enemyofperfect | So much reading and watching (Reply)

READ

i think you're so good (i'm nothing like you) by

poi_fanworks big bang book club. Both the fic and the book club discussion were super fun! I do think I appreciated the fic more than I would have if I hadn't read its prequel, but this is also the installment in which Reese (aka my terrible feelingsful fave) enters the Everyone Lives AU, so I can see good sides to starting here too!

6th and Williams by

quigonejinn (via

amovingtarget) is an intensely poignant Endgame coda featuring Steve and Peggy.

Petunia's Lament by

torino10154 (via

pauraque) is a post-Deathly Hallows double drabble in which Petunia remembers a boy from her childhood.

Orange Cats in a Citrus Universe by

Scytale introduces an amoral eldritch creature to a backyard full of friendly cats, Neko Atsume-style. Adorable yet slightly unsettling!

Won't Leave Me Black and Blue by

Scytale is a beautifully spare snippet about Kay of Arthurian legend, accomplishing so much in just 144 words.

I also read three excellent original short stories recced by

pink_ink!

Black, Their Regalia by Darcy Little Badger is about three Native American college students who have a metal band, conflicting opinions about the healing power of dance, and, oh yeah, a minor case of a slow-acting plague. I love it so much. It's got the knack of touching on serious subjects without being weighed down by them, and the emotional climax of the story is too good to spoil.

The Great Silence by Ted Chiang is a short piece originally written as part of a 17 minute installation piece I haven't yet watched. It's from the perspective of a parrot whose species is close to extinction, and it brings together such seemingly disparate topics as the Fermi paradox, religion, and the diversity of life on earth. The parrot POV didn't completely work for me, but I wonder if I'll find the installation more convincing if/when I get around to watching it.

Finally, The Flower by Louise Erdich is... well, devastating. I'm not sure I could give a comprehensive list of content warnings, so I'll settle for mentioning child sexual abuse and the inescapable cruelty of the material and cultural assault on Native Americans by white settlers. But having said that, it would be a lie by omission if I didn't also say that it contains striking moments of courage, beauty, and mutual aid. From what I've read, it seems like this story was later included in Erdich's novel LaRose, but I feel it stands well on its own as well: powerfully written and offering no too-simple answers.

Dragon Pearl by Yoon Ha Lee is a middle grade book about a young fox shapeshifter whose older brother has gone mysteriously missing from the Space Forces. Unsurprisingly, it's very different from the Machineries of Empire trilogy, but I'm liking the worldbuilding so far!

The Fifth Season by NK Jemisin, also recced by

pink_ink, is not for the faint of heart, but is extremely good at what it's doing. In a world where cataclysmic earthquakes and volcanoes have destroyed civilization after civilization and no one knows when the next might come, where people with the rare ability to control the earth are either killed by anyone who discovers them or carefully trained and selectively bred (which is exactly as awful as it sounds)... well, a lot of stuff is happening, and I'm still in the process of figuring a lot of it out. But it's all deeply compelling, and I can't wait to keep reading and find out what happens next!

Also worth mentioning is this insightful if pessimistic twitter thread by Courtney Milan on the poisoning of the concept of compromise in US politics.

WATCHED

Jupiter Ascending, which is exactly as everyone in fandom described it. The CGI is gorgeous! The incest vibes are off the charts! I'm not sure I really understood anything that happened at any point! And I especially don't understand why they asked Channing Tatum to grow that unfortunate facial hair. But that last scene was so pretty!

Stumptown spoilers for 1x11 and 1x12, "The Past and the Furious" and "Dirty Dexy Money".

Okay, I'm not super invested in Grey's undercover drama, but I love that when Miles doesn't know who else to trust -- except Cosgrove, because she has his back, which I also love -- he goes to Dex. Like, they never even decided if they were dating each other exclusively and then they broke up, but does he trust her with an undercover mission that could get them all killed? Yes he does, and it's delicious.

I'm really crossing my fingers for Dex to realize that Ansel doesn't stop being her brother if he gets his own place. He's clearly trying really hard to make that clear on his end! And I really loved his cooking session with Tookie, who continues to be delight. I also really liked the client in "The Past and the Furious", and generally that whole plot exposing the child stealing business, augh. Plus, Dex going to a peer support meeting! That's so great!

I do feel kind of weird about Ginger sleeping with her employees if she's the only game in town for men who strip. It was also kind of jarring when Max joked about her "spirit animal" in a show with such a strong Native American presence. Is there an outtake where Grey tells her that isn't cool?

I'm still deeply looking forward to next week's episode, though!

Doctor Who through episode 11x08, "The Witchfinders".

Okay, this has got to be my favorite season so far. I've still got two episodes to go, but just, I love the way it combines fun with a serious (rather than self-serious) approach to moral and political dilemmas. And I love everything about The Thirteenth Doctor! And Graham has grown on me so much more than I expected!

I think my favorite episode so far has to be "The Tsuranga Conundrum", which had fantastic arcs for every single character, even poor doomed android Ronan. ~~Possibly I need to write a ficlet about him.~~ Also, I feel like Alan Cumming just had to have fun playing King James in "The Witchfinders". I mean, how could he not?

I've also watched the entire first Netflix season of Astronomy Club, which is a fantastic sketch show starring seven black comedians who take on subjects from anti-black racism to mansplaining to the balance between charisma and staying organized in activism.

Which might make it sound dry, and it's anything but dry! It's fucking hilarious, is what it is, and plenty of the humor comes from taking a situation so far over the top that it topples under its own absurd weight. But I love a streak of social awareness in my comedy, and this show more than delivers.

(I still cannot believe the Temple Grandin joke casually dropped in the middle of a sketch about kink. How can this show come so directly for me?)

They've got a few samples on YouTube, plus what seems to be a precursor series in the form of half a dozen sketches done for Comedy Central. For better or for worse, a few of the latter seem to go a little harder than the Netflix series, most obviously in the one about flirting in the hold of a slave ship. But overall, I found both series well worth watching!

The Good Place 4x12, "Patty", unhappily discussed here.

But in more cheerful The Good Place news, I also watched and adored All Star by

maristu, which is the Jason vid I never even knew I needed. ⭐ ♥ 🐆