To the shock of most people who know me, I held off on finishing Loki. Yes, I know, I’m incredibely late.
My inital thoughts on the series were mixed to say the least. I watched the series with my mom, and after two episodes (on debut night), we both decided to set the series aside for awhile. We weren’t exactly impressed. I’m not really sure what it was about it, but we just couldn’t get into it.
And then last night, while waiting for sushi to arrive, Mom turns to me and says, “Let’s finish Loki tonight.” Completely out of the blue. And so we did.
Having now seen the whole show, I’m mildly impressed. In my opinion, it doesn’t stand up to WandaVision or Falcon and the Winter Soldier, but it’s a solid showing. I realize now why I wasn’t a fan: the pacing. There were many scenes that I would have condenced or cut all together. It felt like a lot of scenes were stretched out to meet the runtime goal, and it slowed down everything considerably.
The other issue was that many characters just wanted to info dump, especially in the last episode. Jonathan Majors (who portrays He Who Remains) has a massive speech that takes up the majority of that episode, only somewhat broken up with quick shots of what’s going on at the TVA. While I’m all for background information on characters, this took the cake. Pretty much the entirity of what the multiverse is, how it is formed (thanks Sylvie), and who our new big bads are get revealed in the speech. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a good scene. It just goes on and on and on…
Early on, it was clear that this show wasn’t going to go the route of FatWS, meaning that there was less action. It also wasn’t going down WV‘s path, as the writing didn’t really let Loki get emotional. It was absolutely a show that spoke a lot, but most of the scenes consisted of conversations, then an establishing show, then another conversation. Most action scenes were limited.
I’d also like to have a conversation with the stunt and fight coorgraphers, as it was clear when characters were faking hits. It was sloppy. I know with the filming restrictions that were on set made things difficult, as well as the several month delay in the middle of the shoot, but it was noticable.
That’s not to say that I didn’t like the show. I did! I felt that it was well cast, as most of characters (excluding Loki and a brief cameo of Lady Sif) were new to the MCU. I had been nervous when I heard Owen Wilson was cast, but he brought out his drama chops for this film (can he do more drama films? He’s got good timing!). Sylvie is a character created from the comics, inspired by a combined Enchantress and Lady Loki. She is expertly portrayed by Sophia Di Martino, while one of her most emotional scenes is played by young Cailey Fleming when the character was a child. The introduction and portrayal of Ravonna Renslayer was supurbly done by Gugu Mbatha-Raw, towing the line between morally ambiguous to complex villain in such a perfect way. Oh, and we can’t for get voice actress veteran Tara Strong bringing the animated Miss Minutes to life (the character that ended up with a jump scare in the beginning of episode six, and scared the hell out of me).
I’ve become more critical of Marvel’s films and televisions shows as of late, because they have such a hold over the market. But I also know that a lot of what I dislike about the series was well liked by fans across the globe, and that’s okay. I’m allowed to not like things.
Next up for us is Black Widow in a few days. I’m curious to see how that one goes.
Until next time!
(BTW: Don’t ask my opinions on Eternals. I have issues with this film, and I haven’t even seen it yet.)
I’ve spent most of the day trying to sit down and watch One Chicago… and I just can’t. I just get can’t get into it right now. I’d planned for today’s post to be my next season review, but it’s just not going to happen.
So, I’ll taking a hiatus from it for awhile and instead I’m going to work through some of the shows that I decided to watch if there had been a strike in Hollywood.
This isn’t to say that One Chicago is bad. It’s not! I’m really enjoying it! But I just need to take a step back from it. I guess I can only mainline one firefighter show at a time. I’ll jump back in during December, when 9-1-1 is on its season break.
So, I like the actor Oliver Stark. He’s pretty talented, and he’s one of the stars of 9-1-1. Obviously that means that I’m going to go looking to see what else he has made in the entertainment industry.
Today on Discord, a group of us got together to watch one of his films. It was a trip, and that’s putting it mildly. We decided to do this because this week there isn’t a new episode of 9-1-1, but because of time zones and people’s schedules, we’re watching the same film three times.
We watched 2017’s MindGamers.
Let me start by making it very clear that this is an R-Rated film., for violence, language, some minor sexuality, and drug use. Also, there is some visible animal injury, though it was done in CGI. Be forewarned, it’s something I wish I could have known about because I would have probably skipped this film if I had a clue. So, under seventeens, stay away. Over seventeens should also stay away, because I literally just watched the thing and I can’t tell you what the hell I just watched. It’s a mind screw, easy.
MindGamers tells the tale of a group of students who make an amazing scientific breakthrough. They discover how to link people’s minds through a quantum computer. Unfortunately, this discovery leads them down a series of events that doesn’t quite end well for the gifted students.
Oliver Stark plays Dylan, one of the students. He’s portrayed as a young and free man, taking some fun drugs, but is also exceptionally smart. He dresses in an alternative style which sticks out in most scenes. No, serious, he sticks out. Most everyone else is wearing normal clothes. But he’s hot, even before he started working out for 9-1-1 and bulking up.
The thing about MindGamers is that it’s trying too hard to be too many things. There subtle references to many of the popular Sci-Fi films of the decade. On top of that, but religion plays a surprising role, both as a good thing, and a bad.
Another big issue I had was in the editing. It was hard to figure out what was considered reality and what was in the characters’ heads at many points. I get that they were trying to do something interesting, but it missed it’s mark several times. At one point on Discord, the group of us watching together (six I believe), all said at the same time that we had no fucking idea what we were watching. I swear several scenes were edited out of the final release.
The cast was… fine I guess. Oliver got to show off his parkour abilities at one point. Sam Neill was in this, to my great surprise, and I may have wept for his career for a moment. (Not Oliver’s, he was just getting started at this point.) The only other person who stuck out was Tom Payne, because he landed the lead role of Malcolm Bright on Prodigal Son, and I saw beyond too many promos for that show when I was blasting through 9-1-1 earlier this year.
I think this film was trying to be smart and trying to say something. Unfortunately, whatever it was trying to say got lost in translation, at least to me. You may enjoy it, but the only time I’ll pick this one up on my own is when I’m having a wine night. Watching it tipsy may change my opinion.
[Edit note: This is not the post I was planning on putting up on Thursday or Friday. I’m actually rewriting part of it, and I’m trying to go for length. It should be up Monday. Today and tomorrow are more… filler posts.]
In the world of anime, there are always going to be popular series to love, and popular series to love to hate. There are many popular series that remain as such for their entire life span (Naruto, Fullmetal Alchemist, Bleach, the never-ending One Piece to name a few). On the flip side, there are always popular anime that… just aren’t as popular online. That’s the polite way of saying it.
One such series is Sword Art Online.
For background, SAO started out as a series of web novels written by Reki Kawahara that was later republished into a series of light novels starting in 2009. These light novels proved popular (as well as his other series Accel World), and both would soon be green lit for manga and anime adaptations. As of now, there are 26 volumes of the light novels, which span several in universe years. There have been three seasons of the anime, as well as an extended length bonus episode and a film, with a new season promised and a new film coming out soon.
The funny thing is, it was decently received originally in the West. And then it was plagued with pacing issues, massive amounts of “sloppy writing” as well as logical gaps for several characters that just don’t really make much sense. For more serious anime fans, the issue is that Kirito is presented as the “perfect” one, and is promptly trashed online.
The fact that his group of friends is mostly made up with women around his age that all at one point admire or have crushes on him (minus one girl who is younger) is somewhat problematic. I will give the series one thing though. While he does have these girls in his group, he has only become romantic with one girl, and he is in a committed relationship with her.
SAO deals with virtual MMORPGs. Basically the player puts on a headset and is connected to the video game. This proves to be a problem during the first arc, Aincrad, as the creator of Sword Art Online, Akihiko Kayaba, traps them inside. The players are in comas playing the game to either completion… or death. It’s actually has real world stakes, which is honestly terrifying if you think about it. Past the first arc, several other VMMORPGs are introduced, one of which becomes something of a “hub” for the main characters.
The main character, Kazuto “Kirito” Kirigaya, is one of the players trapped inside. He had been a beta tester and understand how to use the game better than most, due to having previous experience. When he fails to use that knowledge during the first boss raid a month into the game, costing the lives of about twenty players (due to Kayaba having changed the boss’s pattern, as well as the location and design of the dungeon), he is labeled a “beater”, which is a portmanteau of “Beta Tester” and “Cheater.” He runs with it, literally, and becomes one of the strongest solo players in the game. He has any adventures with different characters that would end up becoming friends of his both in game and out, but also faces tragic losses, including the girl who was his first crush, killed in front of him when they get caught in a trap.
But he also grows in the two years they remain trapped. He teams up with Asuna Yuuki (her in-game name is also her first name) a few times, slowly becoming friends, and shifting into a relationship. After they are married in game, they end up helping care for a young girl named Yui, who turns out to be one of the programs that was locked when Kayaba sealed the game. After finding Kayaba in-game, Kirito is able to beat him in a desperate fight after he nearly kills Asuna, and frees them.
During the next several arcs, Kirito really grows up. He’s values life more than anything, and is willing to put himself in danger to protect anyone he deems deserves it. His relationship in the real world with Asuna blossoms, and I consider it to be very healthy. He also is able to mend fences with his sister Suguha, who he basically cut out of his life when he found out that he was adopted (his “parents” are his aunt and uncle, who adopted him as a baby after his parents died in an accident).
His friendships with other members of his friend group range from true friendships to teasing brothers, depending on the person. Once the second arc is finished, it seems like he really tries to become someone his friends can count on, helping them in game and supporting the in the real world.
Here’s the thing. I know there’s wonky writing. I know that the main character is somewhat problematic (which actually is fixed once you get past the first arc in my opinion). I know it’s not for everyone.
But I actually like it.
So much so that I bought my ticket to see the first film in theaters less than ten minutes after they went on sale back in 2017. (I even took the day off for it.) I own most of the light novels (currently on a book buying ban, so I’m two back), and a good portion of the manga. I also have the video games, but I’m completely terrible at them.
I found the story to be pretty compelling. It’s been a trope in a few anime or manga that I’ve read previously (famously in the .hack// series), but this brought it to the world on a larger scale. In all actuality, I noticed a major uptick in shows with this theme. It’s something that ended up drawing me to SAO in the first place.
I also am a solo-player when I play games. I don’t like to join parties or groups. Back when Cartoon Network’s MMO FusionFall was still available, I did 99% of the game solo, except when I had been asked by a friend to help them with some early tasks one day. I think that gave me a connection to Kirito that most people don’t have, as most people don’t mind being in groups and parties when playing online games.
I’m actually planning on rereading the light novels pretty soon, because it’s been awhile. I also want to read the “Progressive” novels, which rewrite the first two light novels into a longer length, going almost floor by floor. I own five of them, but I haven’t really sat down to read them, as I got the during the third season of the anime, which in my opinion is the strongest season (though you have to watch the first two seasons to understand exactly what is happening).
So yeah. I love a series that isn’t well received. It’s not the first time (that would be Gundam SEED), but it’s cool with me. I watch what I like, regardless of what the people around me say.
(BTW, I’ll go into more detail during my Whumptober wrap up post, but wow, when I crossed 9-1-1 with SAO, I got some hilarious messages on tumblr… Just wait for that next month.)
One of my goals this year was to finally sit down and watch some of the TV shows that I’ve been skipping over. With news that the IATSE workers are planning to strike on October 18th (which I wholeheartedly support and you should too), I’m getting prepared for the potential long gap between completed episodes of my shows, and new ones.
I’ve had a few shows on my “To Watch” list, and I guess this potential break will give me the opportunity to watch (or rewatch, in the case of some).
Of course, I guess I absolutely have to include One Chicago right at the start of this list. I’m still dragging my way through Season Four of Fire and Season Three of P.D. It’s nothing to do with the shows, really, as to why it’s taking me so long. I can clearly point to the fact that I’m doing a lot of writing right now, because of both Blogtober and Whumptober. I’m trying to stay ahead as much as possible. (I’ll discuss it more in the season wrap up video, but… I’m not a fan of Med. Like at all.)
Another show that I absolutely have to watch is S.W.A.T. Many of the people on the 118 Discord have been talking up this show. I watched the first… three episodes, but stopped because of One Chicago. It was interesting enough to hold my interest, so I’m planning on going back to finish at least the first season, if not more.
I’ve also planned on finally finishing Shadowhunters. I watched the first two seasons around the time the aired, but I stepped away from the fandom. It’s been on my list to return to, and this would be the best time to do so. Of course, I’m mostly watching for Malec, but no one said I didn’t have standards.
Because the second season is finally coming out on October 22nd, I’m absolutely planning on watching Locke and Key. It’s a supernatural show based off a comic book on Netflix, and it caught my eye last year enough that I watched the entire first season in one night. I do need to rewatch season one, but I’m okay with that. It has a decently written plot, and the characters are interesting enough to give it a watch.
I’m somewhat embarrassed to admit this, but I never finished Loki. I love the actors and I think the premise is amazing… but something just didn’t catch me. Mom and I watched the first two episodes as they released, and just stopped. I think we may just sit down and blast through the rest of them, but I wasn’t feeling it. I do want to watch them, because I can’t watch Black Widow or Shang-Chi until I have. (It’s a thing. Have to watch in order. Can’t help it.)
Thinking about Netflix, I’m one of those people who never actually watched Stranger Things. I’m not a fan of horror normally. I did watch the first few episodes a couple of years ago, and liked it well enough, but then we moved and I never got back to it. I’m adding it to the list as a maybe.
There’s one other show that I’m considering, but I doubt I’ll finish it past a certain death. Into the Badlands was Oliver Stark’s first television performance for American audiences as a series regular, and apparently he is really good for the season and a half that he was on the show (he dies in 2×04? I think? Thanks, Youtube.). I’ll probably give it a bit of a watch one night.
… Looking back at this list, I’m insane. Good thing winter is coming… Of course, I’m basically writing off December. But that’s a discussion for another day.
At the beginning of the year, when I was still in the middle of The Old Guard fandom, I was ecstatic with the news of the new comics coming out. When we found out it was an anthology, I was pretty happy to hear it, because I wasn’t expecting anything until the final set of issues for the series released (which we still don’t have a date for).
So. This is how I’m going to review all six issues. I want to talk about the covers first, as I have have (to my knowledge) all the released covers. I’ll be discussing them in their sets (A, B, C, and exclusive variants). It’s only fair to do so this way. After that, I’m going to talk about each individual story, as there are twelve total. I’ll give the brief summary, and my take on it.
This won’t be a traditional review, because I normally don’t read traditional comics. I’m mostly in this for the story more than anything, because I still love the world that TOG created. I’m not giving each story or issue a grade, because each story was written by someone else. But I’ll try to be honest and fair.
The Covers
Each issue released in three variant covers (excluding the first issue, which had a total of five).
Cover A
The “A” covers are character covers. Each one features a main character in TOG, excluding Noriko/Quynh and including… Yitzhak? He’s on the 6th issue. He’s important to the plot going forward.
Cover B
The “B” covers are the most fun of the three covers. Each one features a moment from one of the two stories included in each issue. My personal favorite is the first issue, with Nicky and Joe in Berlin. Because… Reasons.
Cover C
The “C” covers are really cool, as they tell a story when laid out. Each cover tells a war story from a different time, adding characters as they are discovered as immortals. They’re done very well, IMO
Variant Covers
These are two variant covers for the first issue. The first was done for Out of the Vault by John Gallagher. I’m not too much of a fan of it, but I’m not really sure why. It just doesn’t do anything for me. The second was more widely available, designed by Santa Fung. If I don’t count the Berlin cover, this would be my favorite cover by far. I just love the superhero lineup.
The Stories
“My Mother’s Axe” – Story by Greg Rucka, Art by Leandro Fernandez (Issue 1A)
The story of Andy’s axe, from when Andy was a child, to where she is right now, training with Nile on the beach. The story is riddled with little moments of character history, mostly focusing on Andy. It’s a good backstory, but I felt that it was a bit slow, but also bloated.
“Zanzibar and Other Harbors” – Story by Andrew Wheeler, Art by Jacopo Camagni (Issue 1B)
Nicky and Joe are in Berlin right as the Nazi party has taken control, at one of the last few clubs that at one point were open to men to be together. After dancing in a park, they save a young woman from being raped by a Nazi. It’s probably one of my favorite stories, especially because of how powerful Joe and Nicky’s love comes across the pages. It’s worth it. (And I love this look for Joe and Nicky. I wish Camagni was the main artist, honestly.)
“Bonsai Shokunin” – Story by Kelly Sue DeConnick, Art by Valentine De Landro (Issue 2A)
This is a Noriko story. Or, at least it supposed to be. But really, it’s a moment in time for this unnamed Japanese soldier. And while I do love me some Noriko, this one just didn’t click for me. (Though I did love the art in this one.) The B variant cover is inspired by this story, BTW.
“Strong Medicine” – Story by Eric Trautmann, Art by Mike Henderson (Issue 2B)
It’s the Wild West for Booker, on his way to meet Andy in San Francisco. For Booker, he ends up getting on the wrong side of the local group of assholes in a dead end town, gets shot up, and then commits mass murder. It’s a whole thing. Oh and he saves a doctor, who goes on to be the grandfather or Merrick, the psycho jackass from the first series/movie. So there’s that. We get to see a bit of Booker’s mindset here. It’s fun. He can be just as brutal as Andy. No wonder the two of them are the same, but also foils.
“Passchendaele” – Story by Brian Michael Bendis, Art by Michael Avon Oeming (Issue 3A)
Andy is a Mom! Kinda. Thanks to a flashback the conflict in Passchendaele, we discover that she saved a young boy who she basically raised as a son. Of course, she hasn’t seen him in years, and her stumbling into his restaurant was by happenstance, but still, it’s clear that there is love here. I’m not a fan of this art style, unfortunately, but it does pay homage to the 70’s, where the bulk of the story takes place. (Also, our first reference to Yitzhak!)
“Lacus Solitudinis” – Story by Robert Mackenzie & Dave Walker, Art by Justin Greenwood (Issue 3B)
Joe and Andy are in San Francisco (geez, they really like it there. Head for LA instead, we have the Dodgers, damnit), in a bar, watching the moon landing. Nicky and Booker are in Minnesota, facing down a homophobic cop who let a serial killer walk and continue his heinous queerphobic streak. Both have reasons to be separated, and are shown so passionately through the dialogue and art of this story. It’s powerful, and it hurts damnit.
“How to Make a Ghost Town” – Story by Matt Fraction, Art by Steve Lieber (Issue 4A)
Andy returns to the small town where she lived happily with one of her lovers Achilles. She’d left him to move on once he was an old man, by his insistence (in the second series). Unfortunately, soon after she left, the town burned down his home and killed him in cold blood. So, Andy returns to see him, discovers what happened, and kills everyone in the town, leaving ruins behind. While I wasn’t a fan of the introduction of Achilles in the earlier comics (mostly because I firmly believe that Noriko is Andy’s one true love), this piece is very powerful, and it actually made me cry. Reading it a second time for this review make it all that more.
“Love Letters” – Story by David F. Walker, Art by Matthew Clark (Issue 4B)
Nicky murders a ridiculous amount of Confederate racists. It’s violent, and full of the “bad guys” calling people the n-word, which I will not write out here. It’s a powerful piece, but made me vastly uncomfortable, so much so I don’t really want to think about it. (Oh, and why is Nicky drawn like an ape? Seriously, it’s uncomfortable-looking.)
“An Old Soul” – Story by Jason Aaron, Art by Rafael Albuquerque (Issue 5A)
1978 New York City, Booker ends up being “captured” by a group of radical nuns, hellbent on ridding the world of perversion and sin. They use Booker for training purposes (how to kill and whatnot)… oh, and totally as a sex object. Seriously, we have an orgy scene. Andy is not impressed. This is an odd story, because I’m so damn uncomfortable with it, but at the same time, Booker having an orgy with young nuns is hilarious.
“Never Gets Old” – Story by Alejandro Arbona, Art by Kano (Issue 5B)
Another Booker story, this time with him only a few years returned to France after his first death, and proving that his relationship with his son Philippe wasn’t always as strained. Before Philippe grows bitter of Booker’s immortality, they are thick as thieves, stopping a man in the middle of a very expensive restaurant from being a total dick. While I love having another story based on Booker… it’s feels so shortsighted. I’ll explain my thoughts in a moment.
“Many Happy Returns” – Story by Vita Ayala, Art by Nicola Scott (Issue 6A)
It’s Booker’s birthday, and because he is in exile, he’s drinking in excess and touring a museum in France that has artifacts that have survived the Napoleonic Wars, including a small stuffed doll given to him as a gift from his youngest son when Booker was sentenced to the army for forgery. In an effort to make him feel better, Nile and Andy stage an elaborate ruse to steal the doll back and give it to him. It’s done well, and really shows just how much Nile and Andy care for Booker. I’m not a total fan of the artwork, but it fits the style of the story.
“The Bear” – Story by Greg Rucka, Art by Leandro Fernandez (Issue 6B)
In which we are introduced to Yitzhak (or Isaac, anglicized). He’s a hermit in the north, only visiting the nearest town before winter. It’s clear that he’s build up a good repour with everyone in town. After he returns to his remote cabin, he goes hunting and is killed by a bear. They become friends. So… who is Yitzhak? Well, we can assume he is immortal, and that he has been or once was part of Andy’s team. And… that’s about it. We are left with this mystery as to who this immortal is, and why is he in isolation. I have thoughts on this.
Final Thoughts
I am of two minds with this anthology series. One, it’s been amazing to read through twelve short stories featuring the characters we know and love. But at the same time… we kinda got screwed in the character department. Let me quickly break it down.
Issue #1: Andy and Nile | Joe and Nicky
Issue #2: Noriko | Booker
Issue #3: Andy | Nicky and Booker, Andy and Joe
Issue #4: Andy | Nicky
Issue #5: Booker (feat Andy) | Booker
Issue #6: Andy and Nile (feat Booker) | Yitzhak
It’s very disproportionate. Andy and Booker take center stage, witch Nicky clocking one more appearance than Joe. Noriko gets one story and a few flashbacks. Nile (who I figured wouldn’t feature heavily as it was), was scene twice. And of course, the mysterious Yitzhak, who only had one major appearance.
The thing is, Joe and Nicky have become by far the most popular characters in the TOG universe. It’s weird the choices of stories, as at least one of Booker’s could probably have been cut to give Joe a solo story, or even one with Nicky. It’s just an odd choice to me to not be embracing what the fans seem to want. (But, considering how Netflix treats the TOG fandom… somehow I’m not entirely surprised.)
Leaving aside that, I very much enjoyed a vast majority of the stories. Yes, there were a few I wasn’t a fan of, but for the most part, they were great. Nothing can really top the Berlin story, mostly because it captures the love Joe and Nicky have so beautifully in the moonlight…
All in all, I’d give the collection a solid 4/5. If you’re a fan of The Old Guard, give this one a read. Especially because I have a feeling a good portion is going to tie into The Old Guard: Not Fade Away, the third and final part of the main series, to be released… in 2022 I think.
September is done and over with, and what a whirlwind it was.
I’ll be the first to admit that I didn’t complete all of the challenges I set for myself for this month. In fact, I technically only completed one, with a second being kinda on a technicality. But there are reasons, personal ones, that I’ll explain after I go through all five parts of the challenge.
Part One: Reading
Okay, I tried. I really did. But I think limiting myself just made it worse. I only read two books off of the list, towards the beginning of the month, That Weekend and Yolk (both reviews are posted). I actually did try reading some of the others, but I really haven’t been in the mood for sci-fi or fantasy, and that’s what most of the rest of the list deals with.
I did try, I swear! I read a third of The Witch Haven, and Ace of Spades is on my bedside table. I just… I just couldn’t. I guess reader’s block still exists.
Part Two: Writing
This is where I make an exception. So, the goal was to do five bingo squares. I didn’t. Like, at all. I think I looked at my bingo card twice this month, and once was because there was confusion on the rules and I may have not written enough for the prompts (I was right, the rules had gotten mixed up by a former mod, all is well and good).
However, I did write! A lot actually. I ended up finishing up 18 (yes, 18) Whumptober prompts. That was over 21000 words. So, while it’s not bingo squares, I’m counting it as a win anyway. (And this is all before the main event as well.)
(If you’re curious, I’m finished with the following days: 1-9, 11-13, 15-17, 22, 29, and 31. 10 is almost done, and 14 is plotted out, I just haven’t started it yet.)
Part Three: Gaming
Here is my success!
I finished Lego The Hobbit. Finally. After the game kept fighting me in the end. But I finally finished it, and it was a wonderful day. Mostly because I ended up mismanaging my studs, and I had to spend an hour making a loop in one of the areas so that studs would respawn. It was a thing.
I didn’t get started on my next game, only because I’ve been so focused on Whumptober and Blogtober prep. I have Lego Pirates of the Caribbean all set to go, I just am taking a minute. Probably next week, if all goes well.
Part Four: Watching
I am so glad that I gave myself permission to fail this part of the challenge, because I did. In spades.
So, I normally watch One Chicago on the Peacock app on my PS4, while writing. Unfortunately, for some reason, it’s been glitching for me (even post updates) and I can’t get an episode to save my life. Watching on my computer meant I can’t write, and I just can’t, because it means no notes. So… I watched like three episodes on my phone. That’s it.
Of course, it doesn’t help that I rewatched 9-1-1 Season Four ahead of the Season Five premiere, as well as 5×01 and 5×02. I can’t help it. I just think I like 9-1-1 more.
Part Five: Creating
This is where things get tricky.
So, I basically failed at Instagram. I just got distracted by everything going. I did update my story, but that was just with some of my Tiktoks.
Speaking of Tiktok, I basically stopped posting anything when I finished Lego The Hobbit (since that ended up being a great source for jokes). It’s on my list to get back to, but I just haven’t uploaded anything. I did film some, but deleted them for various reasons.
I’ve been more active on Twitter, thanks to Fox FanHub and Tudum, as well as talking about the Dodgers and 9-1-1. This is something I’m going to continue, so I’ll count this part a success.
Wrap Up
So, two completes, one somewhat, and two outright failures. Hey, 50% isn’t terrible, right?
As for why I didn’t get done as much as I wanted to, a couple updates in my personal life are needed to be said.
A few weeks ago, I got a call from a place I interviewed at around the end of July. This was the first time I’d heard from them in six weeks. They offered me a second interview, which was surprising because I thought I absolutely bombed the first one. Anyway, I went, and I was offered a “working interview” the next day, which I accepted. Unfortunately, I had a panic attack about ninety minutes into the working interview, which I can directly attribute to not feeling safe. Too many people were coming into the location I was working at without masks, or pulling them down to talk to the owner and I behind the desk, and it just wasn’t safe in my opinion. So, I politely declined to continue the interview. (I also wasn’t impressed with the job, and it really felt like I would be micromanaged forever by everyone in the building, including past the trial period.)
But then, I do have some tentative good news on the same front! A few weeks ago, I became aware of a job posting for a position that I really would love to do (goverment job). I applied immediately after it was posted, and I received an email on Tuesday that basically said I had it, though that’s not entirely accurate. I had a three question phone interview on Thursday, and I’m waiting to hear back to see if I got one of the ten spots. If I did, I’m going to be much busier, but this is the type of position that I’ve wanted. It’s mostly work from home, with only the occasional trip into the office. It’s giving back to the people that need help most. It’s exactly what I have wanted to get into since I graduated from college, but there were never any openings to outside people, only currently government workers and veterans. So, this could be the chance of a lifetime.
I bring up both of these because this is partially why I didn’t finish. I’ve been emotionally exhausted because of this for days. Now I’m waiting for an email that could basically change my life, and I’ll probably hear something this upcoming week.
I’m enjoying my September Challenge (see post from September 1st). I’ve been doing some writing, I’ve actually started using Tiktok, I’m about 60% through Lego Hobbit…
I didn’t need two major companies announcing fan shows. I’m busy this month, damn it!
Okay, let’s break this down.
There are two major events being geared towards fans of two different companies. Both enternainment companies. Both of whom I’m currently watching show for.
One of the is “Fox TV Fan Hub,” which will air for four hours on September 15th, starting at 3PM PST. Apparently it’s going to be jam packed with previews and sneak peeks of some of the shows that are currently airing on Fox, including my current favorites 9-1-1 and 9-1-1: Lone Star. Speaking of Lone Star, one of the stars of the show, Ronen Rubinstein will be playing host, hosting conversations with fan favorite stars from their shows.
Because I’m me, I of course volunteered to watch the whole event, taking notes on any of the shows that my friends over on Discord are currently watching (of course, my focus is my firefighting shows). I also was lucky enough win one of the prize packs for signing up early enough, so I’ll have that breakdown (likely on TikTok) later on.
I’m actually looking forward to this event! Four hours is a good deal of time. If it’s split evenly amongst the shows, each show should get to shine for about twenty minutes, but of course this is up in the air. They haven’t released a schedule as of yet.
The other event that I’m going to be watching is called “TUDUM,” hosted by Netflix. This is taking place on September 25th, started at 9AM PST, though the preshow starts at like 5AM (which I will not be watching). This is the event I’m more hesitant for.
It’s scheduled to be a three hour event, which I would be happy about, except for two major reasons. The Old Guard fandom got burned badly by Geeked Week (also hosted by Netflix earlier this year), even though it had a presence in the original press release and end-of-show sizzle reel. The other thing is that yes, three hours is a long time, but there are over 70 properties currently set to have a moment at the show. If everything gets the same amount of time, that’s approximately two and a half minutes per property. However, which what I know about Netflix, they’re going to push certain properties, which translates to Stranger Things and The Witcher.
I’m absolutely going to watch, because I’m a glutton for punishment, and I’m here to represent The Old Guard in any way I can. Heck, I’m one of several people on Twitter still badgering Netflix about the film on a semi-regular basis.
All in all, it’s not like I needed to take part in both of these events, but here I am. The countdown begins.
I received some amazing news Monday morning (I’ll talk about it at the end of the post) which inspired me to set up a personal challenge for myself during the month of September. It’s in multiple parts, but it’s something I’ve been thinking of, and now I have the wherewithal to do it.
Part One: Reading
Immediately I think you can see where this challenge is going. When I was posting my review of Lost in the Never Woods, I decided to finally look and see how far behind I am in my Goodreads reading challenge. It’s… not very pretty. As of today (September 1st), I’ve read 22 books (though like five of those were comics). My goal for the year is 52, which puts me 12 books behind schedule. This is the slowest reading year I’ve had. In fact, since I started doing this 2016, I’ve only failed twice. 2018 was due to the move across the country and having to pack my books and things early, and really not having the time to read. Last year was because of the stress of the pandemic, and honestly just mental burnout.
This year, I really don’t want to fail, or if I do, I want to be close to my goal. So, I came up with an idea.
One of my goals for 2021 has been to read every Owlcrate and Barnes and Noble YA Book Club book. Over the course of the year, that should amount to 24 books, less if there is duplicates (which has happened twice as of July.) As of today, there have been seven Owlcrate books sent (August should be shipping any day, pandemic delays) and nine BNYA Books announced. Accounting for the two duplicates… I’ve read two books. It’s a problem.
So, my goal is to read the rest of the Owlcrate and BNYA books. I’ve honestly been shying away from them, because for some reason they just haven’t clicked with me (And The Ones We’re Meant to Find was beyond a disappointment). However, I made a challenge, and I’m gonna give it a shot.
Here’s the list, skipping the ones that I’ve already completed:
Owlcrate
The Gilded Ones by Namina Forna (February 2021 – Magic Unleased box)
Sweet and Bitter Magic by Adrienne Tooley (March 2021 – Of Witches and Wonder box)
Witches Steeped in Gold by Ciannon Smart (April 2021 – Ruthless Rivals box)
Sisters of the Snake by Sasha Nanua and Sarena Nanua (June 2021 – Go Your Own Way box)
This Poison heart by Kalynn Bayron (July 2021 – Potions and Poisons box)
The forthcoming August 2021 – Dark Academia box
The forthcoming September 2021 box, should it arrive in September (again, pandemic delays)
Barnes and Noble YA Book Club
Wings of Ebony by J. Elle (February 2021)
Yolk by Mary J.K. Choi (March 2021)
Pride and Premeditation by Tirzah Price (April 2021)
Ace of Spades by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé (June 2021)
That Weekend by Kara Thomas (July 2021)
Small Favors by Erin E. Craig (August 2021)
The Witch Haven by Sasha Peyton Smith (September 2021)
My rules are simple. Read and review each one. I can read other things, up to and including the final issue of The Old Guard: Tales Through Time, which is set to arrive sometime this month. (Which reminds me, I have to call my comic shop. I still don’t have the 4th issue…) This shouldn’t be too much of a difficult challenge, especially if I take my time and just get through books in one or two sittings.
Part Two: Writing
I’ve been neglecting my writing since May, when I finally completed Febuwhump. Since then, I’ve written one story, with another one plotted out. Even though I’ve written more this year then any other year I’ve been on AO3 combined (31, 891 words at the time of this post), I’ve been dragging.
In an effort to combat that, back in July I signed up for the 9-1-1 Bingo, hosted by the 118 Discord. I was given a 5×5 bingo board with 24 prompts (and a free space). The challenge is to write at least 500 words (if not more) per bingo square. Yesterday I started and knocked one out, which I’m going to be posting sometime today. I’ll talk about the prompts in another post down the line this month, mostly because I have to figure out what the hell a “Meet Ugly” is…
Anyway, onto this challenge. My goal for this month is to at least five squares, not counting the one I did yesterday. I have a couple ideas, so this shouldn’t be too hard. The big thing is that I want get back into writing prompt fic, as I’m planning on taking part in Whumptober starting October 1st (though I’m going to get a jump on it once the prompts are posted any day now).
The only big road block I currently have is that we’re not allowed to double prompts up with any other prompt, including cross challenges. I knew that going in, so that means I need to get a good amount done before October 1st, even if I don’t post them all in September. My aim is once a week, and once October passes, more then that.
Part Three: Gaming
Here’s where the fun is. I’ve mentioned in a previous post that I’m trying to play through the last Lego games I have left on the PS3. Since that post, I completed Lego Dimensions, though I only did it to trophy completion due to the PS3 not exactly liking loading the game. I also finished Lego The Lord of the Rings the other day, which I would place solidly in the “C” rating on the scale. It’s a perfectly fine game, but I’m not a fan of the story and there were some graphical and map issues I took issue to.
As of the writing of this post, that leaves Lego The Hobbit (which I’ve started, since I’ve played it twice before), Lego Star Wars III, Lego Pirates of the Caribbean, and Lego Indiana Jones 2: The Adventures Continues.
For this challenge, my goal is to complete one of these games. The reason it takes so long is because my PS3 isn’t exactly in perfect condition anymore, which means I can only play for about 2-3 hours before the thing starts having issues. On top of that, the games themselves just don’t exactly like the console. I’m working my way through Hobbit right now, and I forgot just how annoying some of the levels are. I’m using a guide for this exact reason, and thank god for that. I also always have the trophy guide up to keep track of everything. Otherwise, this might take a miracle.
Part Four: Watching
This is the part of my challenge list that will probably not be completed. My goal for September is to finish this “year” in One Chicago. As of my last check on my list, that’s 58 episodes (including one Law and Order: SVU crossover). More than two days worth of content.
The reason I’m basically giving myself permission to fail this is because I know I’m going to need a break sometimes. Gaming and reading and watching are all well and good, but I don’t want to completely stress for a month, especially since I dedicate at least two hours every day to applying for jobs, and I know if I do get one, this whole challenge gets nixed. But I wanted to make sure I had something that I could relax on, and this counts.
This also allows me to plan for the two episodes of 9-1-1 that will air during September, which I may or may not review (depends on how they structure episode one. If it’s like Season Three, I’ll just wait until the three episode arc is done. If not, I may go ahead and review it in a special Tuesday post. Maybe. Don’t hold me to it.)
Part Five: Creating
I should put “Content Creation”, but I have a pattern going, and I’m not ruining it, damn it.
Something I’ve been trying to do, to not a lot of success, is try to work more on content creation. I’ve been trying to tweet more, engage with people I’m following and who are following me on Twitter. I’m trying to post more on Instagram, both as pictures as well as in my stories. Twitch is something I’m coming back to (you’ll understand in a few minutes, I promise). And even now, I’m starting to use TicTok to making short videos of Lego gaming gags, as well as discuss TV and film creation, and how people make mistakes. And of course, there’s this blog, where I’m still trying to keep my three posts a week thing going (until October and December, because Blogtober and Blogmas will be happening again this year!).
So, I’m setting goals for the individual accounts. Ones that are actually possible to obtain. I want to try to post and engage at least three times a week on Instagram and TikTok, though posting on TikTok and reposting it to my story on Instagram doesn’t count. I want to keep up with posting three times a week here, with only one of the book reviews from this month counting as a weekly post. As for Twitch, I want to get back into streaming at night, as streaming during the day just isn’t possible with our internet. But I want to at least be consistent at some point.
Wrap It Up
That’s my five part challenge for this month. As for what inspired me to do this, it all comes down to one thing: sight. I can bring everything to sight, to seeing, to being able to use my eyes… and not really worry anymore.
I’ve posted about it on Instagram and Twitter, so I’ll just barebones it here. As I’ve mentioned before, I was diagnosed with iih (idiopathic intercranial hypertension) back in November 2017. On Monday, I went to get my eyes check for the first time in two years (due to the pandemic) and my optometrist took a photo of my optic nerve. It was fine, healthy, completely normal looking. The only way that would be possible is if the fluid in my skull was draining better. And it is. I no longer have to worry about iih (at least not every minute. It’s totally possible that in future, it could come back. But I’m bright sighting this, damn it.).
Because I have this new lease on my sight (and new glasses coming during the middle of the month), I’m taking September as a time to celebrate. And I hope you all are ready to be along for the ride on this one.
It’s taken 421 days. A bunch of unofficial announcements. A disappointing bait and switch during a weeklong press event. A twitter and tumblr takeover.
Yesterday, at 10:15 AM PST, Netflix finally officially announced the sequel.
I’ll be honest, I really wasn’t expected to hear anything until next month, as just yesterday Netflix announced a three hour fan event called Tudum. I’d assumed we’d hear something at that point. After all, The Old Guard was listed on the official list twice. And since Charlize Theron was in the teaser video as well, I had hope.
But I guess the Powers That Be finally heard us, and they teamed up with Deadline to officially announce the sequel… and something else.
So, within all the hype of the announcement, it took us fans a moment to notice something about the tweet. We have a new director. Seriously, I don’t think anyone actually noticed for like ten minutes.
Gina Prince-Bythewood has stepped aside to let someone else helm the sequel.
Now, I’m not pissed about this. Prince-Bythewood did such an amazing job with adapting the source material. She advocated for so much, including the van speech and also to give Nile her voice in the film. She pushed so hard every step of the way, including making sure that the post production team was more than 80% female, which is basically unheard of in Hollywood. It looks like there was a scheduling conflict that caused her to have to step back as director, though she still remains as a producer.
Victoria Mahoney has signed on to direct the sequel.
Up until yesterday, I only knew of her because of her making Star Wars history when she was handpicked by J.J. Abrams to direct the second unit on Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, making her the first woman to do so. She has directed episodes of some of the most popular and high profile shows on television, including Grey’s Anatomy and Lovecraft Country. But I’m okay with this. She seems to know her way around a camera, and how to direct for both the silver screen, and the small screen.
Prince-Bythewood seems to have been the one to handpick her replacement. Or, at least heavily recommend her.
And there’s this other thing. I’m not exactly worrying about this person taking over. A friend on Twitter happened to be looking back on some of her tweets (she’s friends with Ava DuVernay, so plus one) and discovered that she watched The Old Guard right after it premiered… and she got it. She got everything that the film was trying to say.
I think we’re in good hands.
On the flip side, we also got the news that the entire cast would be returning! I’m actually really excited about this. The cast has remained on friendly terms (at least from what we’ve seen from social media), and I’m hopeful that will continue.
The only real wonder any of us have right now is that we don’t exactly know when filming will start. The thing is, all of the cast is involved in multiple projects. Currently, production is scheduled to begin during the first quarter of 2022, which would make a realistic premier timeframe of winter 2022, or Spring 2023, depending on postproduction.
All in all, I’m very excited that finally, we have the confirmation from Netflix themselves that this is happening. And now the fans can cheer on the cast and crew every step of the way.
