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glassprism · 4 years

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Since you're also in other fandoms, are there any ships/pairings you like? Who's your favourite pairing in POTO? Who are your favourite characters (from POTO to all your other fandoms) and why? Ooh, here's a rather unusual one: who's your favourite side character (name one for all your fandoms!) and why?

Yeah, definitely! Though whether some can be counted as actual “ships” is debatable, as you’ll see in a bit.

For Phantom, my favorite “ship” is the love triangle - E/C/R. Not in a polyamorous, threesome way, but one where I love the dynamics of the characters, the way they affect one another, the ways Erik and Raoul are similar and different. So it’s not quite a “ship” in a traditional sense where I want characters to end up with each other, but more in the sense that I like to explore and analyze them.

As for other “ships” or pairings, I’m just going to list, like, every fandom or random-ass thing I’ve ever loved in semi-chronological order (time to go back to my middle school fandoms!). Under the cut for length.

Harry Potter: Sirius Black and Harry Potter. I adored the godfather-godson bond between the two (absolutely no romance; I clicked on an mpreg fic of the two when I was but a wee lass of twelve and it scarred me): how Harry was the last living reminder of Sirius’s best friend, whose death he still feels responsible for; how Sirius is the parental figure Harry wanted, how they were never able to be happy god damn it Rowling. (You can imagine how much my eleven year old self cried when I read the fifth book. Oh boy, the tears.)

Star Wars: Vader and Luke. Again, totally familial, father-son relationship only. (Speaking of scarring experiences, I once stumbled on a romance fic between the two, where yes, both of them were still father and son, and I have that summary etched into my brain permanently.) The way Vader obsessively hunts down Luke, the first emotional connection he has had with a person in literal decades! The way Luke has just ached all his life for a father figure, to the point where he will take a homicidal Sith lord if that’s who he is! How he never gives up on trying to redeem him! How Luke is right. Loud screeching.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Will Turner and Bootstrap Bill and Will Turner and Henry Turner. More sad father-son dynamics (you may be noticing a pattern here). Repeat what I said with the Star Wars relationships, only with more pirates and less homicide. (And way more parental abandonment guilt.)

Halloween: Michael Myers and Laurie Strode, remake universe. Yet again, no romance, just a severely messed-up brother-sister relationship. I can’t begin to tell you why I like the horrific relationship between a serial killer and the little sister he was so obsessed with he ruined her life, completely traumatized her, and ended up leading to her death, but I do. Maybe it’s the dark obsession aspect of it, that in the midst of all his murders, there’s still one person Michael Myers longs to have a connection with, the baby sister who represented total innocence in his mind. Maybe it’s the “what could have been” aspect too, as Laurie never recognizes him or realizes their connection until it’s far too late. Maybe I need to re-examine my life choices. I’ll figure it out someday.

Bat Boy The Musical: Bat Boy/Shelley. Yes, this is a romance; yes, they are half-brother and half-sister, yes, you can get on me about this, but in my defense how about you watch the musical and NOT come out of it shipping these two against all your better instincts.

POTO: E/C/R, as stated above and for all those reasons. Oh, and you know what - The Phantom and Gustave from Love Never Dies. Can’t get away from those father-son ships. I actually care about that relationship than E/C or R/C in LND (maybe because both E/C and R/C suck in the sequel so what else am I going to latch onto).

Batman: Listed here, but my heart really lies with three ships. Jaytim is the first: it’s the whole “angry woobie destroyer of worlds who hates everyone meets seemingly well-adjusted and cheerful individual who is secretly hiding their own issues” dynamic. Bane/Talia from The Dark Knight Rises is the second. Doesn’t matter if it’s familial, friendship, protector and protectee, or romantic, I eat it up, and to be fair, it’s never explicitly stated what the relationship is in the movie. All we know is that the two grew up together in a hellhole prison, probably dependent on and solely trusting only one another, and that bond continues even after they leave, and not even death will make them leave one another. Finally, we have Jason Todd/therapy from the Arkham games. Because the poor guy needs it.

MCU: STEVE/BUCKY (aka Stucky). This ship (again, could be friendship or romantic) dominated my thoughts for four years. Steve’s fish-out-of-water status! Bucky’s horrific imprisonment under Hydra. The way the two find each other after and the angst. The fact that Steve refuses to kill Bucky and, even after seventy years, succeeds in breakthing through to him because their connection runs that deep. The fact that Marvel just ruined this relationship so now I have to rely on fanfic. Oh yes, and I also slowly fell into the Kastle ship (Frank Castle aka The Punisher and Karen Page). Another “hardened killer with sad backstory who connects to idealistic young woman with hidden darkness” dynamic.

Terminator: T-800 aka “Uncle Bob” and John Connor. Returning to sad father-son dynamics, I have this from Terminator 2. A robot learning emotions! A boy learning to take his place as a leader and all-loving hero. The bond they form, partially because the T-800 will do nothing else but protect John and partially because John has no father-figure of his own, so his robot bodyguard will do. THE ENDING.

ASOIAF/GOT: I actually have very few ships from here other than Arya/Gendry (and only when they’re older) and, weirdly, Theon/Sansa from the show. The Gendrya ship is just cute, it may well be the most wholesome ship on here, while Theonsa has shades of Stucky in it, I suppose, given that Theon has been tortured so badly he can barely remember his own name, until Sansa turns up and reminds him enough that he breaks out of it to help her.

Favorite characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: My favorite characters from here are probably more side characters, so I’ll just say Hermione Granger. Her focus on academics, fear of failure, and conviction that the library holds all the answers, felt all too reminiscent of myself.

Star Wars: Darth Vader, no contest whatsoever. Cool mask, cool cape, cool lightsaber, and the absolute worst life one can imagine.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Interestingly, Will Turner. Yeah, I guess Jack Sparrow is cool and Elizabeth is absolutely awesome to watch and has the greatest change in the series, but oh-so-serious Will, with his deep loyalties and slow slide into moral ambiguity because of those loyalties, fascinates me.

Halloween: Laurie Strode, all versions. My favorite final girl, my survivor of trauma (except in the remake, where, well, she doesn’t survive). Also, her daughter in the Thorn trilogy, Jamie Lloyd, the most tragic little girl to walk across a horror movie screen.

Bat Boy The Musical: Ah, wow, haven’t thought about this. I guess Bat Boy and Shelley, more by default than anything.

POTO: Christine Daae, no contest. Love her character, love her arc, love her songs, love her costumes.

Batman: Listed here.

MCU: Bucky Barnes (unless he counts as a side character), but I also love Steve Rogers, Natasha Romanoff, Karen Page, Elektra Natchios... and I’ll leave it at that.

Terminator: John Connor. (There’s a reason I haven’t watched Dark Fate yet... or ever.)

ASOIAF/GOT: Three of them! Daenerys Targaryen, who I love because she tries so hard to rule well, who is so observant and cognizant of the things going on around her. Then Sansa Stark, who makes such astounding growth, who retains her empathy and compassion throughout, who is capable of startling perception and insight which most others underestimate. And finally, Cersei Lannister. She’s terrible. I love her.

And favorite side characters from each of those:

Harry Potter: Sirius Black may well have been my first fictional crush. But Remus Lupin is the kind of person (and teacher) I aspire to be.

Batman: I swear, depending on the comic series or movie, everyone is a side character. I’ll just link to my old ask again.

Star Wars: Batman syndrome all over again; every character in Star Wars might be a side character elsewhere, and every side character gets to be the main character of their own comic, book, movie, etc. Erm... I really liked Rose from the sequel trilogy and Chirrut Imwe from Rogue One. I find Mara Jade from the Legends universe fun to read. WAIT I GOT IT - Queen Amidala’s handmaidens from Episode I (Sabe, Rabe, Eirtae, Yane, Sache). Highly trained in both politics, decorum, and weaponry, able to be utterly nondescript or the Queen’s decoy at the drop of a hat? I love.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Hmm... you know what, I thought Syrena the mermaid was pretty cute.

Halloween: Rachel Carruthers! Your typical girl-next-door but well done and with a touching relationship with her foster sister. I will die mad about her death in the fifth movie.

Bat Boy The Musical: Uh.... I’ll get back to you on this...

POTO: Carlotta is super fun.

MCU: Oh heck, Dottie Underwood. (My taste in female characters goes like this: a) intelligent and observant, 2) sweet and compassionate, 3) batsh*t insane. She’s the third.)

Terminator: Not sure how much of a side character she is, but Kate Connor. Wife and second-in-command to John Connor, able to heal wounds and kick butt depending on what the movie requires.

ASOIAF/GOT: I’ll probably think of someone else, but you know what? Queen Rhaenys Targaryen, younger sister and wife to Aegon the Conqueror, whom he wed out of desire. Playful, spirited, loved to fly, sponsored musicians, initiated reforms for the smallfolk, what’s not to love? (Apart from one possibility of her death... but we don’t talk about that.)

#Anonymous #GP gets asks

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ariesbilly · 4 years

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BITCH DAN SCOTT HAD THE GREATEST REDEMPTION ARC OF ALL TIME BECAUSE HE TRULY HIT ROCK BOTTOM FIRST. HE LOST EVERYBODY. TRYING KILLING HIMSELF IN A JAIL CELL. EVEN EVENTUALLY WHEN HE GETS CLOSE WITH JAMIE EVEN HE ENDS UP TURNING ON DAN ONCE HES TOLD ABOUT WHAT DAN DID. AND DAN HAS TO KEEP GOING THROUGH IT (idk what happened in seasons 7 and 8 i dont wanna know dont tell me) AND SEASON 9 IS ALL ABOUT HIM SAVING HIS SON AND HE DIES FOR THAT LIKE... BITCH THE TALENT. THE INTELLECTUALISM. WITH THE BROTHER HE MURDERED MEETING HIM IN THE AFTERLIFE AND FORGIVING HIM AND LIKE... UGH GOD WE STAN. THATS HOW YOU FUCKING DO IT BABY

THIS POST IS ALSO ME CRYING ABOUT THE FINAL SCENE OF SEASON 4 WITH EVERYONE AT THE RIVERCOURT JUST BEING KIDS AND HAVING FUN AND PARALLELING THE PILOT WITH NATHAN AND LUCAS’ GAME EXCEPT THIS TIME IT DOESNT MATTER WHO WINS AND THE FINAL SHOT FREEZING ON THEM REACHING FOR THE BASKETBALL AND THE GAMES JUST STARTING AND THEYVE COME SO FAR AS BROTHERS NEITHER OF THEM ARE THE KIDS WE MET THEM AS THERE IS SO MUCH GROWTH I AM SO PROUD OF BOTH OF THEM WHY IS THIS SHOW SO FUCKING GOOD I CANT STAND! IT !!!!!

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romanticsuspense · 5 years

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Outlander Season 4

Some Musings and a Plea to Stop the Hate

Way back in 2014, it seems like ages ago now, I kept seeing ads on goodreads for a new show, based on a series of books, called Outlander. Intrigued by the gorgeous promo art, I googled it to learn more. Lo and behold, the first episode was available to watch for free on Starz’ website! I watched ‘Sassenach,’ then immediately bought the book. I couldn’t wait for the rest of the show to premiere, I had to read the story now. By the time episode 8 aired, I had finished reading the first four books.

I may have been pulled into the Outlander-verse because of Jamie and Claire, but I have stayed for Roger and Brianna. At the time I read it, Drums of Autumn was the first book in a very long time that I found so engrossing I stayed up very late to read because I just could not put it down (one more chapter...). I had to know if Roger would find Brianna in the past. And after they fought and were separated, whether they’d ever get back to each other. I fell in love with Roger and Brianna in Drums of Autumn, as separate characters and as a couple. So, I’ve been patiently waiting for four years to finally see this book brought to life on screen. Now that Season 4 is over, I wanted to reflect on what I loved and didn’t love about this season.

“I don’t belong here,” I said softly. “Brianna, Roger … they don’t belong here. […] But we are here, all of us. And we’re here because I loved you, more than the life that was mine. Because I believed you loved me the same way.”—A Breath of Snow and Ashes

Drums of Autumn, the book on which this season was based, is really a turning point in the Outlander story. Gabaldon has always masterfully crossed the boundaries of genre, blending romance, historical fiction, and magical realism into all of her books. Outlander, Dragonfly in Amber, and Voyager were all epic adventure romances. Family Saga can be added to the list with Drums of Autumn. Jamie and Claire finally have a place to settle with their family. As Jamie and Claire get settled into their new life on Fraser’s Ridge, their family grows—Fergus, Marsali, Germain, Murtagh, Jocasta, Ian, Lizzie, and most importantly, Brianna and Roger. As Jamie and Claire’s family grows, the Outlander story expands to accommodate these new characters. Jamie and Claire are no longer alone. The people that they have surrounded themselves with need them. The story shifts focus from Jamie and Claire’s undying love for each other to Jamie and Claire doing everything in their power to protect and cherish the family around them. In Drums, there are no real threats to Jamie and Claire’s relationship. They’re solid. Instead, the story’s conflict revolves around their daughter, Brianna, and the man their daughter loves, Roger. Drums is Brianna and Roger’s crucible. They both endure terrible hardships and come out the other end surer of themselves and who they are at their very cores.

I loved Season 4 just as much, if not more, than Season 1. There are several episodes that I will re-watch over and over again, which is not something I could say about most episodes in Seasons 2-3. I loved, and would re-watch, ALL of the episodes in Season 4 except ‘America the Beautiful’ (too boring), ‘Do No Harm’ (too emotionally taxing) and ‘Common Ground’ (too boring). Once I got over my disappointments with ‘The False Bride’ and ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ (which I will get to in just a second), I was fully engrossed in this season and eagerly waiting for each new episode to be added on Saturday night.

So, I thought the show did a decent job of adapting Drums of Autumn for the screen. There were missteps and some odd writing choices along the way. But, in retrospect, I see why they made the changes they did and I understand the overall character arcs. That being said, I still want to discuss two of the biggest disappointments for me this season. These changes had the biggest negative impact on my own perception of the season. My view of the season as a whole, though, is very positive.

“…he thought perhaps it didn’t matter that they faced in opposite directions—so long as they faced each other.”

By far my greatest letdown of this season was how Roger and Brianna’s relationship was condensed and written, particularly in ‘The False Bride.’ We haven’t seen these characters since Episode 5 of Season 3, ‘Freedom and Whiskey’, which aired more than a year before ‘The False Bride.’

“Drums of Autumn, the novel that corresponds to this season, is the book where Roger and Brianna become main characters. It would make sense to tell their stories in a parallel manner to that of Claire and Jamie, echoing the back-and-forth from the 18th to the 20th centuries that made the first half of season 3 so memorable.” (Source: TV Kills Time)

If not a back-and-forth, then I think there should have been at least one more early episode in which they were heavily featured so that their relationship could develop in a believable way and the audience could become invested in them as a couple. I think ‘America the Beautiful’ was slow enough that they could have easily included Roger and Brianna, and doing so would have established that these two are major characters in Season 4. Or they could have been featured in ‘Do No Harm’ to give viewers a bit of a break from the heavy emotional stuff Jamie and Claire were going through in that episode. If I had done the story outline for their relationship this season my two early Roger and Brianna episodes would look like this...

Episode 1: Roger and Brianna awkwardly reconnect after the events of Season 3. They’re shy around each other at first, but by the end of the episode it’s obvious something serious is developing between them. They decide to give a long distance relationship a shot. (Possible book story to include: Roger and Brianna go to the Scottish Festival, Roger meets Joe Abernathy)

To indicate time has passed and they’re in a serious long-distance relationship—either at the end of Episode 1 or the beginning of Episode 2—there’s a montage of them picking each other up at the airport to visit each other, writing letters, and talking on the phone.

Episode 2: Since Roger visited Brianna in America in Episode 1 (and in ‘Freedom and Whiskey’—seriously, who shows up uninvited at Christmas?), Brianna needs to visit Roger in Scotland, so it doesn’t look so much like Roger is pursuing Brianna. By this point, they’ve established this is a serious relationship, so a proposal from Roger wouldn’t seem so ridiculous. Even though Brianna rejects his proposal, they part on good terms—Roger understanding that Brianna isn’t ready, and Brianna understanding that Roger is committed. (Possible book story to include: Brianna visits Roger at Christmas, hallway makeout session, romantic walk after Christmas Mass, proposal)

The fight at the end of ‘The False Bride’ was incredibly frustrating because I knew that they would be fighting again in ‘Wilmington,’ and the way the fight unfolded came across way too adversarial. I never interpreted Roger and Brianna as clashing in the books. I always thought of them as young, inexperienced, and prone to miscommunication because Roger is so forthcoming, while Brianna is very guarded. They should have ended ‘The False Bride’ on a more optimistic, hopeful note. Considering that Roger and Brianna both endure so much hardship in the second half of the season, did they really need to add fuel to that fire? No. Writing the fight the way they did had ramifications for the rest of the season—from their handfasting not being believable in ‘Wilmington,’ to viewers questioning why we should be rooting for them to be together, to people not caring about, or even hating, Roger.

I’ve written about my disappointments with regards to Roger and Roger and Brianna before, so I’m not going to rehash all that here. But, if you’re interested in reading more of my thoughts on the matter, check out this post and this thread.

All that being said, I genuinely loved the Roger and Brianna story line from the handfasting forward. I didn’t even mind how the fight was written at the end of ‘Wilmington.’ (He left because she told him to go people!) I just wish that ‘The False Bride’ had ended differently, so this corner of the Roger/Bree fandom was a bit larger.

“She had set out thinking only to find her father; she hadn’t realized that she might discover a whole new family in the process.”

My second biggest disappointment this season was the writer’s decision to cut Brianna at Lallybroch. I understand what the writers were intending in ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’—to draw parallels between Frank/Claire and Laoghaire/Jamie. I still believe this is a really weak connection to make, and not in the spirit of what Brianna is going through at this point in the book (transitioning from Randall to Fraser and bonding with her Scottish family). I loved all the Frank/Brianna flashbacks, I just thought they felt out of place in this episode. It would have been better to include all the Frank scenes in ‘Blood of my Blood’ and juxtapose Frank/Brianna with John/Willie. Frank and John raised Jamie’s children. That’s a motif worth exploring, and a much stronger parallel than Frank and Laoghaire. That way, Brianna’s already processed her complicated feelings about Frank by the time she arrives in Scotland, and she’s ready to meet Jamie. By the end of ‘Down the Rabbit Hole,’ viewers should have been excited and on the edge of their seats anticipating Jamie and Brianna’s eventual meeting. Instead, most viewers were confused about why we just watched an episode focused on Outlander’s two most polarizing characters: Laoghaire and Frank.

In my opinion, the Laoghaire drama just completely overshadowed the episode, and Roger’s scenes in particular. This is supposed to be a moment of growth for Roger, who is demonstrating great moral character by standing up to Stephen Bonnet and risking his own life to protect Morag and baby Jemmy. This episode could have changed viewers minds about Roger, but it didn’t. And I wish there had been at least one scene of Roger doing something, anything, more strenuous than hanging a lantern. Oh, and don’t even get me started on that fucking beanie. So, yeah, ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ was not my favorite episode, even though I thought I would love it because...Roger and Brianna!

If you’re interested in reading any more of my episode thoughts, here are some links:

Down the Rabbit Hole (Part 1, Part 2, Part 3); Wilmington; The Birds and the Bees; and Man of Worth.

So, I had my disappointments with the show this season. But far more disappointing than anything the show writers ever did was the critic’s and fan’s reactions to this season. I have never in my life read so much hate directed towards a TV show. Reading some of the vitriol online, you’d think the show was a complete garbage fire and everyone involved in its production moronic, selfish bastards who are conspiratorially creating a garbage show to troll fans. So I ask...

Is this show GOOD? And who decides if it’s GOOD, anyway?

Outlander has never been, nor will it ever be, the best show on TV. It has never been, nor will it ever be, a critically acclaimed masterpiece worthy of awards and accolades. Of course, the actors are amazing, the costumes are superb, and the set design can be well done, and it’s one of my personal favorite shows. But this is just not the type of show with mass appeal or the type of show to garner praise from critics (who aren’t necessarily fans) who are paid to analyze the show and determine if it’s “good.” What they deem “good” TV is not necessarily what I, or you, would deem “good” TV. It’s just too subjective. Anyway, the source material the show is adapted from is weird, meandering, melodramatic and sometimes boring. It’s inevitable that some of those qualities will seep into the TV show. I don’t enjoy every chapter of the books, and I don’t enjoy every episode of the TV show. I don’t expect to. And I don’t expect critics, especially critics who haven’t read the books, to enjoy the show, either. Just because someone writes reviews for the New York Times, doesn’t mean they are the ultimate authority on what’s good or worth watching. I have read much more thoughtful and meaningful analyses of the show here on Tumblr than on more well-known outlets, whether major news sites or fan-run sites like That’s Normal. Shout out to Connie at TV Kills Time, whose “Deep Thoughts” on Outlander are always perfectly balanced and eloquently written.

The show had a lot of buzz in its first season, Caitriona’s been nominated for Golden Globes, and I think the costumes have received or been nominated for awards as well. And that’s great. I love when a show I love gets recognition. But, I don’t think a critic, or an awards panel, can tell me what TV shows I should love. Plus, these critics are tasked with reviewing the show after every single episode, without the full context of the entire story arc of the season. I think this media culture of reviewing each episode of a TV show has changed how we watch television. Each episode is dissected and analyzed to pieces as if it’s a movie, with the expectation being that each episode stand alone as a terrific work of fiction with its own narrative arc. Which is nearly impossible to achieve with any show, but especially with a show like Outlander, because there are just so many characters and so much plot to cram into 13 distinct episodes. Don’t get me wrong. I want each episode to be good on its own. But, I also understand that the episode has to fit within the season as a whole. And I don’t expect each episode to thrill me and delight me.

Moving on to the fandom…

Why are you watching this show? Seriously, why?

The Frank hate that exploded in Season 1, particularly around ‘Both Sides Now’ was my first negative experience in the Outlander fandom. I still remember how shocked I was to read (in this post): “Frank was a low key asshole at first, but then just becomes a full blown prick further along in the series.” I had never read such harsh criticisms of a fictional character who wasn’t a villain. I had always viewed Frank as a pretty benign character and frankly (pun intended) I was confused. I thought, “People hate Frank? Why? He’s such a tragic character!” I quickly came to his defense in that thread. I hadn’t even read Drums of Autumn yet when I wrote that, but reading the post again, I still stand by everything I said. This was the first time I thought it might be better to enjoy this book series and TV show alone in my own little world. I decided to take a step back and stop reading other’s opinions on the internet. I kept watching the show, but stopped blogging about it. You won’t find much on my blog from Outlander Seasons 2 or 3. I was watching it, but I wasn’t super engaged in the show anymore. Two to three weeks would go by before I remembered that I had episodes of Outlander to catch up on. I got excited again when Roger and Brianna’s episodes premiered. But I had to take another step back when the Sophie Skelton hate started. I still considered myself a fan of the show, I just wasn’t part of the fandom, anymore.

Fast forward to August 2018. I hadn’t picked up an Outlander book since finishing The Fiery Cross in November 2015. That’s nearly three years! I decided to reread Drums of Autumn before Season 4. Even reading it a second time around, when I knew Brianna and Roger would be reunited, I couldn’t put it down. My fervor for Outlander was renewed. I was excited about Season 4.

Then ‘The False Bride’ aired and the Roger hate began. It hurt to hear a character, who I admire for his capacity to love deeply and determination to do what is right, being called an asshole, a historical douche (whatever that means?), a whiny butt, a misogynist, or abusive. So, as a kind of catharsis, I wrote about Roger. And I tried, as best I could, to filter out the hate, or sometimes even laugh at it. And, thankfully, by writing that post, I found lots of positive fans who love Roger and Brianna just as much as I do. And before I knew it, I was neck deep in the Outlander fandom again. And I was having fun.

But, after the all of the uproar about Roger in ‘The False Bride’ died down, then came ‘Down the Rabbit Hole’ and gasp! Jamie and Claire weren’t in the episode at all! Then Roger and Brianna got naked in ‘Wilmington’ and fans got in an uproar yet again. How dare they get a sex scene racier than anything Jamie and Claire have done all season! How dare they try to mirror Jamie and Claire’s wedding episode! How dare a grown man have body hair! And with every new episode, the complaints and hate just kept rolling in...Brianna doesn’t deserve Jamie as a father! Frank is the worst, why does Brianna even love him! Claire and Jamie don’t have any chemistry anymore! Roger deserved the beating he got from Jamie! The writers are destroying Jamie and Claire! Caitriona is phoning it in this season! Sophie Skelton is a terrible actress! Roger should go back through the stones or just die already! Jamie and Claire are no longer the heart of the show! Roger and Brianna are gross!

I still am just so baffled by how much hate is in this fandom. It shouldn’t come as a surprise by now, but it does. I understand not liking a character and I understand that everyone has their own personal favorite characters. But, why do I see more hate directed towards Frank Randall and Roger Mackenzie, than I do for Black Jack Randall and Stephen Bonnet? Why did I read more disgust about Roger and Brianna’s sex scene in ‘Wilmington’ than about Brianna getting raped? Why do Jamie & Claire fans feel the need to denigrate Roger & Brianna because they’re angry about how their favorite couple is being portrayed on screen? Why are these people even watching this show anymore?

I’m not saying your only two choices here are (1) love the show unconditionally and find no fault with it ever, or (2) stop watching the show altogether. (I just spent a good part of this post criticizing two of the show’s episodes.) I believe we can enjoy fiction and still acknowledge its flaws. I believe we can be critical without being hateful. And I believe we can express disappointment in how some characters are portrayed without tearing down other characters or tearing down fans who don’t hold the same opinion as you do. If you are disappointed, please write about it, if it helps you process your disappointment. But don’t just say “Roger is the worst and I hope he dies.” Tell me why you think that. Let’s talk about it. I like to debate story lines or character’s actions. But, it’s hard to have meaningful discourse (especially in the comments section) if you’re not willing to take the time to explain your side or you resort to ad hominem arguments.

I’m going to take a little segue here and talk a little bit about the last fandom that I was involved in. A few years ago, I became deeply obsessed with The Walking Dead. If you scroll through my archive here, I’m sure you would be able to pinpoint my TWD phase. TWD, like Outlander, is an adaptation—it’s based on a series of graphic novels. Like any adaption, the show writers make changes. Characters who are dead in the graphic novels are alive on the show or vice versa. Relationships that exist on the show, don’t exist in the graphic novels. Now, I never read the graphic novels, so these changes never bothered me. But, within the fandom, there was a lot of discontent around certain character deaths and relationships. And even though I tried to avoid spoilers, there were plenty of fans that were excited about upcoming story lines or new characters and would talk non-stop about what they hoped to see on the show in the future. During Season 6, there was a lot of hype within the fandom about a new villain coming: Negan. Negan is one of those ‘charming’ villains who talks a lot and people love him. They don’t love to hate him. They just love him. Negan finally made his appearance in the finale of Season 6. After hearing about the extremely violent deaths of two beloved characters at the hands of Negan, I could never bring myself to watch the episode. I was fed up with the toxic fandom (though TWD has nothing on the Outlander fandom), I was fed up with fans glorifying a villain, and I did not like the direction the show was going. So, I stopped watching. It felt hard at the time, to give up on a show that had previously brought me so much joy. But, when the show no longer brought me joy, I just stopped watching.

I tell you about my experience with TWD, because I just do not understand why some of you are still watching Outlander. I really, really don’t. If, after every episode, you can’t find even one nice thing to say about the story or the characters, then why are you still watching? If you’re so disappointed in the writers because you think they’ve annihilated or don’t get your favorite characters, then why are you still watching? If you think the actors don’t have chemistry anymore or are just plain terrible actors, then why are you still watching? If you’re fed up with the adaptive choices the writers are making, then why are you still watching? If the show no longer brings you joy, then why are you still watching?

I may not watch TWD anymore, but I still follow a bunch of TWD blogs so I can keep up with the story and my favorite characters (the ones who aren’t dead), but at a distance. And now that some time has passed, I actually think I may be ready to start watching the show again. So, even if you’re not ready to give up on Outlander entirely, maybe it’s best to at least consider taking a break. Stop watching…for a while. Let those of us who are enjoying the show, enjoy it without being inundated with negativity and hate.

Entitlement

“They need to include this”... “They can’t cut that”... “They better not mess this up” ... “We deserve to see this”... Reading assertions like these (I’m guilty of this as well, so I’m calling myself out here, too) brings to mind an interview I read this year with a woman who knew she would die of cancer at the age of 35:

“When we feel like we’re deprived of something we’re supposed to have, something we’ve decided we’re supposed to have because we think others have it, that’s when things tend to become “serious.” Life is too serious to take seriously. […] What makes us change is when something is taken away from us that we feel entitled to. Our bodies are rented. This day is rented. Nothing will stay. And if we live from a mindset of “I am entitled to this,” “I deserve this,” at some point we get stuck trying to hold onto something that is not ours, that is no longer there, and have to change.”

If you are still stuck in an entitlement mindset, I beg you to consider change. It’s not healthy to constantly be stewing in feelings of disappointment and anger over not getting what you want because you think you deserve it. It’s time to move into a new mindset. Here is a harsh truth: You cannot change the show. No matter how much you attack the producers, writers and actors on Twitter or how many malicious comments you leave on other people’s Tumblr posts. Calling Roger a “whiny butt” isn’t going to change anything. Coming onto someone else’s positive post about the show to burst their bubble isn’t going to change anything. Body shaming Richard Rankin for having chest hair isn’t going to change anything. But, what you are fully capable of doing is changing yourself. You can change your mindset. You can abandon the world of disappointment and entitlement and join me as I strive towards acceptance and gratitude.

If you find yourself saying “I need” or “I demand” rather than “I wish” or “I hope,” you’re heading in the wrong direction. We all hope that our favorite characters are written well. We all hope to see our favorite scenes from the book on screen. But we are not owed these things. The only thing we are entitled to, as human beings, is kindness. Be kind to yourself, and be kind to others.

Thank You

I want to thank everyone who started following me during this season of Outlander. I’m grateful to each and every one of you. You’ve made watching this season of Outlander even more joyful for me. I know my blog has been 99% Roger and Brianna these last couple of months. So, I feel like I have to warn you that my blog is not Outlander exclusive, and at some point during Droughtlander it’s likely I will get hooked on a new show and start posting a bunch of stuff not Outlander related (I’ve been itching to re-watch The Americans…). I hope you’ll continue to follow me, but if you don’t want to, that’s fine too! You do you.

I’m not sure how active I will be on Tumblr during Droughtlander. I still have a post on Rogergate coming, and I might be posting a few more edits. But, I’m taking the PE exam in the spring, and I need to buckle down and study for that and stop watching so much TV! As much as I loved being so involved in a fandom again, I think I need a little break. So, I might be taking a Tumblr hiatus, but I’m not sure for how long. We’ll see.

One of my ‘Reading Resolutions’ for this year was to write reviews for all of the books I read. I am currently reading A Breath of Snow and Ashes, and plan to get to An Echo in the Bone sometime this year as well. So, even if I’m not around Tumblr much this year, you can find me on goodreads—send me a friend request!

I love you guys! I wish you all a peaceful Droughtlander.

#outlander #outlander talk

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driftingglass · 7 years

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Top Ten Characters Meme Thingy-Ma-Jig.

I was tagged by @godspeedcomplex! Thanks bro! :)

Rules: Name ten of your favorite characters from ten different fandoms then tag other victims to do the same!

And I actually will only pick ten this time... unless they’re tied equally. That tends to happen a lot.

I’m so excited for this one. :D

And because this is about characters... I have to talk about each one, with at least one bullet point response for each (or paragraphs... who knows). Sorry that this may turn into one long-ass post, but... characterization is my jam.

Woo.

‘Kay. Here we go!

1. Killua Zoldyck (very closely followed by Gon Freecss...) from Hunter X Hunter.

Ah, goodness.

Killua Zoldyck belongs at the top of this list for numerous reasons, even though I struggle to place a number in order for these characters. Truthfully, the top... three or four or so on this list will be pretty much in order. As much as I adore Gon Freecss and his role in the anime, Killua is, by far, the most unexpected turnout of a character I have seen in this medium.

Killua’s storyline stems from a tragic yet morally ambiguous background, taking into account the many times we’re meant to feel sympathetic for a murderous little assassin child.

Aside from his marvelous design and relatively innocent appearance, this character is ultimately self-sacrificing in nature for the few (or two, really) people he truly cares for, most obviously Gon and Alluka.

Without going into a long tangent about the many reasons why this character has subverted many tropes and has created a well-deserved staple in the world of anime and manga, Killua stands out as a passionate, relatable and emotionally vulnerable character who never strikes me as unrealistic in his ambitions.

There’s an undeniable rawness to him, this sensational connection that few characters have created for me, coupled alongside my constant desire to learn more and more about his mind works and what his relationship to Gon parallels in the world we live in.

He’s also the character I’ve related to the most -- in personality, fears, flaws, and even family dynamics -- even more so than number two on this list...

2. Izuku Midoriya (very closely followed by Katsuki Bakugou...) from Boku no Hero Academia | My Hero Academia.

Similar to my reaction to Killua Zoldyck as a character, Izuku Midoriya is someone who I never believed I could actually enjoy as far as shōnen protagonists are concerned. This character’s flaws are very rare when considering the genre as a whole, but again, his self-sacrificing nature and total lack of self-preservation serve as fantastic parallels to not only his own story, but the lives of the people around him, especially that of All Might and Katsuki Bakugou.

Izuku is also an incredibly fine example of a young shōnen character with inspiring dreams and ambitions that never seems out of place on someone his age.

He feels realistic, and I relate to this character so much that it’s almost concerning. I love his design, his motivations, his personality, and his flaws. He is a very well-drawn character with a wonderful drive and incredible development, and most of all... he demonstrates fine ability to be what he wants to be outside of the realm of superpowers, which are so prevalent in the canon universe of the manga in which he stars.

I have not only an intense fondness and analytical love for this character, but admiration as well. Izuku’s dreams feel palpable, and I feel inspired whenever I watch him pursue his ambitions through hard work, determination, work ethic, and a rare dash of humility that is so rare to find in shōnen main protagonists.

A perfect example of a character who is masculine and strong while not fitting into the clean stereotypes that make others in the genre the way they are.

3. Zuko (very closely followed by Sokka and Iroh...) from Avatar: The Last Airbender.

There’s plenty of nostalgia connected to this one, aside from my immense amount of respect for the cartoon in general. Zuko is a character that changed the dynamic of cartoon antagonists/protagonists for many reasons, and his storyline is fantastically paralleled to Aang’s.

His storyline is one of my favorites I’ve seen in a cartoon/anime, and most likely because it was one of the first I had seen at the time. Becoming familiar with this character and exploring the complicated corners of his personality is an absolute treat, and over the course of the entire show we are able to become familiar with his story, his character, and the immense flaws and strengths that compose him as a whole.

And I guarantee that the term “redemption arc” mostly stems from this guy. As it should. (Unfortunately it’s led to far too many renditions and rehashings of this idea... *sigh.*)

It was honestly extremely difficult choosing between Zuko and Sokka, as my reasons for adoring both characters are completely different, but there’s something to be said about how difficult this was from the show itself.

Avatar’s characters explore incredible depth in most of their cast, with both antagonists and protagonists, and Zuko’s storyline is not one to be missed.

4. Severus Snape from the Harry Potter book series.

Ah, this character.

My reasons for this one are relatively simple, and are more related to the ingenious strategies J.K. Rowling incorporated into making this character believable, sympathetic (depending on the reader -- this opinion fluctuates quite often) and one of the most intriguing characters in the Harry Potter universe.

From the very beginning there’s an intensity to Snape that is unrivaled with others, littered with constant questions and wondering what his place in the overall story could be.

With each revelation I found myself continuously fascinated, and as far as I’m concerned, no one could have brought this character to life better than Alan Rickman in the film adaptations. His gravely voice, greasy black hair, intense emotional resonance matched with the subdued reactions expected of the character... I consider it to be legendary, and the best casting choice in the entire film series.

My admiration for Snape’s storyline is more based on the fact that these continued revelations are woven like a fucking quilt throughout the books, dancing with questions and nagging points that prompt the readers to furrow their brow and wonder where Rowling was going with this guy.

I will never forget the genuine shock and adoration I felt for this character’s depth and incredible complexity, even far past the sniveling, frigid exterior and morally ambiguous background.

5. Daenerys Targaryen (closely followed by Jamie and Tyrion Lannister, and Sansa Stark) from A Song of Ice and Fire / Game of Thrones.

Oh my god it was so fucking difficult picking my favorite Game of Thrones character. Jesus.

I actually didn’t think good old Mother of Dragons would make it to the top of my choices, considering my immense fondness for the characters closely following behind her. (And there are so many characters I admire and love from this universe, so those don’t even scratch the surface).

But, when it came down to deciding which one outranked the others, I had to take into consideration what made me fall in love with them to begin with.

Daenerys Targaryen has some of the greatest character development and growth that I’ve seen in any medium.

This is a rather bold statement. But, as far as growth and development, I found myself consistently fascinated with Daenerys’ storylines, especially in the first two to three seasons. She evolves from this meek, timid, spineless woman sold as a slave to a barbarian warlord, to an incredibly influential and flawed self-proclaimed queen, with a fascinating historical context that elevates her above others.

Daenerys has grown rather stagnant as far as development in the last season or so, which is what made me hesitate. However, my admiration for her, as the Breaker of Chains, or even the Khaleesi, stemmed from her bold, brave choices and ultimately well-meaning (yet naive) heart.

So while my feelings for her in general are mixed, my admiration and fascination with her development from the beginning of the series to now is just... unbelievable. To see it progress this far has been a treat, indeed.

6. Mrs. Brisby from The Secret of NIMH.

A bit more of a nostalgic trip here as well, but The Secret of NIMH is one of my all-time favorite films, and a beautiful encapsulation of dark fantasy, magical wonder, family dynamics, motherhood, and the strength in the small against something larger than life.

And Mrs. Brisby is a character that deserves a place amongst the best for many reasons, and many of her best qualities have to do with her bravery and determination to save her family from a cause that seems far too great.

She is admirable in her courage, relatable in her vulnerability and fear, and inspiring in the lengths she will go to save her little family.

I admired this character as a little girl, and still do this day as a young adult. With the hundreds of films and television shows I’ve seen (and on top of countless books), there are few characters who resemble the importance of motherhood as well as this one.

7. Roy Mustang (closely followed by Edward Elric and Wrath) from Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood.

Fuck. I broke my own rule.

Now, Roy and Riza have one of my favorite dynamics in anything I’ve ever had the pleasure to watch (I have never read the manga). Also, Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood is my second favorite anime of all time, so that made it even more difficult to pick a favorite. Many of the characters are complex and likable, but after some serious inner debate, I had to go for this.

Roy Mustang is a character who could easily display himself as a bit of a pretentious character, especially with his grounding by the hand of Riza Hawkeye.

His encounter with Lust is one of my favorites I’ve ever seen, and his backstory with that of Maes Hughes and Riza Hawkeye add so much to all three of their developments that it almost makes it impossible not to sympathize.

Roy’s anger is palpable in this series. Even more so, dare I say it, than Edward’s. As much as I adore Edward (and as fascinating as I find Wrath), and relate to him and just... love his story, there’s something about Roy that calls me back to those fateful moments where he struggles to grasp his need for revenge and the greater good of the situation surrounding him.

His consistent arc as a character, and his connection Maes Hughes, only adds to his development and his wonderful relationship with Riza Hawkeye. I also heavily appreciate his mentor role to Edward, and how easy it is to relate to him within everything else.

8. Hiccup Horrendous Haddock III from How to Train Your Dragon.

So, this film series in general is definitely DreamWorks’ magnum opus, and no one can convince me otherwise. The character development with Hiccup is not only relatable and endearing, but admirable as well. He stands out with his consistent decisions and changes, and his incredible attachment and relationship with Toothless is wonderful to observe.

On top of this, I find myself often comparing the character of Hiccup and Izuku Midoriya (which makes me think of an HTTYD AU and as much as I love that idea... gosh, I don’t have the time haha), due to their lacking roles in the society they’ve been born in and their incredible intelligence and awkward mannerisms. Also, they’re both freckled (hooray for my freckled faves)!

Anyway.

Hiccup’s tenacious attitude and courage is easily combined with his incredibly kind heart and trust in his companions. The development between him and Toothless is rooted in a friendship that we understand through vivid actions and understanding (and relating to) Hiccup’s personality and roles as the outcast/black sheep in his village of Berk.

I adore this character, and the series that has inspired him. Also, there’s something to be said about his ever-changing role in the movies, and I’m so incredibly excited to see where his character is taken with the third impending installment.

9. Raven from Teen Titans.

Yeah, okay, more nostalgia in this one. Raven is a character that I admired from the very first time I watched Teen Titans, and above all else, I found her backstory, personality, character development and superpowers to easily be the most interesting of the gang. The cartoon is charming and dark and mature when it needs to be (in most cases), and much of the relatable and occasional complex nature to the cartoon involves this character.

Raven’s powers and her empathetic connection to the world around her is an idea that fascinates me each and every day.

Even with original novels I’ve planned out and magic systems I’ve created, a great deal of my protagonists (usually cycled through on multiple drafts) have been subconsciously inspired by this ability and this general connection to the surrounding world.

I had no idea how much Raven herself inspired me as a writer and creator until I considered my inspiration for the female characters I normally admire in these mediums. Her flaws are understandable while, at times, both irritating and relatable. Her design is far less stereotypically “pretty” when compared to, say, Starfire. There’s an element to her that screams authenticity when compared to the other Titans that I always found myself drawn to the most.

She deserves the popular following she has, both in the comics (from what I understand) and in this beloved cartoon.

10. Chihiro from Spirited Away.

Ah, this film. Goodness.

There’s something brilliant about Chihiro and her character in general, but my reasons for liking her so much are mostly derived from the experience that I get to have as the viewer into the world of Spirited Away. This film is... a masterpiece, in every sense of the word, crafted by the ingenious hand of Hayao Miyazaki. And this man truly knows his characters, and is one of the greatest crafters of strong female protagonists I have ever seen.

Chihiro is young, and acts young. She is scared, and acts scared. She sobs, and wails, and trembles, and reacts as any little girl in her dire situation would.

But, she is believable in her bouts of courage, in her desire to achieve her goal and her willingness to break out of the shell she’s been granted to mature past her years. Her journey in the film rides on her shoulders, exposing her kind, giving heart as well as her unabashed bravery, which makes her easy to relate to and cheer for until long after the film’s credits stop rolling.

She is a character who is so human, so enticing, and so accurate of female representation that I find myself wondering time and time again why I haven’t reviewed the film she’s in yet.

Chihiro is one of the more complex female protagonists I watched as a little girl, and I admire her journey and personality to this day as a staple in anime.

Woo. Well, that was a wild ride. Thanks for reading!

I’m going to tag... @decembercamiecherries, @tonerukun, @killushawn, @soulestring, @diggitydamnsebastianstan, and... whoever else wants to! Go for it! And I tagged these people because they were the first ones to pop in mind, so... yeah. You guys don’t have to do it. XD

Until next time!

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cover2covermom · 4 years

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Goodbye July & hello August!

I don’t know about you all, but I am ready for 2020 to be over. Am I right?

Let’s see what I read & blogged in July…

The last time I gave you all a personal update, I mentioned that we were sending our children back to school in-person…. The lie detector determined that was a lie.

As the deadline loomed over my head, we decided to select the online schooling option for our children for the first semester of school this year. We decided that the in-person schooling option was just going to be too unpredictable, thus decided on online schooling for consistency. Since I work in a library, I am not able to work from home. I needed my children to have a set schedule, so that I could adjust my work schedule around their schedule.

This decision was one of the hardest decisions I’ve made. I think every parent needs to make the decision that is best for them & their own family situation.

» The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

The City We Became is an urban fantasy that felt like an ode to New York City. While this was definitely a unique concept, this story did not grip me in the same way Jemisin’s Broken Earth series did.

» Call Down the Hawk (Dreamer Trilogy #1) by Maggie Stiefvater

LOVED this spin off of The Raven Cycle. I love Ronan so much! I listened to the audiobook (like I did with The Raven Cycle) because Will Patton’s voice suits Stiefvater’s atmospheric writing perfectly.

» Winkby Rob Harrell

Wink is a MG novel inspired by the author’s own battle with cancer. I would recommend this one to fans of Wonder by R.J. Palacio.

» Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes

A book about police brutality geared for the middle grade audience. I would recommend this book to parents looking to open a dialogue about racism & police brutality with their middle grade aged kids.

» The Bridge Home by Padma Venkatraman

Set in India, The Bridge Home is an heartbreaking tale of two sisters who ran away from an abusive home. This book punched me in the feels.

» Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

This was a steamy & highly entertaining new adult M/M romance. I’d recommend this book to fans of The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue.

» Queenie by Candice Carty-Williams

While I wasn’t feeling this book at first, I really appreciated it by the end. I enjoyed watching Queenie’s growth over the course of this book. I’d recommend this books to fans of Normal People by Sally Rooney as they have similar tones.

» The Girl Who Drank the Moonby Kelly Barnhill

*4.5 Stars*

This was a reread for me. I enjoyed this just as much as the first time I read it. My criticism still stands that the climax of the story is rushed.

» My Lady Jane (The Lady Janies #1) by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, & Jodi Meadows

My Lady Jane is a historical retelling with a fantastical flare. I found this book to be highly entertaining.

» Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld

This was just an okay read for me. I loved that this was a re-imagining of Hilary Clinton’s life, and I enjoyed watching her climb the political ladder. Unfortunately, it was slow paced, boring at parts, and was just WAY too long.

» Me and White Supremacy: Combat Racism, Change the World, and Become a Good Ancestorby Layla F. Saad

The second book off my anti-racist TBR. This book is excellent for self reflection since it is set up as a 28 day challenge with reflection questions at the end of each chapter.

» The Last Council (Amulet #4) by Kazu Kibuishi

Another wonderful installment to the Amulet series.

» Blended by Sharon M. Draper

This was a wonderful MG contemporary that dives into the complexities of blended families & racial issues.

Goodreads Challenge Update: 84 books in 2020

Saturday 7/10

June 2020 Reading & Blogging Wrap-Up + Book Haul

Monday 7/13

Teen Librarian Archives: May & June 2020 *Being a Librarian During COVID-19*

Wednesday 7/15

Mini Book Reviews: July 2020 – Part 1

Tuesday 7/21

Mini Book Reviews: July 2020 – Part 2

Wednesday 7/22

Favorite Books of 2020 (January – June)

Tuesday 7/28

Mini Book Reviews: July 2020 – Part 3

NetGalley ARC eBooks:

» The Burning God (The Poppy War #3) by R.F. Kuang

Genre: Adult Fantasy

Release Date: November 19, 2020

The exciting end to The Poppy War trilogy, R. F. Kuang’s acclaimed, award-winning epic fantasy that combines the history of twentieth-century China with a gripping world of gods and monsters, to devastating, enthralling effect.

After saving her nation of Nikan from foreign invaders and battling the evil Empress Su Daji in a brutal civil war, Fang Runin was betrayed by allies and left for dead.

Despite her losses, Rin hasn’t given up on those for whom she has sacrificed so much—the people of the southern provinces and especially Tikany, the village that is her home. Returning to her roots, Rin meets difficult challenges—and unexpected opportunities. While her new allies in the Southern Coalition leadership are sly and untrustworthy, Rin quickly realizes that the real power in Nikan lies with the millions of common people who thirst for vengeance and revere her as a goddess of salvation.

Backed by the masses and her Southern Army, Rin will use every weapon to defeat the Dragon Republic, the colonizing Hesperians, and all who threaten the shamanic arts and their practitioners. As her power and influence grows, though, will she be strong enough to resist the Phoenix’s intoxicating voice urging her to burn the world and everything in it?

This is one of my most anticipated books of 2020, so I am beyond thrilled that I was approved for this ARC!!

Physical Books:

» On the Come Up by Angie Thomas

Sixteen-year-old Bri wants to be one of the greatest rappers of all time. Or at least make it out of her neighborhood one day. As the daughter of an underground rap legend who died before he hit big, Bri’s got big shoes to fill. But now that her mom has unexpectedly lost her job, food banks and shutoff notices are as much a part of Bri’s life as beats and rhymes. With bills piling up and homelessness staring her family down, Bri no longer just wants to make it—she has to make it.

On the Come Up is Angie Thomas’s homage to hip-hop, the art that sparked her passion for storytelling and continues to inspire her to this day. It is the story of fighting for your dreams, even as the odds are stacked against you; of the struggle to become who you are and not who everyone expects you to be; and of the desperate realities of poor and working-class black families.

» Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai

In the final days of the Việt Nam War, Hằng takes her little brother, Linh, to the airport, determined to find a way to safety in America. In a split second, Linh is ripped from her arms—and Hằng is left behind in the war-torn country.

Six years later, Hằng has made the brutal journey from Việt Nam and is now in Texas as a refugee. She doesn’t know how she will find the little brother who was taken from her until she meets LeeRoy, a city boy with big rodeo dreams, who decides to help her.

Hằng is overjoyed when she reunites with Linh. But when she realizes he doesn’t remember her, their family, or Việt Nam, her heart is crushed. Though the distance between them feels greater than ever, Hằng has come so far that she will do anything to bridge the gap.

» A Kind of Paradise by Amy Rebecca Tan

Amy Rebecca Tan’s debut novel is a heartwarming middle grade coming-of-age story about the power of community, the power of the library, and the power of forgiveness.

Jamie Bunn made a mistake at the end of the school year. A big one. And every kid in her middle school knows all about it. Now she has to spend her summer vacation volunteering at the local library—as punishment. It may be boring, but at least she’ll be able to hide from mean girl Trina, who’s always had it out for her, and beautiful Trey, the boy at the root of her big mistake.

Or so she thinks.

Not only does her job bring her face-to-face with both her mortal enemy and her ultimate crush, Jamie also encounters a territorial patron, an elderly movie fanatic, a super-tall painter who loves to bake, and a homeless dog. Over the course of the summer, as Jamie gets to know the library and the people in it, she finds—and gives—help where she least expects it.

And she just might find herself along the way.

» The Boy in the Black Suit by Jason Reynolds

Just when seventeen-year-old Matt thinks he can’t handle one more piece of terrible news, he meets a girl who’s dealt with a lot more—and who just might be able to clue him in on how to rise up when life keeps knocking him down—in this wry, gritty novel from the author of When I Was the Greatest.

Matt wears a black suit every day. No, not because his mom died—although she did, and it sucks. But he wears the suit for his gig at the local funeral home, which pays way better than the Cluck Bucket, and he needs the income since his dad can’t handle the bills (or anything, really) on his own. So while Dad’s snagging bottles of whiskey, Matt’s snagging fifteen bucks an hour. Not bad. But everything else? Not good. Then Matt meets Lovey. She’s got a crazy name, and she’s been through more crazy than he can imagine. Yet Lovey never cries. She’s tough. Really tough. Tough in the way Matt wishes he could be. Which is maybe why he’s drawn to her, and definitely why he can’t seem to shake her. Because there’s nothing more hopeful than finding a person who understands your loneliness—and who can maybe even help take it away.

Which books did you read this month?

Have you read any of the books I read or hauled this month? If so, what did you think?

Did you buy any books? If so, which ones?

Comment below & let me know 🙂

July 2020 Reading & Blogging Wrap Up + Book Haul #BookBlogger #Bookworm #Bibliophile #WrapUp #BookTalk Goodbye July & hello August! I don't know about you all, but I am ready for 2020 to be over.

#Bibliophile #book blog #book blogger #Book Chat #Book Haul #Book Nerd #Book Talk #Book Worm #Bookish #Books #Bookworm #Reading #Wrap Up

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briangroth27 · 6 years

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Marvel’s Inhumans Season 1 Review

I didn’t find much to love in Marvel’s latest TV series: I’ve never been a huge Inhumans fan and this did little to change my mind. The show felt prohibitively small-scale, the character arcs were messy even in an eight-episode season, and they took the bizarre position of making the supposed heroes the heads of an oppressive caste system. It seems like budgetary restraints put a cap on power usage, but I feel like we see more action on episodes of Agents of SHIELD than we did on this show. There were many opportunities to go bigger, weirder, and much more interesting in all areas of the series, from design to superpowers to character arcs, but more often than not they chose to play it safe and conventional.

From costumes to sets, the production values for the Inhumans’ hidden moon base Attilan looked far too mundane and ordinary, like you could find them in any location on Earth. Their design choices and way of life didn’t reflect a people that had been separated from humanity for such a long time. Shouldn’t they have wholly disparate customs and outlooks; shouldn’t they essentially be aliens to us at this point? The terrigenesis ceremony, which gives the Inhumans their powers, was the one cultural touchstone that felt like it separated them from any other Earth culture. Attilan should’ve been home to as many strange and wondrous Marvel Easter Eggs as possible—this was their first chance to truly dig into the weirdness of the MCU on TV—but we got none. While Hawai’i was shot well, the rest of the Earth locations didn't really pop either. The set for what was supposed to be a high-tech space agency was an empty warehouse with a big-screen monitor and some desks arranged in front of it.

The characters didn’t fare much better and for the most part, their sojourns in Hawai’i did little to endear them to me. While it was great to have a lead who couldn’t speak and instead used sign language (or a version of it, anyway; like I saw in reviews at the AV Club, there’s no reason for them to speak English but not use ASL), Black Bolt (Anson Mount) wasn’t given many opportunities to do more than glower. When he did get to briefly explore other emotions, like comedic reactions to humans or romance with Medusa (Serinda Swan), Mount was believable, but overall Blackagar Boltagon felt pretty grim the whole time. I didn’t buy the angst of his character: a scene where he accidentally vaporized his parents with his super-destructive voice was so nonchalant it appeared comedic, not tragic. Additionally, Black Bolt did not appear to be a ruler charismatic enough to uphold the oppression the royal family continued forcing on the people of Attilan. His leadership choices didn’t make much sense either: learning of the spread of Inhumans on Earth (as seen on Agents of SHIELD), he secretly sends Triton (Mike Moh) to recover them, complete with a secret rendezvous location in case things go bad. Why wouldn’t he tell Medusa and his master strategist Karnak (Ken Leung)? We’re never given a hint that he distrusts them and it’s clear neither would betray him. How did he send Triton, when the show makes no effort to give Black Bolt the means to communicate without Medusa interpreting for him (the Inhumans have wrist communicators, but the devices don’t have video screens or text readouts) and only Medusa and Maximus (Iwan Rheon) know how to understand his sign language? We’re also told he has a secret bunker that no one else knows about, fully stocked for several lifetimes. What if Black Bolt had been killed in a sneak attack from their “greatest enemy?” Medusa and the rest of his family would’ve never known where they could seek shelter. Keeping secrets like these made no sense and only served to manufacture cheap drama when the other characters found out and (rightly) called him on his bizarre choices. I did like that Black Bolt always maintained his self-control about using his powers, making him a clever foil to Maximus’ obsession with getting abilities, but that wasn’t played with as much as it could’ve been. Finally unleashing his voice to give Maximus the other thing he wanted—to be king of Attilan—was fitting, but I didn’t feel anything from their struggle since they spent so much screentime apart.

Karnak was introduced as an abusive and borderline psychotic womanizer—telling a servant (Jenna Bleu Forti, I believe) that within two days of dating he’d hate her so much he’d want to kill her because he could see her flaws—and his brief fling with a human (Jen, Jamie Grey Hyder) while his powers were on the fritz did nothing to convince me he’d changed. I’ve liked Leung in other roles, but making Karnak likable was a truly uphill battle. That he hit his head and messed up his powers of seeing the flaw in everything because he calmly stepped on a loose rock and fell off a cliff was absurd. Immediately abandoning his quest to find Black Bolt once his powers glitched—not to find out how to fix them, but because he felt useless—made me wonder why he was ever seen as reliable among the royal family. His truly random time on a pot farm was extraneous to the plot (especially once violence was involved), and his self-doubt momentarily changed into completely embracing a carefree lifestyle far too fast, but at least his fling attempted to provoke some character growth by getting him to not look for flaws so much. However, his inability to see them at that point deflates that growth a bit for me. Once he reunited with his family, their biggest reaction to the changes he’d supposedly gone through is that he acts without being absolutely sure now, not that he’s grown as a person or anything. He does defy royal decrees and tradition by putting Gorgon (Eme Ikwuakor) through terrigenesis a second time to resurrect him, but Black Bolt and Medusa scolding him felt half-hearted, so it didn’t seem like that big a breach in protocol. While his dedication to his friend was admirable, he was so abrasive in the beginning that I still didn’t find him likable at the end of his arc.

Questions of competency further arose around Gorgon, who seemed to be the worst head of a royal guard ever. This is a guy who, knowing they have to remain hidden, intentionally crushed exploratory rovers, stole the flag Neil Armstrong planted on the moon for fun, and told a bunch of Earth strangers about their secret moon city right after meeting them. I don’t know if it’s because he never had to actually police anything in Attilan, but he wasn’t written like someone who’d be in charge of security; he was written like a bumbling fool Karnak had to put up with. I get the buddy cop pairing they were going for—Gorgon was the fun impulsive contrast to Karnak’s obsessive planner—but too often Gorgon came off as dumb and Karnak as cruel for me to buy into their friendship very much. Don’t get me wrong; a fun-loving, jovial head of security would be a refreshing change from the standard gruff characterization—Ikwualkor seemed more than up to that task—and it would’ve been fine if Gorgon hadn’t seemed so irresponsible as well. His only response to Karnak telling the servant he’d want to kill her was “You’re your own worst enemy,” which either implies these kinds of comments are so common that he’s decided they can be laughed off or that Gorgon sees Karnak’s sex life as more important than the actual lives of the servants (“say nothing about wanting to kill them—even if you’re thinking it—and they’d sleep with you” was my interpretation of his reaction), or both. Resurrecting him as a somewhat confused “zombie” after a heroic sacrifice (possibly the only truly guard-like thing he did beyond training people to fight in flashbacks) in the later episodes didn’t help matters either. They had a chance to make him see that the royal family’s way of doing things was wrong when a group of Hawai’ian freedom fighters told him about Hawai’i’s history, wherein America forced Hawai’i to give up its monarchy—as if all monarchs are good regardless of who they are—but the writing didn’t let Gorgon realize that Maximus didn’t parallel the imperialistic Americans, Black Bolt and co. did. I found it odd that Gorgon would take these random humans’ advice about strategy for fighting Maximus (staying on Earth to make himself bait so Maximus would bring the fight to him) instead of coming up with one himself. He did have a good idea when he suggested Karnak bluff about still having his power, though, and he did show a little responsibility in eventually telling his freedom fighter pals to back off for their safety; I just wish he’d shown more of this kind of behavior. It seemed like they were afraid to extensively show his hooves, as he wore special boots that made his feet look normal in every action sequence. Triton (Mike Moh) was wasted—maybe the heavy makeup required to bring the character to life prevented them from using him much—and there was no reason for Black Bolt to keep his mission a secret except to create a later moment of internal drama. He did have pretty cool fight scenes at the end of the season, though.

Medusa fared the best by far on the show, and was the one character I was invested in. Even though they cut off her prehensile hair in the first episode—for budgetary/effects reasons, I suppose; for the record, I didn’t think the CGI hair looked bad—robbing her of her trademark powers, her arc was the best-written and acted. At first I thought she was a little too stoic, but Swan did great once Medusa was banished to Hawai’i; her reactions to the loss of her hair—effectively several limbs—were haunting and powerful. I wish we’d gotten more time to see just how intrinsic Medusa’s hair was to her everyday life so we could see how big an impact losing it had on everyday actions (how often does she use her hair when the rest of us would use our hands, for example?) or her fighting style (I did like what little we got to see of her using her hair offensively), but Swan absolutely sold her loss. I liked that her displacement revealed her as a tough fighter (and clever strategist, correctly guessing that Crystal (Isabelle Cornish) was being used to track the royals’ locations) rather than crushing her, though as I’ve seen pointed out elsewhere, a bigger reaction to seeing Maximus again in the end would’ve been appropriate. They could’ve even included the twist the comics did, where she could still control her hair to attack him even after having it cut off. I did like that she destroyed his last chance to get powers by smashing the terrigen crystal just like he stole hers, though. And she got to deliver perhaps the series’ coolest line to Maximus, “Black Bolt wants to have words with you.” Her drive to save her husband—her second call to Black Bolt on their communication devices after arriving on Earth was a great expression of their love—and reunite her family provided the urgency and stakes to the show. While Black Bolt got arrested or captured a lot early on (elaborating on Maximus’ connections on Earth) and everyone else was stuck in subplots that went nowhere and added very little to their character development (mostly they just gained an appreciation for humans, though Karnak and Gorgon once tried thinking like each other to solve problems), Medusa’s arc fit squarely into the narrative and drove most of the action. While she was abrasive when she got to Earth, her burgeoning friendship with Louise (Ellen Woglom) was well-constructed to spark her character development and it’s the one human relationship that felt real and natural. While I would've liked Medusa to spend a little more time dealing with how her rule affected her citizens, taking responsibility for the royal family’s misdeeds and acknowledging that Maximus had the right idea (just like her parents) was a good start, though we probably should’ve seen more of a reckoning for the royals in terms of public reaction to them. I also liked her getting fed up with just being Black Bolt’s interpreter and his lies in general, so I’d be very interested to see what she does with an equal share of the responsibility of ruling. Will she balance her parents’ teachings with the way Black Bolt has been leading, or will she do something entirely different? I would also watch a second season of Medusa and Lockjaw travelling the world to rescue scared and persecuted Inhumans. Medusa and Lockjaw recurring on a Ms. Marvel series, with Medusa teaching Kamala how to be an Inhuman and Kamala teaching her how to respect non-royals and humans, would be welcome too.

Medusa’s sister Crystal had the potential to go in an interesting direction, but they settled for a flimsy romance instead. Maximus seemed to nearly convince her that he was right about the horrible conditions of Inhuman society in Attilan—particularly since her parents had fought against the royalty—and it almost seemed like she might agree. Instead, she escaped Attilan the first chance she got and fell in love with the first human (Chad James Buchanan) she met, who also rammed Lockjaw with his four-wheeler. True it was an accident and he got her dog help, but he also convinced Crystal to go swimming instead of looking for her family in the middle of a coup. From what we saw of Crystal in Attilan, at no point did she need to relax more; even after the coup, Maximus let her hang out in her room. I’m not against romance in superhero stories at all—the soap opera aspect is a core component, dating all the way back to Superman and Lois’ triangle for two—but this wasn’t the time and it paled in comparison to the promise of Crystal more directly interacting with Maximus’ plot. I would have absolutely been on board with her siding with Maximus for the right reasons (minus the overtones of a forced marriage); that would’ve been far more complex and engaging than continuing to draw her as the sheltered princess they did. It also would’ve put her at odds with the rest of her family and built on the backstory of Black Bolt’s parents (Michael Buie, Tanya Clarke) putting hers to death for dissenting against the monarchy. Instead, she got a bland flirtation and her entire role in the final battle against Maximus was to ask a wall (Moses Goods) to teleport everyone to Earth, and she didn’t even have to convince Eldrac to help. Lockjaw was a delight, but he didn’t get to do anything but act as a transporter for everyone else. As I’ve seen pointed out elsewhere, I really wish we’d seen them build their relationship more.

Maximus had all the right motivations—he legitimately had a good argument about the Inhuman caste system throwing people with undesirable or no powers into literal mines (despite the fact that surely powers like Gorgon, Crystal, Karnak, Black Bolt and even Medusa had would make mining easier…no argument that limited resources necessitated the caste system holds up when all the powers useful for labor are wasted on an upper class that does nothing) while those with admirable or beautiful powers were prized—but he was trapped in Attilan without anyone to spar with beyond underlings (another reason Crystal agreeing with him but truly fighting for the greater good would’ve been the better arc). If he wanted an exodus to Earth to ease overpopulation on the moon so badly, why didn’t he just start moving people there as soon as he was in control? Using Eldrac would’ve allowed him to take his people anywhere and the royal family wouldn’t have known or been able to do anything about it. They should’ve been able to hold whatever territory they took or, more intelligently, couldn’t they replicate their camouflaging tech on Earth? Establishing a temporary, invisible home base on Earth where they could collect the newly emerging Inhumans would’ve been better than staying on the moon. Surely fulfilling his promises and leading his people into the future would’ve gone over much better than murdering anyone who opposed him, even with spinning the Genetic Council as the keepers of oppression. It would’ve been a great and complex twist if, in addition to wanting powers, he actually was a good king. When it came to his selfish impulses, he came off as another Loki scheming for power, and while I’ve seen the suggestion that an Inhumans show with multiple “houses” could’ve been the superhero Game of Thrones, that’s much harder to do when there’s only one house. The reveal that Maximus had been communicating with people on Earth and was in command of the soldiers who “killed” Triton was a genuine surprise to me, and I wish there had been more examples of his Machiavellian schemes. On the other hand, forging his parents’ signature on a decree to have Black Bolt lobotomized—inadvertently leading to Black Bolt killing them—had no effect on me; it just seemed so haphazard and random, like it was tacked on to give Black Bolt additional reason to hate Maximus. Having Maximus send out soldiers to attack the royal family got old (though at least they used super powers), and perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed so perfunctory if the royals hadn’t all had their powers undermined right off the bat. Maximus and his loyalists would’ve had to be that much more cunning and powerful if they were dealing with a royal family that had functioning superpowers instead of a scattered array of lost souls, which would’ve made for a more exciting series instead of watching drug dealers try to kill Karnak and random freedom fighters team up with Gorgon. I wish they could’ve given him his second terrigenesis to push him further into madness. I also wish we’d seen his friendship with Medusa—in flashbacks or in the present—since it was apparently so important to him; that would’ve added an understanding of how much he was either hurt by her cutting him off or how much he was willing to sacrifice to be someone important.

The series’ biggest problem was crafting the royal family as willing perpetrators of the caste system in Attilan. I’ll give the show credit for taking the hard path and making them knowingly complicit instead of just having Maximus convince the populace that truly benevolent and fair rulers were corrupt simply because it was a monarchy, but the writing didn’t do the best job of having any of the royals deal with what they were doing to their people. With Black Bolt and Co. willfully throwing Inhumans with powers that aren’t desirable or useful into slums and mines, how are they anything but the villains? Why should we root for them? Then you have Kitang (Marco Rodriguez) celebrating terrigenesis as a process which elevates the Inhumans above everyone else; however well the “Inhumans-as-mutants” parallel was going on Agents of SHIELD, comments like these destroy the idea that Inhumans can reliably stand in for mutants as metaphors for the disenfranchised and oppressed in society. Going even further, I didn’t need to see the royal family learn to appreciate humans at all. That was extraneous to their arc this season and not at all relevant to Maximus’ struggle. Though he vaguely wanted to conquer Earth to take back their “rightful home,” the royals didn’t need to know people to disagree with that impulse, as they already did before meeting anyone and Maximus’ immediate plans never involved attacking humans (except holding a few hostages once). They should’ve been learning to appreciate the lower classes of Attilan and the newly-powered Earth-born Inhumans instead; especially given that’s what brought Triton to Earth in the first place (perhaps the Earth-born Inhumans have created their own underground subculture that would contrast with Attilan’s). Accepting and protecting humans should’ve been saved for a potential Season 2, when they would’ve known they were stuck among us but still felt somewhat xenophobic, especially faced with a government that hates and fears Inhumans.

Despite a nice moment in the fourth episode of Black Bolt taking the time to move injured enemy Inhuman soldiers away from a fire, I didn’t buy that one dying soldier (Locus, Sumire Matsubara) was all it took to convince Black Bolt that their caste system was wrong from what we saw. Medusa maybe, because her parents fought it (and Black Bolt’s parents had hers executed), but I still think we needed to see more of her secretly suspecting her parents weren’t wrong all along to really sell that shift. The dots of her emotional arc were there, but they needed to be connected more clearly. Her comment to Black Bolt about killing Maximus, “Think about what kind of ruler you want to be,” was probably prompted by her dissident parents’ deaths, and mercy for Maximus also probably reflects both their childhood friendship and her friendship with Black Bolt, which started when she went to gloat about his parents’ deaths but took pity on him instead. They could’ve even introduced and justified her lack of success in effecting social change by showing her trying to push it once she became queen, but accidentally finding herself taken in by the comfort of royal life and the ease of cold practicalities (such as forcing Locus into her scout position instead of allowing her to be a healer like she wanted) without realizing it. A wrinkle like that would’ve sold the wakeup call Locus’ death was supposed to be while also bringing Medusa into conflict not only with Black Bolt, but the social awakening Crystal should’ve undertaken. These are the sources of internal dissention they should’ve gone for among the royals, not brief spats over Triton’s mission or Karnak being annoyed at Gorgon’s foolishness. Had something like this been included, I would’ve believed the pivot to a more democratic society more (if that’s even what’s happening; we aren’t really told how the royals are going to continue Maximus’ goal).

The pacing on the whole could’ve been faster. After a quarter of the show had aired, it felt like it had gone nowhere. If this had been a super-powered Mad Max: Fury Road, with the royal family chased out, seen what it was like to be the nobodies in society—maybe in addition to Maximus’ forces hunting them, whatever is left of SHIELD should’ve been on-site to deal with the new Inhuman menaces—and then sieged Maximus’ new Earth-bound city (as the only ones equipped to do it in the wake of Civil War), it would’ve been much better and tighter. I suppose that’s essentially what it was, but the subplots on Earth didn’t really contribute to a greater understanding of the system the royals were perpetuating for the characters. I also don’t understand the intentional vagueness of the finale. Where on Earth is their new home? Who is “the Boss” that secured them this location? Who is their “greatest enemy?” There’s no reason not to answer those questions and they’re not interesting enough to be hooks for a second season. It’s also weird that, just like when Agents of SHIELD started, the people in Inhumans are right back to doubting paranormal things despite living in a world full of them. Callisto Aerospace Control Center scientist Louise gets suspended for suggesting aliens destroyed the moon rover? Aliens demolished New York! Why wouldn’t that be a priority-one, “Call SHIELD right now!” moment?

I don’t know if Inhumans will get a second season and I’m not sure I’d watch if it does. They introduced some interesting ideas, but never expanded on them as much as they could have and the budget was not there to accommodate this world or these characters, spoiling their potential and drastically decreasing the stakes. The show did make me a fan of Medusa and it was great to see another strong female character join the MCU, but I don’t know how much longer her character can carry Inhumans. However, everything can be improved, so the question is, will ABC give it the chance?

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