Killjoys + Snowflake Challenge, days 2-5

[hamsterwoman]

An assortment of fannish things!

1) fandom_stocking extended its deadline to Wed, 1/11. I am usually impatient to see all the goodies revealed, but this year I'm greatly relieved, because between the stockings going up pretty late, crazy work, holiday, and feeling sick, I haven't actually managed to do anything yet, beyond browse and take notes,

Comments

[cyanshadow]

likeable ensemble cast with interesting backgrounds and complex bonds between them, dark but engaging worldbuilding, story that's both funny and poignant (and a very catchy intro song)

... I'm in. :D (Except I'm even slower at picking up live action / Western shows than I am at literally everything else, so. XD)

I'd never heard of Enemy Mine before, but it definitely sounds like my sort of thing :D reluctant co-operation growing into mutual respect yesssss. :D Short Circuit was one of those movies I watched, like, a billion times as a child though. :D (I forget whether we relentlessly panned the sequel or dismissively allowed that it was better than we expected, though. XD)

... Speaking of sci fi I remember fondly from childhood, did you ever see The Cat from Outer Space? I remember that being a lot of fun, too. :D

The Coldfire Trilogy (C.S.Friedman)

"I'm interested in hearing your thoughts once you do," she says in a pained voice.

(I read the first book earlier this year and it was ... not for me. XD)

I'd rec Every

[hamsterwoman]

(Except I'm even slower at picking up live action / Western shows than I am at literally everything else, so. XD) Haha, this is basically me, too (except non-Western shows are not even a thing that I attempt, so they're out of the running). The great advantage of Killjoys in this regard is that there are 20 45-min episodes total at this point, meaning I think it'll take me about a week to binge on it. That was part of that overcame my usual activation energy hurdle when it comes to TV

[cyanshadow]

And the tropes were VERY eye-opening to 10-year-old me, haha.

I can imagine. :D :D (I'm pretty sure 10-year-old me would have loved them too :D)

WALL-E was basically the very same shape, just cutified a bit further in the animated way.

Huh, I'm not sure I'd ever made that connection, but you're right! According to Wikipedia, it sounds like it probably wasn't an intentional homage (the creator apparently hadn't noticed the similarities until they were pointed out to him), but I like it as an unintentional homage anyway. :)

E.T. or Neverending Story or Willow.Haha, to be fair, I grew up on a steady diet of PBS and musicals mostly, so I'm not sure I'd be able to say what the "staples of a geek childhood" are either. :D (Trying to remember if there were any sci fi movies we watched repeatedly other than Star Wars, Spaceballs, Short Circuit, The Cat From Outer Space, and I can't think of any

[hamsterwoman]

Huh, interesting, I didn't know that the WALL-E appearance thing was not an intentional homage.

Maybe I would've actually enjoyed reading Neverending Story if I had met it before the movie, but the movie was so WTF-y to me, I never tried to pick up the book.

I think the problem is that it's a different "kind" of story - more focused, told within a smaller space, if that makes sense?

It does, and I think you're probably right. The characters in Justice weren't what hooked me, it was the worldbuilding and the pronoun gimmick that actually worked, and I expect Sword, as you describe it, probably won't hook me as much. But I definitely want to continue with the series

[cyanshadow]

the movie was so WTF-y to me, I never tried to pick up the book

Well, no guarantees, but my child self at least really liked it. XD And IIRC it did a better job of explaining things / having a logical progress of events than the movie did (and a better ending, too), though IIRC it was still somewhat surreal.

it was the worldbuilding and the pronoun gimmick that actually worked

Yeah, somewhat the same here - I enjoyed the characters, but none of them really became mine.

The pronoun gimmick definitely continues to be a thing, it's just not new anymore. And IMO, she continues worldbuilding in interesting ways, just on a smaller scale.

Anyway, either way I look forward to hearing what you think of it. :)

my memories of it are positive and numinous, but probably artificially so, if you know what I mean.

Ahahaha, yeah. There's a reason there are some authors that I just ... don't re-read. XD

Like, I want to pat GGK on the head because it is perfectly natural to be so overwhelmed by Tolkien's writing that you want to

[hamsterwoman]

The pronoun gimmick definitely continues to be a thing, it's just not new anymore.

Yeah, that's what I meant, too.

As far as GGK, the connection to Tolkien's writing is actually more explicit -- as a young man, he helped Christopher Tolkien edit The Silmarillion. His first book was published quite a bit later (according to Wiki, he started working on The Sil in 1974, Sil's publication date is 1977, and GGK's first book came out in 1984) -- but I'm pretty sure there was a Tolkien overdose involved :P

But, I mean, who wouldn't want to be a character in a portal fantasy to an LotR/Arthuriana mashup???? :D

It's kind of adorable, because he is clearly cramming in ALL his favorite fantasy things, whether they make any sense together or not. I've been there, Guy Gavriel Kay! I feel you, buddy!