Falling Stars

Yay for unions in space!

( Spoilery reactions )

He's got momentum, this kid.
Good judgment, quick too.

I've played him at the study group but haven't seen his limit.
His go's been changing this past six months.
Or to be more precise...
His attitude towards go has changed.

After that period...
... when he didn't show up for his matches.

- Morishita-sensei, Chapter 160 of Hikaru no Go

Season 1 thoughts
Season 2 thoughts
Season 3 thoughts

Still enjoying this cosy murder mystery show! Surprising fun and upbeat, despite all the murder. I like how the show is leaning into the friendships between the main quartet, and Alexa grudgingly opening up her guarded heart. (When Madison was making noises about looking for her own place to live, Alexa finally admitted she didn't want her to move out! Aww.)

It occurs to me that each episode starts with Alexa meeting Harry for a briefing on the case, instead of the common trope of a cold open where the victim gets killed. Which I guess is useful for not revealing key details of what actually happened. But I also appreciate that it feels less cheap and sensational.

I particularly liked the two part season finale, "The Widows' Club".

( Spoilers )

It's been renewed for a Season 5!

I've been rereading Murderbot recently, with the show coming soon and the trailer just released. (Feeling tentatively hopeful? Please let it be good.)

I wanted to share two fanvids that I love a lot, and really capture how I feel about the books.


Next Episode by mithborien

This vid is almost like a teaser trailer intro to the story. Love the slow build, and the inspired inclusion of audiobook narration and show cast photos.

No spoilers except for the beginning of the first book All Systems Red.




I'm Not Your Hero by remnantglow

This animatic is apparently legendary in the fandom, but I only came across it recently. It is so good! Really hits hard with the key moments. Gave me all the emotions.

Spoilers up to and including Network Effect.

Dear Id Pro Quo Writer,

Thank you so much for offering to write a story for me! I love all these fandoms, and the tropes I've nominated, and I'm really keen to see what you do in them! I've also provided some extra prompts in case you're looking for inspiration, but I'd also love to see whatever other ideas capture your imagination.

For me, it's about the characters and their interactions. I'm not a stickler about researching canon details, as long as the spirit of the characters and the flavour of their world is there. I want to see adventures that might have been, or missing moments from between scenes, or a slice of their daily lives, or where the future might take them.

LIKES: Some of the things I enjoy in stories are: undying loyalty, personal bravery, risking self to protect others, displaying cool competence, big damn hero moments, special everyday moments, banter, hijinks, confessions exposing emotional vulnerability, conversations loaded with unspoken meaning, tough people showing a soft side, and soft people showing a tough side. Some of my favourite tropes and genres are: amnesia, angst with a happy ending, animal transformation, arranged marriage, bodyswap, cosmic horror, curtainfic, five things fic, getting together, hurt/comfort, marriage of convenience, mystery solving, requited pining, road trips, sex pollen, slice of life, stranded together, and time travel.

DISLIKES: I generally prefer optimistic stories in exchanges, so I'm not keen on anything that is brutally violent or hopelessly bleak. However, I don't mind darkness during the story, as long as there is a glimmer of light at the end. Endings that are bittersweet or ambiguous are also fine.

DO NOT WANT: Noncon, underage, bleak endings, crossovers, setting change AUs like high school, coffee shop, or omegaverse (but canon divergence AUs are fine).

RATING: I've requested some gen and some ships in this exchange. For the latter, I'd enjoy anything ranging from unresolved sexual tension, to getting together, to established relationship. I'm fine with explicit sex, but it's usually not the most important part of the story for me.

STYLE: I'm fine with first, second, or third person. I'm fine with past or present tense. I'm fine with stories of any length, including stories that start in media res or consist of a scene that implies a larger plot.

POV: I'm open to stories from the point of view of a different character from the ones requested, especially if they provide an interesting perspective on the requested characters.

INTERACTIVE FICTION: I like interactive fiction and would welcome it.

AO3: I have gifts enabled and am open to treats.

I've listed more details under each individual request.

I hope this helps. Have fun writing!

Yours sincerely,

meteordust
(AO3 name Serenade)

***

( Request 1: Captive Prince - CS Pacat - fanfic )

( Request 2: Star Wars: The Book of Boba Fett (TV) - fanfic )

( Request 1: Tekken (Video Games) - fanfic )

Every time I view a story about xenophobia, it always feels timely and relevant, no matter what year it is. How depressing is that.

( Spoilery reactions )

By Rick Riordan.

This is the series I read all the Percy Jackson books to get to.

(I mean, you could start here, but it has spoilers for the books before it.)

The premise: the god Apollo is punished by Zeus by being turned into a mortal, until he fulfils an almost impossible quest.

Stories I love: (1) An immortal learns what it's like to be mortal. (2) A terrible person learns to be a better person.

This series delivered everything I wanted.

Apollo starts off as the most melodramatic, whiny, and arrogant god ever, who just can't believe he's been humbled this way by Zeus. Namely, being transformed into an ordinary teenager called Lester Papadopoulos. Not even a demigod, like Percy Jackson and friends, but an actual mortal human, with no powers at all.

Apollo is saved from being annoying by being hilarious. His narration is funny because he's so oblivious. He expects worship, but no one takes him seriously. In addition, Zeus magically binds him into the service of a plucky young girl called Meg McCaffrey, kind of like how Monkey was bound to Tripitaka. (Meg definitely doesn't take Apollo seriously.)

Meg also has her own share of secrets and shadows, and during their long quest to save the world, they learn about each other and help each other through all kind of challenges and crises. Watching their unlikely friendship grow into something genuine and powerful is so good.

The story doesn't hold back from holding Apollo accountable for his sins in the myths and legends. (Well, mostly. It's all kept to a PG level, and there are one or two more egregious events that are stated to be not actually true.) Apollo gets confronted by his past misdeeds and starts acknowledging the wrongs he has done, while his demigod allies are also finding out about them and not being shy about judging him.

His character arc is so satisfying. Learning about being human. Learning about courage and sacrifice and loss. Learning how fucked up the gods are. Learning about, yes, the meaning of friendship.

( Spoilers )

I don't really have a name for that feeling you get, when you turn the last page and it's the end of a long journey and you just have to sit for a bit. But after these five books, I felt that feeling.

(I kind of want all the futurefic now.)

I've spent years deliberately not listening to songs from Hadestown, not watching clips of Hadestown, and avoiding spoilers for Hadestown. Because I knew I wanted to see it one day. (I guess it fell into that middle zone of me being invested enough to want to be unspoiled, but not so invested that I had to check it out right away.)

Anyway. It finally came to Australia! I saw it at the Theatre Royal in Sydney, and later it will move to Her Majesty's Theatre in Melbourne.

Was it worth the wait? Totally! I loved it from the very first moment. Me, I'm the audience for this.


Expectations

What I knew going in:

1) It's based on the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice, but in a modern day setting, with Hades as a company town.

2) The music is kind of jazz and folk?

3) People have opinions about the Act 1 closing number.


The cast

Everyone was awesome. I always think it's a shame that we rarely get Australian cast recordings, because there's so much talent here. And sometimes this is the version I want to listen to over and over at home.

* Hermes - One reason I was excited about this production, was that the headliner was Christine Anu, living legend. She was fantastic as the narrator Hermes. (I also loved that she got to use her Australian accent!)

* Eurydice - Abigail Adriano was Kim in a recent Miss Saigon production. So you know she can bring it. And she did. Intensity, and the ache of a cynic who starts to believe.

* Orpheus - Whenever you're trying to convey a character who's the best singer in the world, you've got a lot to live up to. Noah Mullins gave Orpheus a sincerity and vulnerability that really stood out. I could believe his singing could make the stones weep.

* Persephone - Elenoa Rokobaro lit up the stage whenever she appeared, bringing the vibrant energy of spring, and the underlying strength.

* Hades - Adrian Tamburini is an opera singer! A deep bass voice fits Hades perfectly. Also made an interesting contrast to Orpheus's lighter and higher voice.


The story

A lot of stuff happened! But this is what I had the most feelings about.

( Spoilers )


Final thoughts

To the world we dream about
and the one we live in now

I just keep thinking. About Orpheus's song. About the story and its themes. Art can change the world. Art can show you how the world could be. You have to dream it before you can make it happen. But it's hard to think about those things when you've starving and cold. It benefits those in power to keep you starving and cold, because then you don't have the time and energy to think about anything else. It feels like you don't have the luxury for art then. But imagining another possibility is the first step in changing the status quo. The human capacity for hope is persistent. As humans, we keep on dreaming, even when it seems impossible, maybe especially when it seems impossible. We keep on dreaming that it could be different. Maybe this time.

No matter how many times history smacks us down, humans keep asking, "Yeah, but what if?"

Anyway. Not just a banging musical. Hadestown, everyone.


A random comment online

"I tried the 'Orpheus Challenge' in a Costco with my boyfriend and made it like 15 feet before looking because I was so scared to just leave him behind in a busy ass Costco"


Australian trailer

Last year was the first time I made a Noman in Fallen London. The storyline was both fun and poignant.

Post 1
Post 2
Post 3
Post 4

I made another Noman this year. Because I'd already achieved the Noman Tattoo, I felt like I could be a bit more relaxed about the process this time. So I created it early on, hoping for it to maybe last long enough to impart the Elemental Secret.

I thought I may as well try to boost Noman's Friend as high as I could with the resources I had on hand, which were only a few Vials. But I had terrible luck with the RNG, and the Vials were used up almost straight away.

I also had terrible luck with drawing the Noman's Progress card from the deck, even though it's supposed to be Abundant Frequency. So I didn't get anywhere near the requirements for the Elemental Secret, before my Noman's last day.

However! I discovered it was possible to take your Noman to Helicon House, as your invited companion for the evening. There were some nice bonus interactions you could have, including an artist asking to paint the two of you:

It was your profile that did it

You and your Noman have been standing in front of very flattering drapes. You can't blame this young artist for wishing to immortalise your appearance.

They explain, rather urgently, what they can afford to pay: they're plainly stretching their budget just as far as it will go. They try to make up for it in wine.

Your Noman stands very still, occasionally dripping.

A kind of immortality after all?

Goodbye, Snowbell, your stay was much too short.

( Stats )