I'm a slayer, ask me how.

After the disappointment (for me) that was TROS, I didn’t line up to sign up for Disney+ when it launched. I will say that the streaming service was very smart to release each episode on a weekly basis, keeping the hashtag alive on Twitter and reminding me that it existed long after most other shows that drop in one day on Netflix. Unfortunately, Twitter has no chill when it comes to spoilers, so my feed was filled with “Baby Yoda” gifs and I was even more turned off, thinking that the series was yet another prequel.



Eventually, a friend set me straight that people were just referring to the mysterious “Child” as “Baby Yoda” because it was easier. And also I needed a Christmas present for my parents and I pulled a Homer bowling ball, buying them a year long subscription to Disney+. And, of course, they wanted my help setting up their account and I happened to get their password so…yeah I could watch it now. After catching up on The Expanse and The Witcher, last week we finally dived into this series.

I thought the episodes that focused on the main arc of The Mandalorian and The Child were the strongest (1,2,3,7,8) but the episodes in between were just missing something for me. While all of the episodes were heavy on homages/tropes to all things samurai/cowboy, I found that the stand-alone episodes were so cliche heavy, they became tedious to me. Maybe I’ve watched too much TV at this point so I’m familiar with too many stories? I just know episodes 4,5,6 almost lost me as fatigue set in with seeing things play out exactly as expected.

It’s funny, usually with streaming services, the problem is that there is no time limit and shows go crazy by going long and meandering too much. Mando had the opposite problem to me – sometimes I wished they had loosened up from their 30 minutes limit and gone a full hour with episodes to allow us more time with characters, to do a bit more world building or lore exploring.

I will say that the last two episodes were very strong and had a lot of good character and story reveals. This bodes well – most of the shows that I am a big fan of had uneven first seasons. This is actually for the best! When shows have flawless first seasons, they tend to not know what to do after that, floundering for direction and ways to make their characters interesting again. The Mandalorian might not be perfect, but there is a lot of room for it to stretch and grow. There is a lot of story to play around with. And knowing that The Child won’t “grow up” any time soon, the show can keep milking those big brown eyes and green ears.

Speaking of The Child – yes, this Chibi Yoda is designed to be adorable, I also wonder if the reason people love it so much is that it has a face, to make up for the Mandalorian’s lack of one. The Child is your viewer point of view in this series. (I was really hoping the finale would be the end of the helmet but alas. Maybe next season. Pascal is doing a wonderful job using his body to act, but it seems like a waste to keep him hidden away forever. Plus, as someone who has taken a few child development classes, it is important for the baby to see faces to understand emotions. Otherwise he will end up force choking someone at another awkward moment…

So I will tune in for Season 2 to see where this is all going. Now with the main character in search of The Child’s species and The Child growing stronger in its force powers, there is plenty that can happen. Now that they have played with all the tropes, they can start doing their own thing.

Rey comes in tall, grande, and venti.



I have more Reys than this...I should put them all together for a photo op.

I just bought the one up front at Target today. She might come to live with me at work.

I watched the series finale for Star Wars Rebels this morning. I didn't expect it to be quite so emotional at the end, though John Williams' scores tend to give me feels when they are just playing on a stereo, so that and solemn looks from Sabine were enough to make me fight back tears.

This show started out kinda rough, I wasn't sure I was going to like it. The first season was a lot of adventure-of-the-week stories and it felt like a kids show. Nothing wrong with that, Star Wars is for everyone, all ages, and I thought perhaps it wasn't meant for me. But by the end of Season 1, the character development was starting to show - the writers had no intention of letting them stay static cookie cutter characters, they wanted them to grow and change.

By season 4, they really have. Ezra has gotten better at controlling his anger. Sabine has learned, not just how to be a part of a team, but also how to lead one too. Hera and Kanan...*sigh*

I'm sure the ending probably drove some people crazy, the few things they left hanging in case they ever wanted to return to this group. But I appreciated everything not being tied up in a perfect bow.

So long Rebels. You set the bar high for the next round of Disney Star Wars cartoons.

SPOILERY SIDE NOTE (don't read if you're not caught up!!!)
( Read more... )

I forgot to tell ya'll but WE HAVE A FLOOR AGAIN!



The tile was installed two weekends ago and we love it. Really brightens up the entire kitchen and just really makes it a nice room on it's own rather than just flowing into the living room area. Dishwasher has also been repaired too which is just fantastic. I know it was saving us money in our energy bill BUT I really was tired of dishes piling up on the counter (#firstworldproblems). The deal is whoever makes dinner, the other has to wash dishes and considering how many pots/pans I get dirty that can't go on the dishwasher, the addition of plates/bowls/cups on top of that was making things crazy. So, yes, repair the dishwasher, save my marriage XP

In the world of Impulse Purchases, my spatula designed by Kristen Bell arrived in the mail last week too!



Proceeds went to the No Kid Hungry program so it was for a good cause. Also, I <3 Kristen so much and this is probably the closest I will get to having her autograph so yeah. I'm a dork, it makes me smile. If you didn't see her shenanigans with the senior citizens during Hurricane Irma, I highly suggest browsing her Instagram/Twitter feed for a few minutes.

When we went to Wisconsin this summer, Tim went through the boxes of stuff in his parent's basement for things that he wanted to bring back (this is what happens when you buy an SUV). Anyway, one of the treasures we did find were his Star Wars toys, mainly a few large vehicles. So last night, in a fit of cleaning, I rearranged some of my Star Wars shelf to highlight our vintage collection (I reclaimed my toys from my parent's house last year but hadn't made space for them). I don't have it all out yet, but I got a few things in nice prime spots to hightlight them:



I still have a few figures I'd like to display plus a LARGE collection of micro-machines playsets. #nerdproblems - I am going to either move or maybe even downsize my Yoda collection as I don't really focus on that anymore. My collecting focus for Star Wars now is mostly LADIES.

Last but not least, I finished playing Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice last night and OMG THE EMOTIONS!



I want to do an in-depth write up later but this game was beautiful and I loved the story, which kept me going even when the game got rough. It was very short, about 12 hours, but it was a smaller gaming company. Tim got me fancy headphones right before I started playing it so I got to have the full experience since it recommends playing with nice headphones that can give you the full range of sounds.

I love Senua. She is right up there with Elizabeth from Bioshock Infinite: I want an action figure of her for my desk.

...actually, I have that "Make your own Funko Pop" downstairs...maybe I could make myself a little Senua! PROJECTS!!!!!!!

Bedtime now - I am trying to finish the last two books for a conference I'm attending next month. Neither of them are grabbing me as much as the others so it has been a struggle. Plus SO MANY good books are coming out right now and distracting me with their covers and blurbs. THE STRUGGLE IS REAL! #librarianproblems

"This is a rebellion. I rebel" says Jyn Erso in the Rogue One trailer.

Except she doesn't say this in the movie. In fact, a lot of things shown and said in the trailers for Rogue One never made it to the big screen. (for an in-depth look at the movie that wasn't, check out this great Slashfilm article)

I will say that this is the BEST of the Star Wars prequel films. I would not rank it anywhere with the classic trilogy and I still found Force Awakens more fun and engaging.

( more thoughts, with spoilers )

I didn't hate it, I enjoyed the movie for the most part. I'd rather watch it than AoTC again. I think it is cool that they made a Star Wars movie that didn't rely on a sequel or Jedi. But there was a lot of potential for this film to be much more than it was but I think they were distracted by the same things that got Lucas during the prequels - the ability to use CGI in new ways. If they had focused less on that and more on the real people and their stories, Rogue One could have been a much stronger film.

3.5 out of 5 stars

**waves** Hi new friends!!

Okay, I feel like life is settling back to normal after the trip. There is still a small pile of laundry on the floor that will get done Sunday, but I found some time tonight to sit and read LJ so that was nice.

Tomorrow we are going to RenFest! We missed it last year because of the buying a house/getting married. Believe me, I was very upset! But we are sneaking it in tomorrow, the final weekend. I just want my TURKEY LEG! And maybe a bee sting (hard cider + mead = yum! You don't worry about what time it is when you're in medieval England!)

BIGGEST NEWS OF THE DAY - DONALD GLOVER WILL BE LANDO! I went from having no interest in the Han Solo prequel movie to being totally invested.

Things that everyone already saw but I'm just now seeing - GUARDIAN OF THE GALAXY VOL 2 TEASER! I'm feeling good about this, mostly because it is the same team as the first movie and that feels right. No change in director or anything like that. And I like that the trailer is just about the group, not trying to show me a million new villains or subplots etc. The first movie was such a pleasant surprise.

I've never been into makeup, but I see there is a #nomakeup movement going on right now. One of my favorite artists just posted on her blog about how to make your own natural face powder. Seems legit. I'm actually kinda tempted to try it.

Round 87 sign ups are open for character20n20 and I'm trying to brainstorm who I want to focus on this time. Last time I did Rey. Almost feel like I should do a TV show character so I have more images to choose from...anyway, I have some time to ponder.

Anyway, going to bed now because gotta get up early for RenFest - the actually had big issues with the car line last weekend (people were stuck for hours in traffic) so we're going to try to get their right when it opens.

Toodles!

I finally got to watch my blu-ray of Force Awakens yesterday YAY!!!!!!!!! The first of many many viewings, I am sure. I feel like this one will definitely be a good "background" movie for when I'm working on stuff. I've seen it 5 times now and I think most of it is committed to memory LOL.

Anyway, I had a thought last night while watching a certain scene:

( SPOILERS for TFA if you haven't seen it !! )

In short, ADAM DRIVER'S FAAAAAAAAAAAACE. LOL. He really is a good actor, I really have liked him in everything I have seen him in.

(side note but anytime I have to spell "February" I hear Kevin Kline's voice in my head singing it. He says that first "r" which is usually forgotten...teaandfailure knows what I'm talking about)

Saga, Volume 5 by Brian K. Vaughan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Oh Saga, you are so messed up, I just can't even. But as you have been so wrong/right since the first issue, it is almost comforting in twisted way. As usual, I couldn't put down this volume until I finished it and then I was sad it was over again. Lots of twists and turns I did not see coming!

I can't wait for this series to be over so I can sit and read it all the way through as I am sure I miss so much when it comes to the story/foreshadowing etc but only picking these up every few months.



View all my reviews
Moving Target: A Princess Leia Adventure by Cecil Castellucci

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Fun middle-grade read that fills in the story between ESB and RotJ for Princess Leia. The "tie-in" to Force Awakens is pretty slim (the prologue/epilogue, only a few pages, make the connection). I thought Castelluccci and Fry captured the voice of characters we already know and did a good job adventuring around the galaxy far far away.

Definitely recommended for Star Wars fans. I hope there are more Princess Leia adventures some day! I would love to see some stories that take place prior to A New Hope (though I know the 'Rebels' TV series is using a lot of that time period and Leia makes at least one cameo)



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The Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


3.5 stars

FINALLY finished this today. I had it as an audiobook and my commute is fairly short now, plus with the week of snow I didn't get to listen. I'm happy I listened to it rather than continued to read, I think the voices really brought some of the stories to life. The collection gathered stories that had been previously published elsewhere. They weren't perfect, but it was a great variety and showed King's range and that he's still got it.



View all my reviews
Descender, Vol. 1: Tin Stars by Jeff Lemire

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I picked this up because of Jeff Lemire, but it was Dustin Nguyen's artwork that really made this book perfect. In a story about a strange attack by gigantic robots, Nguyen's gorgeous style (reminiscent of watercolor paintings) keeps the story grounded. I loved this first book and cannot wait to see where the story goes! I already adore Tim-21 and I want to see him save the galaxy!



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Ms. Marvel, Vol. 4: Last Days by G. Willow Wilson

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This may be my favorite volume since the first one, lots of forward momentum with the story and the characters, especially Kamala. I can't wait to see what happens in Volume 5! Honestly, the weakest thing was the "bonus" comic which was a team up with Spider-Man. It was cute but after the awesome that was the rest of the book, it felt a little out of place.



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Star Wars: Princess Leia by Mark Waid

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I really enjoyed this comic, far more than I expected. Mark Waid does a wonderful job keeping the action and adventure of the films in this comic, along with creating a good side mission for Princess Leia. I liked that it didn't depend too much on inside jokes and winks to the rest of the Star Wars universe, which I find can sometimes derail this kinds of collections.

A pleasant surprise! I hope we get more stories of Leia's solo missions (NOT Solo missions...that's the realm of fanfic!)



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A New Hope: The Princess, the Scoundrel, and the Farm Boy by Alexandra Bracken

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


While not as strong as Angleberger's RotJ novelization (and that may have more to do with the source material than anything else) Bracken's take on ANH was a really fun read. This would also be a great book for kids to read and then discuss the different ways to tell a story, especially when it comes to film versus writing.

Bracken's approach was to break down the story of Star Wars to each of the main trio's point of view. The first part is all told from Princess Leia's side, with her getting the quest to take the Death Star plans to General Kenobi and being captured by the Empire. Bracken pulls from not just the film, but the previous novelzations and the radio drama to imagine scenes of what happened to Leia before Luke and Han arrived.

The second part is from Han's point of view, picking up where we meet him in the movie, in the cantina on Tatooine. The third is Luke's story, starting right after the escape from the Death Star.

Well written and unique, definitely a must-read for Star Wars fans.



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Lafayette in the Somewhat United States by Sarah Vowell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I'm really glad I listened to this book rather than reading it. Even though it is only 268 pages, it isn't a quick read, with so many names and dates being thrown at you. It has been a long time since I revisited American history and even longer since I thought about the Revolutionary War. This book taught me more than I ever knew about MY OWN COUNTRY'S HISTORY! It was a little depressing to realize how little I knew.

But I loved the audiobook because Sarah Vowell reads it, with her own unique voice, and has a cast of famous actors that lend their voices and help you keep some of the "characters" straight. (Nick Offerman as George Washington is now my official voice for Washington.)

So if you feel like being reminded of how much history you have forgotten (or maybe you were never taught) this is a great listen for your commute (especially if you are like me and live on the east coast and regularly drive past some of the Revolutionary war battle fields)



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So You Want to Be a Jedi? by Adam Gidwitz

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I cannot say enough about these Star Wars books written by some of my favorite children's authors. Adam Gidwitz's take on 'Empire Strikes Back' not only puts YOU in the role of Luke Skywalker, telling his story from first person, it also provides lessons on how to be a Jedi, teaching the reader ways to calm their mind, meditate, think before acting, and focus.

If you know a kid/were a kid who loves Star Wars, this series is a great way to explore the many ways a story can be told.



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ALL THE NOPES GO TO THIS: Reboot of 'Labyrinth' in the works.

ALL THE WTFS GO TO THIS: Gillian Anderson offered less money for X-Files reunion series.

This song is stuck in my head, I can't stop watching it...I think it is the pretty that is Oscar Isaac and the ridiculous faces that Adam Driver has to make when he sings the noises:


Speaking of Adam Driver, Star Wars + SNL is a good mix:





and I can't remember if I posted this one so I am doing it again because it makes me laugh EVERY. DAMN. TIME. (I totally know collector's like this. I love them but...they can be such nerds LOL)



and now, to shovel snow so I can feel less guilty about playing Fallout the rest of the day...