Fannish consumption as a form of RL avoidance

[hamsterwoman]

I'm feeling totally avoidant about RL, so instead, here's a smorgasbord of things that are not RL -- reading, watching, and listening roundup, such as it is:

1. Katherine Addison, The Angel of the Crows -- so, funny story: K was excited about this book just on the strength of the author's name, but then I looked it up and was like, "...are you sure

Comments

[zvuv]

I did not know Diamond died. I went to read his Wiki entry and it made me very sad...

I loved SBTB back in junior high, and in high school when I had a chance to catch an episode (we didn't have TVs in school).

[hamsterwoman]

I didn't know anything about what had become of Diamond after SBTB until I heard on YouTube that he'd died, but yeah, all the details feel really sad :(

(we didn't have TVs in school)

Whoa, I didn't realize that! Not even in like a common room? That seems harsh, for a group of teenagers!

[zvuv]

We had common rooms, but not much there, I don't think we spent a lot of time there (or I didn't). Just one year, we had an old TV that didn't have reception but did have a VCR player.

I watched a lot of TV in junior high, so at first I had bad withdrawal. I would get home on weekends and binge-watch. But after a while, I lost interest. Eric was a big TV watcher, so I did used to watch with him, but I somehow convinced him to give up having a TV--twice (when we moved to NY and when we moved to MD). Twice because in New York he eventually did buy another one. And then we didn't have one until like a year ago? Here in Taiwan, there are two, the large one in the living room, and a small one in our bedroom, but we haven't ever turned it on.

When we didn't have a TV, he would still always stream content on his laptop, but it became a solitary rather than a couple or family activity.

[hamsterwoman]

Just one year, we had an old TV that didn't have reception but did have a VCR player.

Oh, that was the Princess Bride year? :)

Yeah, I watched a lot of TV in middle school, and I think once I was in high school and college, mostly I just watched random things I could when I was on break, so, like, nothing that required following a story, just highly episodic sitcoms and stupid game shows/reality talk shows.

But once we had the rodents, I pretty much stopped watching TV entirely. We've always had a TV set for VCR/DVD purposes, but we've gone for months, maybe years with a non-working TV, because these days it's not used hardly at all, with everyone streaming to their laptops. Also, we never bothered to get the whatever thing we need to pick up the signal now, so the TV can't be used as anything but a monitor anyhow.

[spellingmistake]

Bleh, most of Sherlock Holmes retellings are disappointing. Though, I've read a sci-fi one and it was good. Unfortunately i can't recall its name so I can't find it.(((

Original She-ra or new She-ra?

Also I've tried to read House of Earth And Blood for 4 times and it was an epic fail each time. So I officially give up. Now I want something either hardcore sci-fi (but not Watts - I can't take this guy as hard Sf after his vampire thing in Blindsight) or some classic "sword and planet" a-la Princess of Mars.

Ikel89 told me to check Ancillary Justice and it was good.

[hamsterwoman]

Though, I've read a sci-fi one and it was good.

Was it Aliette de Bodard's Xuya-set novella? I read that not too long ago, but it didn't work for me -- de Bodard's style pretty much just doesn't, so that was not a surprise, but would've been nice, as sci-fi Sherlock Holmes certainly sounds like it could be fun.

Original She-ra or new She-ra?

New She-Ra! I was a big fan of the original He-Man as a kid, but never watched the She-Ra show. I like the dynamics and humor of the new one, though.

Now I want something either hardcore sci-fi (but not Watts - I can't take this guy as hard Sf after his vampire thing in Blindsight) or some classic "sword and planet" a-la Princess of Mars.

Alas, I haven't read anything in those genres in ages, so can't think of any good recs... I mean, I assume you've read The Martian? I don't know that I would call it hard sci-fi per se, but the science was the best part? (along with the humor) so maybe it counts

[spellingmistake]

Was it Aliette de Bodard's Xuya-set novella? I read that not too long ago, but it didn't work for me -- de Bodard's style pretty much just doesn't, so that was not a surprise, but would've been nice, as sci-fi Sherlock Holmes certainly sounds like it could be fun.

---> Good question. Maybe? I'm not sure.

New She-Ra! I was a big fan of the original He-Man as a kid, but never watched the She-Ra show. I like the dynamics and humor of the new one, though.
----> I've seen a new one and I was disappointed. But I guess it's a case of "flavour of markers".

But if you liked Ancillary Justice, which I think of as social sci-fi, I did recently read and enjoy CJ Cherry's Cyteen -- my first foray into her Alliance-Union books. (It did take me a sync read and severel months to get through it; it's a very long, very dense book.) She's written a whole bunch of other books, too, which promise to be similarly dense and crunchy...
----> Good! That's what i need.

[hamsterwoman]

Just noticed I had a typo in the author name -- that should be Cherryh with an H: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C._J._Cherryh

[bearshorty]

How spoilery is the Winter's Orbit virtual event- it is definitely something I want to see but should I wait until I'm done with the book (I'm on Chapter 14 now)? That does sound pretty fun!

I used to watch Saved by the Bell after school in junior high among with other shows buy I was less attached to it, Beverly Hills 90210 was much more memorable to me.

[hamsterwoman]

How spoilery is the Winter's Orbit virtual event

Discussion is completely non-spoilery, the intros are spoilery on the level of the front copy (which is too spoilery, IMO), but by chapter 14 you'd be through all that anyway, so you're safe to watch :) (And/or you can just skip the book intro -- IIRC I included a time mark in the sync read link (but forgot to port it over here / what it is)

I was aware of BH 90201, because of course it was everywhere when I was in high school, but I never watched it. My friend M was a HUGE fan though, (I think it was too straight-up teen drama for me. The podcast highlighted that SBTB was really cartoony, and I think that was why it appealed to me. Like, the fourth wall/fantasy elements that were part of it -- because IIRC the other teen show I watched a bunch was Clarissa Explains It All, and it's got kind of the same addressing-the-audience gimmick?)

[meathiel]

I actually really enjoyed The Angel of the Crows. Maybe because I generally don't read fanfic so didn't feel this was too fanfic-y ... or didn't question why it was made into a book. I liked the gender thing. The cases ... well ... not much new there, that's true. Though it's Sherlock and Jack the Ripper combined, no?

[hamsterwoman]

Though it's Sherlock and Jack the Ripper combined, no?True! But I'm not a big fan of Jack the Ripper stories, and I'm pretty sure I've already read a different Sherlock Holmes vs Jack the Ripper book (back when I was reading my way through Sherlock Holmes adaptations/sequels/whatever). And also I didn't feel like this book did anything actually satisfying with the Jack the Ripper story, either

[spiffikins]

get over just seeing Benedict Cumberbatch whenever Crow was described
LOL, I never did get over that - I very much was visualizing Cumberbatch as Crow.

It's funny because I did like this book quite a lot - but at the same time - I *don't* generally enjoy Sherlock Holmes that much, and haven't really been sucked into the cases enough to really recognize them, and be able to compare one take on them vs another.

Like, instead of clues, cases are solved by clairvoyance and autopsy and hellhound tracking, stuff like that, which... is kind of the opposite of the point of a Holmes story? I will absolutely agree with you though, on this - which - if you came into the book knowing it was a Sherlock Holmes book, and you *like* Sherlock Holmes and you have *expectations* about Sherlock Holmes books - would be utterly mystifying as to WHY on earth did they make this a Sherlock Holmes book

[hamsterwoman]

LOL, I never did get over that - I very much was visualizing Cumberbatch as Crow.

I'm not sure I ever FULLY got over it, but it sort of dampened to just a vague sense vs full-on still from Sherlock that I started out visualizing, heh.

would be utterly mystifying as to WHY on earth did they make this a Sherlock Holmes book?

Yeah, a bit XD I mean, I suppose she was going for a deconstruction, partly? (e.g. that scene where Crow assumes Doyle's brother, with the scratched watch, was an alcoholic, but it turns out that his hands shook because of degenerative disease, not because of alchoholism -- that is a very clear deconstruction of a memorable Sherlock Holmes scene). And I can appreciate a deconstruction, but I think deconstruction + gender bending + magical AU + meets Jack the Ripper + wingfic... is maybe a little much to throw at a single book XD

Also - wtf is "wingfic" - apparently I've been away from fanfic for a long time, and/or in the wrong fandoms - because I have not run into this before :D Haha, so I've only

[beccadg]

Anyway, I think the idea is just that character have wings ... or acquire wings over the course of the story, and there's a lot of, like, wing-grooming and sheltering people with wings and so on?

Yep. *Points to icon.* That was a scene that launched a 1,000 wingfics. I have a thing for wingfic.

[hamsterwoman]

That was a scene that launched a 1,000 wingfics

Hehe, I can imagine :)