ashkiryn: (rapunzel)
You know, it's kind of funny, but lately, I feel that I've been reading/watching stories that are especially focused on breaking out of your pre-destined roles, breaking the "rules" and doing your own thing. Princess Tutu, The Claidi Journals, Supernatural....I don't know, I just find it interesting that, as a society, we're so....contrary. We want and encourage people to become part of a community and help a collective whole, and pushed into certain roles, and yet, so many people focus their energies on writing narratives about people who defy societal expectations. Who break out of their molds and make their own places in the world....only to often fall into the patterns of behavior they hated so much in the first place, except that they just inflict it on other people. And I guess that's the thing about human nature. We don't always necessarily want to make things better for everyone----we just want to be on top. Even people like, say, Roy Mustang, from FMA; he wants to become a better Fuhrer to the people of Amestris. And maybe he does genuinely want to improve people's lives, but again, there's the obsession with being on top.

I....don't really have a point with this. At least, not yet. It's just been something that's stewing in my brain, especially when noting the similarites between these three stories that I'm currently partaking in.

Anyway, now I need to get myself into a more Supernatural-focused mindset. Spoilers below the cut for all aired episodes of the show, obviously. This episode's story was by Ron Milbauer and Terri Hughes Burton, and the teleplay by Eric Kripke. (I really have no idea what a teleplay is, for the record.) (And for the former two, they've only worked on this episode and "Bloody Mary". Hmm.)

"Dude. Check out the size of this freaking bear." )
ashkiryn: (tamaki and kyouya)
Yeah, I'm going to be keeping this very brief, as I really don't have that much to say about this movie, and, like...none of it good.

I re-watched this movie just a while ago for the first time in many, many years, and now I will probably never watch it again for as long as I can help it. I gave it another chance, but guess what? I still hated this movie pretty much as I always have.

Why? Well, for one thing, I just can't stand things that are non-sensical purely for the sake of being non-sensical (or illogical, absurdist, acid trip-y, what have you). It annoys the fuck out of me. Also, Alice is a whiny, snobby brat, who gets exactly what she wished for and is then annoying about it and never acknowledges the fact that "HEY, I FUCKED UP, I SHOULD HAVE BEEN CAREFUL OF WHAT I WISHED FOR, I MADE A BAD DECISION, AND NOW AT THE END OF EVERYTHING, I'LL ACTUALLY LEARN SOMETHING." Nope! Instead, she just whines, and says that she just should have listened to her own advice, which---YOU IDIOT, THAT'S WHY YOU'RE IN FUCKING TROUBLE, IT'S BECAUSE YOU GOT EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANTED!!!! And do we get any kind of resolution to whatever character arc she may have had going for her? Double nope! Alice is also ridiculously rude and pretentious, and as a result, everything in her subconscious, aka Wonderland, is also rude and etc. BASICALLY, EVERYONE AND EVERYTHING IS ANNOYING AS ALL HELL, AND IT ANNOYS ME.

Also, this movie is creepy as fuck. Just sayin'.

If I had to like a character, it'd be Dinah. Though, speaking of---Alice, you dumbfuck, it's your cat that you're worried about getting back to?! What the fuck about your family, eh?!

Ugh. God, I swear, I'm one of the few people on this earth who can't stand Alice in Wonderland. But whatever. I WANT NO PART OF YOUR NONSENSE.

And now, I AM SO DONE WITH THIS MOVIE.

DONE.
ashkiryn: (adorable dean winchester)
So, last week when I was writing up my personal Tumblr post, I felt like I was being consumed in Supernatural feels, and it was interfering with my earlier commitment to myself to keep fandom stuff out of what I wrote for Tumblr. And so, I thought a bit on a way to channel said Supernatural feels, and to make them also into a thing that held some sort of personal reflection about myself.

Now, there are very few ways in which I believe that I am qualified to look and evaluate critically about Supernatural. And since I'm still recovering from writer's block, and good readers make the best writers, I've decided that my attention on this watch-through of Supernatural will be geared and focused towards the writing and why it garners certain reactions and feels out of me.

So, this isn't really going to be a review, per se, of Supernatural. Yes, obviously I'll be talking about the story and characters and plot and so on and so forth, but this isn't a post for me to simply flail about and keysmash and cry into my pillows on how Dean Winchester breaks my heart. This is me peeling back the veil to look into and behind the visceral reactions, and about locating the source, and thus a discussion of the tropes and elements of story invovled.

Currently, my opinions as they pertain specifically to the writing of the show is that I love this show, and I adore Robbie Thompson, who is a writer who hopped on board in season 7, and has also currently written three episodes of season 8.

But now, I'm going to take many steps back, and start at the beginning. I'm going to be rewatching this episode, and pausing it as I see things that I see fit to write commentary on. Also, forgive me if I start to wax endless praises about the actors, or some such thing. Part of what makes it difficult for me personally to be critical about TV shows is that I'm not always certain on who is to blame for the good and problematic things, as TV shows and movies and the like of visual media have a creative process that pulls multiple artistic things together to make one greater whole.

Also, below the cut, you may find spoilers for all aired episodes of Supernatural. :) And this episode was written by Eric Kripke.

"Dad's on a hunting trip. And he hasn't been home in a few days." )

Dumbo

Jan. 24th, 2013 11:24 pm
ashkiryn: (maleficent and phillip)
Here's to Netflix, which finally offers some Disney movies on Instant! Not a lot, granted, but some is more than there was before, so yay for effort! It's got a few more, some of which that I personally don't have (as if I would ever stoop to owning James and the Giant Peach. *shudders*), so it's a definite help! And who knows, they may eventually add to their line up. :)

So anyway, I watched Dumbo tonight (as you can obviously tell from the title of this post), which I haven't seen in...God, over ten years, but a little less than 15? Like, seriously, I barely remembered this movie at all, and the little amount of scenes that I did recall were ones that I'd seen from, like, commercials, or on reviews discussing the fuckery that is "Pink Elephants on Parade" or the heartbreaking-ness of "Baby Mine".

Honestly, it may be a bit sad, but the Dumbo ride at Disneyland has more significance to me than the actual movie does. *sheepish smile* (For the record, my mom maintained in my childhood that a trip to Disneyland was not complete without going on that ride. She was absolute on this point.)

So, my reactions this time around are below the cut. Um...just a bit of a warning, but my inner feminist was stirred into life by this movie, and surprisingly deep thinky thoughts went through my mind while watching it. Believe me, I was taken aback as well. I actually have something to say this time around, wtf. :P

This movie doesn't really have any good quotes. Which I suppose is what you get when your titular character never speaks. )
ashkiryn: (tamaki and kyouya)
Seriously, this fucking anime.

So, apart from some of the first generation Pokemon episodes and a couple of Yu-Gi-Oh! ones, Ouran was actually my first full-on experience of an anime. The same person who introduced me to Kingdom Hearts, Sam, introduced me and my sister Lys to this as well, a little while after she'd gotten us hooked on Kingdom Hearts.

As I was watching that first episode, these were my first thoughts: This is weird as fuck. What the hell is Sam having us watch? What is even all this?

We only watched a couple of episodes that day. But afterward? I looked up the rest by myself. It was weird, I was in complete culture shock, it made no sense---and yet I couldn't stop watching it.

My first time through the whole thing, I didn't have that much of an opinion of it. My brain was too busy trying to assimilate this crazy ass fucking world, and basically being overloaded in the process. But I eventually learned to roll with it. Then I watched it all again for a second time, and fell head-over-heels in love with the damn thing.

This show...it's really something special. It got me through my darkest moments of my depression, brightened days that had never been blacker for me. It was also what I consider to be my first, and the characters ended up having so much more depth than one would ever believe from the beginning episode, and for all of this, Ouran High School Host Club will always be my favorite anime. :)

"You're such an idiot! How can you see through me?" )
ashkiryn: (ienzo/zexion)
Through a twist of fate, Lys and I watched both of these movies recently with our friend Meghan---months apart, mind.

Bambi.....well hell, what do I say about this movie? Hmm. If I had to rank the top three Disney movies that I think held the most meaning for my sister, I'd say that this movie would come in at #3, after 101 Dalmatians and The Lion King. Lots of people apparently find this movie boring, but it was definitely watched and beloved a heck of a lot in our household. It was among the few Disney movies that my sister had to have when it came out on DVD (seriously, we don't even have The Lion King on DVD, we still rely on our VHS version), she had a figurine of Bambi with a butterfly on his tail for years and years, etc.

You've probably noticed that I'm talking mostly about my sister here. Well, like with 101 Dalmatians, this movie is beloved by me today because it is beloved by my sister. And there's a large amount of nostalgia at work here as well.

"Mother, look! What's all that white stuff?" )

"Actually, I was a lot like you." -The Great Prince
ashkiryn: (ienzo/zexion)
LOVED:

-In My Time of Dying   (Eric Kripke)
-The Usual Suspects   (Cathryn Humphris)
-What Is and What Should Never Be [2]    (Raelle Tucker)
-Bad Day at Black Rock [3]     (Ben Edlund)
-Lazarus Rising     (Eric Kripke)
-The Rapture       (Jeremy Carver)
-Lucifer Rising [4]      (Eric Kripke)
-Sympathy for the Devil    (Eric Kripke)
-The Real Ghostbusters   (Nancy Weiner / Eric Kripke)
-The Song Remains the Same   (Sera Gamble & Nancy Weiner)
-My Bloody Valentine    (Ben Edlund)
-Dark Side of the Moon   (Andrew Dabb & Daniel Lofflin)
-Point of No Return   (Jeremy Carver)
-Swan Song [5]   (Eric Gewitz / Eric Kripke)
-Hello, Cruel World  (Ben Edlund)
-Death's Door   (Sera Gamble)
-Repo Man   (Ben Edlund)
-The Girl with the Dungeons and Dragons Tattoo  (Robbie Thompson)
-Reading is Fundamental [7]   (Ben Edlund)
-What's Up, Tiger Mommy?  (Andrew Dabb & Daniel Lofflin)
-A Little Slice of Kevin    (Eugenie Ross-Leming & Brad Buckner)
-LARP and the Real Girl (Robbie Thompson)
-Trial and Error (Andrew Dabb)
-Pac Man Fever (Robbie Thompson)


Really Good:

-Pilot
-Wendigo
-Dead in the Water
-Asylum
-Scarecrow
-Faith
-The Benders
-Provenance
-Salvation
-Devil's Trap
-Everybody Loves a Clown
-Simon Said
-Hunted
-Playthings
-Nightshifter
-Houses of the Holy
-Hollywood Babylon
-Folsom Prison Blues
-All Hell Breaks Loose (1&2)
-Mystery Spot
-Jus in Bello
-Ghostfacers
-Are You There, God? It's Me, Dean Winchester
-In the Beginning
-Monster Movie
-Yellow Fever
-Heaven and Hell
-On the Head of a Pin
-It's a Terrible Life
-The Monster at the End of This Book
-Free to Be You and Me
-The End
-Changing Channels
-Abandon All Hope
-Two Minutes to Midnight
-Two and a Half Men
-Weekend at Bobby's
-Live Free or TwiHard
-You Can't Handle the Truth
-Appointment in Samarra
-My Heart Will Go On
-Mommy Dearest
-The Man Who Would Be King
-Meet the New Boss
-Defending Your Life
-Slash Fiction
-Plucky Pennywhistle's Magical Menagerie
-Out with the Old
-The Born-Again Identity
-There Will Be Blood
-Survival of the Fittest
-We Need to Talk About Kevin
-Bitten
-Blood Brother
-Hunteri Heroici
-Everybody Hates Hitler
-Freaks and Geeks

Decent:

-Phantom Traveler
-Bloody Mary
-Skin
-Home
-Route 666
-Hell House
-Something Wicked This Way Comes
-Dead Man's Blood
-Children Shouldn't Play with Dead Things
-No Exit
-Crossroad Blues
-Croatoan
-Roadkill
-The Kids Are Alright
-Sin City
-Bedtime Stories
-Red Sky at Morning
-A Very Supernatural Christmas
-Dream a Little Dream of Me
-It's the Great Pumpkin, Sam Winchester
-Wishful Thinking
-Death Takes a Holiday
-Jump the Shark
-I Believe the Children Are Our Future
-The Curious Case of Dean Winchester
-Sam, Interrupted
-Dead Men Don't Wear Plaid
-99 Problems
-Hammer of the Gods
-The Devil You Know
-The Third Man
-All Dogs Go to Heaven
-Clap Your Hands If You Believe
-Like a Virgin
-The French Mistake
-...And Then There Were None
-Frontierland
-Let it Bleed
-The Man Who Knew Too Much
-Shut Up, Dr. Phil
-The Mentalists
-How to Win Friends and Influence Monsters
-Party On, Garth
-Heartache
-Southern Comfort
-Citizen Fang
-Torn and Frayed
-As Time Goes By
-Remember the Titans
-Goodbye Stranger
-Taxi Driver

Meh:

-Hookman
-Bugs
-Bloodlust
-Born Under a Bad Sign
-Tall Tales
-Malleus Maleficarum
-No Rest for the Wicked
-I Know What You Did Last Summer
-Family Remains
-Criss Angel is a Douchebag
-Fallen Idols
-Exile on Main Street
-Family Matters
-Season 7, Time for a Wedding!
-Adventures in Babysitting
-Time After Time
-The Slice Girls
-Of Grave Importance
-Man's Best Friend with Benefits

Disliked:

-Nightmare
-Shadow
-The Magnificent Seven
-Fresh Blood
-Long Distance Call
-Time is On My Side
-After School Special
-Sex and Violence
-When the Levee Breaks (because it hurts my heart too much)
-Good God, Y'all!
-Swap Meat
-Unforgiven
-Mannequin 3: The Reckoning
-The Girl Next Door


Hated:

-Heart
-Metamorphosis
-Caged Heat
ashkiryn: (pongo)
There are tons of entries that I really need to get my ass in gear and finish---the review for Princess Tutu, a Lilo & Stitch one, the odds and ends of various others---but I just have to get this one out. Special Disney movie is special.

Anyway, so, yesterday night, an infrequent event occured in my house---my mom, Lys, and I actually all sat down in the living room, ate dinner together, and watched a movie. As you'll see below, it was almost like our ye olden times. That movie, in case you couldn't guess, was 101 Dalmatians; the Disney animated version.

This movie was like the bible in our house. Not really in the sense of "this is the blueprint to live your life by" kind of way, but more like a "first story you will ever hear" way, back when you're a baby and you can barely even understand what a story is. That sort of bible.

(Then again, I never grew up with an actual Bible in my family, so what the hell do I know about it, I suppose. To this day, I think the only bible that's in our house is one that Lys has---one of those mini ones that people on street corners pass out, and in this case apparently came from one of our neighbors---and possibly an old copy that my mom doesn't remember what happened to. But anyway, I'm digressing. In short, my family ain't religious, and whatever I know about bibles of any kind are gleaned from an outside, and possibly misinformed, perspective and observations of their significance to other people.)

Anyway. The point is that, while it may not have been the first, first, story I'd ever known, but it's pretty damn close to being so. You know that one toy/teddy bear that was your favorite when you were a baby, and that in all of the things you're likely to keep from your infancy, this thing is one of the most likely (apart from your blankie, of course)? Mine was a stuffed Rolly. Still got him, too, though he's a bit...well-loved, shall we say. Before I could walk, I loved playing in the box that this Rolly came in. Even when I honestly probably couldn't understand it, I would still sit quietly and watch the movie---over and over and over and over again.

And then when Lys came along, it only got worse.

Our favorite pretend/imagination games often centered around 101 Dalmatians. We had a huge 'family' of stuffed dalmatian toys. Had themed birthday parties. Colored spots all over our bodies and pretended that we were actual Dalmatians, colored spots all over our bedroom (the walls, the beds, the windows....my mom was pretty pissed about that episode, let me tell you). Watched every single Dalmatian movie/TV show/thing ever.

To say that Lys and I were obsessed with this movie is a severe understatement. The only reason we never got an actual Dalmatian for a pet was because my mom was too smart to do so (we don't really buy the majority of our pets. Mostly, they just...sort of come to us. The only exceptions were a few rats here and there. But my mom flat out refuses to shell out the money to buy any mostly purebred dog, much less one with the health problems that Dalmatians are plagued with). But still, apart from that, we were really, really, really obsessed with this movie. And while other (Disney) movies (see: The Fox and the Hound) have since risen to the dominate the top of my favorites list, 101 Dalmatians has not diminished a whit in Lys's esteem, and it still holds a very special and dear place in my heart. It's like...my childhood in movie form.

However, if I had an entire selection of Disney movies in front of me to watch on my own, I'm pretty sure that I would never pick this one, unless if it was a choice between this and the movies that I actively despise. That might seem odd, but that's because it's never felt like my movie---it's Lys's movie, and I only like watching it when she's around, because then through our history it becomes our movie, the family movie. And it never feels right to me, watching it without her.

101 Dalmatians is hardly the only movie like this---for instance, watching any of the newer Chronicles of Narnia movies, particularly The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, gets ten times funnier and more enjoyable if I watch it with Lys and my BFF Amanda (and now Amanda says that it's practically boring without us, and that we've ruined her forever XD), and etc. It just means that this is another movie with an added layer of positive nostalgia that increases the enjoyment factor for me. :)

So, below the cut shall be more discussion that, you know, actually pertains to the movie itself. ;)

"We're going to fool the old mad lady!" )
ashkiryn: (rapunzel)
Alright, now that I've seen everything season 1 has to offer, it's time for me to record my thoughts. Format is from all of my other show reviews. Spoilers below the cut, as always. :)

Overall, I liked the show, but I found that quite a few elements troubled me. Plus, all the focus on Snow White characters just tires me. :/


"How would you like a glass of the best apple cider you've ever tasted?" )
ashkiryn: (maleficent and phillip)
So, this is where I am at the moment, regarding TV shows: I'm watching Supernatural in real time, with the Marathon with my IRL friends on weekends when we can, so I'm watching at least one episode a week. I've already watched all of the Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood episodes available on Netflix, and am waiting for the last two DVDs to become available at the library so I can check them out and continue watching.

So, in the mean time, I'll be indulging myself by watching the first season of Once Upon a Time that's on my Netflix, and possibly start consistently keeping up with the second season in real time.

As of this moment, I have watched three episodes: the first episode of season 1, the first episode of season 2, and the episode that appeared last Sunday, Oct 28. Apart from that, I've spoiled myself for bits and pieces of other things, mainly from TV tropes, but also because the season 2 opener came with an hour-long recap of the previous episodes, so while I didn't totally pay attention to that (my mom was watching it, and I only started actively paying attention when a Certain Great Love of Mine showed up), I did absorb a few plot points. So, below my eventual LJ cut, there will be lots of spoilers, and unfortunately, I can't guarantee how spoilery they acutally are, you know what I mean?

Anyway, the purpose of this particular post is just for me to write about some thinky thoughts that I have, that may or may not have much to do with anything.


Okay. Let's talk about Snow White.  )
ashkiryn: (tod and copper)
So! I'm done! And let me just say, all of the confusion of the earlier episodes is worth the fantastic way everyone and everything comes together in the end. I'm just a sucker for BIG DAMN HEROES continually showing up to kick ass.


"I'm a housewife." )
ashkiryn: (rapunzel)
Eesh. I watched this movie ages ago, but this is the first chance I've had to really sit down and write this out. As per usual in my life, shit just kept happening---lots of pain, bouts of deeper depression, and then Namine was sick and then died, and Magnet was depressed, and friends, and then it was Lys's birthday....

And now a couple more months have passed, and it's now December, not October anymore. And more stuff has happened. My dog Penny has now been put down, and a friend of my dad's had a heart attack and died in his car, another friend also had a heart attack (thankfully, his was mild and he's been doing better), and....

Ahem. Yeah. Lots and lots of stuff. So, I'm gonna just get on with actually talking about Lilo & Stitch now, yeah? ^^


"You can't shoot, and you can't be seen. Look at you! You look like a monster! We have to blend in!" )
ashkiryn: (rapunzel)
So, apparently, my brain futzed on me, and season 8 of Supernatural actually starts at the beginning of October, and not the end like I had thought. Somehow, my brain translated "October 3rd" as the 23rd instead, and as a result, various parts of the internet having minor explosions over the start completely caught me off guard. This is now serving as the impetus to make me stop holding off on the angst fest that is season 7, and start watching it on Netflix, so that I can attempt to get caught up as quickly as possible and start watching in real time, because otherwise...I'll be waiting for, like, a year to get the new season on Netflix, and no. My babies are in danger, and there's someone named Kevin, and what the fuck, I understand nothing anymore, AND I DON'T LIKE THIS FEELING.

So yeah. This isn't going to be very coherent...it's just going to be me, typing down some thoughts and whatnot so as to help my brain absorb new details. Onwards! And obviously, spoilers below.

*Edit: I've now seen all of season 7.

"This is me, being supportive. It's, uh, a waffle iron." )
ashkiryn: (adorable dean winchester)
I'm posting this because I feel bad about how I'm seemingly always dumping my Supernatural raving onto poor R-girl when she probably wants to know nothing about it. *sweatdrop* (I'm truly sorry, and if I'm making you uncomfortable, please tell me to shut up. ^^)

I'm thinking of making some sort of post to chronicle a bit of me and my friends' Supernatural marathon, but I'm still debating that. So for now, as we're done with season 1, and that was the first time I'd rewatched it, you get my Top Five Favorite Episodes of Season 1, along with my Top Three Least Favorites (because I want to be more positive than negative at the moment). After that, I'll probably muse a bit about season 2, what are my current favorite episodes, and then later after we're done see how much my opinions change.

Spoilers will be beneath this cut, obviously, and possibly up through season 6.


"I hope your apple pie is freaking worth it!" )


ashkiryn: (gwaine)
*This entry is, very obviously, still under construction, which I shall pick up again later after my visit to SSI. But I've got to make my sticky entry at some point, and I feel like doing it now. *shrugs*

General Life/Mood Update: Currently trying to get back into a writing groove, and pump stuff out for Femslash February. We'll see how I continue to hold out.

[2/11/17]

GRAPES. It stands for what you should aim to fit in every day. Be GENTLE with yourself, get in some RELAXATION time, stay ACTIVE, do something PLEASURABLE, get some EXERCISE, and be SOCIAL. Pretty cool, huh? I'm gonna try this from now on.

Currently Reading
: House Lights, by Leah Hager Cohen

Currently Writing: "Say Farewell to the Dark of Night" [Femslash February collection] / "She Sells Rampion by the Seashore" [original fic]

Currently Playing: Kingdom Hearts 2.8 Final Chapter Prologue (Dream Drop Distance HD)

Currently Watching: Pokemon XY / MCU



About Kiryn's Life )


List of Kiryn's Ships-----Just a list, mind you. )
ashkiryn: (Default)
Already, and off we go again. Picking up in the Pinocchio world.

(Also, R-girl, I do appreciate the link, but I can't download those videos; plus, the quality of what I'm watching really isn't that bad. But still, thank you! ^^)


SPOILERS BELOW )
ashkiryn: (Default)
So, in combination to getting excited over my favorite Mark Reads/Watches deciding to start a Mark Plays and stating that he'll be doing Kingdom Hearts, and just knowing that I've got to get my head out of the hole that I'd put it in, I figured I would start watching a walkthrough of KH3D. And when my mind started imploding upon itself in confusion, I decided that it'd be a good idea for me to write down my thoughts and reactions as I watched, so that I can help my brain try to make sense of it all. The person's walkthroughs that I'm watching seem to span 70 videos so far (and I have no idea if it's complete or not), so this is going to be Part 1, and covers the first ten videos. :)


SPOILERS BEYOND THIS POINT )





Well, that'll be all for this one. Until next time, I guess. XD
ashkiryn: (final fantasy vii)
I think most people will get the drill. This is a list of all of my video game pairings that I ship. OTPs (and the like) will be in bold.

Note: Because my Kingdom Hearts section is going to be so massive, it gets its own post. And if I have crossover pairings with that series (like how, technically, Kairi/Kadaj is, for instance), they'll be listed in that post.


"Princess! I hope you haven't forgotten my role in this little story. I'm the leading man. You know what they say about the leading man? He never dies." )

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