rose_griffes

One unpleasant side effect of enjoying how good Andor is: a revival of my burning rage at how badly Disney Star Wars botched the sequel trilogy--especially Finn and Rey. And while my DW is still an “I hate Rian Johnson's Star Wars film” safe space, the blame really lies with Bob Iger trying to rush things instead of giving the Star Wars team time to produce a solid foundation for a three-film series.

ANYWAY! Moving on.

( spoilers for Andor, season one - and why I’m okay with a retcon )

Before moving on: a big shout-out to all of you who prefer the original backstory for not whining about it in the pro-Andor-show spaces. I see you! Or rather, I don’t see you, and I definitely noticed and appreciate your tact.

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( accidentally talking myself into shipping something from Andor that no one is gonna write )

More than two years since I last wrote any fic.
After (596 words) by rose_griffes
Chapters: 1/1
Fandom: Andor (TV), Star Wars - All Media Types
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Jezzi & Brasso
Characters: Jezzi the Ferrixian (Star Wars), Brasso the Ferrixian (Star Wars)
Additional Tags: post-episode
Summary:

Brasso has always hated leaving atmo.

I had Disney+ for two months, enough time to watch Andor's first season--twice for several episodes. And then I cancelled the subscription at the end of December, because it was time to move on.

Except the fannishly obsessed part of my brain didn't get the memo, and I have now resubscribed. Just for rewatching Andor. And I suspect there may be fanfic in the future. Whether it's just reading or actually writing something myself is up in the air.

Anyway, feel free to throw a writing prompt my way, if you wanna. Or just shriek in the comments about what intrigued you about season one.

It’s been several months since my last movie theater outing. Black Panther: Wakanda Forever seemed worth the effort, given that director Ryan Coogler created some excellent visuals (...and a few duds) in the first BP film.

Verdict overall: cluttered and too long. Still an enjoyable film, but it didn’t quite click for me. To my surprise, I would have liked a bit more sexual tension between the lead and the villain. That’s not something I usually go for, but this movie needed something with more zest to it.

Andor’s first season had a bang-up final episode that added a lot of depth to the story themes. If I have time before I switch streaming services, I’ll watch the season again. Episode twelve at the very least. If you’re seeing lots of praise for it, the show merits it.

The one element that really didn’t work for me: ( mild spoilers )

(This review points out that Cassian's story is a mirror of Luke's, which I hadn't considered.)

I started watching Obi-Wan Kenobi, which I’m enjoying very much as the “Obi-Wan runs around having adventures with a spooky ten-year-old Leia” show. Oh, and bonus Indira Varma! And Kumail Nanjiani, who has a really fun turn in the show. (So far, anyway. I’m predicting his bit role will end in a teary-eyed mess, but we’ll see.)

Started season two of The Wilds, that Amazon show with a group of “teenage” (hah!) girls stuck on an isolated island. Given that I barely made it to the end of season one, it’s not a surprise that season two feels like a slog so far. Not sure if I’ll continue. Making it even less appealing: there’s a big group of new cast members, all "teenage" boys, in season two, adding even more mess to a very flawed show. But I really do like scripted survival stories, so…

TMFU exchange reveals: I wrote Waverly fic, and it's still in progress, although the stopping point isn't exactly a dramatic cliffhanger. So frustrating when writing inspiration doesn't cooperate with, er, deadlines and so forth.

Pack up All My Cares and Woes (2175 words) by rose_griffes
Chapters: 1/2
Fandom: The Man From U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Relationships: Gaby Teller & Alexander Waverly, Illya Kuryakin & Alexander Waverly
Characters: Alexander Waverly, Gaby Teller, Illya Kuryakin
Additional Tags: Truth Serum, (well not exactly but close enough), endless exasperation with a slightly incapacitated boss, background Gaby Teller/Illya Kuryakin, (it's implied not explicit)
Summary: He remembers what drinking feels like, and opium. This is something different.

I made waffles this morning, having been gifted with a waffle maker for Christmas. Tasty!

( year in fandom meme thingy )

Worth a read: John Boyega's interview with GQ. John Boyega: 'I’m the only cast member whose experience of Star Wars was based on their race'

The pull-quote title is click-bait, and of course people aren't bothering to read the article for the actual context before pulling out their, "But Kelly Marie Tran! But Oscar Isaac!" rebuttals. In context, Boyega's statements are accurate and devastating.

And now back to work. It's that season.

I’m halfway through my third watch of Hamilton on Disney Plus, which makes my subscription this month more than worth the price.

I’m halfway through my first watch of season one of The Mandalorian and have come to a realization. Well, multiple realizations: ( cut for spoilers? I guess? Is there anyone who hasn't watched season one yet who actually still intends to and cares about spoilers? )

So. I have three episodes left. I may skip episode 6, just based on what I read about it. Nothing against the idea other than it doesn’t sound as interesting as the two-part finale. Feel free to weigh in if you have an opinion about episode six.

As long as I’m talking about Star Wars, here’s a quote from a recent article. I can’t speak to the Clone Wars content, not having watched the show, but the analysis of the sequel trilogy film directors and their visions was spot-on, in my opinion. ( the relevant quote is three paragraphs long so I'm cutting it )

Most of the article praises The Clone Wars, which led me to wondering if I should try to watch that in my remaining... uh, four days before I cancel my subscription to Disney Plus--which answers the question for me. That answer being No. Chances are good that I'll plonk down the money for a subscription again when D+ offers that Falcon and Winter Soldier show (dunno what the actual title is) and I can try The Clone Wars then.

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I was looking back at my request for prompts to write a couple of last-minute fics before the due date for sign-ups for the multi-fandom remix and I'm very amused at myself for even thinking I could accomplish such a thing. Me writing fic is always an iffy proposition: the level of emotional investment required is usually pretty high, and I rarely have that kind of fannish intensity. Especially not about a decade-old show. (Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles started airing in 2008; I didn't start watching until 2009, when it had already been cancelled.)

I've received my assignment for the big remix. My remixee and I have just one shared fandom from what I offered to write / they offered to have remixed. And it's a fandom that I threw onto the sign-up sheet as a whim--something I've never really written. Fortunately we seem to have similar tastes in a not-really-canon pairing for that media source. This does mean digging up the source material to reexamine it, and it is MORE than a decade old at this point; an early-ish (pre-livejournal) fannish favorite of mine. Here's to hoping it holds up okay.

As for needing a fannish investment to write fanfic, well, that's the fun in remixing. There's a foundation already laid and materials set out; I just have to determine how to make a building out of them.

Wow, it has been a decade--the magic number on this post--since the last time I wrote a remix fic?! Wait, not quite. It was 2011. By the way, the only remix challenges I've done previously were for one single media source, which provided a much larger safety net. Navigating the sign-up sheet for the multi-fandom remix prompted a list of mental queries, such as: What is the WORST pairing I can imagine for this fandom, and am I prepared to write it if we match for this fandom? (In the case of Star Wars sequel trilogy fandom, my answer was no, absolutely not. Heh.)