, though, is hilarious. People, if you didn't see the clear Woke Bias in Leverage original flavor, you were fucking blind. And it's a bit disturbing how many people think Breanna calling out Nazis is racist...)

It's like when people go on about how in Their Day, Doctor Who wasn't Political at all. (uh-huh)

I have listened to a bunch of Torchwood audio, played some games, listened to some other audios... I'll post separately for those.

My life isn't particularly interesting. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Zombies would be more restful

2021-11-09T01:52:11Z

Still working what feels like five peoples' jobs. October was just. I don't even know how to describe it, but I never felt like I had a moment to come up for air at all, and I didn't manage to do anything for Sparktober outside of that first week or so (which was mostly occasional comments in discord, and a watchalong).

Mom and I have two more Leverage Redemption episodes to go, and then we'll be through the season. Definitely enjoying the revival.

Not entirely through my fall down the Narnia rabbit hole (I've still got some of fanfiction.net to get through), but I've found that I am done with Susan Pevensie fic that list any of the following as a tag or description:
forgiveness
redemption
the problem of
solves the problem of
fixes the problem of
earns her way back into Narnia
remembers
etc.

basically. No. No, I do not give a fuck about the problem of Susan. I'm just fine with her being competent and practical, and do not need her to earn her ~rightful place and ~apologize for living in the real world.

It's not my fault I read National Service (well, the one with Susan, first) before I'd ever read any other Narnia fic and imprinted on the Susan in it.

Also, Susan/Caspian just doesn't work for me unless you're crossing the movie Susan with Samuel West's BBC Caspian. And then it's hot, and I'm all right with it (I just. Ben Barnes is not that interesting looking, ok. And West has this ridiculous hair.)

I'm sure I'll have more thoughts at another time.

On another hand, I watched Peppermint (yes, the Jennifer Garner gets revenge movie) and enjoyed the competence porn all over the place. Then I re-watched Ava. I also watched Mr. Right which is very entertaining (and if you liked Grosse Point Blank, you should watch it.) I basically then wanted a crossover of Mr. Right and Peppermint and Ava, with the latter two being like "...the fuck?" and the MR two being like ":):):):) Don't mind us, you're doing good things, sorry about the assassins on our tails. BYE."

I cannot fucking wait for The 355, btw. That will be a 90-minute smorgasboard of "yes, this, and more of this. Thanks." (I mean. Hopefully) Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Also, this is going nowhere, but have some ficlet spam, Leverage/Stargate: SG-1

2021-09-13T19:18:57Z

Probably set season 8ish for SG-1 and Redemption for Leverage:

Smiling, Parker clapped her hands and beamed around the room, including at their surprise guests. "Let's go steal a system lord."

"Did you just say that seriously?" Hardison did not look impressed as he traded a look with Eliot.

Obviously doing her best not to roll her eyes, Colonel Carter shifted in her chair, cleared her throat and said, her tone dry, "I'm not sure you understand the seriousness of the situation, Ms. Parker."

The smirk on Parker's face deepened, "Oh, I understand. I just trust my team to be better than anything they can throw at them."

"The goa'uld, Parker. This isn't some dimestore mall cop. This is Jaffa Warriors who will want to kill us." Again, Hardison was doing the objecting. While it warmed his heart that she trusted them, and thought they were equal to the task, these were evil aliens bent on ruling the galaxy. Those were much harder to fight against than corporate lackeys. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

A belated entry: Dragoncon, Atlanta, various things

2021-09-13T19:15:45Z

1. So, DragonCon. As we lost someone in my team at work there was 0 chance I could fly down or have any days off the week of month end close. This meant that I took the Thurs/Fri before off, packed and flew down to stay with my sister. Which, was awesome, because I don't get to see my sister that often. But also sucked, as I then worked Monday-Friday.

1A. Sis roped me into watching Stranger Things, through season two. I... I liked parts of it? I feel no one should be surprised that I came out a) shipping Jonathan/Nancy/Steve (and disappointed at the straightness, jesus), b) disinterested in the little kids, c) wanting to climb Hopper like a tree (even if I think he's kind of an asshole). I'm aware my taste can be a little sad at times. Otoh, can I just say that MARTINE AS A HOUSE WIFE took a lot to get used to (I mean, I didn't. I kept waiting for her to shoot someone). And Ryder was absolutely amazing (also, I really appreciated that the "there is Something Happening" is not dragged on for too long with people going "you're just hallucinating" for twenty episodes).

1B. Bad news, though, my nephew was home from school as he didn't feel good. Ended up testing positive for Covid on Wednesday. Both sis and I are vaxed, so I wasn't that worried, but she was, so she stayed away from me most of the week (sadly). I suppose I got a lot of work done. Neither I nor my sister have Covid.

2. DragonCon was entertaining, even with masks and not a lot of things I wanted to see/do. I spent Thursday working, then took an uber in and got our hotel room. Friday was all work (including a 8 am meeting taken in one of the long hotel corridors on the 3rd floor. Thank goodness for comfy chairs and everyone sleeping in.). I didn't see a lot, but I watched some stuff on DC TV, and had dinner with GreyCoupon one of the nights.

3. I did watch the first episode of Sense8 a while back. I liked it, and I will watch it -- I just need to carve a time out to bury myself in it.

4. I also re-watched the first Walden Narnia movie while with my sister, and, uh, then proceeded to fall down a Narnia fic-reading rabbit hole (I cannot count how many times I've re-read National Service, and it's hard to find stuff that matches that exact super-competent flavor that hits my id so deliciously---which is not to say I didn't find a lot). I find myself not wanting any of them to be domesticated. I blame Leverage. (now there's a crossover for you)

5. I did read some Stranger Things fic, but as I don't care about the pre-teens, nor for a lot of what I found so, I sort of gave up after a while (OT3 or not, I am sooo vanilla, ok. D/s is just not my thing, no matter who it is, and there's a few too many "Steve and Jonathan love each other more than they love Nancy, who's there to facilitate their screwing" framings for my taste; also, I might want to climb Hopper, but I do not want smut with him, ok.)

6. Mom and I have looped back around to season two of Leverage in our watching. It has been interesting, as I don't think I've re-watched this season quite as much as 1, 3 and 4? We have reached Tara, and I still love her so. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Leverage Redemption

2021-08-04T02:34:33Z

Not sure how long or spoilery this is. But yes! I've watched the first eight. Mom and I have been watching Leverage together every two weeks, so the season half got split. And now I've seen all eight, and I'm so so glad this show is back, even if the corporate/bad guy getting away with it stuff is still utterly depressing.

1. I actually like the new guy, Harry. I LOVE that they caught him in the act, then picked him up like a stray puppy and brought him home! I appreciate that he brings some skills to the team. And I want to meet his daughter.

2. The first episode is so fantastic at bringing everyone in and setting the stage, and Sophie's emotional beats with everyone are just amazing and perfect.

3. Parker and her comments about slipping into strange vents. DUDE. I am trying to WATCH THIS WITH MY MOTHER. Please stop that sexy talk.

4. HARDISON BUILT HER A HOUSE (with vents). Oh, hi, Lyssie catnip. (look, there was this New Caprica or Earth fic where Leoben built Kara a house. And I just. It's a thing, OK? I can't explain it).

5. Breanna! I really like her. She took about half an episode for me to warm to her (I'm an eldest child, I don't like younger siblings horning in on my territory, so I feel for Alec. BUT, she is needed). I also really liked how she had to build up her skills. AND HARDISON LEFT HER A 15 VOLUME MANUAL. He is such a nerd.

5A. I also really really liked Breanna's cheesy speech in the not-Wizards of the Coast episode.

6. Parker's Southern Belle really really does it for me. It's embarrassing, but I was all for that accent and character. And I really really liked that ridiculous (and awful, ohmygod) dress. And the solution to that episode was entertaining. Good job, Breanna!

7. The social media scraping one was creepy (smart houses are a big NO for me, lbr; although SARAH was all right). However, I really hope Marshall Maria Shipp returns. She was hot, and her chemistry with Eliot was excellent. Or Tara. She and Tara could have an on-again, off-again, "I hate feds." "I hate grifters" thing where they trade favors and sex.

(um, yes, brain, thank you)

8. The Halloween one was entertaining, I love a client who is a go-getter, even if she was refusing to believe they conned her at first (although, I don't know anyone who just says, "fuck it" and goes to sleep instead of getting up to check the electrical box, or at least check that power is out for the whole street...). I loved how into the whole thing Parker and Breanna were. And Breanna really really did an amazing job with this one. (I'm also gleeful that the dudes were awol for this episode, I appreciated seeing the women do it all on their own without any issues)

9. The Ren Faire episode was a bit cringe-inducing, but it was all right. Nice to see them taking shots at the current asshole CEO/CFOs of the drug companies. Even if nothing will come of it. ALSO. BILLY POTTS. Leverage writers, I could see no one catching onto JO GRANT AND Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart (episode two aliases for Sophie and Hardison). BUT BILL POTTS? She was just on the air two years ago!

9A. Breanna does, however, make an excellent stealth Bill as the Doctor cosplay. I might even sort of ship it. (oh)

10. While I liked the Leverage Team parts of episode eight, I reaaaaally didn't like the guest/client of the week. I thought he was really dull. And him using Nate's stories to pick up women is just gross. I assume a dude came up with that idea, no woman would think it was cute or adorable.

I liked Harry convincing the mercs to turn on Navid, and I liked Sophie figuring out the thing was a fake. I was a bit "er..." about Eliot's seduction technique (I reaaaaallyy don't think the ex wife was that stupid--that really needed more set-up for me to buy it--and, yeah. This episode was totally written by a dude. That explains SO MUCH)

10A. Navid is Grice from Person of Interest! I kept trying to figure that out, and I liked him, even if he was a bad guy.

11. All in all, I am really liking this new team and dynamic, and I'm waiting for the back half to drop with anticipation. =D Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Gunpowder Milkshake

2021-07-18T00:32:19Z

So, Gunpowder Milkshake crossed my radar a month (two? three?) ago, and reading the cast list was like someone dangling a carrot in front of a giant-ass rabbit.

Lena Headey? Karen Gillan? Angela Bassett? Carla Gugino? Michelle Yeoh? ALL IN ONE MOVIE, and it ISN'T about women falling in love and learning to realize they're Beautiful Inside?

Is it my birthday?

(and not to mock movies about women in love and finding beauty and stuff, lbr, my thing for Carla Gugino happened during her stint as Nan in The Buccaneers, and so did my Mira Sorvino thing. And I suffered a Woody Allen movie for the latter, so, like. No stones here.)

It has been released on Netflix, and in some theaters. I'm still not leaving the house, so I watched it on Netflix. I sort of want to see it on the big screen, too.

This movie knows exactly what it is: a silly action romp with a lead character learning to reconnect with people, and coming out on top after a Big Sacrifice. And it's ok. It's good the movie knows what it is. I didn't need it to be Einstein or Hegel.

It is also very very stylish, and washed in color everywhere. From blood to lighting to clothing, it's incredibly colorful, and looks great.

It's violent--so while I think my mother would actually enjoy parts of it (the library! the clothing! the mother-daughter-and-friends conflict!), the violence would absolutely turn her off of it.

One of the few things I disliked about the film: how many men were still in it. Yes, the leads were women, yes, their relationships were all totally significant. But dudes still had a hell of a lot of the dialog and placement in the plot. I honestly did not care about the bad criminal dude and his organization, or The Firm. Almost all of their scene were completely telegraphed and weren't needed.

(Ava had a similar issue, but the dudes were somewhat compelling enough to get over that. Also, Ava was one woman, this movie had five plus the kid).

I really would have liked at least some of the bad guys to be women.

Anyway.

That aside, this was a quite enjoyable movie, with lots of awesome moments where Karen Gillan ran roughshod over everyone, Lena Headey shot people and knifed people, and the other three put in their hits.

I love love LOVE the library as armory concept, and I wish we'd had a lot more time there. I wanted to know so much more about how that operated.

And the Diner! Is the Diner neutral territory for everyone, like The Crown is in Excalibur? Rose, the waitress was interesting, too. I would have liked a scene with her and the Library team to set up the end fight. I felt a little cheated for that (and I don't think anyone doubted for a second that would happen, so pretending it wasn't the plan was such a waste of time).

I also wanted more with the nurse at the hospital, is she part of the Library-Diner network? Something else?

Oh well.

Meanwhile, though, can I talk about how Anna May and Scarlet are exes, and Anna May is not going to forgive her for leaving without a word? And how sort of stupid that was (seriously, if Nathan or whatever his name was, knew about Scarlet, how good was she at hiding? Ugh, that back story annoys me more). Scarlet might have come to the States for revenge, but she stuck around for Anna May.

Florence and Madeleine were also lovers, though still lovers at the time of the movie.

Also, good fucking god, were all three of the librarians so hot. /fans self. All of that concentrated violence and intelligence.

The relationships between them all were great. I loved the anger and rage, and how it took the fight to get them all working together. And Sam and Scarlet bonding while under fire. <3

(also, how often was Karen standing in a hole so she wasn't too tall in some shots? Because she is V v tall, at times)

Wiki tells me there's a sequel in the works. Good. I need more.

I also want a series set when Scarlet arrived on the scene and her and the librarians raising Sam while killing people.

Well. I can hope.

ETA: I forgot: it is also probably the only time ever that you will get to tell people that Amy Pond accidentally killed Danny Pink. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

in non Stargate things

2021-07-15T01:35:47Z

1. 100ships is now a thing. I am still working on my list of pairings (no duplicate people is making it more difficult, but I really should have more than 100 pairings, dammit. I've just forgotten some. Oooo, like Dee/Lee, thanks, icon)

2. Someone in my department is leaving this week. That means my workload has doubled. Awesome. Also, someone I've known for almost the entire time I've been here is leaving another department this week. SOBS. End of an era. She's had my back for almost a decade, how will I cope now? A different person is leaving, too.

3. (I wasn't joking when I said my inner life was writing fanfiction and reading internet arguments. It also includes watching tv?)

4. (eta) I was just reminded, and highly amused by the fact that in Burton's Alice in Wonderland film, Ronald Merrick is married to Sarah Layton. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

sff: Chimera and Grace

2021-07-15T01:17:33Z

This got longish, so cutting (also, like, spoilers for episodes that are a decade old?)

I had forgotten that Grace was the "Sam moves on from Jack (the safe bet), and learns that she is incomplete without a man" episode. (I remember being so offended by the safe bet line, let me tell you. Even now, as much as I mostly don't ship it anymore, I'm still offended about it)

and like, I sort of get it. Most women want the whole thing: marriage, kids, legacy, etc., thing. And Sam is a pretty conventional woman! So it makes sense that a part of her does want all of that! I just... isn't saving the world and exploring the galaxy and SCIENCE so much cooler?

Sigh.

I guess I'm glad they gave her more of an inner life? I just wish inner life for a female character didn't automatically mean "HUSBAND AND KIDS YAY" (although, to be fair, I don't know what Sam's thoughts are on kids)

(LBR, here, my inner life is writing fanfiction and reading internet arguments)

Also, I'd never realized that Sam's hallucination was Alison from PLL (I think Havoc pointed that out, though I didn't remember it). But I had the hardest time taking her seriously due to that - I kept muttering, "Sam, don't listen to her, she's evil!"

Fallout was a sad farewell to Jonas (except for that hair. WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR, JONAS. IT'S AWFUL). Though I was surprised by how much I liked the goa'uld, even if she was an evil spy.

It also continued wrapping up older episode plot-threads/people from previous seasons (were they worried about cancellation?) that felt like a bit of a theme. I also appreciated the idiotic and bickering council members (if only for Daniel's constant pained looks).

Also, I don't think I've commented on this, but I greatly approve the newer Tok'ra costumes. That beige leather/oven mitt look was just... bad. I guess if you're trying to be the NOT Ra, you go for boring dullness. But did it have to be so fugly? Also, unless you're constantly on deserts, they look like they stand out all over the place.

So, Chimera.

First, I want to talk about Sarah, and how Anna Louise Plowman did such an interesting job with how she held herself (and the makeup helped, too?) - I really felt that I was watching two different women as she went back and forth between Sarah and Osiris in this one (I didn't re-watch the first one with Sarah yet, I don't remember if that had any impact on how she moved/acted).

I mean, the switches in lighting helped, too - all brown and gold for Sarah and dark and blue with Osiris.

I'm a bit disappointed that we didn't really get to watch her move around in her new outfit more; I've been digging Osiris's wardrobe since Summit/Last Stand, so the jumpsuit felt a little different. Not enough netting this time? Although she had the collar/necklace thing going.

Second, wow, are Sam's boobs on display in that coffee shop. Like, I am not surprised some dude would chat her up. (Vala is quite disappointed she missed that outfit) Also, Sam's civvie clothing is all skirts, apparently. Which is... all right? I assume they were trying to do the "she's well-rounded, not just a tomboy" thing. I just... Pants are probably harder to find for her tall legs?

Third, I really worry for Sarah. I have to wonder how much she'd want to stick around after an experience like that. She didn't look happy when Daniel said he'd help her through it (he's probably the last person she wants around, reminding her of the trauma).

Four, Sam and Pete are cute! I enjoy their flirtiness and fun, and the sex (Sam needs sex, which she might not be getting from the team right now, plus, team sex = no feelings, they totally swear - more on that later). Although, I'm not sure how cheap and kinda... embarrassing it is for him to crash some couple's wedding anniversary. I don't know if they were trying for "he's not like anyone Sam knows, that's why she falls for him, yay." angle or what.

And I could sort of understand the morning conversation. Except that I hate the fact that most of the time when a dude is a spy/secret agent, etc., he never has this issue--and even if he does, it's always down-played, and his SO is Wrong For Doubting.

When it's a woman keeping secrets from a man? Well, just the two examples I know of: Sam Carter and Gwen Cooper - BOTH of them are the Bad Guy for not trusting the man in their life. And both of them have said men follow them and screw shit up! And neither dude actually ever gets framed as WRONG. It's always the woman who is horrible for not letting a man into her secret life.

I mean, wtf, what part of "I'm not allowed to tell you about my job" equals "that means I don't trust you, and you're allowed to pull all sorts of bullshit on me and guilt me into telling you, because I'm just a weak and feeble woman too stupid to keep a secret"

UGH.

This is a larger rant about how women aren't allowed to keep their own secrets, and probably belongs elsewhere.

So, Pete.

I've gone all over the map with my opinion on Pete over the years. I didn't really like him much, I've certainly killed him off a time or two in fic, I've written one or two HEA fics for him with Sam, I liked that he made Sam happy, I've defended him a time or two as "ok"...

And, I'd forgotten that his tenure as Sam's boyfriend starts with him accusing her of not trusting him, then turning around and showing he has zero fucking trust in her, as he has an FBI friend run a background check on her.

What the actual fuck.

This? This was the guy Sam is supposed to trust will consider her an equal in their relationship? The dude who can't even trust her?

The SGC might run a check on him (BECAUSE HE NOW KNOWS ABOUT THE SGC, and that is their fucking job, to keep that trust). But Sam? Sam is not going to run a background check on a dude.

(now, Root and Sameen Shaw would totally run background checks on each other, and that wouldn't bother me, and I think they even have. But their relationship is built more on other things, like enjoying shooting people together)

Sam doesn't even seem angry about the fact that he blew their operation and got himself injured by sticking his nose where it doesn't belong. Instead, she happily tells him about the Stargate, and rewards him for not trusting her.

And I do remember what happens with Pete, and honestly think that him buying her a house without consulting her is totally expected, given how much he's never trusted her.

They could have avoided the anger if they'd just done something like, oh, tied Pete's case into Daniel somehow (maybe he ends up seconded to the department there to cover a series of break-ins in Daniel's neighborhood and someone reports the van and/or the flash from Osiris entering/leaving...).

Ugh. I will try to not hate Pete as the episodes go on.

I don't intend to kill him again. At least, I don't think I do. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

The Stargate Re-Watch Continues (apace)

2021-07-14T00:01:49Z

I'm in season seven, fyi.

I said goodbye to Jonas. I watched Sam, Jonas, and Teal'c be THE WORST at sneaky. But also, Sam was really hot.

She was also really hot a lot of the rest of the time.

I really really hate and loathe Felger, and wish they'd never invented his smarmy ass. Ugh. He's so gross.

Fragile Balance just made me want more mini Asgard clones, particularly at the end where mini!Jack gets to the high school. There should have been, like, a group who were like, "Finally! You got here!" at him, with mini!Teal'c's smug look.

("Carter?" "Blame Thor, sir." "Or Loki." "Indeed." "Why am I here?" "You missed hair gel." "Right. Hey, Colonel." "I'm not a colonel, for cryin' out loud.")

The Tok'ra are decimated, at this point, they keep losing bases. And the Anubis vs System Lords constant back and forth is sort of hilarious to watch. He keeps recruiting them, then they keep betraying and attacking him.

And then, there I am, watching Daniel get captured in South America, and Jack has to go rescue him. And suddenly, Elias is giving Jack O'Neill a tour of the jungle and rescuing people. And all I can think is that this is prep for teaching high schoolers, and fits just fine. (meanwhile, Daniel is just like, "Oh. Torture. This is... new. *yawn*")

I'm trying to work out just how to do a POI/SG-1 crossover, that includes Elias being Burke, but sort of failing. The timing doesn't really work. But someone trying to kill Jack, Daniel, or Sam in NYC is feasible. Perhaps the NID is trying to remove a threat (does Finch know about the Stargate program?), and NYC is such a busy murder city.

On the shipping side:
1. Sam and Jack do these occasional... things, which make me go, "oh, right. That's why I shipped it."
2. Sam regretted never telling Daniel something, I'm good with it being Emotions.
3. The order of s6 is off - Paradise Lost should have come prior to the one where Ba'al tortures Jack, as PL is the one Sam has a break-down in, and felt a bit off with the timing. That said, Teal'c hugging her is excellent.
4. Teal'c and Daniel and their conversations. <3
5. Team orgies are still a thing. There was a lot of tying Daniel to things once he was back. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Garbage - No Gods No Masters

2021-07-09T01:54:22Z

A new Garbage album dropped last month, and it's so so good. I think I've listened to it almost four times a day since I grabbed it. (Shirley is soooo angry!)

The deluxe version comes with some very delightful b-sides, too.

Fave tracks:
The Men Who Ruled The World
A Woman Destroyed
Flipping the Bird
Waiting for God
The Chemicals (b-side)
Godhead (it's incredibly catchy, and not work appropriate at all)
This City Will Kill You
The Creeps
Destroying Angels (b-side)
Starman (b-side, Bowie cover)

I mean, I like the rest, too. But are the ones I'm constantly bopping to. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Random things (ATA Girl, Leverage, SG-1)

2021-06-24T04:58:56Z

1. I finally got around to listening to the second series of Big Finish's ATA Girl. It was all right? But I'm a little bit over the constant framing of Women's Stories as All About Rape and Sexual Assault (seriously, can I please please please have some media about women that isn't centered on Women as Abuse Victims In a System That hates them, and the Family/Society that Keep Them Down. Please). In addition, the series had far too many male characters. Men already have a massive glut of stories about their time during WW2. Can we fucking stop talking about them. Please.

I'm also very over people talking enthusiastically about how they were able to show vulnerability in x female character, which is totally new and different and AWESOME. The interviews with ATA Girl, had every.single.woman state that as though it's a fucking selling point. NO IT ISN'T. Women are CONSTANTLY VULNERABLE in media, ffs.

2. Aside from that, my mother and I are re-watching Leverage together, and I had some thoughts (I know, a decade late) about Sophie and her acting and, just, character arc stuff from season one. Mostly, knowing that SOPHIE IS CONNING THEM to do the David Job, when it pops up, I think a lot of her Bad Acting Choices and enthusiasm are deliberate as fuck to manipulate the team with certain empathy/sympathy pulls. It sort of doesn't work with Parker, as she's not wired quite the same way. This isn't to say Sophie isn't a bad actor at this point, but I have to wonder if part of that is simply cover for her current identity as Sophie Deveraux.

3. Netflix is streaming Stargate: SG-1 again, so I've been randomly re-watching stuff. I hit up some s5 and 4, then went back to 3, and then to 1, and now I'm near the end of 2. I have skipped any episode I don't have interest in (which is... a lot). And Daniel's floppy hair is distracting (as are Janet's hair changes!) I've been enjoying it, though. And I'd forgotten how FROWNY FACE Teal'c is for most of season 1, and some of 2. I wonder if they asked him to soften for the later seasons, or if he just softened on his own.

(this got longer than I'd thought)

One thing I was remembering as I watched 4/5, though, was the complaint I've seen a few times of how (paraphrasing) "Sam Carter is ruined as a character once she falls in love with her CO, as she does nothing but moon over him and lose her cool, competent edge by having woman feelings." - it's been long enough, I was eager to see if this is actually a valid read. If there was a lot of Sam throwing longing/leering looks at Jack once the whole ZT thing happened, and emotional vulnerability that could be traced directly to him.

...and, uh. No. She really doesn't. Now, arguably, I did skip Beneath the Surface (where there's definitely something going on), but that's not technically Sam anyway. Sam actually maintains the same professional relationship she had prior to the revelation - she very firmly left it in The Room.

(sidenote; MARTOUF AND HIS PRETTY PRETTY EYES, NO. Also, re-watching Line of Duty, Jolinar was in a dude. SG could have been better about Martouf's "Jolinar has always been in women's bodies!" line, really.)

Er, back to Sam and Jack, and professionalism. Jack himself is mostly professional, though it's Jack, so he's less... rigid? in interpersonal relationships? Jack is actually the one who has the occasional longing/leering moment (that kiss in the time loop episode, for instance, not to mention the leer after the fact)

So the complaint is baseless tosh.

Honestly, I maintain that team orgies were excellent stress relief activities. I mean, I would also argue that the four of them are way too co-dependent at times, and they all go to extremes to save each other often.

I did realize as I watched Thor's Hammer that I sort of want the AU where Kendra/Gairwyn is a thing (Priestess/Knight vibes all over the place, it was kinda hot).

Also, I might ship Laira/Jack a bit, because they were clearly flirting and attracted in One Hundred Days, and I sort of get Laira's turmoil and choices (even if I wonder if the 100 days mourning is related to the way their people are decimated every couple of centuries by the fire storms, so it's just a cultural norm that you pack away your pain and Get On With It...) - er, all babbling which is to say, I liked seeing Jack enjoy their flirtation.

Though, really, the biggest ship that 100 D proves is Teal'c/Jack. That is fucking love to tether one's self over an active stargate, where if you fall, you disintegrate. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Things other than POI

2021-05-06T01:06:27Z

1. We are all still working from home (earliest back in office is end of June). Work is not making vaccination mandatory. FFS.

2. Get my second jab on Saturday (we are a Pfizer apartment, and I'm the last to get the second jab).

3. Mom and I have been re-watching Leverage together. I don't recall why, but we started in s4 and are almost to the end. Time to re-start!

4. Speaking of Leverage, the trailer for the new Leverage series dropped and looks pretty good. Still worried that Wyle's character will be the focus the way Nate was. Do not want.

5. Been re-watching MASH, too. Season ten is full of really depressing things (there are funny bits, but there's a lot of serious stuff, too). But, man, Margaret is still so hot. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

SFF: Person of Interest, S4-5

2021-05-06T00:30:10Z

I finally caught up on these (I plowed through them in a couple of days), and I'm far behind the curve, I'm sure, but I have some thoughts.

This is probably going to be meandering and stupid, but whatever. I actually wrote large portions of this post while falling asleep last night.

My first thought, aside from anything else, is that if Finch is Bruce/Alfred combined, and John Reese is Batman, then Zoe Morgan continues to be Catwoman (because), and Carter is Det Reyes (I think). And that makes Sameen Shaw Nightwing (because she's a hard-edged Robin), and Root is Batgirl (who becomes Oracle when she dies). Which makes me wonder if the writers ship Oracle/Nightwing.

I am always going to be angry about Joss Carter, but I accept that her death happened. I would have loved to see how she juggled her job/the machine/Samaritan if she had lived (I feel like she would have been more of a target than Fusco. In addition, a part of me still can't stop thinking the machine let her die to protect itself).

I really liked Harper Rose, and I really wanted a second episode with her and Frankie Wells. The hatesex between them would be amazing, and they'd end up saving each others' backs, and I could probably watch a whole series that was Harper conning while Frankie chases her and/or helps her help people. Since I couldn't have that, it was nice to have her stick around quite a bit, and end up being part of Team POI DC.

The whole Brotherhood plotline dragged like a motherfucker, though. And it's not Dominic's fault, but I kept wanting to punch him in the face (but Greer gets top billing there. Dominic had vague, redeeming qualities. Greer is just obnoxious and dull dull dull and his death was incredibly unsatisfying). I liked Floyd, though. She was entertaining. And I sort of liked the Dominic vs Elias stuff (I am still so confused over how Elias weaseled his way into being a character I enjoyed watching, but I think I liked his decisiveness and practicality).

So, speaking of Samaritan, while I somewhat appreciated Martine, I really really really hated Greer, and every time we had to suffer his pontificating bullshit was a waste of time. I also appreciated, *snap* "Now I surrender." a great deal. There's my Samantha Groves.

I also wish they'd spent less time on Samaritan, too. And that useless Samaritan dude in s5. Look, there are times a plotline about how ex-cons are screwed by the system can work. This? was not one of those times. I gave negative fucks about that guy (poooooor white dude, he can't get a joooob. Whine more, buddy), and then he injured good people and killed Root, and didn't even get murdered well. Like Greer, his death was a fucking disappointment.

Control, otoh, I felt for even as much as I continued to hate her a bit (like, I appreciated her as a character, and I sometimes liked her--and I found her interesting and compelling, unlike Dom and Greer). I knew she was fucked, and then she was, and I was very sad. Pissed they killed Grice, too. I sort of liked him (another that could have been a decent Team Machine in a different city).

I enjoyed Root and The Machine and Shaw, and the evolving relationships/friendships between Root and Harold, and Root/The Machine/Shaw.

One of the things I found frustrating: how often they would say 'The Machine' and 'Samaritan' and stuff that, just, like... Operational security means fuck all, apparently. My suspension of disbelief kept getting a beating -- Samaritan would sometimes add 2 + 2 and get 4 and then all hell would break loose. And other times, Samaritan would miss huge huge signposts and get 9 and nada. Not to mention: lip reading is a thing, and yet. Samaritan constantly failed at it.

The inconsistency of Samaritan targeting them made it hard at times to really care.

That said, I did appreciate the s4 scramble at the end, when everything was blown wide and they were stuck in the substation and fire-fighting their way out. S5 started up close enough to that that it was satisfying.

I appreciated If Then Else, and The Machine's multiple scenarios (and all the Root/Shaw flirting, unf). I loved Root saving the Degas. There was gleeful cheering when Shaw crawled through fifty whatever of tunnel to get to them. And I raged when she sacrificed herself (I knew she would be back, but it was still annoying).

Zoe Morgan popping up a couple of times was an utter fucking delight, and I was so glad to see her again. I love her so much, and would have loved more of her.

I already mentioned Harper Rose and Frankie Wells, but I also really liked Dani Silva, and Suleiman Khan (I think that was his name). Sometimes, I wish they'd have spent more time with the latter two--I feel like Khan could have run his own Team Machine, and I found him entertaining (unlike the rich IT dude from s5's episode with the DC team, who I disliked in his original appearance. Absence did not make the heart grow fonder). So, very disappointed they didn't tap Khan's potential, on that.

Seeing Alicia Corwin again was AWESOME. And I love that they closed the loop and explained WHY she ran and got herself off the grid. Holy fuck, I'd do that, too. Part of me still sort of wishes Root hadn't killed her (a sort of odd justice, in the end). Corwin was right to run, though - Control was cleaning up, and I'm fairly certain Alicia was on her death list (Northern Lights had to be protected, after all, and 855 deaths would have been no different than 854; Mark Snow escaped as he didn't have a fucking clue about NL, but Corwin knew way too much)

Ditto Kara Stanton (whom Mark Snow killed, and I wonder what would have happened if he hadn't, dammit).

Fusco finally finding out about the machine (and also his earlier expedition where he found the dumping ground!) was excellent.

One of the things I had heard rumblings about was John's therapist and their inappropriate relationship, so I was incredibly surprised when it never actually happened the way I'd heard it did (her taking advantage and fucking him while she's still his therapist). They have their sessions until she realizes she has a thing for him and stops them. Then they kiss. Then there's some angst and terror and uncertainty. And then John breaks things off. It felt very wishy-washy, and makes me wonder if some of the writers weren't on board and others were. Also, that episode where John hallucinates Carter was in the wrong place, it should have been earlier in the back half of s4 (though I did like it, and I loved her calling him out on his shit and yes it did make me angrier about her death, she would have been such a massive asset in the fight against Samaritan).

I would rather have seen the hot captain from earlier in the season stick around (not for romance, ugh), tbh. I didn't really care about John's ~issues, since in the end, it's not like they were resolved in any way.

Back-tracking slightly: John and Root basically going apeshit over Shaw's disappearance was a beautiful thing.

So was Root and Harold in the Samaritan facility where Root finally murdered Martine. Neck snapping shouldn't be hot, and yet. I really did appreciate both the constant threads re: Shaw AND the threads re: Carter (even if she was dead, I liked that she still had such an impact).

Shaw breaking herself out was excellent, and I was so proud of her. She finally killed off whatsisface (whom I mostly liked), and I even sort of enjoyed the mind games they played with her.

I honestly loved the end of the one episode where Shaw comes back (5x9, I think?), and I feel they could have ended the series there: the team is back together! Standing, getting ready for the End of the World! But they're alive! And together! It felt very satisfying.

Unfortunately, the rest of the season happened. And while I didn't hate it, I just... it was blah. Root's death made me angry. John's death was just like "...ok?" as I didn't care one way or another. I'm frustrated that we didn't get to see the actual Harold + Grace conversation. Greer didn't die entertainingly enough, that was a very blah death. I'm glad Shaw and Bear survived. I'm glad The Machine is still sending out numbers to save.

But in the end, I don't feel like anything was accomplished or changed? I mean, they kill Samaritan with a virus, and boom, done? Really? There's no more global conspiracy group trying to control the world? All of those people Samaritan could turn into controlled animals are now... what? Just sitting in place, waiting their next orders?

And what about the whole virus destroys the internet? What's the fall out from that? It looked like it was mostly nothing.

It just. It felt like they'd thrown it so wide and all-encompassing THE WORLD WILL BE CONTROLLED AND END and then tightened it back down to the world is safe now yay without dealing with the ramifications at all.

I don't know if that's a result of the compacted season or not.

In the end, though, as much as the ending was a bit meh, I did like the show as a whole. It had its ups and downs, it stupid things (Carter dying), it's ok things, it's fun things... and I will miss it. I could have spent a decade watching various Team Machines keep people from doing stupid shit or dying. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

I'm gettin' butterflies

2020-09-12T00:23:44Z

- I set the toaster oven on fire last night with bacon. Tsk, me. It seems to have survived, though. Also, it's covered in baking soda. This did however show us that the smoke alarm wasn't working (oops).

- Still re-watching Blake's 7. I am stuck right before Terminal, as I know I have to plow through everything up to Traitor, otherwise, I'll watch Power and just start ranting and lose steam. Ugh. Ben Steed is the fucking worst, and that's said with full knowledge of Allan Prior and Robert Holmes' inability to give women lines that aren't, "But Doctor, explain everything to me?"

- Have also been re-watching Midsomer Murders during work (it's excellent background), and there are some of the episode writers who are almost Ben Steed level of asshole with their treatment of women (if the episode ends with Tom Barnaby thinking a woman getting beaten to death is awesome, the author is an asshole). OTOH, there's also episodes with really good authors (Talent for Life is fun). As always, it's been fun spotting people multiple times. Samantha Bond, especially (yes I would).

- Otherwise, Dragoncon did not happen (obvious), but they had a Virtual Masquerade on Friday (didn't watch) and Sunday night. And Sunday night, we did watch and it was... y'know, the DC Masquerade, with Eddie & Tony chattering away (they're fun), and it went over like an hour (DUH, of course it did). AND THEN. DC tradition is Duck Dodgers while the judges do their thing, y'know? So of course they can't SHOW it. Because copyright is expensive. BUT BUT they did THEIR OWN VERSION. I may have sniffled.

- And work is still work. Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Links etc.

2020-02-20T03:50:45Z

Which isn't very inspiring. Eh.

I live! It's been a long February. I'm not looking forward to March unless it brings warm air to melt the stupid ice.

BSG News: Trucco posted this BSG cast reuniony thing: https://www.instagram.com/tv/B8rpIGlnR9I/?utm_source=ig_web_button_share_sheet

(OMG MY brain. THOSE STUPID DORKS I LOVE THEM) (I am probably also way late to the party but augh0

Halfamoon is over. I wrote a post about my favorite games and managed to write nothing. I had some plans and failed at them.

There is this now: Friends will be friends - a multifandom friendship fic (and art) fest, v8.0 https://ruuger.dreamwidth.org/1070567.html (I suckered myself into writing some Benny, Seven & Ace over there, don't know why. My brain is tired?)

And I posted my River Song-centric ficlets on AO3. https://archiveofourown.org/works/22747246

My toes are cold. To the bed-mobile and blanket-cave.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

Honestly, I don't know what to do with myself

2020-02-07T04:00:06Z

1. Someone scheduled a 6:30 am meeting tomorrow morning. I assume it was to accommodate the Bratislava team-members joining. But ffs, people. I am not awake that early. Or at least not functional.

2. This month end has just been... the worst.

3. Have a River + Thirteen ficlet that I posted to tumblr. No spoilers, mostly an excuse for Anne of Green Gables jokes.

"But why am I the Lady of Shalott?"

"I don't have time to put on the dress."

The Doctor frowned up at River, even as she lowered herself into the skif and wriggled about, a bit uncomfortably against the boards. "But I'm not wearing a dress."

"Mmm. Pity," winking, River leant down and handed over a bundle of flowers. "Now, just hold still sweetie, and this will be over soon."

Which was probably not the best thing to say when Daleks were involved. The old abbey survived. Mostly.

4. I also finally polished the Twelve + Queenie Glasscock fic I had floating around in my brain. It's posted on AO3. Vague s10 spoilers? Lighter and More Distant Than a Snow Fall - requires having listened to Big Finish's The Magic Mousetrap.

5. I recced a bunch of my silly games on halfamoon: https://halfamoon.dreamwidth.org/346728.html

6. Speaking of which, Halfamoon is happening! Prompt Table and I keep trying to write something (I have almost finished a Clara + Me + Thirteen bit which is spoilery for this season of DW).

7. I keep listening to random bits of Bekdel Test, and just. Missy calls her Rivs at least once, it is ridiculous.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

tfw you are editing fic you wrote in 2003 or so

2020-01-15T04:52:46Z

...and feel so much second-hand embarrassment.

OMG I wrote myself into it. I don't even remember doing that.

(I will finish editing/reviewing, as I couldn't remember where this fic even was, and it didn't survive the song-fic purge from ff'net--by personal preference, not by getting reported, as far as I recall)

ETA: 2000. Written in 2000. Good lord.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

there isn't a manual for this! a bit of DW and such

2020-01-10T04:07:11Z

1. I have seen more of Thirteen! Up through Demons of the Punjab were marathonned with my parents over Christmas. It means I actually watched Rosa all the way through (my second-hand embarrasment squick kicked in the first time). And I still think the guy at DragonCon was a racist asshole, and am still a bit annoyed that none of the panelists fucking called him out on it. No, there were no good white people in Rosa, jack-ass. That was the whole fucking point (including Thirteen and her treatment of Rosa, as much as she was trying to help, was so very micro-agressions).

2. Still not fond of Graham. Or Ryan, tbh. I think dudes are just Not My Thing (I didn't like the pregnant alien dude in the one episode, either).

3. I need to watch more of the season before I have any other thoughts.

4. Work for a full week after the break of the holidays has not been fun. I hates it.

5. I tried to write some femslash for the stocking thing, and failed for the most part. I did some Edith/Lucille, but I'm having a hard time writing them without involving Thomas (I think my brain finds them a very tangled triangle, and it's hard to sort out part of it). I was trying to write something for the femslash kink meme, but it ended up being full of Thomas, so I've stopped for the moment.

6. Speaking of, people should write more for the kink meme: https://femslash-kink.dreamwidth.org/ There's a ton of prompts and varieties, and the lack of Terminator: Dark Fate femslash there is baffling me.

7. Seven has fucked off for some ice cream.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

SFF: Bletchley Circle San Francisco, Series 1

2020-01-10T03:11:16Z

So, I hadn't actually been aware that a new series was in production. I found out when the first episode dropped on thevault, and was gleefully surprised. I love Bletchley Circle, and while I miss the other three women (ok, Hattie because she's hot, shut it), Millie and Jean are both of my favorites, as well.

While I downloaded it, I never got round to watching it. I purchased the DVDs, since I tend to buy things when I want more things like them (I was buying DeConnick's Captain Marvel run despite not really clicking with it, and Miss Marvel, too, though I liked that a bit better--I want more women writing comics!)

Er. ANYWAY.

As I was packing for Christmas this year, I shoved BC: SF in my things, as mom liked the first two series, too.

This was an excellent plan, as she hadn't seen it, either.

We marathonned it in about a day or so (I think there was a break in there), and I thoroughly enjoyed it (my mother is a bit conservative, so some of the bi/lesbian/gay stuff seemed to annoy her, but she didn't say anything aloud).

I loved so much about it, particularly how it played with peoples' perceptions. Millie and Jean are both aware of all the shit that women Can Do, and yet still fell into the trap of assuming it was Iris's husband they were meeting. There were further examples (the KGB episode!) of this, and I just. I really dug it--despite these being Amazing, Fabulous women, they were still very much a product of their times.

Not to mention that after Bletchley, after the war, so many women were shoved back into the This Is How A Woman Is box.

These women were nurses, spies, code-breakers, factory workers, chemists, bomb-makers, ambulance drivers, battlefield medics, pilots, Red Cross organizers, fighters in some instances, and so many more occupations simply because they had to be.

And then the men came back from the war, and all of that scope for their abilities was stifled and slapped down, and they were locked back into babies and taking care of the men-children in their lives. And so many of them couldn't tell anyone due to official secrets and oaths taken,

As you can guess, the episode with the suburban house-wives was one that I quite dug into, because the utter boredom and hopelessness was just so heart-breaking (and I feel like that was Susan's story, to some extent, too :/)

I loved that they made Iris such a central part of the series--I was so worried that she would be more of the secondary cast, and I was extra-worried that there would be multiple Iris Is Black In Case You Didn't Notice! episodes. And while they did lean on the racism of the time, and it was a part of the background for the setting, it wasn't the be-all and end-all of her life.

Her reluctance and her diffidence were so understandable, and I really loved how she slowly grew and changed over the course of the series. I feel that Jean had her own emotional journey, as did the other two.

But Iris was the linch-pin of the series.

I felt they could have done a little more with her children, but that is a minor complaint, and one that I'm a bit surprised by as I'm not usually a "tell us about this woman's children" person. But I did find her son a bratty political animal, and I'm not sure I ever got a good sense of her daughter, so.

Hailey (not Kaylee, though that is certainly the archetype they tapped for her), was mostly entertaining - I loved her relationship with Jean as the sort of mentor-mentee thing. Particularly Hailey introducing Jean to skinny-dipping in the bay. =D

The representation of multiple sexualities was a nice touch, too. And having Millie confirmed as bi, just, like, exploded me in joy (SUSAN WAS UNREQUITED AND REAL). ahem. I liked Millie's cousin, and that story-line a bit. I liked Hailey's confrontation and argument with Iris, and felt both their sides were painful, but real.

About my only complaint about Hailey was that her age doesn't track well. If she's 14ish when working for Iris 14 years prior, she's nearly 30 now. But she's still 21 or 22, if you base it on her manner/the actress's age.

Millie and her two boyfriends were somewhat entertaining, but I rather missed Millie flirting with girls.

It was refreshing to watch something where women were very much the drive and focus, and multiple points of view were considered.

OH GOD AND JEAN. I was forgetting Jean, and her encounter with the KGB, and just. OMG. She was so amazing and brilliant and I love her. And then I also love Millie and Hailey and their plan, and Iris and her brains and and--

And! Olivia! I knew I was forgetting someone. I really liked Olivia, too. And with Iris, I totally understand her reluctance and worries over getting involved.

The fact Iris and Olivia had more than one scene together where they talked plot and not about How Hard Being Non-White Is was also great.

Pretty much my only complaint about the series is that all of them need to learn better fighting techniques, goodness.

My fingers are crossed we'll get a second series.

Apparently, critics thought it was awful, though. So, y'know, what the fuck do I know about good tv?

I'm sure if this had been about white men being sexist and wearing good suits and struggling not to treat people with racist attitudes the critics would have tongued a lot of ass about how Amazing and Ground-Breaking it was.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

SFF: Star Wars: Rise of Skywalker (or whatever it's called. Is there a The in there?)

2019-12-31T05:28:56Z

I always forget how to do these things (obv I should do them more)

Er, cuts, that is. (self, it is, in fact, the word 'cut'. duh)

SO.

Last we left my Star Wars brain, I'd watched, um, The Force Awakens. So, y'know, three years ago? Having just checked, 2016. Ok. Four, then. And I never talked about it. Oh well. In case anyone was wondering: I liked TFA, thought it echoed A New Hope pretty much, liked Rey a lot, thought the Finn plot was a bit predictable, didn't really see the point in Poe, found Kylo a dull whiny teenager... and was unsurprised at the resolution.

And then I didn't see Last Jedi or the rocks fall everyone dies Rogue One. Solo had negative infinity interest for me. (listen, Disney, you do a movie about Rey and all her girlfriends, or Padme, or Leia, I'll be there. But I have zero interest in dudes)

ANYWAY. coughs.

So I went to TFA with my father, at a theatre that apparently no longer exists (I suppose that makes sense, time marches on for all of us).

And I'd assumed I'd see TLJ with said parent (as he likes SW). But no. And then I heard enough about it to just... assume I wouldn't enjoy it, so I haven't actually seen it.

This year, dad proposed the idea of Star Wars to mom, I, and my uncle. Said uncle ran for the hills.

My father liked it. My mother thought it was too violent (which possibly means she didn't like it, but didn't wish to say so). Dad went on and on about the wonderful Christian messages about hope, faith, etc.

Having missed the middle movie, I... didn't actually feel that I missed much. Which probably makes me the target audience. I picked up most of the plot threads without really needing any middle movie (though I will probably go back and watch now, out of curiosity).

And surprisingly, I thought it was all right.

Things I really could have done without:
- Kylo Ren. Still continued to be dull. Like. I know, I know, emo goth boys are great... I guess... but he is just meh for me. MEH.
- Palpatine. Gross, man. I don't want to think about him procreating. Tho', I mostly assumed there was a lot of cloning involved.
- The lack of women with more plot-relevance than background go-fers. YES, there were a decent number of women in the backgrounds in a lot of scenes, and some of the rebel women even had lines. But it was still mostly dudes saying shit. And the Quest team was literally one chick and four dudes and some droids. Ugh. Pryde could easily have been a woman, Poe could have seconded someone else (Rose Tico?) as the leader of the Quest. Etc.
- WTF is this The Force made them better people bullshit? One of the things I liked about the idea of Finn was that it would start this weird, grass-roots rebellion thing in the Empire. Er, first order. Whatever. Instead, the Force Made Them Be Good People. Ugh.
- Does NO ONE on team Falcon have any common sense? They kept doing stupid things like stand around in plain sight, or letting people just wander off into the desert without anyone being lookout. SERIOUSLY, I spent that whole desert-planet section wondering if they all slipped and fell in the shower.
- That Force bond. WTAF was that pointlessness. It just was basically an excuse for Kylo to slow the plot down and bore me.

Things that were... ok:
- Rey's parents are dead. Not sure if I cared about them, though Rey did. But they sold her to some dude, which I'm not so thrilled by. Also assuming daddy was a Force-grown clone.
- Bickering. So much bickering. FFS, you people do not have the time for this petty bullshit. There is a FUCKING WAR ON, WOMAN THE FUCK UP.
- Palpatine stealing their life-force. Pretty sure this was the plot in Zahn's first trilogy--though it's Luke and Mara the crazy evil-guy sucks the life from.
- Zorii. I really was annoyed that they made her armor so form-fitting. I liked the idea that she was part of Poe's past, even if Poe kinda bores me. But I really thought they could have done more with her (I expect it was a full Tardis issue: too many people to juggle). I wanted more of her, though?
- Same with Rose Tico, and some of the other women who showed up on the Rebel base. They were all tertiary, and I thought there should have been a better balance.

Things I enjoyed:
- The friendships! As much as I disliked the bickering, it also sort of falls in here, too. I enjoyed that they're all friends and screw with each other and stuff. Even if I spent most of it going "shut up, get the plot going."
- REY IS THE HERO OF THE MOVIE AND SAVES US ALL. <3
- I am suuuuuch a sucker for a cavalry charge on a space-ship that I'm forgiving its impossibility without an atmosphere. (omg, I might have squeed when that happened, excellent plans there, Finn).
- Leia and Rey, and their obvious connection with mentoring and training, and awwwww. Also, LEIA AS A JEDI IN TRAINING. Even if apparently she then did nothing with it because ~Force ~delusion, sorry, premonition. It makes me sad that we didn't get more, though I completely understand why.
- I know this is confusing, but the pay-off of the stupid Force Bond was entertaining. And led into an excellent double-battle thing which I enjoyed (what, I like flashy sword things, ok).
- Rey not giving into her anger or hatred (I mean, it sort of helps that she is so very stoic, I am not sure she was feeling either).
- Speaking of which! Rey healing the sand worm! <3 <3 <3 <3
- Rey, Finn, & Poe dropping everything to rescue Chewie. I mean, it was obvious he wasn't dead (too early in the movie). As a secondary objective, retrieving their ship was probably also on the list.
- Vinette Robinson! For her ten seconds of screen-time.
- Lando and his saving the day cavalry. Excuse me, I have something in my eye. Also, just that he survived was awesome.
- Rey Skywalker! Because Leia and Luke pretty much adopted her, and she doesn't need to continue the Palpatine legacy (better she bury it forever and scrub it from history). And she finally has a place and people to call her own. I liked that whole end scene, tbh. Whether she decides to be Kenobi and hermit, or just stay there a bit and then lark off to continue putting the galaxy to rights, it's all good.
- The destroyed Death Star! I loved that set so much and wished there had been more. Similarly, I wish there'd been more Rey vs Rey fight. I feel like Luke had a much longer fight with himself on Dagobah.
- Rey vs. Palpatine with crossed lightsabers. /swoon. And like all of the Jedi (but whatever)
- ALL THE HUGGING AND CRYING at the end. YAY! They did it, go them, etc. TIME TO PARTY.
- I cannot believe I forgot this until now: HUX THE PETTY SPY BECAUSE HE HATES KYLO. omg, Hux. We are on the same wave-length here. I mean, I was uninterested in him before now, so this just made me giggle a lot.

Things I enjoyed that I'm terribly embarrassed by:
- Rey vs. Kylo on the Death Star. Like, I wanted him to shut up, but I enjoyed the fight.
- And then she stabbed him.
- And then she healed him, but he came back not!Emo, and slightly more bearable.
- I feel at this juncture that it is incumbent upon me to remind everyone that one of my favorite regencies starts with the heroine shooting the hero.
- And then she steals his ship. Um. Hot.
- I did not hate Ben's conversation with Dear Old Dad.
- I also might have enjoyed him chasing after Rey to help her.
- Look. He didn't even manage to save her until she'd saved him and stuff, so it worked for me. Also. That lightsaber bit was just unf.
- I actually found Ben Solo's three minutes of screen-time with Rey somewhat compelling. In a "man, I can't stand Kylo, and I bet Ben will be annoying in two minutes, but for this three seconds, she should get to make out with someone" way.
- Which is not to say I have any interest in the fic. Just a gander at the fandom/conversation around Reylo since it began is everything I Do Not Want EVER. They will be the OTP I will write reams of fic in my head about for my entertainment when I'm bored. They can have adventures with Marya DeZorga.

So, in conclusion: I mostly enjoyed this. I will never be able to find fic that scratches any itch. I have no intention of writing it myself, either.

I might try my hand at a little femslash, at some point, though.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)

yes there is a Lyssie, Santa Claus

2019-12-21T05:06:57Z

God, where were we? Teslacon, I think? Anyway.

Sparktober happened and I kicked out 31 ficlets of varying quality, and barely made the last day of the deadline. https://archiveofourown.org/works/20874023

I think that was it for actual, posted, fic in October. November didn't have any, either, though I kept half-remembering I wanted to file some more ficlets and failed, ultimately.

November contained Telsacon, which was fairly entertaining, if cold (it's November in Wisconsin, duh).

And work. Lots of work.

December has contained more work.

Fandom Stocking is sadly not occurring this year. RL reasons, and completely acceptable, if sad. :.

That said, there are still some other things going on:
Femslash stockings! https://elasticella.dreamwidth.org/25483.html (in the vein of Fandom Stocking)

Femslash Kink Meme 2019! https://femslash-kink.dreamwidth.org - prompts are separated by fandom in a couple of posts. Lots of Terminator prompts, very little turn-out (I may have to write the Dani/Grace fpreg one myself at this rate)

Er, and the normal fic exchanges and such. And https://chocolateboxcomm.dreamwidth.org/ is accepting noms.

At some point in November, I also went down to the Chicago area and saw Terminator: Dark Fate with A.j. and Havoc. It was excellent.

I still need to see Charlie's Angels. And something else I'm forgetting.

Black Widow and Wonder Woman 2 look somewhat entertaining (the latter more than the former, but I think that's more nostalgia), so yay there.

Cross-posted from Dreamwidth. (comment wherever)