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tailschannel · 9 months

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IDW Sonic at SDCC 2023: Everything you need to know

IDW Sonic had a panel in this year's San Diego Comic Con and many new issues, one-shots, and collections were announced.

Major announcements included new covers for Issue 67, preview pages for the 900th Adventure, and a tease of an upcoming one-shot issue for Fang the Sniper and Knuckles the Echidna.

This year's panelists included Evan Stanley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Min Ho Kim, Caleb Goellner, Michael Cisneros, and David Mariotte.

The upcoming arcs

Misadventures

Issues 63 to 66.

Features Sonic, the Diamond Cuttersm Silvers, Blaze, Knuckles, the Chaotix, Cream, Gemerl, the Babylon Rogues, and more in a two story per issue format.

Between August, September, and October 2023.

Second Chances

Issue 67.

Surge and Kit makes a return to supposedly join the Restoration.

Out November 2023.

The Protector

Issue 68.

Sonic and Tails explore a mysterious cavern.

Out December 2023.

Upcoming one-shots

The 900th Adventure

A special issue that celebrates 30 years of Sonic comics that span over 900 releases.

A Sonic adventure where Sonic and friends goes against some of his foes to get rid of the Warp Topaz.

Out August 2023.

Attribution for the 900th Adventure one-shot are as follows:

Story One: written by Ian Flynn, illustrated by Adam Bryce Thomas, coloured by Valentino Pinto

Story Two: written and illustrated by Evan Stanley, coloured by Gigi Dutreix.

Story Three: written by Nigel Kitching, illustrated by Mauro Fonseca, inked by Rik Mack, coloured by Reggie Graham.

Story Four: written by Daniel Barnes, artwork by Min Ho Kim.

Story Five: written and illustrated by Aaron Hammerstrom, inked by Matt Froese, coloured by Nathalie Fourdraine.

Story Six: written by Caleb Goellner, illustrated by Abby Bulmer, coloured by Heather Breckel.

Endless Summer One-Shot

Sonic, Tangle, Whisper, and Jewel just want to have a relaxing day at the beach... but won't if the Babylon Rogues have anything to say about it.

Out August 2023.

IDW Sonic Halloween Special

A new adventure featuring the Chaotix where they have to face a candy-stealing monster alongside Sonic & Tails, releasing on October 2023.

Featuring Mark Bouchard, Jack Lawrence, and Gigi Duterix.

Amy 30th Anniversary Special

Amy embarks on an adventure to save the small animals and her friends from Metal Sonic.

Out September 2023.

Knuckles & Fang One-Shot

Newly teased 30th Anniversary one-shot issue for Knuckles the Echidna and Fang the Sniper

Out in 2024.

Upcoming collected editions

Scrapnik Island Collection

Sonic and Tails are on an island of spooky forgotten badniks.

Out August 2023.

Seasons of Chaos Collection

Classic Sonic adventures.

Out October 2023.

IDW Sonic Artbook

A special gallery collection containing some of the art of the IDW Sonic series, including art from Tracy Yardley, Adam Bryce Thomas, Evan Stanley, and Jack Lawrence.

Out October 2023.

Knuckles' Greatest Hits

A collection featuring Knuckle's greatest hits throughout the IDW Sonic series.

Includes issues 3, 10, 11, the 2022 Free Comic Book Day special, and the "Guardian" mini-issue from the 2022 Annual.

Out October 2022.

(Story contributed by Spectre from the Tails' Channel Newsfeed, images from Floof for Tails' Channel, with files via IDWSonicNews for Tails' Channel)

#idw sonic the hedgehog #idw sonic #sonic idw #sonic the hedgehog #sonic #sonic sdcc 2023 #sdcc 2023 #san diego comic con #comic con #sega #gaming #sonic news #idw sonic spoilers

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noodlesha · 7 months

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Sex Education: Season 4 (2023) – Just some thoughts.

Over a span of four days, my housemates and I sat down to watch the final season of sex education; the show had started in 2019 (which feels like a lie, but we move I guess) and was loved by the masses. People really resonated with it as they showcased people dealing with all sorts of different complexities and natures and it was truly wonderful to see so many demographics being represented.

And while I know some of the criticism comes from the fact they favour representation over solid writing, I can understand that sometimes it’s just nice to be seen on a tv show with no ulterior motive and to be frank, this show has some great writing with certain characters. But like most TV shows, it didn’t mean it didn’t have its faults much like this season. But I think the best way to talk about this show is through its characters, which are the driving force of this TV show and it both benefits and fails from it.

The New Characters

When going into it, I was quite sceptical about the new characters, and coming out of it, I think I still am. I enjoyed the representation of ‘The Coven’ or whatever they were called, I think Aisha was written the best out of the three considering she had a broader storyline and I loved how they discussed accessibility for disabled people it was very refreshing. But coming out of the show, I don’t think I felt anything for these characters, and I found myself wishing they had Lily and Ola back.

O felt like a complete waste of a character – it felt like they made her very purposefully antagonistic, and yet when it came time to redeem her character it felt like a last-minute decision. I also think the way they handled her asexuality was very odd and felt quite forced at times, I remember during season one the writers seemed to be suggesting Otis was asexual but then didn’t push through to it, O just seemed like a rehash of that exact thing. There was clearly some stuff left out because O felt very antagonistic back at Otis, but Otis didn’t really do much towards their opposing sex clinics.

Adam (and Michael too)

This storyline became a favourite when the show ended and I didn’t think it would hit me as hard as it did. Adam’s character arc through the show has been very interesting to see, when looking back to last season I was never really a fan of Adam and Eric’s love story but that was the storyline that made me like Adam so I guess there was something to it. I also enjoyed that Adam didn’t go into sixth form and instead followed what his interests were, it’s quite cool to show there are different options rather than just sixth form, then university etc. But I loved the interesting parallels between the son and father, both were coming into their own person which was needed for both of them so they could accept one another and their heart-to-heart at the end was very sweet.

Jackson and Viv

I love the platonic bestie vibes this duo have, it’s so wholesome and I enjoy that the writers never compromised their friendship for a relationship because it’s something you don’t really see that often. I liked the storyline Jackson had surrounding the stigma of cancer in men, it was different and very unexpected but I liked that because it is scary and it weaved very well into his intrigue with his identity. One thing I was a bit confused about was Jackson’s journey with his sexuality; I feel like they slightly breached the topic but there was no clear closure for that storyline which was a big part of his character arc last season, but perhaps I missed something. With Viv, her storyline also quite surprised me; I truly didn’t expect her romance with Beau to take an abusive turn – but in retrospect it’s very interesting to see all the qualities of possessiveness and obsession that Beau had throughout the season. But either way I liked the resolutions in their ending (also loved that Aimee and Viv kind of became a duo), and I’m sad to let them go.

Ruby

One thing I really didn’t like this season was Ruby’s storyline; it was just her pining over Otis again and Otis not giving her an inch despite using her to help his campaign. It felt very backwards to me, especially seeing as Otis didn’t even thank her (more on that later because I have so much more to say on Otis); although she found her own confidence at the end and didn’t dance with him, I honestly would’ve preferred if they were just friends, but I can understand the need to have tension and drama to make things more interesting, but I was just left wanting a bit more with her character rather than her problems being purely surface.

Jean (and her sister… and her baby)

I will be honest, it was very odd to see Jean without Jakob (or Sven as my housemates and I referred to him), but truly I kind of didn’t miss him because they introduced a much more compelling duo with her younger sister. Jean’s storyline was quite interesting; to see a woman struggle with post-partum depression on-screen and not be villainised for it was very refreshing and I thought linking it with her fear of being like her own mother was very good. Her sister’s storyline was also very interesting, I liked how different they were and also that they had a very natural sisterly bond, which is something you don’t see among older women anymore in media.

Cal

I really enjoyed that we got more of a look into Cal's life because that was one reason I didn't really connect with Cal last season was because we didn't get a sense of who they are. But this was majorly broached in this season and I was glad because I really enjoyed their character. Their story was wholly centered around their identity and I thought it was very heartwarming that the school charity came together for their top surgery. Two things that I struggled with though were the fact that their attempt to take their own life was very much brushed over and the fact that their and Jackson's storylines didn't really get completed either. But overall, I really enjoyed their character.

Eric

Honestly, he and Aimee are the best characters on this show, and you can’t even change my mind. One thing I was very glad for was that they tabled the whole Eric and Adam relationship and that they recognised that someone shouldn’t be in a relationship with their bully (and because Eric can do so much better, and I say that while loving Adam as a character too). Something that surprised me but in a good way was his relationship with his religion, it’s so interesting to see because you don’t see a lot of this, especially nowadays. And it was nice to see him flourish with friends that understand him and his views on things (OTHER THAN OTIS WHO DOESN’T CARE), and his turmoil of wanting to be baptised but then realising he doesn’t need that to reaffirm his relationship with God. And Ncuti is just SO funny and charming as Eric, he’s going to be a star one day (especially since he’s been in Barbie and Doctor Who) and I genuinely can’t wait to see it.

Aimee and Issac (but mostly Aimee)

Oh god where do I start, Aimee Gibbs is genuinely one of the best TV show characters ever; she is so likable and the journey her character has gone through is amazing. When the show opens with her documenting her recovery, I was immediately struck that she was going to have a fabulous ending to her story. I loved that she was trying different things like art to express her trauma and seeing her have fun with it was just so, so human and I love when media replicates that side of humanity. One thing that was a pleasant surprise was Issac and Aimee’s relationship; now this may be a controversial take, but I was never really an Issac hater… I know, how insane. So, seeing him get fleshed out more and more was really moving; their relationship was something very different and also made so much sense. I wouldn’t have put them together, but the actors had a lot of chemistry and I enjoyed that they uplifted one another but never crossed any barriers of their own agency.

Maeve

Maeve is a very interesting character; now for another controversial take, I was never a big fan of Maeve, it’s nothing I could really pinpoint but she often seemed very abrasive. But on the flip side, I also respected that about her character, that the writers were never afraid to make her spunky and outspoken, and for her to not be punished for that either. Her storyline this season was great, it made me enjoy her character so much more than I thought I would; the way she acted around the death of her mother was so good and felt very real – and I loved how mature the ending of her, and Otis’ love story was as well. Again, I know some people may think differently but I’m glad they didn’t stay together because let’s be honest, the two wouldn’t last a week ESPECIALLY long distance. She got to focus on herself and her career in the end, which was something she wanted since the beginning of this show; and it was incredibly satisfying to see that on screen.

Otis Dickhead

My, my… you know for the literal LEAD of the show, you’d think they’d write a character that’s at the very least tolerable. Because oh my god, now I’ve never liked the way Otis’ character is written, but Jesus Christ I think we’ve hit an all-time low. One thing he does that drives me up the wall is that he never texted anyone back; like when Ruby kept asking him where he was, he didn’t even message or anything and that was before Maeve’s mum passed away, he is just so inept.

Also, the fact that he’s a so-called sex therapist yet he struggles to article his own problems with BASIC problem-solving skills actually amazes me – I admire the writers for being able to write someone SO thick in the head without going braindead themselves, I really do. Okay rant over – Otis’ storyline really felt like a backdrop to everything in the season, the only interesting thing was his and Maeve’s story and that wasn’t even his main dilemma on the season. Overall, his character is shit and I’m so glad I never have to see his face again (sorry Asa Butterfield, love you!).

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dinitride-art · 1 year

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…y’all weren’t fucking kidding about this huh. Like I know why they (not all of them, most of them are chill) hate Will (because he’s gay) but still. They’re pretty bold over there huh.

“Some b tier side character” weird way to refer to the character that has the first episode of season one named after them because they’re that important to the literal start of the entire story (The Vanishing of Will Byers),

one of the main focuses of season's one and two,

and a character who definitely has had more than eight lines in the last two seasons.

Yeah, sorry. This isn't how you put a B-list side character in a shot. Center frame, close up shots, focusing on them speaking- and you definitely don't do close up shots of their emotional reactions to add depth to their character so you can tell the story you want to tell the best you can.

"I didn't know she was lying to you, Mike!" "Is it early, Michael?" "So you can swap spit with some stupid girl?" "Yeah. I guess I really did." "I'm not gonna fall in love." "A day free of girls!" "Funny how a lot of Will's lines in both season three and four have to do with Mike. How his character arc has to do with Mike.

"It's nothing. It-it's just this painting I've been working on."

"Why do you keep lying to Mike?" "You're not- you're friends with Angela and Stacy and you come to parties here?" "For mom's work- that's not what you implied. I just, I don't think Mike's gonna like that you're lying to him, and he doesn't deserve that, and when he finds out he's gonna be mad."

"No, listen to me. She's having problems here."

"She was lying to you, Mike! Straight to your face, ever since you got here and... I've been a total third wheel all day. It's been miserable. So, sorry if I wasn't... wasn't smiling." "What about us?" "You're mad that I didn't talk to you? Seems like you made it super clear that you're not interested in anything I have to say." "You called maybe a couple of times. It's been a year, Mike. Meanwhile, El has, like, a book of letters from you." "And us?"

"Sometimes, I think it's just scary to open up like that. To day how you really feel, especially to people you care about the most because what if- what if they don't like the truth?"

"Well, once we save her, El, we should stop on the way back. El could make us super rich and we'd never have to work. We could just play D&D and Nintendo for the rest of our lives."

Will hasn't been involved in the supernatural plot for the past two seasons. That doesn't mean he hasn't been involved in an equally important part of this story. Side characters don't get relationship conflict that spans over multiple seasons that ties into the larger themes of the story.

"It's not my fault you don't like girls!" "I mean, what did you think, really? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? We were just gonna sit in my basement all day and play games for the rest of our lives?"

As for how Mike views Will Byers, that has always been very clear.

And that's just season two and season four (I don't have season one and three on hand).

Yep. This is him. Will Byers. The B-tier side character who Mike Wheeler has never looked at once in his life, nevermind cared about, and who is barely even going to be in season five!

Definitely not important at all! To the plot OR to Mike! Funny how Mike has more scenes with Will than with El, "Who he actually loves," though. Weird. And definitely not significant at all. Guess the writers just didn't know what to do with Mike while El was away growing as a character so they just stuck him with Will. And really, they didn't know what to do with him in the last shot either! Just stuck him in the middle for some reason. And next to Will!

It's definitely not because Mike and Will are important characters, to both each other, the core themes of the show (forced conformity, abuse, love), and to the plot! Nope!

It was just a mistake. Damn. They really fucked up that last shot bad then. Putting Mike AND Will together in the center of the shot which, well, normally would be intentional in order to emphasis their importance to the story and their relationship but this is Stranger Things! We all know that no ones putting any thought into any detail of this show. Really, it was just a simple mistake. The blocking, the multiple angles emphasizing it, having this as the final shot of the season. None of it matters.

Least of all, Mike and Will.

Just another string of errors attached to these two.

#byler #will byers #mike wheeler #okay- im not THIS angry about this comment #im mostly using this as an excuse to procrastinate everything that is happening in my actual life #and i get to look at pictures of mike and Will's scenes which are very pretty #its a win win for me #or a lose lose #i have so much stuff to do guys #augh

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mermaidsirennikita · 3 months

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Hmm... you know what you said about people not actually reading books they claim they've read? I feel like this can basically apply to most media. We're living in the tik tok generation attention spans and media literacy have never been lower. I know people who watch everything speed up or they fast forward through movies and shows or they watch those movie plot summary videos on youtube and facebook and count that as watching the actual movie! (big yikes) I saw my sister the other day watching Friends via tik tok clips despite the fact we have the whole show on dvd. This is how people consume media nowadays and it's worrying!!

It's true lol. And I won't pretend to be super invested in everything I watch, but if it genuinely doesn't interest me I'll just kinda stop and move on (when it comes to shows--with movies I usually soldier on unless it's REEEEALLY bad).

Me and my lovely lady friends have had a movie watching group for... like four years now (since right before the pando lmao but the pando made it a lot bigger) and I think that our commitment to watching trash, amazing, and mid things (we've given up on VERY few movies) has made me believe even more that you need to watch or otherwise something before really getting into the discourse. Like. I just said I watched The Bear season 1 (or near to it) and decided it wasn't for me. But I absorbed like, none of that show lmao. It REALLY wasn't for me. So while I can say "I didn't like The Bear", I don't feel like I consumed it, so I can only say on the surface level what didn't work for me, and maybe what I dislike about it on a cultural level (see: the way romance arcs are handled and discussed in the media).

But if I REALLY wanna get into critiquing? I'll watch it. Maestro was such a bad movie. So hard to watch. It wasn't even so bad it's funny, it was just bad. But now I can tell you that with an informed eye, because I WATCHED IT. And there have been movies that have surprised me, too! We just rewatched one of my all time favorite movies that only us and Adam Driver's wife have seen, The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. That movie is so weird! We only watched it because Adam looked good in it! And it's AMAZING to me. I LOVE that movie. I also love so many random little movies people trash. I hate movies like Wonka yet I get through them so that I can properly drag them with an informed heart.

I feel like a lot of people have really lost the ability to invest time and thought. I mean, I know this because Zaslav has asked creators to make things that don't require attention from viewers. For HBO Max, dude. When HBO has been the home of shows that offer so much more nuance than the initial dialogue, based on line readings, expressions. Succession's dialogue, for example, is practically incoherent at points on paper. I mean, Roman Roy sounds so sadistic on paper lol. But when you see Kieran Culkin deliver his dialogue, there is a totally different read, and you see what Jesse Armstrong was actually trying to convey.

I also think this is one reason (other reasons are cultural lol) that people give such surface level readings even when they do consume the content. Like, if you've trained your brain to only read into the most straightforward, "the dialogue and actions are the single truth, there is no other truth, there is no other meaning than EXACTLY what is being done and said in a literal manner"... You are almost never understanding what truly great work really means.

I mean, I just discussed this re: Dreaming of You. Derek Craven stealing Sara's glasses is not meant to convey "Derek Craven is a tool". That is a completely surface level reading. Kleypas is conveying "Derek Craven is obsessed with her" and honestly? Some character work about his background (he steals impulsively because it's super easy to him because even though he's rich now he had to grow up stealing shit because he was LESS THAN dirt poor) and the way he sees the world (he wants her, he doesn't think he can have her, he covets her, and what he does when he covets is take, through theft if need be). And I don't know, probably some subtextual shit about stealing Sara because she's engaged and shit, but that's more interpretive lol.

And I don't expect people to get as granular and obsessive as I do, because a) I am super analytical by nature b) I am A Nerd c) I write a lot so layered meaning is something I'm obsessed with. But like... in the above example, the MOST BASIC reading of "he wants her so he took her glasses because he doesn't think he'll see her again" is so obvious lol. Lisa leads you to that reading. I think he literally has internal dialogue like "he'd never see her again so whatever" while holding the glasses.

The same with the Succession example. If Roman shakes off his dad's weird abusive comments going "it's whatever" you shouldn't go "Roman is devoid of emotion" lol, you should be able to pick up Roman actually deeply caring based on the line reading and expression and a million other line readings before that.

I don't know, dude. Just take the time to consume shit. Not everyone does have a lot of time, I get it. So consume fewer things. Take more time. It's okay. You don't have to be on top of the cultural moment all the time, and if you're faking it to be in it, you're not getting the full experience anyway.

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writerkatsblog · 2 months

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Just a thought, but, what do you think of this theory; A big reason for why Wuya was able to handle the Xiaolin Apprentices in the four episode “Wuya resurrection arc” was because she had convinced Raimundo to turn. Even if the psychological affect of having their friend turn on them was minor, Wuya had still managed to weaken the Xiaolin crew by removing one of their established foursome. Omi, Kimiko and Clay had become just enough accustomed to working together as a team of four that when Raimundo was removed from the equation, both physically and willfully, their team tactics just weren’t strong enough to edge out a win, apprentice level or not

Another factor that I feel was at play was the fact that other three monks weren’t giving Raimundo’s skills and abilities enough credit, which granted him enough of an opportunity to show them just how strong, skilled, clever he can really be

What do you think?

I think that seems pretty reasonable! They'd just spend a whole season (which I assume spanned for months), getting to know each other and getting used to being a unit. And then Raimundo went rogue and it messed up the group cohesion they'd just spent all that time putting together.

As for the latter point, while Raimundo is definitely skilled, I think rather than underestimating him necessarily a part of it is that none of them wanted to badly hurt him. It's like the duel he and Omi had in season 3. They hold back either consciously or not, but Raimundo pulls none of his punches and doesn't care about black eyes or broken bones while he's still feeling slighted. And has no compunctions about playing dirty. Harder to fight someone you're trying to Not injure too badly.

#xiaolin showdown #asks #raimundo pedrosa

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bearterritory · 5 months

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Cal Defeats Saint Mary’s 74-69

Four Bears Score in Double Figures

BERKELEY – The California women's basketball team withstood a furious fourth-quarter rally by Saint Mary's (5-3) to earn a 74-69 win at Haas Pavilion yesterday afternoon and improve to 7-1 on the season. Cal had a 15-point lead with 4:01 remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Gaels went on a 11-1 run the rest of the way to nearly complete the comeback. For the third time this season, the Bears had four players score in double figures, led by Ila Lane who had 15 points on 7-of-9 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. Leilani McIntosh, Marta Suárez and Lulu-Laditan Twidale scored 13 points each. Laditan-Twidale hit multiple (three) 3-pointers for the third straight game against the Gaels. Kemery Martín had a career-high seven assists while McIntosh matched her season high with eight assists. For the third straight game, Twidale had a multiple 3-point effort with three from beyond the arc. As a team, Cal had season highs of 21 assists and 44 points in the paint. "We talked to Ila and Michelle [Onyiah] about having that low block presence and how much it means for us not just now but moving forward," Cal head coach Charmin Smith said. "I thought they both responded. Ila was phenomenal today. We needed to feed the posts and they really came through for us when we needed them. Jeff [Cammon] does a really good job with his defensive schemes and taking away some of the things we're used to on the perimeter, so I'm really proud of the way Ila stepped up in particular." In the first quarter, Cal got hot in the last five minutes hitting 10 straight field goals in that span to finish with a 81.3% clip from the field. Twidale hit two 3-pointers during that stretch and a McIntosh layup with 41 seconds to go gave the Bears a 12-point lead going into the second.

The Gaels opened the second quarter on a 6-0 run to cut the deficit to 30-23 before McKayla Williams found Lane for a layup to end the run. Another 6-0 run brought Saint Mary's to within five points at the 2:54 mark before Leilani converted on a floater. Saint Mary's outscored Cal 16-9 in the quarter to go into the half down just five points. In the third quarter, Cal used an 8-0 run bookended by 3-pointers from Twidale and McIntosh to give the Bears a 50-37 lead at the 4:52 mark. The Bears held the Gaels to a six-minute stretch without a field goal, but Saint Mary's was able to convert on its last two possessions to go into the final quarter down 10 points. The Bears were able to get their biggest lead of the game at the 6:59 mark of the fourth quarter when McIntosh found Lane in the paint for a layup to give Cal a 15-point lead. After Martín scored on a fastbreak layup to maintain the 15-point lead with four minutes left, the Gaels started their rally. Cal would go scoreless from the field, but ultimately time ran out for the Gaels to complete the comeback. A buzzer-beater 3-pointer for Saint Mary's cut the deficit to five points in the final score. Saint Mary's was led by Tayla Dalton and Zeryhia Aokuso who had 19 and 18 points respectively.

#Go Bears #UC Berkeley #This Is Bear Territory #Cal sports

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mildlylesbian · 1 year

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Upcoming fic renaming

Context: Working toward writing a fic where Jimmy was taken in by the Watchers to replace Grian after he escaped them in season 6.

Previously I slapped the name "our many eyes" onto it just so I could have something to tag. However, it never fit the fic so I was brainstorming and finally settled on one I like, which will be what all posts concerning this fic will be tagged with from here on out;

Of Songbirds And Watchers

It's been four years since a watcher had been welcomed into Hermitcraft. Two years since a moth found her way to her watcher brother. Five years since both of them lost their canary sibling.

Neither had ever stopped looking, scouring every world for their missing piece. After so long the watcher had begun giving up hope, though the moth was persistent. What neither suspected was that they wouldn't find the canary, but he would find them. But something has changed, the canary no longer has his wings.

Extra notes below the cut

Yes, I am aware that the name is similar to "Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes" from The Hunger Games series. No it wasn't directly inspired, but it was probably a background thought when thinking of names so.

When it comes to planning this fic... I am behind. I was hoping to get the first chapter out in mid-January, but that did not happen. Right now I'm aiming for the end of February for the first chapter, and hopefully, I'll be updating this blog with more content about it before then.

The fic will be uploaded on AO3, and currently has 5 arcs planned - spanning from the start of season 9 to the end of the Empires x Hermitcraft collab. That's a 10-month timespan for the story.

[tag updated Hermitcraft headcanons master post here when it's posted me]

Please ask me questions, not just about this fic but about anything. I love sharing my ideas and engaging with other writers and readers!

#of songbirds and watchers #hermitcraft #hermitcraft fanfic #watcher grian #moth pearl #canary jimmy #the hermits are a family #fanfic wip

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justzawe · 2 years

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Mr. Malcolm's List Actor Zawe Ashton Taps Into The Feminine Mystique [Interview]

After watching her turn as the cunning Julia Thistlewaite in "Mr. Malcolm's List," one might expect Zawe Ashton to be similarly intimidating. She's the kind of scene-stealing performer whose reputation definitely precedes her: Ashton's career spans decades, following the actor-writer-filmmaker from the stage to the screen and back again. It's easy to feel intimidated by the thought of speaking to Ashton (I definitely was), but all that melted away when I sat down to chat with the "Mr. Malcolm's List" star.

Speaking with Ashton is like making fast friends with a stranger in the place you least expected to. Her thoughts on Regency life and antiheroism are candid, hilarious, and considerably devoid of ego. Ironically enough, it is ego (and a thirst for revenge) that catalyzes the plot of "Mr. Malcolm's List." After Ms. Thistlewaite is humiliated by the titular Mr. Malcolm (Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù) — and immortalized in a Regency-era meme — she sets off to knock the bachelor down a peg. She asks her childhood friend, Selina Dalton (Freida Pinto), to pose as Malcolm's perfect woman, only to leave him high and dry once he starts to fall for her. It's the kind of story you'd expect from a '90s-era rom-com, where the stories usually begin with a harmless bet and feature at least one makeover montage. In that kind of story, Julia would be the villain, a cut-and-dry mean girl who gets what she "deserves" before the credits roll. But for director Emma Holly Jones and writer Suzanne Allain, "Mr. Malcolm's List" was not that kind of story.

Not only is Julia a character worthy of redemption (despite her questionable choices), but she's also worthy of a happily ever after. Her subversive arc appealed tremendously to Ashton, who'd never had the chance to star in a period romance before "Malcolm's List." The process was undeniably euphoric for the actor, especially when it came to the film's gorgeous costumes, but not without a few corset-related challenges. "Getting used to seeing your own bosom whilst acting is definitely a journey," Ashton mused. "But also what I love is, again: The sensuality, the feminine mystique that I'm not drawn to necessarily in my own life. I don't think about enhancing my bosom, necessarily. And I definitely will now from now on — for myself, not for anyone else."

I chatted with Ashton about walking the line between hero and villain, and tapping into the iconography of the Regency period.

You've spoken before about your attraction to more extreme characters. Is that what attracted you to Julia?

Well, do you know, I loved ... when I read [the script], I had 24 hours to read and decide and meet with Emma, our director, because two fantastic actresses had not been able to do the role. And Lyvie, I have no ego about that kind of thing because filmmaking is an intricate process that has lots of just twists and turns. But as an actor, the way that you come onto a project is often so influential. So having that very, very short decision time kind of made the decision easier in a way, because you go straight to the heart of things, I think. So I instantly read the intersection of genres present in this film. I'm a rom-com fan, I'm a fan of the new Regency-core journey that we're on as an industry, so that was an intersection that was a tick.

I also was like, "There's something so contemporary about this woman, Julia." We meet her at a point in her life where she's four seasons without a match. Her mother's starting to give her the side eye at every opportunity, reading out the latest matrimonial news at every opportunity. And that's something I think women can really understand, when society starts to kind of close in on you with that messaging of where you're supposed to be at in your life versus where you might be.

And I think I said to Emma in one of our initial interviews — or our only interview — I was like, "She feels like the Regency Bridget Jones." And that's a wonderful place to start. And then she becomes this protagonist. And then she becomes this humbled figure who lets her guard down and finds love and gets that intention that she sets off in the beginning of her life with, which is to marry for love. And I just really embraced the arc of that. I embraced the lightness and the kindness of the movie. We were in the second wave of lockdown and I knew that it was going to be a really wonderful spiritual reset to do something this fun.

And I have a very, very strong intentionality when it comes to supporting first-time filmmakers from underrepresented intersections. So it was just like "tick, tick, tick, tick, tick" in the space of 24 hours. And then I found out who the cast was and then I said, "Definitely. Please yes, I'll do this."

I love that you touched on kindness, because I feel like Julia sort of walks the scorned woman archetype throughout the film and she does make questionable choices, but she's never demonized. At the very end, she's able to find that she is worthy of love and forgiveness — which from a modern perspective, especially for women of color, that was so, so refreshing to see.

I think it's deeply refreshing to see. And you asked about a penchant for extreme characters. I wasn't drawn to Julia's extremes necessarily, but I'm always drawn to walking that line, I think. People in life are complex and I think I have a superpower as an actor for just really not minding if I'm disliked. I think lots of actors really desperately would like to be liked, but I don't know. I'm open to anti-hero-ness. I think they were the characters that I always warmed to as a child, when I was watching animated films or when you were at a puppet show, or just those first formative steps into understanding different creative worlds. I was an Ursula "Little Mermaid" fan. [Laughs]

They have much more fun, to be honest.

I think it's sort of ... you have to do more work as an audience member, and as an actor if you are going to win them over in the end. And of course you can win people over by just being extremely devious, and that's a very delicious experience.

I really love that also we're seeing an antagonist in a film of this genre who is a woman of color, who isn't attempting to be anything other than who she is. I really don't want to ever defang a performance for the purposes of being palatable. I personally don't feel like I make good work if I'm trying to pander to an audience in that way. And I also feel like you don't keep the door open for even more complex interpretations in that space, unless you really commit to walking that line. So I have a penchant for walking the line.

You've spoken about your relationship to secondhand clothes and how vintage has helped you find characters in the past. How did costuming inform your kind of molding of Julia?

Huge. And I'm so glad they have the costumes on show here at Saks Fifth Avenue as a way of representing this film. I love it mostly because there wasn't a huge amount of budget to make a lot of costumes. We really had to kind of do a lot with a little and that's down to our fantastic costume designer, Pam Downe.

Costume is very influential in this film, because I'd never played this era before, the Regency era. It's something that you've watched for such a long time. It has so much iconography attached to it. Stepping into it is a very, very unique experience, because the door has been closed to this genre to me for a very long time. So putting on a bonnet was heaven. I was like, "I feel cute! And I feel aspirational." Putting on the little ballet slippers that they wore at that time, it's extremely ... again, it's just very, very gentle and very ... it has a softness to it that really does transport you from this world to that one.

Also, I feel like there was something really, really fantastic about how sometimes wrong Julia was getting the fashion of that time. Her huge feather that was extremely offensive to Malcolm, I mean ... there was just a wonderful freedom in that to be someone who was presenting this very fashionable high society woman, but without making those fumbles and mistakes that we all make. Because of course, it was a hedonistic time. We don't think of it necessarily as that because we see the slightly more repressed behavior. Then the Victorians came along and corseted the Georgians up for a reason, because it was kind of sexy and out there! It was, again, it had this contemporary edge of a woman who's kind of embracing the fashions of the time and not necessarily always hitting the mark, but having fun with it. There was a huge freedom in that. (x)

#zawe ashton #slash film #interview #article #mml promo

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bigskydreaming · 2 years

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I’ve barely paid attention to YJ this season as I largely fell out of love with it last season and mostly just want to stay caught up (though I still missed like, half of this season lmfao, I’m so good at things like staying caught up, How DO I do it).....

But I’m both LOL at the corner YJ’s managed to write themselves into and a little bit Crankypants myself.

Like first off, I think its absolutely hilarious that the way YJ approached this season, with each of the mains having their own individual arc of episodes, and leaving Dick’s arc to close the season out......they uh, kiiiiiiinda shot themselves in the foot with three long-running plotlines.

See, this season is all about Conner being missing and presumed dead, and this final arc is about Dick leading the investigation/hunt to find him and bring him back once and for all, right?

Which would be fine except that storyline makes it very hard for fans to forget that like.....there’s another presumed dead character who while having ties to multiple other characters, definitely has a special spot in Dick’s relationships and thus storylines....and that fans have been waiting and EXPECTING to eventually come back, for years now:

Wally West.

And of course, on top of that there’s the added problem that there’s ANOTHER presumed dead character who while having ties to multiple other characters blah blah blah special spot in Dick’s relationships and thus storylines, yada yada yada....fans have been waiting and EXPECTING to eventually come back, for years now:

Jason Todd.

See what I’m getting at? No matter what they do, UNLESS Young Justice closes out this season with ALL THREE characters returning now in the last four episodes of the season, all during Dick’s arc.....YJ’s gonna inevitably leave some fans pissed off or disappointed because like, they wanted their fave or their desired reunion.

And like, what are the odds that the show is actually going to close out the exact same plotline, THREE TIMES OVER, all at the same time, within the same span of episodes?

We might get two of the three, but all three? Not likely.

But the sheer breadth of similarities between the storylines, the obvious parallels and overlap, makes it kinda unrealistic for fans not to hope that that’s where they’re going with things.

There’s also the added element that each of the individual arcs this season have progressed the overall story about Conner AS well as giving each of the mains each arc has centered around like, their own individual plot. Zatanna’s arc had stuff about her and her father, and her growth as a mentor herself. Rocket’s arc was about her relationships, particularly with her son. Artemis’ arc had a strong focus on her relationship with Cheshire, etc, etc.

So it doesn’t help that so far, in the first episode of Dick’s arc, the focus has JUST been on the Conner storyline and bringing everyone else together under the banner of closing out that greater season-arc, with Dick in the leadership position and heading the charge.....

But without any real nod towards Dick’s own individual storylines. So one episode into his individual arc, and there’s already a lack of focus on him as an individual....meaning there’s that much more work for the rest of the episodes to do, IF they’re to actually give Dick his own focus and storyline outside of just his role in the season-long arc.

And that means....likely leaning into or building on legwork the show’s already done elsewhere throughout its entirety, falling back on pre-existing dynamics or storylines already established for Dick....like his feelings about Wally or Jason and what their losses did to him, the toll they took, and thus how their returns would impact him and/or the lengths he would go to see them returned.

But again....doing it with BOTH characters, at the same time? Not likely. So whatever way you look at it, its like YJ has primed fans to HOPE for, and even EXPECT, a resolution to one of those long-running storylines, the deaths of either Wally West or Jason Todd.....with a real unlikelihood that they have any intention of delivering on BOTH, at the same time.

And that’s a very interesting....choice, I gotta say.

#also Im not like MAD mad about it #but I did sigh and go why must people constantly lower themselves to my expectations in this regard instead #of pleasantly surprising me:#that line about Dick being all oh Im rusty on hacking because I barely ever do it anymore because Barbara's better at it than me #like...WHY WAS THAT NECESSARY? LITERALLY WHO ASKED?#you've gone to great lengths to establish this character as a pro hacker since he was FOURTEEN #you don't NEED to justify his abilities as a hacker or programmer anymore #you've already done it! multiple times over! audiences know and expect that Dick is good at hacking!#so why do you like.....feel the need to diminish the abilities you ALREADY GAVE HIM to throw out a nod to another character who isn't even #in the episode #when not only is there no rule saying two characters can't both be good hackers. is too much. can only be one #like....would anybody even actually have thought to question Barbara's hacking abilities after having already seen her as Oracle #if the scene just....hadn't felt a need to bring her into the conversation at all by way of a comparison that didnt need to happen?#no. no they would not. because Dick being a good hacker has NOTHING to do with Barbara and isnt a reflection on her character #whatsoever. just....letting him be good at this thing he's been a pro at since SEASON ONE to such a degree #that nobody on the show has EVER bothered to question his capabilities as a hacker even in seasons where #BARBARA IS LITERALLY RIGHT NEXT TO HIM WHILE HE'S COMPETENTLY HACK-HACKING AWAY LIKE #THE SEASONED PRO HE IS #like? its FINE. you can do that. Barbara is not diminished by him not throwing a bone to her character about how she's such a #better hacker than he is as an explanation for why he might not be able to do the hacking thing he then proceeds to do because...gasp #he's good at the thing!#it was such an annoying and expected thing for them to do that I rolled my eyes when it happened and it somewhat diminished #my entertainment through an otherwise entertaining episode #and that genuinely has NOTHING to do with Barbara herself #and just...everything to do with the reminders of Nightwing's own comic book right now #and how DC seems committed to this THING they have going #where Dick can't ever just be....good at stuff #without him or other characters making pointed statements about how so and so is better #LIKE LITERALLY WHO ASKED? SUPERMAN IS THE BEST AT FLYING DO ALL OTHER FLYING CHARACTERS SAY #OH HE'S THE GUY TO GO TO IF YOU'VE GOT ANYTHING INVOLVING FLIGHT GOING ON?

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barilleon · 1 year

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Leon I haven't had friends who're super in to pokemon before, but I want to play in the Rockets Underground you're setting up in the shitpit. I've played through a few of the games before but not much outside of that, what would you recommend reading/watching/playing to get a better understanding?

OH MAN Dig are you ready for the Team Rocket Primer?

Games

Kanto - FireRed/LeafGreen has the most Team Rocket content, including a postgame encounter that leads directly into Gen II. If you don't want to deal with that, though, Let's Go Pikachu/Eevee is super fun too!

Johto - HeartGold/SoulSilver is the king here. It fleshes out the Rocket admins more. There was also a special cutscene that you could only experience if you had an event celebi that is important to watch.

Anime

Pokemon the First Movie - This movie fucking slaps, it's very important to the Pokemon canon. IMO the quintessential watchable Pokemon experience.

Pokemon Generations - This whole miniseries is on YouTube and is a game-accurate series. For maximum Team Rocket content, you'll want to watch The Chase, Lake of Rage, and The Legacy.

Pokemon Origins - This is a four-part miniseries about Red's journey. Episodes 3 and 4 are maximum Team Rocket, but episode 1 is great just because it includes the most traumatizing pokemon battle scene in canon. You can find it on Hulu or iTunes I think.

PokeAni - The anime canon (which is the same canon as the movie) is VERY different from the games canon, and Team Rocket's tone is totally silly. But two good episodes are 015 (Battle Aboard the St. Anne) and HS12 ("Training Daze"). Later seasons of the anime introduce more upper-level Rockets like Matori, but I really haven't watched a lot of it and couldn't give you episode recs.

Manga

Pokemon Special - This manga series spans every generation of Pokemon, and it's VERY good. Satoshi Tajiri once said that it's the media that matches the Pokemon world in his head. The Red/Blue/Yellow series is a must. The Gold/Silver/Crystal arc is great too, but goes WAY off the rails. The other Team Rocket arcs are the FireRed/LeafGreen arc (my favorite) and the HeartGold/SoulSilver arc.

There's some other manga too with Rocket content, but they're harder to find and it's been a while since I've read them, and they're also super fringe.

Musicals

I just like to remind people that Pokemon Live! the Musical exists. Giovanni is played by Darren Dunstan. And James is played by Andrew fucking Rannels. A lot of the songs are actually really fun, but the best one for the Rocket Primer is It Will All Be Mine.

#dig-the-bad #ask #Rockets Underground

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lananiscorner · 2 years

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The Sandman rewatch - episode 10

So I like to do this thing where, if I didn’t consider a show a complete waste of time and if it does have an actual arc spanning the season, I watch the season twice–once as a binge watch and then once more episode by episode, because it helps me notice things I didn’t notice at first, especially in cases like this where I’m almost entirely unfamiliar with the source material.

Anyway, any and all chronological thoughts and ramblings about episode 10 of The Sandman beneath the cut, because spoilers.

Jed: “Who’s Morpheus?” Rose, internally: Dear god, I do NOT have the spoons to explain this right now.

Kudos to Rose, she’s got guts telling the Corinthian “no, I’m taking Jed and going home”.

Also, I love that she wanted to have a conversation in private, but Jed is like… right there… on the bed… four feet from her and the Corinthian.

Ouch… Dream hesitating to call the serial killers “humans” is how you know he’s truly pissed.

Also, ouch that hand wound! You can tell Dream is not used to actually being physically injured.

You know, Dream, everything would be sooo much easier if you had told Rose what EXACTLY a vortex ends up doing a lot sooner.

I love that Dream is really good at taking responsibility for logical/rational mistakes that are his fault (such as acknowledging the Corinthian as a creation Gone Horribly Right), but mostly sucks at taking responsibility for emotional mistakes (such as his teeth-pullingly torturous attempts to acknowledge that he had been unnecessarily harsh with Lucienne). It makes for interesting character drama (and at least two different directions his character could develop in).

Also that is an EPIC punishment for the serial killers attending the convention. Too bad that Fun Land died before he could receive it. It also makes for a nice parallel to John Dee’s actions earlier in the series—both Dream and John took dreams away from people, but whereas John took all their lies/daydreams from them, Dream only took a very specific one—the daydream of the killers being the misunderstood victims. Ultimately, the final result is the same though: self-destruction.

Poor Jed. First he finally escapes his abusive step parents, only to end up at a convention of murderers, then he finally reunites with his sister, only to learn that his mom is dead, and then he learns that he has a great-grandmother, only for her to die less than 24 hours later. Kid can’t catch a break.

And here is my 1 moment of broken suspension of disbelief for this show: Really? Nobody from the house is surprised that Lyta is suddenly nine months pregnant and in labor, even though they literally just met her less than a week ago and she was very visibly NOT pregnant then? Nobody is questioning this beyond “did you know she was pregnant”? Like, do none of these people have eyes in their heads?

Omg, Zelda actually spoke to Jed. <3

Unity: “The one thing I do not need more of in my life is sleep.” LOL

Lyta, could you please fucking stop questioning the decisions of the Endless with billions of years of experience regarding the fate of entire planets? Like, Dream might be a jerk, but I can guarantee you, this dude knows more about how the fabric of the universe works than you EVER will.

I swear, I liked her when she first appeared, but if Lyta got hit by a bus at the end of this episode, I’d consider that a happy end.

Jesus, Chantal’s dream is a true nightmare.

See, Dream’s coming in here and his first thought is not “I am Dream, you are the vortex who destroys my realm, prepare to die”, it’s “you’ve caused a great deal of damage, but I can repair it, and your friends are still safe for now, but they won’t be unless you die, I’m truly sorry”. Of course the final result is the same, but the focus here is clearly not a selfish one.

Awww, he’s offering Rose to stay in the Dreaming, potentially as a raven (which begs the question if he could have done the same for Hector, but then again Hector didn’t ask—he just… kind of took advantage of Dream’s absence to make his literal home there and also his physical death wasn’t Dream’s fault).

Awww, Fiddler’s Green offering his life for Rose’s.

Omg, Fiddler’s Green the place is gorgeous!

“You’re not very bright, are you?” WOW, Unity! Emotional Damage!

That subtle look Lucienne and Dream exchange when they see the heart… they know what’s up.

“Golden-eyed man” and Dream and Lucienne are both like “aw fuck, we were right, weren’t we?”

Aww, Zelda and Chantal are buying Hal’s house. <3

Oh man, Dream is PISSED OFF at Desire.

I must say, Mason’s performance is perfection.

Oh, so we have a “big, responsible siblings” vs “young, trouble-making siblings” thing going on here? Is that why the Prodigal left? Because they are the middle child who didn’t want to deal with this BS family anymore?

He remade Gault as a dream, just like she wanted! <3 ;_; <3

Awww, Dream admitting that he was wrong and he will try to listen from now on. <3 That’s what we call character growth!

And he’s giving Lucienne her vice CEO of the Dreaming position back! <3

Lucifer: “I could think of nothing I’d enjoy less.” Mazikeen: “In which case, Lord Azazel would like a word.” Lucifer: “Except that.” ROFL, the look on her face is priceless.

#The Sandman #episode 10 rewatch #RIP Unity Kinkaid

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pilvimarja · 2 years

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Cobra Kai episodes 8 and 9

I still have the final episode left, but I figured I'd write some thoughts about episodes 8 and 9 before they all blur together in my mind.

Soooo there's now a super duper mega tournament that's so much bigger and more badass than the All Valley. Lol of course there is. I totally understand that all shows have to raise the stakes as the story grows bigger or they risk becoming stale. Cobra Kai has done an exceptionally good job with this in its five seasons and I'm honestly a little surprised that they still manage to make this karate war feel as engaging and fresh as it does! But at the same time, bigger isn't always better and the All Valley will always feel much more special and important than some global tournament.

Oh, Tory, how I love her. Peyton is getting so much good stuff to work with and she's become such a deep, complex, tragic and heroic character that I think she's surpassed a lot of the original favorites (not naming any names). My heart broke when she went to Sam to tell the truth and Sam reacted with anger, but then my heart absolutely soared when Sam went to Tory and now my girls are joining forces!

I've also loved Sam this season. She's had a great little journey and I'm so happy that she's found peace within herself and a proper reason to fight. Not really a fan of the way they still keep forcing her into those romance plots, though. The whole thing with Miguel and her is getting really old.

It feels incredibly good to see Johnny and Daniel finally working together for real. This season is feeding the Lawrusso fandom well, even if it's dampened by the shadow of Johnny's partial character assassination. I think this is what a lot of people expected and wanted to see in season 4, but we only got a taste of it back then. And I honestly don't think Johnny and Daniel were ready for this kind of a relationship until now. And there's still some hesitation, like did you notice the look on Johnny's face when Miyagi-Do made it to the big tournament? It was such an obvious "gimme a hug" moment, but he and Daniel just fist-bumped even though Johnny hugged Chozen a second later. I think a hug between him and Daniel is still too intimate unless they're drunk lol.

I also think that if Johnny had had even half of the rushed character development they've given him this season back in season 4, a lot of his character arc would feel more earned and organic. Now they're basically just speeding through his journey from emotionally stunted manbaby to a somewhat functioning adult in the span of ten episodes and it's giving me serious whiplash. Well, actually it's more like six episodes because those first four episodes were just a rehash of what we've already seen in previous seasons. I suspect they were written to appease the dudebro fans, but I don't know if even the dudebros enjoyed that shit. It stuck out like a sore thumb.

The adults going clubbing was so CRINGE!!!! But I also kind of loved it haha. I dig how episode 9 has now become the Lawrusso Date Episode in each season. Also, Chozen's crane shirt was gorgeous and he's so freaking funny and endearing when he's drunk! And as much as I hate the overflowing heterosexuality (seriously, what the fuck is up with the overflowing heterosexuality and traditional family values this season??? Who is responsible for this odd shift?), I think it's sweet that Chozen loves Kumiko and I hope the two of them can make it work.

Oh! I almost blocked it out of my mind, but the scene where Master Kim made Tory break her hand on the training dummy was HORRIFYING! I felt sick to my stomach watching it. And you know, Tory could now basically shut down the entire Cobra Kai enterprise just by going to the police and telling them what their senseis do to minors! Though I guess Terry would just buy his way out of any legal trouble...

#cobra kai #cobra kai season 5 spoilers

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pearlcages · 1 year

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Why do you think it took Arizona so long to accept her disability? I know that people react differently to trauma but still, she knew it was either her leg or her life and she had plenty of reasons to want to live and get better, she had a loving, supportive wife, a daughter, a job she loved. Yes it was an adjustment and her life changed, but at the end of the day she was still able to do pretty much everything she used to do before, just differently. Idk it just took her forever to accept it.

i don’t really think we can place a grey’s paced timeline on something like this, honestly! because it does seem like arizona takes so long to adjust to viewers because they’re used to arcs that span a season, maybe two. but it’s really not how trauma works, even if i can respect that the writers made a (vague, half-hearted) attempt at incorporating serious trauma into arizona’s slowed down timeline of recovery

for me, it’s not just that she lost a leg (but that would absolutely be enough). it’s that she lost a leg in a plane crash. it’s that she lost a leg in a plane crash where people died. it’s that she lost her leg in a plane crash after spending four days screaming, holding mark as he died, watching her own bone marrow get more and more infected. she lost a leg, and had to relearn how to move at all. she lost a leg, and she didn’t feel like herself. she lost a leg, and she had to figure out who she was now from scratch. an entire identity based around being happy and good, when she’s so traumatized that she barely feels human

these are years long processes! it’s slow, hard, painful work. it would make sense for her to never be 100% over it imo! so while i get the fact that grey’s time moves differently and we’re used to a quick turnaround on plot lines, there are so many reasons for arizona to not bounce back for a long, long time— and i wish this had been better honored in the narrative of the show

#asks #super interesting question though!

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cobra-shy · 2 years

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...On the page, Roger created—he threw—a voice that was utterly joyful, as buoyant as a lottery winner. He hated the poetical and the hard-bitten. The Roger Angell of the baseball pieces was a man at liberty, delighted to be in the stands on a long-shadowed afternoon, part of a vast community of fans. The sentences were ebullient but never decorous. An ur-Wasp, he was tickled to learn the Yiddish word for “over the top”: ungapatchka. He took it as an immense compliment when a friend told him that he admired the “un-ungapatchka-ness” of his work. Roger’s best baseball prose—his early piece on the struggles of the fledgling Mets, “The Old Folks Behind Home”; his profiles of the fearsome Bob Gibson, the vanquished Steve Blass, the submariner Dan Quisenberry; his chronicle of the epochal Boston-Cincinnati World Series of 1975, “Agincourt and After”—radiated a sense of wonder at the complexities of the game and those who play it. His enthusiasm for baseball was so immense that it could not be confined to a singular loyalty. In a given season, he was capable of giving his heart to anyone. He was a Mets fan, a Yankees fan, and a Red Sox fan. In anyone else, this would have been unforgivable.

I had the privilege of witnessing Roger’s joy in the game more than once, but never more so than in October, 2000, when we went together to Shea Stadium to watch the fifth and final game of the World Series, a Subway Series dominated by Torre’s Yankees. Sitting in the left-field stands, Roger held forth on everything from Torre’s understated generalship to the “premature decrepitude” of Shea to the best kind of notebook. (Mead notebooks: “They take ink perfectly.”) He recited a Homeric catalogue of his favorite baseball names: Hack Wilson, Napoleon Lajoie, Mookie Wilson. They spanned the age—the age of Angell. I could have sat in the stands listening to Roger (and, incidentally, watching the Yanks and the Mets) forever. But there would be no extra innings that night. Mike Piazza’s towering attempt to tie things in the ninth fell short and into the glove of Bernie Williams.

“That’s it,” Roger said, and led the way to the Yankees clubhouse. The Bombers were winners again. Roger entered the room under great arcs of foamy champagne. Happily soaked, he made his way to Torre, and listened in on yet another soliloquy to the young scribes. On some point of historical interest, Torre paused, and looked Roger’s way for confirmation. Roger, sagely, nodded assent.

After a while, Roger said, “We should check in on the losers. The story’s in there, too.” We hustled over to the home-team clubhouse, where the Mets picked gloomily at a sad array of snacks and made the customary remarks about next year. Roger wrote that down, as well.

His Mead notebook now sufficiently inked, he led the way past the revellers and the mourners along the ramps and made it out to the parking lot. We found his Volvo station wagon and climbed in. Another gaudy night in Queens. Roger got behind the wheel and, driving alarmingly fast on the Grand Central Parkway, he talked about next year. Spring training was four months off.

#i went to go check if i had gotten some of the wording of the quote i just posted correct and was deeply saddened to discover this news!#i was just reading A Summer Game and some of his archived articles the other day and was really astonished at how easily #the clarity of his enthusiasm had lifted my spirits #going to spend this weekend reading his essays and missing him

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