Sunday, July 22, 2012
It's a good thing this isn't a real garden, because I would be FIRED as the gardener. I've spent more time this summer with a migraine (or some other kind of horrible headache called a cluster headache) than I have without one. I also hurt my arm last week. So, my typing time is officially about 10 wpm. It'll be a while before I continue the 100 Things. Sorry!
Tuesday, May 8, 2012
100 Things Post 1: It Takes Courage To Post Fanfiction
Every time I finish a chapter or a oneshot piece, I sweat. My stomach aches. My hands shake. It doesn't matter if I'm about to post a 5,000 word installment of my latest epic or a 500 word installment of Vader's Cat. It happens because the story is mine. It's part of me. I'm sharing something that is integral to who I am. I'm putting it out on the internet for anybody to come along and pick it up and potentially hate it.
100 Things I've Learned by Writing Fanfiction-Masterlist
{Take the 100 Things challenge!}
100 Things 2 Reviews Don't Mean That Much
There's always going to be someone out there who doesn't like your story. There will always be a loyal reader who followed you through half or three quarters of your epic and then got mad at you and decided to bail--or just bailed and never gave you a reason why.
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Voltron Force: First Impressions
Nictoons has been offering free viewing of Voltron Force, the new updated ("re-imagined") offering in the Voltron: Defender of the Universe franchise. The streams are only available to North American audiences, which is a shame in my opinion. I assume it's being done for legal reasons. If not, then shame on Nicktoons.
I heard a lot of bad things about Voltron Force. While I usually try to form my own opinions and not listen so much to the negative reviews--since I have a tendency to like things that nobody else does and hate the insanely popular shows like Battlestar: Galactica and GLEE--I listened to the masses and just put my fingers in my proverbial ears and pretended that Voltron Force didn't exist.
I don't have a good excuse. I grew up in the 80s, like the majority of people who even know what Voltron: Defender of the Universe is. The show was formative for me. I'm fascinated by lions and by robots and by space exploration, so a show that incorporates all those things was bound to catch my attention. It did more than that: it captured a piece of me that I've never been able to define, much less get back. I'm tired of regurgitated, reimagined, over-marketed franchises. Everything's got to be done over; it's as if no one has the imagination left to come up with a new idea, and the majority of reimagined shows out there have done nothing for me. So, I passed on Voltron Force and I shouldn't have, especially since the original Voltron was a mash-up of four different Japanese anime. (In fact it's one of two anime styled shows I've ever found interesting or palatable at all, but that's a whole other post.)
Here's a quick recap of the Voltron story. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful planet called Arus that was ruled by a wise and benevolent family. They created a giant robot called Voltron who...well...defended the universe. Sort of. Really what he did was defend Arus, but he'd take the occasional field trip to other worlds if people needed him. Voltron was pretty much invincible, so eventually anybody with dreams of planetary conquest or widespread galactic mayhem just huddled in the farthest, darkest corner available. Unfortunately, a big gun like Voltron is only effective if it's taken out and waved around every so often. Sooner or later, people start to think it's just a story or it's not really that big of a gun in the first place. When that happened, some new bad guys emerged and started beating up on all the poor, unprepared, peace-loving citizens of the galaxy. An alliance of those peace-loving citizens, appropriately if unimaginatively called The Galaxy Alliance, sent a team of space explorers to go out and find the mythical Voltron. And, of course, they did. Sadly, however, planet Arus was in ruins. What was left of the royal family was in hiding, and Voltron was broken. He'd been split into his component parts, five elementally themed robot lions, and hidden in the depths of the planet. Nobody knew how to fly the lions anymore, and worse, one of the keys was missing! Well, naturally the space explorers could figure out how to fly the four working lions--and once the fifth key was produced by some cute little space mice, the galaxy was on its way to a new day of victory. Later on, the Galaxy Alliance even builds its own, second Voltron, who is equally awesome in my opinion but never really garnered the same devotion, probably because he was made of little cars and ships instead of lions.
In any case, the initial story arc could have been (and unless I miss my guess, it probably will be) a decent premise for a scifi movie. The problem, in the 80s, was the impracticality of the giant robots from a special effects standpoint. We've done four Transformers movies now, so really, this shouldn't be an issue anymore. After that, the show quickly and without apology falls into a strict formula: bad guys threaten Arus (or some other world for a little variety) with giant robots. The space explorers--and eventually the Arusian princess, Allura, who are now known as the Voltron Force--are called in to the buzz-room at the Castle of Lions, known as "castle control." After some brief exposition from the princess's advisor, Coran, each member of the team runs into his or her special transport tube and gets to ride down a tunnel while holding on to a really awesome looking mechanical drop handle. He or she lands in a shuttle car, now dressed in a flight suit which has magically adhered itself in transit, and the shuttle car takes each pilot down another tube into a robot lion. The lions look amazing. They're majestic and brightly colored. They have cool unique weapons. For all that, though, they manage to get their butts soundly kicked every time. When things look their worst, Commander Keith calls out "Okay, team, lets form Voltrooon!" Members of the audience above the age of three will then ask, "Well, stupid, why didn't you just do that in the first place?"
The answer, of course, is that the show isn't really about giant robotic bullies and the other, more awesome giant robot who can put them in their place. The show is about teamwork and unity. Each member of the Voltron Force tries to tackle the bully (called a robeast) on his or her own, and each one fails. But when they combine their strength, the power and legendary magic of Voltron is--and always will be--enough to save their collective butts. The mode of expression just happens to be fantastically detailed drawings of beautiful robot cats, which is more than enough to get the show a free pass for the obvious formula.
As far as the updated show Voltron Force goes, I know that the origin story is slightly different and that there have been some additions to the team in the form of three cadets. I've only seen a handful of episodes. I catch them when they appear on Nicktoons or Voltron Facebook page, and sometimes I forget. That should indicate something about the show. I forget. Which means, really, it's not the best thing going. I have to admit, though: the original Voltron never was either. I knew, even as a kid, that the show was corny formulaic. The characters all acted like over-grown children instead of space explorers. The thing is that it doesn't matter, because the show was magic. There's at least a small part of that magic still present in Voltron Force. Is it the same? No. Can you still jump down that tube into a giant robot lion and go thundering off to battle robot monsters with the fate of the galaxy in your hands? Absolutely. You just need to pretend that the music is better.
My first impressions of the show are that the theme of "strength through unity" which was at the core of the original is well represented in Voltron Force. The plots of the episodes is somewhat predictable-but no more so than the original and I think the writing may be a tad bit less corny, which is a plus. Its' definitely something written for today's kids. Excessive snark is the trend rather than the excessive smarm of the 80s. One is no better or worse than the other for me. Allura seems intentionally different--smarter and stronger rather than "the pretty princess" who was always struggling to prove she could keep up with the boys but got knocked out and fainted way to much. Again, that's in keeping with a show written for a modern audience. Both characters have appeal to me. The main male characters seem to be written much as their original counterparts were. Lance is still a smartass, Hunk is still a loveable thickhead, Keith is still "the leader" and Pidge--thank God--is a slightly less whiny genius kid. I have to say I'm not sure what the point of the cadets is, but overall it's a reasonable effort.
I heard a lot of bad things about Voltron Force. While I usually try to form my own opinions and not listen so much to the negative reviews--since I have a tendency to like things that nobody else does and hate the insanely popular shows like Battlestar: Galactica and GLEE--I listened to the masses and just put my fingers in my proverbial ears and pretended that Voltron Force didn't exist.
I don't have a good excuse. I grew up in the 80s, like the majority of people who even know what Voltron: Defender of the Universe is. The show was formative for me. I'm fascinated by lions and by robots and by space exploration, so a show that incorporates all those things was bound to catch my attention. It did more than that: it captured a piece of me that I've never been able to define, much less get back. I'm tired of regurgitated, reimagined, over-marketed franchises. Everything's got to be done over; it's as if no one has the imagination left to come up with a new idea, and the majority of reimagined shows out there have done nothing for me. So, I passed on Voltron Force and I shouldn't have, especially since the original Voltron was a mash-up of four different Japanese anime. (In fact it's one of two anime styled shows I've ever found interesting or palatable at all, but that's a whole other post.)
Here's a quick recap of the Voltron story. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful planet called Arus that was ruled by a wise and benevolent family. They created a giant robot called Voltron who...well...defended the universe. Sort of. Really what he did was defend Arus, but he'd take the occasional field trip to other worlds if people needed him. Voltron was pretty much invincible, so eventually anybody with dreams of planetary conquest or widespread galactic mayhem just huddled in the farthest, darkest corner available. Unfortunately, a big gun like Voltron is only effective if it's taken out and waved around every so often. Sooner or later, people start to think it's just a story or it's not really that big of a gun in the first place. When that happened, some new bad guys emerged and started beating up on all the poor, unprepared, peace-loving citizens of the galaxy. An alliance of those peace-loving citizens, appropriately if unimaginatively called The Galaxy Alliance, sent a team of space explorers to go out and find the mythical Voltron. And, of course, they did. Sadly, however, planet Arus was in ruins. What was left of the royal family was in hiding, and Voltron was broken. He'd been split into his component parts, five elementally themed robot lions, and hidden in the depths of the planet. Nobody knew how to fly the lions anymore, and worse, one of the keys was missing! Well, naturally the space explorers could figure out how to fly the four working lions--and once the fifth key was produced by some cute little space mice, the galaxy was on its way to a new day of victory. Later on, the Galaxy Alliance even builds its own, second Voltron, who is equally awesome in my opinion but never really garnered the same devotion, probably because he was made of little cars and ships instead of lions.
In any case, the initial story arc could have been (and unless I miss my guess, it probably will be) a decent premise for a scifi movie. The problem, in the 80s, was the impracticality of the giant robots from a special effects standpoint. We've done four Transformers movies now, so really, this shouldn't be an issue anymore. After that, the show quickly and without apology falls into a strict formula: bad guys threaten Arus (or some other world for a little variety) with giant robots. The space explorers--and eventually the Arusian princess, Allura, who are now known as the Voltron Force--are called in to the buzz-room at the Castle of Lions, known as "castle control." After some brief exposition from the princess's advisor, Coran, each member of the team runs into his or her special transport tube and gets to ride down a tunnel while holding on to a really awesome looking mechanical drop handle. He or she lands in a shuttle car, now dressed in a flight suit which has magically adhered itself in transit, and the shuttle car takes each pilot down another tube into a robot lion. The lions look amazing. They're majestic and brightly colored. They have cool unique weapons. For all that, though, they manage to get their butts soundly kicked every time. When things look their worst, Commander Keith calls out "Okay, team, lets form Voltrooon!" Members of the audience above the age of three will then ask, "Well, stupid, why didn't you just do that in the first place?"
The answer, of course, is that the show isn't really about giant robotic bullies and the other, more awesome giant robot who can put them in their place. The show is about teamwork and unity. Each member of the Voltron Force tries to tackle the bully (called a robeast) on his or her own, and each one fails. But when they combine their strength, the power and legendary magic of Voltron is--and always will be--enough to save their collective butts. The mode of expression just happens to be fantastically detailed drawings of beautiful robot cats, which is more than enough to get the show a free pass for the obvious formula.
As far as the updated show Voltron Force goes, I know that the origin story is slightly different and that there have been some additions to the team in the form of three cadets. I've only seen a handful of episodes. I catch them when they appear on Nicktoons or Voltron Facebook page, and sometimes I forget. That should indicate something about the show. I forget. Which means, really, it's not the best thing going. I have to admit, though: the original Voltron never was either. I knew, even as a kid, that the show was corny formulaic. The characters all acted like over-grown children instead of space explorers. The thing is that it doesn't matter, because the show was magic. There's at least a small part of that magic still present in Voltron Force. Is it the same? No. Can you still jump down that tube into a giant robot lion and go thundering off to battle robot monsters with the fate of the galaxy in your hands? Absolutely. You just need to pretend that the music is better.
My first impressions of the show are that the theme of "strength through unity" which was at the core of the original is well represented in Voltron Force. The plots of the episodes is somewhat predictable-but no more so than the original and I think the writing may be a tad bit less corny, which is a plus. Its' definitely something written for today's kids. Excessive snark is the trend rather than the excessive smarm of the 80s. One is no better or worse than the other for me. Allura seems intentionally different--smarter and stronger rather than "the pretty princess" who was always struggling to prove she could keep up with the boys but got knocked out and fainted way to much. Again, that's in keeping with a show written for a modern audience. Both characters have appeal to me. The main male characters seem to be written much as their original counterparts were. Lance is still a smartass, Hunk is still a loveable thickhead, Keith is still "the leader" and Pidge--thank God--is a slightly less whiny genius kid. I have to say I'm not sure what the point of the cadets is, but overall it's a reasonable effort.
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Two Strikes for Metal. Things aren't looking good. Or are they?
I'm not a genre person when it comes to music. I listen everything from Jimmy Buffett to Nine Inch Nails, and I have yet to find a genre of music that is entirely devoid of things worth listening to. (Rap comes close, in my opinion, but there are a few rap artists who actually deserve to be called artists and thus save the entire genre.)
Eclectic as they are, my musical tastes do run stronger in certain directions than in others. Symphonic metal is one of my favorites. Unfortunately, it's starting to be overrun by third-gen bands who're recycling a successful formula and sound pretty much like less polished versions of the established powerhouse groups. So, I tend to stick with the bands I know unless I hear something that catches my attention. Well, I can now say without qualification that the "stick to what you know is good" strategy has failed.
Two of my absolute favorite groups, Nightwish and Leave's Eyes, have both put forth new albums recently. I eagerly snatched up the Leave's Eyes release with my Christmas gift cards and waited to be blown away. And kept waiting. And still kept waiting. Until finally, I got to the end of the tracks and said "...wait. That's it?"
It's not that it was bad. It just...wasn't any good. The band's two previous releases, Njord and Vinland Saga set the bar for me as far as this type of music goes. When Njord was being produced, I thought "It'll never be as good as Vinland Saga." I was right. It was better. It was one the most mind-blowing music experiences I've had in a long time. So I went into Meredead(the new record) with guarded but hopeful expectations. I thought, "It probably won't be as awesome as Njord," but I bet they can pull off something as good as Vinland Saga again..."
Way to be let down. Way, way down.
I'm not going to do a track by track because there just isn't anything memorable enough ON the CD to warrant it. The songs are decent but not outstanding. Nothing catches my ear and says "Here, I am, listen more closely." The entire outing is so busy trying to sound different that the emotion behind the music is an afterthought. It pains me to write such a thing, but consider it a warning for readers who don't have a lot to spend on new music. If you haven't bought Meredead don't waste your money.
The same can be said--almost word for word-- about Nightwish's January release Imaginarium. With all the hype about this record, I expected more. I expected a lot more, frankly. The only standouts stand out because they're creepy and off-putting. This one is definitely not going on my "Music to write by" list with every other Nightwish release.
Metal fans looking for something good that they haven't heard before should try
Xandria
Winter In Eden
Imperia
Unsun
Domina Noctis
or
ReVamp
Xandria has managed to inspire a new story and 40k of material in the past..oh...two weeks? They've got a new CD coming out next month and I'm tempted to cough up the cash for a pre-order.
Check back in the coming weeks for reviews on those and some other stuff I picked up over the holidays.
Tuesday, January 24, 2012
It's been a rough couple of years for me (as my last few posts will attest) and I'm hesitant to make definitive statements about when my can expect updates regularly, but there is some news and I thought it was about time I gave folks some word about the future of the blog. I got some great music over the holidays, and I have plans to make some music recs. I'm still behind on anything I had been watching (including Leverage) or I'm just plain disatisfied and don't want to turn the blog into a weekly trash session, so I've been holding off. I don't have access to my DVD collection right now either, which makes it kind of hard to come up with content for a fandom blog. >.< Hopefully this situation will improve within a few months, but like I said, there are no guarantees.
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