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What I'm Reading/Watching/Playing

 Reading

The Dresden Files 

 Since Jim Butcher has two new Dresden Files books coming out this year (Peace Talks #16 & Battle Ground #17) after a several-year hiatus on the series, Gunnar, John, Diana, and I are all rereading the series. John started his reread with Changes (#12), but Gunnar and I both started with Storm Front (#1). Currently I'm on Ghost Story (#13) (admittedly one of my least favorites) and then a few more till I hit the new books! I hope to post a review of the new books and the series soon. I'm glad that I didn't finish in time to read Peace Talks before Battle Ground hits, because according to John it was a major cliffhanger...almost as if it was too long and the publishers forced Jim Butcher to cut it in half...hmmm. 

In case you don't know, The Dresden Files follows wizard and private detective Harry Dresden as he fights bad guys and makes enemies (and very occasionally friends) in the supernatural modern world of Chicago. James saw me reading it and asked if the guy on the cover was a good guy or a bad guy and I said, "Good is subjective but for our purposes...yes." which sums up Harry pretty well. He does what he thinks is right (usually by making things go "kaboom") but wether or not he's a good guy gets murkier and murkier as the books go on, and as his character develops, changes, and reacts to the things that happen to him. Instead of being an episodic everything-back-to-normal-at-the-end sort of series, each book is a catalyst in changing everything about the characters and the world they live in. And I love it. Oops, there I go putting my series review here instead of waiting. 

For this reread, definitely noticing things in the early books that are foreshadowing things in way way way later books, from Susan's eventual involvement in Changes to Molly's eventual role with Winter. It's also nice to have so many people to talk to about a series, and not have to worry about being ahead of Gunnar since although I passed him pretty quickly along the rereading process, he has read them all more times than me and can help me remember the connections as I go along. I'm excited to get to the new ones! 

Watching

Avatar: The Legend of Korra

We watched the first two seasons of The Legend of Korra a long time ago when they were current and airing, but nev

er got around to watching seasons 3 and 4...until now. With the hype of a new live action The Last Airbender series and a need for something short and easy to digest, we went ahead and started watching The Legend of Korra from the beginning. I heard a lot of mixed reviews of this series, especially when compared to The Last Airbender, but I actually enjoyed this series a lot. It has it's flaws (pacing, not enough character development, no continuous arc) but it also has some really cool aspects as well. I like that Korra is strong and outgoing, I really like the relationship between the two brothers, and I really really like Tenzin and his family. Plus lavabending. I mean, come on. It's lavabending!!

I do understand the criticisms, especially when compared to The Last Airbender--The legend of Korra is nowhere near the masterpiece that The Last Airbender is. I have watched The Last Airbender through at least 4 times and I'm amazed every single time at how good it is. (And the boys are begging me to watch it with them again!) But Korra is fun, and entertaining, and it does bring some good things to the franchise. 

Mulan (2020)

This was so bad. I was really looking forward to it and I was on board with the idea of a more realistic, song-free action-movie Mulan...but this was just so underwhelming. The things I liked were the scenery and...that's it. The lead actress had no emotions, and neither did the movie itself.  They took out all the best parts of the original Disney version, but they didn't replace it with anything equally cool. Instead of working hard and being smart, she has some kind of secret magic that she's been hiding. Instead of a funny talking dragon, there's a mysterious phoenix who just...flies around. Instead of just fighting the Huns, there's a shape shifting witch...who isn't really bad? And they just don't have her hot commander/love interest at all, which, after a disappointing beginning, made me wonder why I was watching a live action version at all. I want my eye candy! Overall, I do not recommend!


Palm Springs

I've loved Andy Samberg since his Lonely Island/SNL days ("Throw it on the Ground" anyone?) and have appreciated him even more since we watched Brooklyn 99 last winter. This movie was a twist on the Groundhog's Day trope but manages to make it really cool and interesting. Samberg's character is stuck reliving a horrible wedding that he was dragged to as a +1 by his horrible cheating girlfriend...over and over and over, and at the time of the beginning of the movie he has already lived it countless hundreds or thousands of times. It was funny, different, and a little dark, but in the best way. Me and Gunnar both liked it! 


Onward

This was so amazing. Better than Palm Springs and Mulan combined, definitely. I laughed my ass off, I cried my eyes out, and finished it feeling like I couldn't wait to watch it again, with the boys next time. You might not appreciated all the easter eggs and homages unless you're as into D&D and fantasy as myself and Gunnar, but even if you don't, you will probably like the heartwarming family story about two brothers. As a girl with two brothers who are also some of my best friends in the entire world, the story really clicked with me. Chris Pratt and Andrew Garfield play the two brothers and they are excellently rendered in the Pixar animation style to bring those two guys' personalities to life. Definitely check it out! 


Playing


Fanfiction

I haven't been playing anything...between the kids being in virtual school and driving me up the wall every day, there just hasn't really been much gaming going on here. But...since we started watching The Legend of Korra, I did start writing fanfiction again. I have always loved both reading and writing fanfiction, and when I'm particularly stressed or feeling like I will never have time to properly devote myself to writing a "real" book, I turn to fanfiction for comfort and fun.  And I have ben both stressed and distressed lately because...well...2020.

So I've been filling my evenings and lunchtimes with a 50,000+ word romance fic about Bolin and a girlfriend I made up for him. It's meandering and silly and smutty and really bad, but it's honestly reminding me, after years of being completely mentally used up by my children with nothing left for my original novels, why I exactly love writing so much. It's inspiring me to try Nanowrimo again (I'm a 7 time winner!) and to try and clean up some of my drafts languishing on my hard drive and just...see what happens. 

Anyone want to Nano with me??




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