Lots of catch-up
Dec. 2nd, 2021 04:50 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shivverAll right, so I haven't posted since the end of September. I kept meaning to - I mean, I left a lot of DW discussions and fun life discussions and a daily meme hanging. But, I got bogged down. You might remember that I was having a lot of work stress. Well, that eased up and it was actually going really well... and then a new bomb went off and it was awful again, and now it's getting back to good. I want to write about all of that, but not today. This is going to be a happy, fun catch-up post.
Doctor Who
Okay, so first thing, straight out: I love this new season. Yes, I know, it's probably not a popular opinion (no, I haven't been looking at reviews or social media, so I don't know, but I've found in general that people don't share my opinions), but I really do. Each episode has been good individually (especially the Sontaran ep), with fast-paced action, problem-solving, and twists, and none of the dry-exposition talking-head scenes that have plagued the last two seasons. The overall story is complicated, spawning lots of questions and providing the answers as we go along.
I really feel like Chibbycakes sat back and said, "Okay, these last two seasons have been okay, but not great. What I really need to do is do what I'm known for, which is Broadchurch." So, he crafted a saga with tons of diverse but interconnected characters with their own backstories and goals, then threw the Doctor into it to figure it all out. Yes, I know everyone was afraid when Chibnall took over that he was going to turn DW into Broadchurch in Space. You were right, and he's doing a great job of it.
I'm very much enjoying the new characters. Vinder and Bel are interesting separately in their own right, while also being augmented by their pairing. Prof. Jericho is especially appealing to me as an unemotional, stoic scientist who is still sympathetic and human. Dan, however, has been wonderful. I love that he obviously doesn't know what's going on most of the time, but swallows his fears and does needs to be done. He also doesn't take any guff from Karvanista (another great character!).
Yaz is a still a disappointment. She's not getting her own story, which I've always felt she needed especially after the first two series were centered on Ryan and Graham. Perhaps because of this, her personality is still largely undefined, though if I had to choose adjectives for her, they'd be demanding and officious. She seems far more interested in impressing new people she meets with her intelligence and competence than caring at for their welfare, and it was shocking to see Dan (and later Jericho) free-fall twenty feet onto a stone floor and she didn't even ask if he was okay - she turned away and pointed out how he'd screwed up. I definitely get the feeling that her story is that she's pining for the Doctor - either romantically or just to be the Doctor's bestest close friend, doesn't matter which - so she's trying to attract her attention by mimicking her arrogance, egocentricity, and flippancy. And of course, the Doctor isn't reciprocating.
Now I'm at the point where I cannot believe they are going to be able to answer all the questions in one more one-hour episode. Random thoughts (with spoilers!):
Just one last comment: I do really want DW to go back to being the Doctor and the companions traveling the universe just to see it, but a single series of omg-universe-ending-everything-is-Dirk-Gently-but-we-just-can't-see-how has been awesome.
Hobbies
I don't remember why, but I picked up an old hobby of mine and that's been keeping me sane for the last I don't know how long. I used to make metal models (Metal Earth brand, but now I've branched out) occasionally way back when and amassed a pile of kits, but I started doing them in more earnest now. I now have a good set of tools and way more kits waiting for me. Sometimes I think I like buying the supplies for a hobby more than the hobby itself. ;)
Anyway, some pics.
I've been playing a lot of Steam games, especially Dorfromantik, which is simultaneously relaxing and frustrating. The new thing in our lives, though, is that we got a VR headset, the Oculus Quest 2.
You see, back just before the pandemic lockdown, we were up in Seattle for a weekend with another couple, taking advantage of the Air B&B that we had all reserved for the Seattle Comic Con but had been unable to get reimbursed for when the convention was canceled. While we were up there, we went to GameWorks and there was a setup for Beat Saber, which is a game I always wanted to try - you have two light sabers that you swing at blocks that come at you in time to the music. It was an expensive game ($3 per play? $5? I don't remember), but it was a BLAST.
As the lockdown started, I wanted to get a VR setup and Beat Saber but we couldn't really justify the expense, as we had no interest in any other VR. Now, two years later, my husband was talking to a coworker, who told him they were going on vacation and said that his daughter has the most luggage because she has to pack her Switch and her iPad and her Oculus Quest. My husband asked what games she plays on it, and he mentioned Beat Saber, saying it was her favorite game. So my husband decided to get me the OQ2 for Christmas. We purchased it on Black Friday and for some reason received it the next day.
Beat Saber is the best. What's great is that my husband also loves it, so we're both now doing two sessions of about twenty minutes of basically cardio every day. Well, we're working up to it - it took until about Tuesday for us to stop hurting. :) We're already talking (not particularly seriously) about getting a second OQ2 so we can each have one and stop fighting over who gets to use it now. There are also cooperative games we could play together, so it's not entirely a waste, but we're not there yet. The exercise is doing us good - it's been less than a week and already our energy levels are a lot better - and we don't have to go out in the cold Oregon rain to get it.
Writing
Writing has really not been a thing for a while now, but I'm trying to turn that around. I have a couple of small scenes that I wrote half a year ago while participating in a personal challenge withromanajo123 that I'm trying to shore up into a state where they can be posted; if I'm good, I'll get one out this weekend. I'm otherwise editing and re-editing this David-Will fic that I've had stewing for a couple of years now, as well as working on a couple of other long-neglected WIPs. I also started a fic that I have planned out in my head but just haven't written, and also got an idea after the Sontaran episode this season. So it's not like I don't have ideas or things to work on. It's just motivation.
And maybe I'll pick up where I left off on that Frankenstein meme.
Doctor Who
Okay, so first thing, straight out: I love this new season. Yes, I know, it's probably not a popular opinion (no, I haven't been looking at reviews or social media, so I don't know, but I've found in general that people don't share my opinions), but I really do. Each episode has been good individually (especially the Sontaran ep), with fast-paced action, problem-solving, and twists, and none of the dry-exposition talking-head scenes that have plagued the last two seasons. The overall story is complicated, spawning lots of questions and providing the answers as we go along.
I really feel like Chibbycakes sat back and said, "Okay, these last two seasons have been okay, but not great. What I really need to do is do what I'm known for, which is Broadchurch." So, he crafted a saga with tons of diverse but interconnected characters with their own backstories and goals, then threw the Doctor into it to figure it all out. Yes, I know everyone was afraid when Chibnall took over that he was going to turn DW into Broadchurch in Space. You were right, and he's doing a great job of it.
I'm very much enjoying the new characters. Vinder and Bel are interesting separately in their own right, while also being augmented by their pairing. Prof. Jericho is especially appealing to me as an unemotional, stoic scientist who is still sympathetic and human. Dan, however, has been wonderful. I love that he obviously doesn't know what's going on most of the time, but swallows his fears and does needs to be done. He also doesn't take any guff from Karvanista (another great character!).
Yaz is a still a disappointment. She's not getting her own story, which I've always felt she needed especially after the first two series were centered on Ryan and Graham. Perhaps because of this, her personality is still largely undefined, though if I had to choose adjectives for her, they'd be demanding and officious. She seems far more interested in impressing new people she meets with her intelligence and competence than caring at for their welfare, and it was shocking to see Dan (and later Jericho) free-fall twenty feet onto a stone floor and she didn't even ask if he was okay - she turned away and pointed out how he'd screwed up. I definitely get the feeling that her story is that she's pining for the Doctor - either romantically or just to be the Doctor's bestest close friend, doesn't matter which - so she's trying to attract her attention by mimicking her arrogance, egocentricity, and flippancy. And of course, the Doctor isn't reciprocating.
Now I'm at the point where I cannot believe they are going to be able to answer all the questions in one more one-hour episode. Random thoughts (with spoilers!):
- I still want to know who Dan knew who had a TARDIS!
- What is the Grand Serpent after? What is he gaining from spending decades manipulating UNIT?
- How long did Vinder spend on that space station to generate 21,754 reports? And just how long is a pregnancy for his species?
- #1 unlikely prediction: Swarm and Azure were initially not as evil as they seemed. Whatever it was they were trying to do was against the Division, and that may not necessarily be a bad thing. (May not necessarily be good, of course.) Maybe they were trying to get to the new universe, using Passenger to bring with them more people. I haven't gone back to check those scenes, but who knows, maybe. Of course, now, after millennia of imprisonment, they're evil.
Just one last comment: I do really want DW to go back to being the Doctor and the companions traveling the universe just to see it, but a single series of omg-universe-ending-everything-is-Dirk-Gently-but-we-just-can't-see-how has been awesome.
Hobbies
I don't remember why, but I picked up an old hobby of mine and that's been keeping me sane for the last I don't know how long. I used to make metal models (Metal Earth brand, but now I've branched out) occasionally way back when and amassed a pile of kits, but I started doing them in more earnest now. I now have a good set of tools and way more kits waiting for me. Sometimes I think I like buying the supplies for a hobby more than the hobby itself. ;)
Anyway, some pics.
I've been playing a lot of Steam games, especially Dorfromantik, which is simultaneously relaxing and frustrating. The new thing in our lives, though, is that we got a VR headset, the Oculus Quest 2.
You see, back just before the pandemic lockdown, we were up in Seattle for a weekend with another couple, taking advantage of the Air B&B that we had all reserved for the Seattle Comic Con but had been unable to get reimbursed for when the convention was canceled. While we were up there, we went to GameWorks and there was a setup for Beat Saber, which is a game I always wanted to try - you have two light sabers that you swing at blocks that come at you in time to the music. It was an expensive game ($3 per play? $5? I don't remember), but it was a BLAST.
As the lockdown started, I wanted to get a VR setup and Beat Saber but we couldn't really justify the expense, as we had no interest in any other VR. Now, two years later, my husband was talking to a coworker, who told him they were going on vacation and said that his daughter has the most luggage because she has to pack her Switch and her iPad and her Oculus Quest. My husband asked what games she plays on it, and he mentioned Beat Saber, saying it was her favorite game. So my husband decided to get me the OQ2 for Christmas. We purchased it on Black Friday and for some reason received it the next day.
Beat Saber is the best. What's great is that my husband also loves it, so we're both now doing two sessions of about twenty minutes of basically cardio every day. Well, we're working up to it - it took until about Tuesday for us to stop hurting. :) We're already talking (not particularly seriously) about getting a second OQ2 so we can each have one and stop fighting over who gets to use it now. There are also cooperative games we could play together, so it's not entirely a waste, but we're not there yet. The exercise is doing us good - it's been less than a week and already our energy levels are a lot better - and we don't have to go out in the cold Oregon rain to get it.
Writing
Writing has really not been a thing for a while now, but I'm trying to turn that around. I have a couple of small scenes that I wrote half a year ago while participating in a personal challenge with
romanajo123 that I'm trying to shore up into a state where they can be posted; if I'm good, I'll get one out this weekend. I'm otherwise editing and re-editing this David-Will fic that I've had stewing for a couple of years now, as well as working on a couple of other long-neglected WIPs. I also started a fic that I have planned out in my head but just haven't written, and also got an idea after the Sontaran episode this season. So it's not like I don't have ideas or things to work on. It's just motivation.And maybe I'll pick up where I left off on that Frankenstein meme.
