I’m Feeling Nothing

So, I’m already a week behind on watching and recapping Sailor Moon. (I know, OK? I’m the worst.) This the busiest week of my whole summer, as the show I produce, which has become a concert, which I’m singing in, is this weekend.

I’ve mentioned a few times this summer that real life is getting in the way of fandom, and this week was a massive case of that.

I had a bridal shower, rehearsals, tech work to do, equipment to pick up, plus my regular day job and Aless’s birthday was on Monday, so I was out instead of watching anime on my laptop. I’ve also been dabbing in some fiction writing again, which is great, but again, because I’m busy takes away from blog time.

This is all to say that I’ll get to the Sailor Moon recap tomorrow.

Probably.

Unless I don’t feel like it.

Who wants to look at Chris Pratt?

I should know by now, whenever I’ve got nothing, just go to Pratt.

Game of Thrones Winner: “A Golden Crown”

It’s the second week of going through Game of Thrones Coverage with Chrissy and Glen! We had some dissension this time around, as in we didn’t agree on everything, but I do have to say, that I eventually came around to Chrissy’s point of view.

This is exciting for her I bet, because it doesn’t happen that often. Normally we veer off into “agree to disagree” territory and then change the subject.

It has helped us maintain a healthy friendship for many years.

Anyway, this week’s winner is Danerys! Yayy!

First, she decides that she should stick her dragon eggs in the fire and simply holds it there. For a minute it looks like perhaps the stone eggs don’t hold heat, but when one of her handmaidens runs in and grabs the egg to save her Khaleesi’s hands.

The egg burns the handmaiden, and Dany offers to help.

Then she eats and keeps down an entire raw horse heart, hears the prophecy that her son will be The Stallion that Mounts The World. Then, when Viserys threatens to kill her, and take her away from Drogo, Drogo dumps a molten pot of gold on his head, and she declares that “fire cannot kill a dragon.” Which, I mean, is pretty cool.

So, congratulations, Khaleesi, you’ve won once again. (Many wins ahead of you, I’m quite sure of it.)

The runner up goes to my original choice, who was Bronn, who won Tyrion’s trial by combat and who we just got to know is a straight up best at everything bad ass.

Missandei and Grey Worm Watch

I can’t remember the name of the handmaid who takes the dragon egg out of Dany’s hand, but I mean, whatever, it’s the kind of thing that your best friend forever would do.

Sansa’s Agency Watch

Sansa was bitchy to her Septa. This is another one of those early Sansa things that I really hate, but absolutely counts as her “doing things.” So that’s a nice little bonus there. She also has what is the most hilarious speech ever, when Ned tries to explain why they’re leaving King’s Landing, and she doesn’t want to, insisting that she doesn’t want someone, “Kind, brave or clever,” she wants Joffrey. This leads us right into…

Arya Bad Ass Watch

Arya laughed at Sansa, straight up laughed, because, honestly, that’s the most ridiculous thing anyone could ever say. She also had her best lesson with Syrio ever, and we learned something about Arya. She prays to both the old gods and new. Arya celebrates Christmas and Hannukah you guys! But then Syrio tells her something that may become important to her later. “There is only one god, and that is death.” This is maybe the single most formative thing that anyone says to Arya throughout the series.

Who Was Jaime a Dick To?

Jaime was not in this episode. So he wasn’t a dick to anyone. Cersei was kind of a dick on his behalf though, mostly to Ned.

Here’s The Sitch: Kim Possible Season 4 Episodes 5 & 6

Wow, what a fun week! Some good episodes, and hey! Even some news about the cast! How fun!

Season 4: Episode 5 “Car Alarm”

I forgot about the running gag in season 4 of people breaking Shego out of prison while leaving Drakken in their, to be jabbered at by Frugal Lucre. This time it’s Motor Ed who busts her out, and pulls a “nice guy ™” move by pointing out that she now owes him. She accepts this, just barely, and in a fun gag, he’s basically just trying to make her his girlfriend.

She is not happy about it.

Kim, meanwhile, wants a car, and her father gives her an old “Sloth” which is the worst car ever. The Tweebs offer to fix it up in exchange for chauffeur services.

She is also not happy about it.

Ed and Shego steal a top secret engine from Mr. Dr. P, and there’s a really fun care chase tracking them down. Also there’s some cool character design where Ed transforms Shego into his perfect woman.

Seriously, this is a pure fun episode.

Season 4: Episode 5 “Mad Dogs and Aliens”

This is as close to an episode of Futurama as Kim Possible was ever going to get. Seriously.

Drakken finally gets out of prison, everyone figures Shego did it because it was a green woman who did the breaking out. It wasn’t Shego, who’s on vacation at the moment, it was a large alien woman by the name of Warmonga who comes from a race who worships “The Big Blue” who will lead them to destructive glory.

Drakken just kind of goes with it, put he does want Shego to watch, because he wants her to see him win without her.

Both this conceit and the pettiness would fit very well with a certain cantankerous robot. Who bends things.

Bender. Bender would take part in this scheme.

Meanwhile, Ron has realized that he can’t be on the football team and the mascot, so Jim and Tim take over as “The Pep Puppies,” this is Bonnie’s idea, presumably, because she knows it will drive Ron nuts. It does. In the end, Kim stops Warmonga, with Shego’s help because if anyone is going to beat Kim, it’s going to be Shego.

I love this episode.

Boo-Ya’s and Nacos

• Let’s talk about Guardians of The Galaxy. It looks good. I’m excited to watch it. Friedle was a good pick for Star Lord.
• In the end Motor Ed winds up with Lucre, and he’s annoyed by Ed! Fun!
• While Kim is driving the tweebs around, Ron mostly wants to join in on their antics. Hah, oh Ron.
• Motor Ed continues to delight me. He’s so much fun. Seriously.
• I do love the way this season frames Shego as the most important element of Kim’s crime fighting. It’s very true and it also makes for some great work from Nicole Sullivan.
• I like that this was a Tweeb showcase week. I’ve always found them to be a great deal of fun.

‘Tis A Silly Place

When I was thirteen, I was scanning the Barnes and Noble bookshelves looking for a book to read for the “fantasy” unit of my book report for English class. I’d already burned through Tamora Pierce’s work at this point, and the year before had read The Lord of The Rings in order to pacify my mother’s “no movies until you read the book” rule. (By the way, I’m pretty sure I would have been allowed to see The Fellowship of The Ring without reading the book.) There were also no new Harry Potters on the horizon at that point and my mom always had this ability to pick books for me that were just on the edge of my reading level and would challenge me.

So she grabbed, The Once And Future King, and smiled, “you like all of this stuff, you should know Camelot inside and out. You’ll love this.”

I did love it. I wrote that book report about how Lancelot was the real protagonist of the story and Arthur more like a plot device. My teacher was thrilled with my analysis, but she also pointed out that I didn’t exactly follow the assignment, which was more about recapping plot that analyzing the point of view TH White had chosen to tell the Camelot legend through.

Like a lot of nerd, I feel the call of Camelot every couple of years, and I try to find a new way in each time. Meg Cabot’s Avalon High has always been a favorite of mine, but Nancy McKenzie’s Queen of Camelot held my attention, and now has a place in my honored “books I refuse to throw out ever,” box.

In college I read Le Mort D’Arthur and Sir Gawain And The Green Knight and a few other “original” Camelot stories, and of course Monty Python And The Holy Grail and it’s adapted Broadway musical Spamalot! became funnier to me as I more deeply explored Arthurian Legend.

Right now I’m working through The Mists of Avalon as a new version of King Arthur gets ready to go on film starring Charlie Hunnam as Arthur. (I can get behind any movie that gives Charlie Hunnam intrigue to navigate, seriously. He does it well, and looks good doing it.) I’m determined to reconnect to my nerd roots this year, and I felt like touching base in Camelot was the way to do it.

It’s also pathetic that as a feminism minded fantasy fan, I never read this book. I know it is. It’s one of those foundational works, and I’m really enjoying it. But mostly I’m enjoying seeing yet another twist on this story that I know so perfectly well, and I particularly love seeing Morgaine as a protagonist. And Guinivere of Gwenyfhar as she’s know here as completely freaking batshit crazy. Seriously, love making that choice for her. She’s portrayed here as repressed, agoraphobic and socially anxious, which is much more interesting, than “raging bitch,” as she is often shown.

I’m happy to be back in Camelot for a bit of the summer and I may even visit through some of my favorite doors once I finish with Avalon.

And by that I mean, I might watch the mini series Merlin starring Sam Neil again. Because it’s really, really good.

Things I’ve Been Talking About With People

This is a new sporadic feature, similar to “Things I’m Obsessed With Right Now” but instead it’s stuff I’ve engaged with genuine human beings talking about lately. It’s good because I get to mine the experiences and anecdotes of my loved ones in order to further my own artistic agenda.

It’s only manipulative if they aren’t supportive and mine are!

• Who should play young Han Solo in the upcoming movie?
  • We had a long talk about this the other day and while I have definite opinions on the subject. (Don’t care, so long as he’s handsome and charismatic and Donald Glover plays Lando.)  I put forward some of my previous choices, Logan Lerman and Dave Franco, which got a sturdy, “who?” and “that could work.” Everyone I’ve mentioned it to is on board with my “Donald For Lando” plan though. Yay! Seriously though, you guys, Logan Lerman, the kid is great, and was perfectly cast in a terrible adaptations of a franchise. He should be as big as Jennifer Lawrence by now, but the Percy Jackson movies are terrible. Give him a shot at this. I think he’d be good.
• Xena Reboot: Reenie And Cha Edition
  • Cha and I have a longstanding pledge that if either of us gets into the position to do it, we create a Xena reboot that she stars in and I write and run. It’s very important to us, especially if we’ve been drinking. So this week, Lucy Lawless was talking about how she wanted a Xena reboot, for like, herself, or whatever. Now, don’t get me wrong, I think that would be amazing. But, I mean, she already got to do Xena, Cha and I haven’t. Let us have a shot.
• The Musical Legacy of My Generation
  • I don’t know as much about rock music, be it classic or current as many of my family members, but I know a shit ton more about pop than they do, and thus anytime we have a conversation about “What’s good,” and “what isn’t,” it’s one of the few areas we’re able to pull the “I defer to you on this,” elements. But the intellectual gymnastics on Sunday when Mike and I decided that you can trace one or two pop artists that leave their mark rather than ephemera, and that we think Taylor Swift might be that person for this decade was pretty great. (Previous people who have done this include Justin Timberlake, The Backstreet Boys, Madonna, Michael Jackson, The Bee Gees and The Beach Boys.) Additionally, we discussed how you can trace Lady Gaga back to Cindy Lauper as a visionary who understands pop music better than any one else working, but is also much more of an artist than a performer and who’s legacy will be something different entirely. Seriously, it was a remarkable argument.
• Kit Harrington’s Hair And Beard
  • Oh shut up. We’re all talking about it. He landed in Belfast during scripting time. He still has the hair. He’s regrown the beard. I promise this is the last I’ll talk about it. I think the man is perfectly within his rights to keep his hair whatever length he wants regardless of Jon Snow being dead for good. And he’s also welcome to have the shaggiest of beards that he wants. BUT OMG WHAT DOES THIS MEAN?
• Tut
  • Are you watching this mini series? I guess it’s over now, I still have to watch the third part, but it’s ridiculous. Ben Kingsley is really good in it. Everything else about it is utterly ridiculous, but everyone in my house loves an epic mini series, and so we watch.

That’s what’s up with me these days! Hope things are cool with all of you!

Sailor Moon Check In: A Bientot!

Hey everyone it’s the last bi-weekly Sailor Moon Check in! (I’ll explain I promise!) In the meantime, let’s get started.

Manga

I was literally holding Sailor V in my hands while I was with Chrissy and Glen last week, but then decided I’d already spent to much money that weekend. But it’s call and the short story calls are becoming too hard to resist. I should be picking them up soon. (I know I’ve been saying that for months, I promise.)

Best Cartoon Ever Sorry Korra

Oh, boy, so many things. There was an Ami episode that I can’t remember much detail from because I tried to watch it while I was half asleep after work last Friday. But after that, we learn the The Professor has decided to use Chibi-Usa’s Pure Heart to awaken Hotaru as Mistress 9, to bring the Messiah Of Silence, Pharoah 90 back to this dimension. But Sailor Moon and the others are going to stop her. Or hand over the Holy Grail. Whatever, in the end the wake up Sailor Saturn instead.

It’s hard to track 4 episodes at once, but again! This is going to be changing!

Crystal

Sailor Moon and Tuxedo Mask disappear and are being pulled towards Nemesis. Real Nemesis. Not like, the illusion Nemesis that everyone was fighting before. Once Sailor Moon is gone Neo Queen Serenity wakes up and then she Sleeping Beauty kisses King Endymion, and they play by play the battle for the Senshi, and also she gives Sailor Chibi Moon a Moon Rod and sends her to fight.

Whatever. They win! Everyone sees their future selves, and goes home. Chibi-Usa decides to go home to the 30th Century and then comes back.

Crystal is over. I’m grateful for it’s existence, as it’s what got me started down this road. I hope we get another season, I guess. I’d like to see the Outer Senshi transformation sequences at the very least.

Other Stuff!

Let’s talk schedules. Since there’s no more Crystal, I’ve decided to do Sailor Moon S and beyond weekly! Two episodes at once. This gives me a chance to delve deeper, only doing 2, and it keeps me from having to sit and watch 2 hours worth at a time and lose track of what I’m watching. So, from now on, every Thursday, I’ll be writing up the two episodes that were put up on Hulu on Monday. In eight weeks, when Kim Possible is finished, I may switch it to Tuesdays, but for now we’ll stick with Thursday.

Oh, also, there’s this.

So I’m going to give this a shot…

Game of Thrones Winner: “The Wolf and The Lion”

So last weekend while I was hanging out with Chrissy and Glen, we watched two episodes together. It was pretty great, and I love the two of them so much, and watching with other people was a whole lot of fun.

Once again, a lot of things happen in this episode, though most importantly a lot of things get talked about in this episode but if there was one thing that the three of us agreed on quite clearly, it was that Loras Tyrell, The Knight of The Flowers, was the winner today.

Loras did some cool stuff in this episode. He unseated the mountain, he caught Sansa’s eye, and then he has that awesome scene where he tells Renly that he’d be a good king.

We talked about Renly a lot. I pointed out that I feel like Renly is that super cool guy, you know, he walks into a place, and you’re just blown away by how cool he is. Chrissy thought that it’s really Loras who’s the cool one. I think this speaks to the fundamental difference between the men we like, where as I prefer someone who’s going to smirk and be witty, Chrissy likes someone with a little more sincerity.

I am extrapolating. We didn’t really talk about that, but it’s evident by the people that we’ve dated over our friendship and the man she married.

Who is very sincere and lovely. (Hi Glen! Love you!)

Anyway, congratulation to Ser Loras Tyerll!

Runner up goes to Catelyn, who got Tyrion to The Eeyrie, even though, that wound up not going super great for her, but it’s a victory at the moment.

Missandei And Grey Worm Watch

We didn’t spend any time with Danerys this episode, so there’s not even an analogy to make here.

Sansa’s Agency Watch

Sansa really didn’t want Loras to get killed, and Loras gave her a flower. None of this is agency, exactly, but it’s better than nothing, I guess. She still has emotions and dreams at this point, which is a nice little change from later.

Arya Badass Watch

Arya was off chasing cats, which is, in and of itself, pretty bad ass. She also climbed around in a dragon skeleton, and then overheard people talking about her family being in danger, which in Arya world is not OK. She immediately goes to her father, but the guards won’t let her through. She immediately rattles off her identity and will not accept anything else.

Who Was Jaime A Dick To?

Well, Ned, trying to arrest him for taking Tyrion, right? That was a dick move, and fighting him in the streets of Kings Landing, also a dick move. But, well, it’s Jaime, so he is who he is.

And he was once again a dick to Jory, putting a sword through his eye, as Jory did his duty trying to defend Ned.

RIP Jory, you were a good guy, and you will be missed.

Here’s The Sitch: Kim Possible Season 4 Episodes 3 & 4

I barely got this week’s episodes in so excuse me if the write ups are a little on the thin side! But these are two episodes that I like a lot, well, I like the first one a lot, and the second one is well made and has a lot of Monique, but it’s not…I mean, it’s just kind of icky. You’ll see.

Season 4 Episode 3: “Trading Faces”

The tweebs have been skipped to high school and Kim is thoroughly freaked out about it. Their guidance counselor is tracking her every move and that’s not a whole lot of fun either.

Meanwhile, Brittina is being prosecuted for stealing something, as is MC Honey. It turns out that socialite Camille Leone is framing her friends for crimes that she’s committed.

The big action piece is set in “the most wealthy mall in America” where Ron used to go when he was a millionaire. (Seriously, it’s great that this show never ever shies from a callback.)

In the end the Tweebs help Kim foil Camille, and she realizes that having them around will be helpful.

Season 4 Episode 4: “The Cupid Effect”

There’s not a lot that’s fun about watching Wade get his non consensual on with Monique, which is what this episode is about.

Wade invents a love ray to make Monique like him, and the Seniors decide that they want to steal it for evil to make a bunch of people fall in love with Junior to create an army of teenage girls who worship him for his “musical talent” to also take over the world.

Luckily everyone in universe finds it squicky as well and Wade is admonished and they beat the Seniors! Hooray!

It’s also telling that at the end, Wade finds an age appropriate girl and Monique is left alone, while this provides some awesome work for Raven (who really is spectacular in this episode) I just don’t love the final image of that.

I don’t know I enjoyed the episode itself, but it left a weird taste in my mouth.

Boo Yas and Nacos

• Camille Leone is a Paris Hilton analogue and voiced by Ashley Tisdale. One of the fun things about this is that Ashley is the next wave of Disney Channel stars from the rest of the cast.
• Camille’s friends include Olsen Twin look a like
• I was always into the idea of giving the Tweebs more to do.
• Monique is dateless for Valentine’s, and Ron forgot about it. Bad V-Day for our girls.
• Of course the Seniors evil plot revolves around a concert for Junior. Of course it does
• Very glad this episode makes the “forcing people to love you is wrong” point. But still blech!
• Also, Kim and Ron wind up spending Valentine’s in Bueno Nacho. Naturally.

We’ll Always Save The Day

It was about a year ago that I started hearing rumblings about Steven Universe. It was about two months ago that I noticed that a good chunk of episodes were available on Hulu. It was about two days ago that I got caught up on the series.

Let me make myself absolutely clear on this one friends.

If you like animation, lady type people starring in that animation, empowering pop music and joy you should be watching Steven Universe.

I started watching because it was being covered extensively on The Mary Sue, and I will do pretty much anything The Mary Sue tells me to. (Except quit Game of Thrones…I see their point on that one, but I’m far too deeply sucked in at this point to give it up.)

It took a bit for me to get into the show, but once I was in, I was in. I bought the season pass on Amazon, so I’ll always be a day or 2 behind, but I can live with that.

The idea behind Steven Universe is as complicated as it is simple. (Seriously.) The Crystal Gems are a group of personified gem stones from a distant planet who defend earth for…reasons. They’re murky at the moment, but there are definitely reasons. 11(ish? again murky) year old Steven is the child (and possible regeneration?) of their one time leader Rose Quartz and a human named Greg Universe, and the gems are training him to join the team.

They live in a sleepy beach town, and there is much wackiness. And sooooo many feelings. I feel like even Usagi would tell everyone on Steven Universe to cool it.

The Crystal Gems are Garnet, Amethyst and Pearl, and Pearl is the best because she is, and everyone else is wrong.

I’ve mentioned before that my “favorite” characters tend to be the ones who aren’t like me. The characters that I wish I could be more like. That isn’t the case with Pearl. I see a lot of myself in her and that’s why I love her. She’s overly emotional, while being overly analytical. She’s fiercely protective of the ones she loves, while vaguely dismissive of those outside of it. She’s obsessive, she’s a control freak, and she knows she’s a better follower than leader.

I like Garnet’s cool confidence a lot too, as well as “Xander” team member Connie, and I find Amethyst fun, but she wasn’t even in the “favorite” conversation.

I know the show draws a lot from Anime, which as a genre I know so little about. I am trying to fathom what my engagement with the genre will be in my world post Sailor Moon, but extrapolating from Steven Universe, it’s looking like Revolutionary Girl Utena is one I should look into. (Hulu also pushes that one on me from Sailor Moon, too.)

Steven Universe, the character is my favorite kid on TV and totally filled the Avatar Aang shaped hole in my heart. He’s fun loving and sweet and kind of a badass, even though he’d rather just watch TV and eat Fry Bits, and talk about fantasy books with Connie, he knows he’s got more to do and that his destiny is important.

But this is the best thing about Steven, he’s a kid, and he behaves like a kid. Even when things are intense and the Gems are trying to work, he wants to talk to them about Crying Breakfast Friends (his favorite show)

Oh right, and the show’s humans are diverse in age, body type and race, and has multiple canon queer romances, and gems are an entirely female race, so I’m guessing we’re going to get more of those.

Steven Universe is worth checking out in a big way, and I’m glad of that.

Have you heard of me? You probably haven’t heard of me

OK.

I can admit when I’m wrong.

I can admit when it’s time to let go of my preconceived notions and think something that I previously thought wasn’t going to work is actually really really freaking great!

And Ant-Man, is really, really freaking great.

OK, from here on in we’re into spoiler land.

You have been warned.

Ant-Man opens with a CGI younged up Michael Douglas as Hank Pym walking into a half built Triscallion in 1989 to tell Howard Stark, Peggy Carter and some other guy that they can’t have his tech.

Oh, and John Slattery is back as Howard.

And Hayley Atwell in old makeup.

Right, so, if you were worried, at all, Peggy Carter is in this movie.

We jump forward in time and see Scott Lang getting out of prison. Scott’s an expert cat burglar, but he’s planning on going straight for the sake of his young daughter Cassie. He gets sucked into one last score by his old cell mate, but it turns out to be a set up by Pym and his daughter Hope, who want Scott to stop Pym’s former protege from creating weapons tech from the shrinking technology Hank created back in the day.

Paul Rudd is great, Evangeline Lilly is great, Michael Douglas is great. The guys on Scott’s crew are amazing. A fight sequence between Scott and Falcon (yup!) is stellar. All of the ant stuff is awesome.

The movie is great in a way that we haven’t seen from Marvel in a while. It’s fun the way Iron Man was fun, but is also not at all like Iron Man, if that makes any sense?

Go see the movie!

Rankings

1. Ant-Man
2. Mad Max: Fury Road (You had a good run, may you ride shiny and chrome, you live, you die, you live again.)
3. Inside Out
4. Tomorrowland
5. Jurassic World
6. Avengers: Age of Ultron
7. Minions
8. Terminator: Genisys
9. Entourage
10. Pitch Perfect: 2

Trailers

The Walk: I look forward to watching this on HBO some day. Aless is annoyed because the documentary about this was already great. I’m inclined to agree.

Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation Alright, ok, I’ll go.

POST CREDITSSSSSSSSSSSS

Seriously, I don’t want these spoiled for anyone at all. They’re that good. In the “mid-credits” as it’s been called, we see Hope and Hank, a large bit of the tension in the movie comes from the fact that Hank doesn’t want Hope shrinking, as her mother, Janet VanDyne was lost in the micro world. But he finally understands that he needs to let her go, and shows her the Wasp Suit. Hope smiles and says, “Well, it’s about damn time!” To which Aless and I shouted, “HELL YEAH IT IS!” About damn time for The Wasp, about damn time for another female super hero in the MCU, about damn time for all of this shit. 

And then it got even better as the credits faded out, we see Sam walking down a dark hallway and greeting Steve, they walk over to another space and there’s Bucky, glaring at them and breathing heavily, you know, like you do when your best friend and his new best friend have you chained to a thing, probably because you were brainwashed to kill them, or whatever. So BUCKY ALIVE AND FOUND, and then Steve says, “We can’t tell Tony, we don’t know what he can even do because of The Accords.” Sam looks at Steve and says, “I might know a guy.”

WE SEE YOU ALL AT CIVIL WAR! (I’m freaking out. Seriously, we were squeeing all over the place.)