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Who ya gonna call?
Aug. 10th, 2025 09:02 pm(no subject)
Aug. 10th, 2025 03:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
missizzyIt seems the number of things that are out of stock on the Giant website are on the increase. We managed to deal with it this weekend without my having to make another run to Wegmans, but that's likely only going to get worse with the tariffs coming in. (I think. We don't really order anything from Giant that isn't from the U.S., but I'm still not quite sure how those things work...)
With this weekend still being cooler than next week is going to be, I also made a run to the local small bookshop yesterday and finally got myself a copy of Tusk Love. I found it among the books recommended by the staff, complete with an assurance you don't have to have seen Critical Role to enjoy it. It still feels like this piece of defictionalization has escaped containment with how successful it's been.
I also played a lot of Sims 4 this weekend. I got Cassandra Goth married to Travis Scott, and the stress of real life weddings is certainly reflected in how difficult it can be to get a wedding ceremony to work remotely the way it's supposed to in that game. I left off today having successfully pulled off the ceremony activities, but there's no timer and it's not ending and I'm now thinking I'm going to have a real problem whenever I resume.
With this weekend still being cooler than next week is going to be, I also made a run to the local small bookshop yesterday and finally got myself a copy of Tusk Love. I found it among the books recommended by the staff, complete with an assurance you don't have to have seen Critical Role to enjoy it. It still feels like this piece of defictionalization has escaped containment with how successful it's been.
I also played a lot of Sims 4 this weekend. I got Cassandra Goth married to Travis Scott, and the stress of real life weddings is certainly reflected in how difficult it can be to get a wedding ceremony to work remotely the way it's supposed to in that game. I left off today having successfully pulled off the ceremony activities, but there's no timer and it's not ending and I'm now thinking I'm going to have a real problem whenever I resume.
Fannish Fifty 2025 #31 Superman
Aug. 4th, 2025 08:43 amelaynaThere will be spoilers for the new Superman movie. Trying to keep them overview-ish, but be warned.
I liked it! It was very enjoyable, lots of action, Superman seemed in actual peril on occasion, good casting, etc. Adorable dog. The really overt messaging of the good immigrant trying to help people versus an evil billionaire trying to destroy out of his own fear and entitlement was *chef's kiss*.
But I didn't adore it, and I've been thinking about this, as it takes me a while to work through my analysis/feelings. I was cautiously optimistic when I read James Gunn would direct. I really like Guardians 1 and 2, but not Guardians 3 or Suicide Squad. I thought he might do interesting things with Superman.
And indeed he does, but primarily with the universe, which is unique in that metahumans have been on Earth and known longer for 300 years. Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mr Terrific are all main characters. There's no origin story, the movie begins with Superman already known to the public for several years and in the midst of a fight, Clark established at the Daily Planet, etc. That's all announced at the beginning.
I really loved the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the first few seasons of Smallville, and mainly for the development and exploration of the relationships between Lois and Clark/Superman, or between Clark and Lex.
All the relationships are all established in the new movie, and not really much touched on. There's a big crisis and everyone is running around responding to it. Clark and Lois' big scene is them having a grumpy fight. Perry White and Jimmy Olson are there, Perry being boss-like and Jimmy excitable, like they do. There are two other people at the Daily Planet, I'm guessing one is Cat Grant and I don't know the other guy except he had some comic relief bits at an exciting moment so I assume I should know him.
I know Green Lantern only from the Ryan Reynolds movie, though this guy is mostly grumpy. Hawkgirl was in one of the superhero TV series, though very different IIRC. I don't know Mr. Terrific at all, except he has obviously computer related powers and is a helpful guy.
I couldn't help thinking it would be a great movie if one wanted to write in this universe, because there's so much that could be developed. All the back stories! All the first meetings! All the 'what happens after the movie' impacts!
But in terms of relationships within the movie.... I think about it, and I can't think of a single "You've got me? Who's got you?" line. Like... no moment that really shone for me, that I loved these characters interacting with each other, not like I loved them in Lois and Clark:TNAofS, or Smallville. It's all very fast and very exciting and there's so much that has gone on before the movie started and the audience just has to roll with it. You know these characters or you don't but here's all the people about to be killed! OMG!
The dog. I'd like to see more with the dog, who is adorable.
I will watch more. It was exciting! Just...I would have liked more emphasis on the relationships and really getting to know the characters. I didn't read the review in the local paper, but I saw the word 'cluttered' and yeah, I agree.
One last note: I was surprised what happened with the Hammer, I really expected that to be set up for a redemption arc in the next movie. Anyone else share my surprise?
I liked it! It was very enjoyable, lots of action, Superman seemed in actual peril on occasion, good casting, etc. Adorable dog. The really overt messaging of the good immigrant trying to help people versus an evil billionaire trying to destroy out of his own fear and entitlement was *chef's kiss*.
But I didn't adore it, and I've been thinking about this, as it takes me a while to work through my analysis/feelings. I was cautiously optimistic when I read James Gunn would direct. I really like Guardians 1 and 2, but not Guardians 3 or Suicide Squad. I thought he might do interesting things with Superman.
And indeed he does, but primarily with the universe, which is unique in that metahumans have been on Earth and known longer for 300 years. Green Lantern, Hawkgirl, and Mr Terrific are all main characters. There's no origin story, the movie begins with Superman already known to the public for several years and in the midst of a fight, Clark established at the Daily Planet, etc. That's all announced at the beginning.
I really loved the first two Christopher Reeve Superman movies, Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman, and the first few seasons of Smallville, and mainly for the development and exploration of the relationships between Lois and Clark/Superman, or between Clark and Lex.
All the relationships are all established in the new movie, and not really much touched on. There's a big crisis and everyone is running around responding to it. Clark and Lois' big scene is them having a grumpy fight. Perry White and Jimmy Olson are there, Perry being boss-like and Jimmy excitable, like they do. There are two other people at the Daily Planet, I'm guessing one is Cat Grant and I don't know the other guy except he had some comic relief bits at an exciting moment so I assume I should know him.
I know Green Lantern only from the Ryan Reynolds movie, though this guy is mostly grumpy. Hawkgirl was in one of the superhero TV series, though very different IIRC. I don't know Mr. Terrific at all, except he has obviously computer related powers and is a helpful guy.
I couldn't help thinking it would be a great movie if one wanted to write in this universe, because there's so much that could be developed. All the back stories! All the first meetings! All the 'what happens after the movie' impacts!
But in terms of relationships within the movie.... I think about it, and I can't think of a single "You've got me? Who's got you?" line. Like... no moment that really shone for me, that I loved these characters interacting with each other, not like I loved them in Lois and Clark:TNAofS, or Smallville. It's all very fast and very exciting and there's so much that has gone on before the movie started and the audience just has to roll with it. You know these characters or you don't but here's all the people about to be killed! OMG!
The dog. I'd like to see more with the dog, who is adorable.
I will watch more. It was exciting! Just...I would have liked more emphasis on the relationships and really getting to know the characters. I didn't read the review in the local paper, but I saw the word 'cluttered' and yeah, I agree.
One last note: I was surprised what happened with the Hammer, I really expected that to be set up for a redemption arc in the next movie. Anyone else share my surprise?
(no subject)
Aug. 3rd, 2025 04:28 pmmissizzyI think when I go to the movies from here on in will largely be determined by when the temperature outside is okay for a walk. Also when I end up needing to get something from the Wegman's nearby. Both were the case today, and so I went to see Fantastic Four. It was very much a standard Marvel movie, but it was a pretty well-done one, with a quartet of characters at the center with the kind of endearing family dynamic we all spent years wanting the Avengers to have, and Pedro Pascal carrying a significant part of it by the strength of his performance. I had also heard Michael Giachinno talk about scoring it a little in San Diego (the composers panel was in the Indigo Ballroom right before the Critical Role one), so I paid special attention to that, and it kind of carried it as well.
Unfortunately, I think seeing it on the Hoffman's so-called IMAX screen (not a real IMAX screen; it's just a bigger screen than usual) left me with headache. It's been throbbing on and off since the credits started rolling.
Unfortunately, I think seeing it on the Hoffman's so-called IMAX screen (not a real IMAX screen; it's just a bigger screen than usual) left me with headache. It's been throbbing on and off since the credits started rolling.
Woah
Aug. 2nd, 2025 08:00 pmmissizzySo, having learned about the existence of a Weird Kids playlist on Spotify earlier this week, I decided it was time I went back to my old hobby of recreating Critical Role's playlists on YouTube, for those that prefer to watch them there. I went through all the old ones and put back in all the songs that had been deleted and then put back on YouTube since last I checked for them, put together the new playlist as well, and then made a masterlist post on Tumblr linking to all of them. I finished in time to watch the backstage stream, but I admit by the time I went to dinner, I'd forgotten about the big announcement supposedly happening, until the Beacon notification popped up on my mobile devices. Although I ended up watching the announcement on YouTube, since of course Beacon was not loading at that moment...
I honestly didn't even think they were going to announce Campagin 4, let alone that they were going to do everything they did with it. I think we all figured that if there was a major change, it was going to be them switching to Daggerheart. But to do what they're doing instead, to have Brennan Lee Mulligan running the game, set in a completely different world, with other changes to the cast...this is more than a new campaign. This is them being a completely different show than what they've been.
And I don't think that's a bad thing. Watching the end of the campaign three, I think it must be admitted that things were getting a little stagnant, and weaker in many ways, even as the sheer scale of the ending would've made it hard to top if they'd tried another full campaign in Exandria. It might be better to leave that world to the side-shows and one-shots (and the animation) at least for a little while. Hopefully the quality and feeling of play around the table will remain intact, because that still remains their greatest strength. Also, by having Brennan Lee Mulligan with his unabashed leftism running things, in this day and age, that's also taking a position, and maybe one they need to take.
The backstage video got me really looking forward to seeing the one-shot as well. Though I'll have to wait until it hits Beacon for that.
I honestly didn't even think they were going to announce Campagin 4, let alone that they were going to do everything they did with it. I think we all figured that if there was a major change, it was going to be them switching to Daggerheart. But to do what they're doing instead, to have Brennan Lee Mulligan running the game, set in a completely different world, with other changes to the cast...this is more than a new campaign. This is them being a completely different show than what they've been.
And I don't think that's a bad thing. Watching the end of the campaign three, I think it must be admitted that things were getting a little stagnant, and weaker in many ways, even as the sheer scale of the ending would've made it hard to top if they'd tried another full campaign in Exandria. It might be better to leave that world to the side-shows and one-shots (and the animation) at least for a little while. Hopefully the quality and feeling of play around the table will remain intact, because that still remains their greatest strength. Also, by having Brennan Lee Mulligan with his unabashed leftism running things, in this day and age, that's also taking a position, and maybe one they need to take.
The backstage video got me really looking forward to seeing the one-shot as well. Though I'll have to wait until it hits Beacon for that.
(no subject)
Aug. 1st, 2025 06:17 pmmissizzyFinally posting the ficlet I wrote in San Diego, a direct followup to Fearunian Relationship Behavior, further dealing with the Gale finding out about Halsin's advances towards Sara.
( Getting Jealous )
( Getting Jealous )
MINI-UPDATE: News
Aug. 1st, 2025 04:25 pmduskpetersonSoon after I posted the last update, I tossed into my backpack a few items of clothing, my wifi phone (to use as an offline ereader), and my flip phone. No laptop; I knew I wouldn't have wifi access where I was going, nor much time. Then I rushed off to spend a few days with my sick relative.
I'm still here. The acute medical crisis morphed into a need for long-term care.
I've acquired Internet access again, as you can see. I hope to get my laptop back, later this month; when I do, I'll be able to resume posting online fiction. Ebooks will take a little longer, because my relative is still being flooded with medical care, which I'm coordinating.
The good news is that – for the first time in thirty years – I've established a daily writing schedule. I had vastly underestimated the benefits of paper and pen. So I'm continuing to produce stories, at a more rapid pace than in the recent past; it's just that the publication pipeline is clogged at the moment. Thank you all for your patience.