Reading/Watching Log
Hello! Feeling good this week: the sun is out, my friends are in, and I’ve only got one more chapter to go on my fifth draft! Also: a motherload of Merlin promotional pictures!!
Okay, where do I start??
First off, it was the Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show last weekend, which is an annual event where various craftsmen from all over the country get together in order to show off their talent, and I always try to go along, even though it makes a significant dent in my wallet.
This year is was significantly smaller considering we’re still dealing with fallout from the earthquakes - a lot of people actually lost their businesses over it. Though you can usually spend a whole day wandering around the stalls in past years, it took us only one and a half hour to see everything. BUT I managed to snag a couple of nice deals...
Not the most appealing-looking entrance, but it’s what inside that counts...
Large tents on windy days? Very noisy and vaguely scary.
Some of the cool stuff for sale...
And now, my two purchases:
This is actually a brooch which was too cute not to buy, and I have tentative plans to pin to my favourite hat. I’m still experimenting with how it should be placed, but I love the idea of wandering around with a cat perched on my head.
I’ll get there...
Now, I never buy jewellery for myself. NEVER. But this I found at a steampunk stall, where all the jewellery on display was made out of old clocks. And that’s where I found this:
At the moment it’s still attached to a chain, but since I like the idea of a fox-head ring better, I’ll remove it eventually. But I just loved this. A fox-head ring! I didn’t even know how much I wanted it until I saw it.
***
In other news, it seems very likely that series 5 will be the last season of Merlin that we’re ever going to get. Various cast members are getting work on other projects, and there have been dozens of tweets from crew members sharing their sadness that this stint at Pierrefonds will be their last. Now, many of these tweets have been deleted (presumably on orders from higher up), but the fact that so many people seem to be treating this as the last stage of production tells me that it’s reaching its end. (I was never fully convinced at all the odd talk of series six and a movie trilogy from the producers at Comic Con - especially since the actors were baffled by this revelation). I have no idea why Johnny Capps/Julian Murphy aren’t busy marketing this as “the very last season!” but then I’ve never understood some of the creative decisions they’ve made.
And you know what - I’m not disappointed. In fact, I’m happy and relieved. The writers have said from a very early stage that they had a five-year plan in which to tell their story, and that’s precisely what they’re going to do. The magical reveal is on the horizon (though honestly, I’ve lost all investment in it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in the very last scene of the very last episode) and I get a whole season’s worth of Queen Guinevere and her fabulous new wardrobe. That, and I’ll finally be free of nasty elements of fandom. Will certainly NOT be missing all the rampant racism and misogyny that plagued this fandom right from the start.
And with that in mind, take a look at all the newly released publicity photos! You can see more of them HERE, as I’m mainly interested in the girls. (All the pictures of Merlin, Arthur and the knights look the same to me - they’re wearing the same clothes and are standing against the same grey backdrop as they’ve done for the last three years).
My Queen! My QUEEEEEEEEN!
Ooh, I’m loving Morgana’s new look (though I call total bullshit on Johnny Capp’s claim that this wasn’t inspired by Game of Thrones). Katie has always been pale, but it seems they’re taking measures to make her snowy-white this year to match her surroundings! As far as I can tell, she’s still wearing the black lacy dress under that furry hood/cloak, but she’s looking very striking in this environment. But then, you don’t need me to tell you that. Her hair is much nicer too, and I’m glad they got rid of the green eye-shadow. I wonder if the necklace means anything...
I’m actually looking forward to seeing what she’ll be up to this year! I’m through mourning the loss of potential in regards to her character-arc, I’m just going to enjoy Katie flouncing around being as evil as she pleases!
And look-ee here! A new girl! Over on Merlin’s Keep the character is called “Sefa”, and I think it’s a safe bet that she’ll be Guinevere’s serving girl. (Oh how much do I love that she has a white serving girl; it’s all come full-circle!) You can also see her in the lower picture, standing off to the side of the Round Table.
I have two thoughts on this:
Firstly, I really hope that she’s a genuine friend to Gwen. God knows the woman needs one. I want to see her doing Gwen’s hair and admiring Gwen’s outfits, and being slightly nervous whenever Arthur is in the vicinity whilst Gwen laughs and teases him. I want to see Gwen being kind and gracious toward her whilst still acting like she’s totally in charge. I want little smiles and giggles between the two of them. I want Gwen/Morgana of the first two series, basically.
Second of all, I wonder if she has anything to do with the vague hints that were being dropped of a maybe-but-not-really love interest for Merlin? I can easily see her having a crush on Merlin whilst he remains oblivious and focused entirely on Arthur.
And now I have an elaborate plot-bunny forming in which Sefa is secretly a good witch, who discreetly uses her powers to help Guinevere from time to time, only to be discovered and tried as a witch under the laws of Camelot, and for Gwen and Merlin to finally raise their voices and make a stand against the persecution of magical users.
Great, now I’ve totally overhyped myself for a character that is probably only going to get two lines, haven’t I.
***
In the reading log this week, I took a magical trip down memory lane...
The Messenger by Monica Dickens
Has anyone out there ever read this book? Anyone? Because I read it for the first time when I was eleven/twelve years old and it made such a strong impression on me that I remembered with near-perfect clarity when I picked it up again seventeen years later. I had spotted it on Amazon.com and decided to purchase it (despite the shipping costs) simply because I recalled the reading experience so well.
It’s about a thirteen year old girl called Rose Wood, who helps out at her parent’s lodging house to earn enough money for riding lessons (author Monica Dickens was perhaps best known for her Follyfoot books; a series of pony stories). But round about the time of her birthday, several odd things begin to happen: she manages to put out a fire with her bare hands, she catches glimpses of a large grey horse on the moorlands, and she has a terrible foreboding feeling about the small house that her mother has recently purchased as an annex to the hotel.
It is an elderly guest that gives her some hints as to what’s going on, and from there the story takes two distinct paths. It turns out that the horse is the spirit of a stallion that lived on the moor hundreds of years ago and who helped to rescue the villagers from a tyrannical overlord. Since then (or so Rose is led to believe) the horse has chosen a select few individuals to help him battle evil forces.
Rose’s task - should she chose to accept it - is to investigate the mysterious air of unhappiness and anger that permeates the annex. Here’s where the book gets (more) interesting. The method in which she achieves this is to time-travel backwards through certain periods, inhabiting the body and mind of someone who was present at each pivotal incident - though only as an observer; she cannot intervene in the events that unfold. With each “jump” backwards, she learns more about what happened, until she finally realizes what caused the tragedy and how to stop it from occurring again.
It’s a plot that’s both simple and complex at the same time, and like many of the best and most memorable stories, it’s not what it involves, but HOW it’s told. Dickens (who is indeed a descendant of Charles Dickens) is very careful about what she tells the reader and what she withholds. It’s a technique I’d dearly love to be able to master, but although I can see so clearly how and why certain passages/sentences are so much more fascinating and enigmatic when they’re said with as little explanation as possible, it’s also so easy to fall into the trap of spelling things out so that your audience knows what you’re talking about (or how clever you’re being).
And so it’s really an air of mystery that infuses the whole book - and for such a slender book, there’s a LOT that’s packed into it. An unusual blend of the supernatural horse book and a time-travel adventure, it has a real indefinable air about it. For this reason, it left an indelible impression on me, with an intriguing central conceit that is wedded perfectly to the restrained writing style.
The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip
I love Patricia McKillip; she’s one of my favourite writers of all time, and so it was interesting to get my hands on one of her earliest books, as well as the only one (that I’m aware of) that was written specifically for young readers.
It’s a very slender novel (most people could read it in two sittings, maybe one) and McKillip plays the Changeling Tale trope extremely straight: a king’s son begat on a sea-woman replaces the son of the king’s wife, with each child growing up in the “wrong” environment. The twist - if you can call it that - is that the whole story is told through the eyes of a young girl whose father drowned in the sea. Peri (short for Periwinkle) thus takes up in a shack on the seashore and is a witness to/participant in all the strange things that occur after she angrily throws a hex into the sea.
It’s not in the familiar pattern of the story that makes the book enjoyable, it’s in the elegant way that McKillip tells it. Her poetic-prose is the trademark feature of her writing, and though here it’s been considerably toned down for a younger audience, it’s still prevalent enough to make a reader want to take their time in simply enjoying the language for its own sake.
This is a tiny slice of a fairytale - easy to read and quick to finish. But while it lasts, it’s a bit like watching the sun go down: very bright and beautiful.
The Avengers
Yes, I finally saw The Avengers. Half the plot had been spoilt and I saw most of it in GIF form, but the DVD release finally gave me the chance to sit down and watch it from beginning to end. I’m not going to comment on the plot (because let’s face it, it’s what TV tropes calls an Excuse Plot) and I can’t say I was ever a Marvel girl either - I didn’t know about any of these superheroes before the films started popping up. I can however appreciate the effort and planning that was taken in pulling all these people together. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a franchise taking actors, characters and storylines from three different films (four if we count the continuity of The Hulk) and pulling them altogether into one even bigger film where their stories and personalities can collide. That’s pretty damn cool.
But naturally, you knew that I wouldn’t be able to talk about The Avengers without mentioning Black Widow. Of course not! You could write a thesis on the pros and cons of Joss Whedon and his take on feminism, but I’ll give him this: he knows how to write a woman into an action movie. Were this any other Hollywood writer/director, then Black Widow would have been a woman in a catsuit who jumped into an action sequence every now and then. She would also be a complete hard-ass who wasn’t allowed to show any signs of vulnerability or fear, and her relationship with Hawkeye would have been explicitly romantic in nature.
But Whedon knows that isn’t enough, and the real beauty of Black Widow isn’t that she’s a kickass fighter or that she’s played by Scarlett Johansson or that she gets to deconstruct the “frightened woman being tortured is actually in complete control of the situation and secretly acquiring information by playing on your preconceived notions of what you think a woman is capable of” trope, it’s that she’s integral to the plot. Key events that take the story to its end are initiated by her, whether it be enlisting the Hulk or neutralizing Hawkeye or shutting the portal. When she’s in serious danger, she’s allowed to show fear; when she’s been fighting for long enough, she’s allowed to show fatigue.
In other words, she’s a human woman in an extraordinary situation. See that, Hollywood? See how remarkably EASY that is to achieve?
**
And last but certainly not least - DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 3 TRAILER!!
Quick thoughts:
I love that they’ve once more used Scala and Kolacny Brothers to do the background music.
I love the fashion and vibrancy of the Roaring Twenties. If I ever came across a Weeping Angel, I’d cross my fingers and hope for the 1920s.
Mary looks happy. Edith looks happy. Sybil looks happy. If my girls are happy, I’m happy.
Heh, looking forward to seeing Branson’s reception back at the house.
They’re continuing with Ethel’s story! When she didn’t appear in the Christmas Special, I honestly thought that there was a chance that she would be forgotten. I liked the fact that she kept her son (any other show would have had her give him up for maximum angst) but it would seem that now she’s working as a prostitute. Eek, not sure how I feel about that, but Julian Fellowes is fantastic at writing nearly all his female characters. Ethel’s tale is one that is overtly deals with issues of fallen women and the injustices of the period, so I’m confident that he’ll handle it with grace (a LOT more so than if this was in the hands of the Merlin writers *shudder*).
Is William finally going to get a love interest? I hope so. I was genuinely devastated when the blind soldier killed himself.
Shirley McLaine as Martha Levinson! And going toe-to-toe with Dowager Countess Violet! This is going to make the Violet/Isobel feud look like twiddly-winks, isn’t it.
But Edward Speelers? Really? I know it’s not fair to make him carry the burden of Eragon throughout his entire lifetime, but honestly - he just has such a punchable face.
***
So that's it for that week. Busy weekend ahead thanks to a hospital appointment (so they can tell me what I already know about my kidney stones), a get-together with friends (who now all have babies) a Christening (I've been informed I'm attending in the capacity of godmother; hopefully I don't have to speak) and Doctor Who series 5 (finally!)
Okay, where do I start??
First off, it was the Dunkley’s Great New Zealand Craft Show last weekend, which is an annual event where various craftsmen from all over the country get together in order to show off their talent, and I always try to go along, even though it makes a significant dent in my wallet.
This year is was significantly smaller considering we’re still dealing with fallout from the earthquakes - a lot of people actually lost their businesses over it. Though you can usually spend a whole day wandering around the stalls in past years, it took us only one and a half hour to see everything. BUT I managed to snag a couple of nice deals...
Not the most appealing-looking entrance, but it’s what inside that counts...
Large tents on windy days? Very noisy and vaguely scary.
Some of the cool stuff for sale...
And now, my two purchases:
This is actually a brooch which was too cute not to buy, and I have tentative plans to pin to my favourite hat. I’m still experimenting with how it should be placed, but I love the idea of wandering around with a cat perched on my head.
I’ll get there...
Now, I never buy jewellery for myself. NEVER. But this I found at a steampunk stall, where all the jewellery on display was made out of old clocks. And that’s where I found this:
At the moment it’s still attached to a chain, but since I like the idea of a fox-head ring better, I’ll remove it eventually. But I just loved this. A fox-head ring! I didn’t even know how much I wanted it until I saw it.
***
In other news, it seems very likely that series 5 will be the last season of Merlin that we’re ever going to get. Various cast members are getting work on other projects, and there have been dozens of tweets from crew members sharing their sadness that this stint at Pierrefonds will be their last. Now, many of these tweets have been deleted (presumably on orders from higher up), but the fact that so many people seem to be treating this as the last stage of production tells me that it’s reaching its end. (I was never fully convinced at all the odd talk of series six and a movie trilogy from the producers at Comic Con - especially since the actors were baffled by this revelation). I have no idea why Johnny Capps/Julian Murphy aren’t busy marketing this as “the very last season!” but then I’ve never understood some of the creative decisions they’ve made.
And you know what - I’m not disappointed. In fact, I’m happy and relieved. The writers have said from a very early stage that they had a five-year plan in which to tell their story, and that’s precisely what they’re going to do. The magical reveal is on the horizon (though honestly, I’ve lost all investment in it, and I wouldn’t be surprised if it happens in the very last scene of the very last episode) and I get a whole season’s worth of Queen Guinevere and her fabulous new wardrobe. That, and I’ll finally be free of nasty elements of fandom. Will certainly NOT be missing all the rampant racism and misogyny that plagued this fandom right from the start.
And with that in mind, take a look at all the newly released publicity photos! You can see more of them HERE, as I’m mainly interested in the girls. (All the pictures of Merlin, Arthur and the knights look the same to me - they’re wearing the same clothes and are standing against the same grey backdrop as they’ve done for the last three years).
My Queen! My QUEEEEEEEEN!
Ooh, I’m loving Morgana’s new look (though I call total bullshit on Johnny Capp’s claim that this wasn’t inspired by Game of Thrones). Katie has always been pale, but it seems they’re taking measures to make her snowy-white this year to match her surroundings! As far as I can tell, she’s still wearing the black lacy dress under that furry hood/cloak, but she’s looking very striking in this environment. But then, you don’t need me to tell you that. Her hair is much nicer too, and I’m glad they got rid of the green eye-shadow. I wonder if the necklace means anything...
I’m actually looking forward to seeing what she’ll be up to this year! I’m through mourning the loss of potential in regards to her character-arc, I’m just going to enjoy Katie flouncing around being as evil as she pleases!
And look-ee here! A new girl! Over on Merlin’s Keep the character is called “Sefa”, and I think it’s a safe bet that she’ll be Guinevere’s serving girl. (Oh how much do I love that she has a white serving girl; it’s all come full-circle!) You can also see her in the lower picture, standing off to the side of the Round Table.
I have two thoughts on this:
Firstly, I really hope that she’s a genuine friend to Gwen. God knows the woman needs one. I want to see her doing Gwen’s hair and admiring Gwen’s outfits, and being slightly nervous whenever Arthur is in the vicinity whilst Gwen laughs and teases him. I want to see Gwen being kind and gracious toward her whilst still acting like she’s totally in charge. I want little smiles and giggles between the two of them. I want Gwen/Morgana of the first two series, basically.
Second of all, I wonder if she has anything to do with the vague hints that were being dropped of a maybe-but-not-really love interest for Merlin? I can easily see her having a crush on Merlin whilst he remains oblivious and focused entirely on Arthur.
And now I have an elaborate plot-bunny forming in which Sefa is secretly a good witch, who discreetly uses her powers to help Guinevere from time to time, only to be discovered and tried as a witch under the laws of Camelot, and for Gwen and Merlin to finally raise their voices and make a stand against the persecution of magical users.
Great, now I’ve totally overhyped myself for a character that is probably only going to get two lines, haven’t I.
***
In the reading log this week, I took a magical trip down memory lane...
The Messenger by Monica Dickens
Has anyone out there ever read this book? Anyone? Because I read it for the first time when I was eleven/twelve years old and it made such a strong impression on me that I remembered with near-perfect clarity when I picked it up again seventeen years later. I had spotted it on Amazon.com and decided to purchase it (despite the shipping costs) simply because I recalled the reading experience so well.
It’s about a thirteen year old girl called Rose Wood, who helps out at her parent’s lodging house to earn enough money for riding lessons (author Monica Dickens was perhaps best known for her Follyfoot books; a series of pony stories). But round about the time of her birthday, several odd things begin to happen: she manages to put out a fire with her bare hands, she catches glimpses of a large grey horse on the moorlands, and she has a terrible foreboding feeling about the small house that her mother has recently purchased as an annex to the hotel.
It is an elderly guest that gives her some hints as to what’s going on, and from there the story takes two distinct paths. It turns out that the horse is the spirit of a stallion that lived on the moor hundreds of years ago and who helped to rescue the villagers from a tyrannical overlord. Since then (or so Rose is led to believe) the horse has chosen a select few individuals to help him battle evil forces.
Rose’s task - should she chose to accept it - is to investigate the mysterious air of unhappiness and anger that permeates the annex. Here’s where the book gets (more) interesting. The method in which she achieves this is to time-travel backwards through certain periods, inhabiting the body and mind of someone who was present at each pivotal incident - though only as an observer; she cannot intervene in the events that unfold. With each “jump” backwards, she learns more about what happened, until she finally realizes what caused the tragedy and how to stop it from occurring again.
It’s a plot that’s both simple and complex at the same time, and like many of the best and most memorable stories, it’s not what it involves, but HOW it’s told. Dickens (who is indeed a descendant of Charles Dickens) is very careful about what she tells the reader and what she withholds. It’s a technique I’d dearly love to be able to master, but although I can see so clearly how and why certain passages/sentences are so much more fascinating and enigmatic when they’re said with as little explanation as possible, it’s also so easy to fall into the trap of spelling things out so that your audience knows what you’re talking about (or how clever you’re being).
And so it’s really an air of mystery that infuses the whole book - and for such a slender book, there’s a LOT that’s packed into it. An unusual blend of the supernatural horse book and a time-travel adventure, it has a real indefinable air about it. For this reason, it left an indelible impression on me, with an intriguing central conceit that is wedded perfectly to the restrained writing style.
The Changeling Sea by Patricia McKillip
I love Patricia McKillip; she’s one of my favourite writers of all time, and so it was interesting to get my hands on one of her earliest books, as well as the only one (that I’m aware of) that was written specifically for young readers.
It’s a very slender novel (most people could read it in two sittings, maybe one) and McKillip plays the Changeling Tale trope extremely straight: a king’s son begat on a sea-woman replaces the son of the king’s wife, with each child growing up in the “wrong” environment. The twist - if you can call it that - is that the whole story is told through the eyes of a young girl whose father drowned in the sea. Peri (short for Periwinkle) thus takes up in a shack on the seashore and is a witness to/participant in all the strange things that occur after she angrily throws a hex into the sea.
It’s not in the familiar pattern of the story that makes the book enjoyable, it’s in the elegant way that McKillip tells it. Her poetic-prose is the trademark feature of her writing, and though here it’s been considerably toned down for a younger audience, it’s still prevalent enough to make a reader want to take their time in simply enjoying the language for its own sake.
This is a tiny slice of a fairytale - easy to read and quick to finish. But while it lasts, it’s a bit like watching the sun go down: very bright and beautiful.
The Avengers
Yes, I finally saw The Avengers. Half the plot had been spoilt and I saw most of it in GIF form, but the DVD release finally gave me the chance to sit down and watch it from beginning to end. I’m not going to comment on the plot (because let’s face it, it’s what TV tropes calls an Excuse Plot) and I can’t say I was ever a Marvel girl either - I didn’t know about any of these superheroes before the films started popping up. I can however appreciate the effort and planning that was taken in pulling all these people together. This is the first time I’ve ever heard of a franchise taking actors, characters and storylines from three different films (four if we count the continuity of The Hulk) and pulling them altogether into one even bigger film where their stories and personalities can collide. That’s pretty damn cool.
But naturally, you knew that I wouldn’t be able to talk about The Avengers without mentioning Black Widow. Of course not! You could write a thesis on the pros and cons of Joss Whedon and his take on feminism, but I’ll give him this: he knows how to write a woman into an action movie. Were this any other Hollywood writer/director, then Black Widow would have been a woman in a catsuit who jumped into an action sequence every now and then. She would also be a complete hard-ass who wasn’t allowed to show any signs of vulnerability or fear, and her relationship with Hawkeye would have been explicitly romantic in nature.
But Whedon knows that isn’t enough, and the real beauty of Black Widow isn’t that she’s a kickass fighter or that she’s played by Scarlett Johansson or that she gets to deconstruct the “frightened woman being tortured is actually in complete control of the situation and secretly acquiring information by playing on your preconceived notions of what you think a woman is capable of” trope, it’s that she’s integral to the plot. Key events that take the story to its end are initiated by her, whether it be enlisting the Hulk or neutralizing Hawkeye or shutting the portal. When she’s in serious danger, she’s allowed to show fear; when she’s been fighting for long enough, she’s allowed to show fatigue.
In other words, she’s a human woman in an extraordinary situation. See that, Hollywood? See how remarkably EASY that is to achieve?
**
And last but certainly not least - DOWNTON ABBEY SERIES 3 TRAILER!!
Click to viewQuick thoughts:
I love that they’ve once more used Scala and Kolacny Brothers to do the background music.
I love the fashion and vibrancy of the Roaring Twenties. If I ever came across a Weeping Angel, I’d cross my fingers and hope for the 1920s.
Mary looks happy. Edith looks happy. Sybil looks happy. If my girls are happy, I’m happy.
Heh, looking forward to seeing Branson’s reception back at the house.
They’re continuing with Ethel’s story! When she didn’t appear in the Christmas Special, I honestly thought that there was a chance that she would be forgotten. I liked the fact that she kept her son (any other show would have had her give him up for maximum angst) but it would seem that now she’s working as a prostitute. Eek, not sure how I feel about that, but Julian Fellowes is fantastic at writing nearly all his female characters. Ethel’s tale is one that is overtly deals with issues of fallen women and the injustices of the period, so I’m confident that he’ll handle it with grace (a LOT more so than if this was in the hands of the Merlin writers *shudder*).
Is William finally going to get a love interest? I hope so. I was genuinely devastated when the blind soldier killed himself.
Shirley McLaine as Martha Levinson! And going toe-to-toe with Dowager Countess Violet! This is going to make the Violet/Isobel feud look like twiddly-winks, isn’t it.
But Edward Speelers? Really? I know it’s not fair to make him carry the burden of Eragon throughout his entire lifetime, but honestly - he just has such a punchable face.
***
So that's it for that week. Busy weekend ahead thanks to a hospital appointment (so they can tell me what I already know about my kidney stones), a get-together with friends (who now all have babies) a Christening (I've been informed I'm attending in the capacity of godmother; hopefully I don't have to speak) and Doctor Who series 5 (finally!)