reactions and lil posts
Once again I've moved @cityexplorerbot around. First it wa the Twitter API kicking all the bots out, then it was botsin.space becoming too unwieldy to run. On hindsight, I guess it wasn't surprising that an instance populated by mostly bots was going to take up loads of server space.
Nonetheless, it is fitting that a bot about explorations should move around from time to time.
We are now on mastodon.art :)
In which Olivia Colman gets to swear colourfully and fluently.
It's respectability politics. It's slightly romanticised small-town politics and malignant gossip. It's white woman tears, weaponised, and a whole “cycle of abuse” storyline.
This was quite fun to watch, and had a decently satisfying ending.
I didn't initially realise that this was part of a series of Branagh-directed Poirot films. It's an atmospheric, creepy murder mystery. Set mostly in a country house, like locked-room-style Poirot stories, it almost feels claustrophobic, and it could probably be set anywhere, not specific to Venice. The story is interesting enough though: a murder in the framing of a ghost story; post-war memories; strong characters.
Speaking of aesthetic, Branagh's moustache is impressive.
Plane watching.
Heartwarming, warm fuzzy story about a white man helicoptered in to save the struggling football team of American Samoa.
It's basically a found family narrative, but we don't really get much development on anyone beyond the captain, Jaiyah (Kaimana), and the aforementioned white coach, Thomas Jongen (Michael Fassbender).
The general gist is: Sports as a way to unite a scrappy team, and finding redemption in family/community. Although, yes, the team was already quite tight-knit and devoted to each other, it was more a matter of letting this stranger in. The religiosity of the tight-knit community is sometimes played for laughs, but is actually generally sincere.
The captain, Jaiyah Saelua, is fa'afafine/third gender [1], and her storyline reads like a trans story for cishet comfort in some senses, although there is some good about it. Bearing in mind that I'm writing this being cis: * the film discusses medical and surgical transition openly, mostly in a positive to neutral way * her team is consistently supportive and never misgenders her * Jaiyah is valued as a independent, beloved leader in her team and community – this is explicitly said by the coach * the coach does, initially, as a way of exerting control * Jaiyah stops taking HRT temporarily in preparation for a big match, and dysphoria gives her a crisis of confidence. She is... successfully hyped up by the coach, and it's never mentioned after that. * some ambiguous talk about “still qualifying for the men's team” which I think is referring to surgical transition as “the last step”? * of course the story is more focused on the “white man with issues” storyline
I would definitely refer to the linked interview with Jaiyah for more – it's well worth reading/watching.
My first real audiobook experience (not quite counting Good Omens, because at that point I'd read the book several times, watched the TV adaptation and circled round to the audiobook to listen more to David Tennant and Michael Sheen's narration).
Cosmic horror in Jim Crow-era America. Horror-level stakes (fate of the universe, and so on) mixed with the real-life stakes of racist institutions and police. Cutting commentary. Also, good fantasy. Enjoyed it.
more good omens fanfic for Tuesday's inktober prompt: An unwelcome encounter leaves Aziraphale... itchy.
I say this with caution, but it has been going alright so far
As I work my way through Michael Sheen's filmography...
football management is up there in Things That Fundamentally Do Not Interest Me, but because this was mostly about headology, I could see where the sports was just a mechanic for one man's ambition, and not being able to do it properly without – well – love
not romantic love, not loyalty
the big love that makes people really think about the best interest of, say, a football club
I have discovered my inner aziraphale because the highlight of the day has been a a new kettle arriving, meaning I can finally get a fresh cup of tea (doing a decent parallel park being a distant second)
also because I have a bookshelf where, to my delight, I have discovered space for MORE BOOKS.
[edit: I was clearly distracted and forgot to give some explanation]
I have unfortunately developed a bit of a fixation on Good Omens.
Sorry.
If I knew theology and Calvinism etc better I would have loads MORE to say about it. So I hope everyone is very grateful about this.
Basically I realised I am, despite everything, an Aziraphale.
Anxious to do the right thing, avoidant, don't always get social cues, wears the same clothes for years... (though not for centuries) Always looking for lifts from people. I love food. I create a routine, if I don't have one, and seek comfort. And yes, sometimes to my detriment, but
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Spoilers for S2E5-6
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Some complain that Aziraphale's Regency-type ball was a form of manipulation: a miracle of unexpected, unwarranted intimacy. As if giving the Whickber St traders party clothes wasn't enough, he miracles their emotions and even their movements. Intrusive. Not very angelic.
As if one of the themes of Good Omens, and Gaiman's and Pratchett's works in general, isn't autonomy. Throughout Good Omens, Aziraphale particularly struggles with the moral quandary of autonomy vs best interest – sometimes a triangle of autonomy/best interest/God's will. (Now this is starting to sound like work.) Is it really so out of character for any of the divine/ethereal beings to sacrifice human autonomy to achieve their own aims? Crowley and Aziraphale may love humanity enough that they might think twice before doing it, but they still do that often enough.
Was the ball beyond the pale? Well, it was a situation with dubious consent. Aziraphale probably got carried away. If the entire series was distilled to a point, though, rarely is an action purely one thing or another. It was a darker shade of grey than the angel usually inhabits, and a particularly exuberant demonstration of their tendency towards escapism/illusion. (Oh, Mr Fell and his amazing tricks...)