収束ゾーンでのライフ: Life in the Convergence Zone

I got invited by @Taweret on Mastodon to share one image (no posters, no titles, no explanations) from 10 films that impacted me, one per day. The full game involved tagging a new person every day to invite them, but I’ve been too swamped lately so I skipped that part.

Now that it’s done, here’s the list of my #10Films, along with the reasons I chose them. The links go to the frames I chose to post without explanation

1: Spirited Away: There was a time in my life when I’d’ve absolutely swapped places with Sen, and been just another spirit worker in that spa.

Really, there’re been a couple of times.

2: The Manchurian Candidate (1962): If you think this hasn’t affected my writing you either haven’t seen this film or haven’t read any of my writing. xD

3: Urusei Yatsura 2: Beautiful Dreamer: What the hell is an early Rumiko Takahashi film spinoff from an anime based on her least interesting manga doing in this list?

It’s because the world is never what you think it is and this story tells you that beautifully. It’s a masterpiece made from harem anime and trash and I adore it.

4: The Lion in Winter: My gods, the dialogue. Every word a dagger, every line a cut into flesh, all perfectly performed. Magnificent. (Also, move over Die Hard, this is the best Christmas movie ever made.)

5: Casablanca: Because sometimes, yeah, you have to give up everything to do what someone – meaning you – absolutely has to do. And it sucks and it’s not fair… but it’s still true.

Also, because maybe, just maybe, even the biggest shitheel in the world can decide they’ve had enough and say no – no more. (And no, I’m absolutely not talking about Rick.)

6: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension: Because going everywhere every direction at once has kind of been my forte. I haven’t been an an MD but I have performed in front of tens of thousands of people and I have done original science and if you were using a computer in the early 2000s you probably had some of my code on it, and I haven’t seen that guy spin around news coverage of anti-queer initiatives in a day.

How do y’like them apples, Banzai? xD

7: The Magic Christian: Do not be confused: this is not a good movie. But it’s a lot better in our current context than the one in which it was made. The final sequence involving the actual Magic Christian of the title is about how people of intent and wealth can create a completely artificial world that everyone involved decides to believe in which ignores reality at essentially every level, only to pull the rug out from under them at any moment.

Completely unrealistic, I’m sure.

8: D.E.B.S.: Welcome to 95% of my sexuality.

Also, the Kim Possible/Shigo (a.k.a. Kigo) movie we so desperately deserved but Disney would never, ever make.

These are, yes, exactly the same things.

9: Snatch: A brutal story about brutal people, brutally written and most of all brutally edited. See also its companion piece, Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrels, which honestly I kind of prefer. But they’re both great.

Not long after this came out they finally figured out who that serial killer in Vancouver was, and we all learned that “Never trust a man with a pig farm” was far more true than we ever thought.

10: The Quick and the Dead: Welcome to the other 5% of my sexuality. And I don’t just mean Sharon.

Though I do absolutely mean Sharon.

Just… not just Sharon. xD

Posted via Solarbird{y|z|yz}, Collected.

1. What did you do in 2018 that you'd never done before?

Wrote a bunch of novels.

2. Did you keep your new year's resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I don't really do that. I might this year for a change, and that's "be better at studying French."

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

No.

4. Did anyone close to you die?

Not really, but a former abuser did die, and I was entirely happy about it.

5. What countries did you visit?

Just the US and Canada.

6. What would you like to have in 2019 that you lacked in 2018?

Possible things only, I suppose... um... that leaves out a sane government... hm.

More musical inspiration, I think. And motivation.

7. What date from 2018 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

The whole fucking year, or should I say the decade it took, or the year. Holy shit.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

On my own: The Armourer and the Living Weapon. I mean, it got fan art. That was new.

As one of many snowflakes in the avalanche: your new Democratic representative from the 8th District of Washington State, Kim Schrier.

I'm also fairly pleased with the amount of old stuff I ditched. More to do on that in 2019.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Not yet diamond in comp. Or plat, for that matter.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Eh, I got the flu. Or just a bad cold. Not sure which.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

Probably the GT1030 silent (fanless) graphics card, or possibly the monitors I'm using with that card. Honourable mention to the giant utensil storage tray I bought. Sure, laugh, but I'm telling you, a well-organised drawer makes for a much happier kitchen.

12. Whose behaviour merited celebration?

George, our cat.

13. Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?

Every Republican who didn't resign and/or actively, publicly fight the neofascist white supremacist movement. Which means almost (but not quite) every Republican.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Aside from bills, see the Washington State 8th District.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

I fixed and/or rebuilt a lot of things. That's always fun. And I wrote and co-wrote some novels.

16. What song will always remind you of 2018?

I can't really think of one. I've been away from music for most of the last two years. I think that's part of the ongoing reaction to the current realities; fiction writing turned on, in a big way; music mostly turned off. But... maybe Mélovin's "Under the Ladder."

17. Compared to this time last year, are you
i. happier or sadder?

Probably about the same.

ii. thinner or fatter?

Much stronger. Much more muscle. About the same weight, just ... more of it's muscle.

iii. richer or poorer?

About the same.

18. What do you wish you'd done more of?

Anti-fascist rallies/protests/actions. I missed a couple. For reasons, but still.

19. What do you wish you'd done less of?

It's been overwhelming at times. Can't afford that.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?

(Presumably, how did I, in this context.)

I didn't. It's not my holiday. I rather hate Christmas, honestly; I didn't, until the fundamentalists and protofascists at Fox News ginned up the "war on Christmas" horseshit, but years of that made me really hate it. Anna and I did the usual National Jews and Pagans Go To the Movies Day, and saw Ralph Breaks the Internet. It's pretty good. First 20 minutes or so spends too much time re-covering old ground from the first movie - I think because it's been a while - but then the actual film itself is pretty good.

21. Did you fall in love in 2018?

No.

22. How many one night stands?

None.

23. What was your favourite TV programme?

Either the new Doctor Who - isn't it nice to have actual Doctor Who back on television again? - or She-Ra. Seriously, She-Ra is kind of awesome.

24. Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?

Nah, the protofascists and fundamentalists have been trying to kill me my whole life. I'm used to it.

25. What was the best book you read?

Emily Wilson's new translation of The Odyssey. Get it, read it, seriously. Nothing else I read this year is close, though I also quite liked Shirley Jackson's We Have Always Lived in the Castle, from 1962, which I'd not read before.

26. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Somehow I had missed paying much attention to Florence and the Machine, and thanks to an online friend, I have now addressed that deficiency. Maybe also Sunflower Bean too.

27. What did you want and get?

See above regarding the 1030 and monitors. ^_^

28. What did you want and not get?

I rather want a cheap slider-based mixing board - analogue - with a minimum of six microphone/XLR inputs, for some experiments for, like, $40 or $50. I'd fix it, of course; I'd probably have to. But I'm okay with that. I've been watching Craigslist et all and have come close a couple of times, but not quite there.

29. What was your favourite film this year?

Honestly, Into the Spider-Verse. Christ that was good.

30. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Sushi dinner, and I legit don't know. I also legit don't know my actual birthday. I use one, but it's questionable. Long story, don't want to tell it.

31. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

Two deaths, not just the one.

Maybe three.

32. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2018?

I wore a pair of blue jeans to book club one night and everyone fruck out because "...I didn't even know you owned blue jeans." So, apparently, somewhat sharper than previous years?

33. What kept you sane?

Overwatch.

34. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Gail Godot.

35. What political issue stirred you the most?

Same old same old, for me, honestly.

36. Who did you miss?

Mostly, Genji. Fuck, that squirrelly little ninja can be hard to hit. Unless he's stupid and charges me directly.

37. Who was the best new person you met?

seaborn, who is mostly on tumblr and discord, but has an account here and might see this.

38. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2018:

I BELIEVE I SAID GOOD DAY.

39. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

Oh, I hate telephones. Um... probably some repair service, if anything.

40. Quote a song that sums up your year:

Sorry.

41. What was your favourite moment of the year?

Honestly?

Okay, so. Overwatch. Competitive. Defence. Hanamura. Point one. I'm coming back from spawn. Enemy team hits some ult or other as I'm on my way back, kills everyone else on my team, and they've got five players standing, including D.va in her mech.

I hit the point, I pop D.va out of her mech in two shots, and she flees. The other four I take down in six shots, alone, as Widowmaker. When we win, and that bit is playing back as Play of the Game, our Reinhardt, who had been... skeptical... about me being Widowmaker... just kind of breathes, on comms:

"...fffuuuuuuuck."

Glorious.

(Second place: killing five of six enemy team on offence at Temple of Anubis, taking the point, and waving hello to the rest of my team as they finally show up. That one, I have video.)

42. What was your least favourite moment of the year?

Did you see 2018? Did you see it?

I don't know if it was a 'moment' but fuck, the fires, and the smoke. So bad.

43. Where were you when 2018 started?

Eh, just hanging out at home.

44. Who were you with?

annathepiper and our housemate Paul and friend Jenny. I think that's all.

45. Where will you be when 2018 ends?

Dunno yet? Might go out.

46. Who will you be with when 2018 ends?

Depends upon whether I go out. Not bringing anyone over, Anna's got a cold and we don't need to share it.

47. What was your favourite month of 2018?

Hard to say. Maybe the first charge through what became Of Gods and Monsters. That was pretty amazing.

48. Did you drink a lot of alcohol in 2018?

Nah. Less than usual, if anything.

49. Did you do a lot of drugs in 2018?

I don't in general. I'm anti-prohibition, but it's really not my thing.

50. What are your plans for 2019?

I think you mean 20biteen, don't you?

March 10 - What’s your favorite season? Winter, mostly. I love snow, and I'm super sensitive to heat (in a bad way) so yeah - just keep it cold. (Daily meme, for my own re-use!)

(From here, as before)

January 23 - What is your favorite book?
huh.

do i have a favourite book? i'm... i don't know!

huh.

i think i'll change the question a little. the book i'm most glad i read so far in book club is Capital, volume 1, marx. it's nice to have finally ground my way through that. (also about half of volume 2 and a bit of volume 3. volume 2 is pointless unless recursive cycles are a new concept in your life in which case it's probably revelatory? but without that... skip it.) i even learned that marx had a better grasp on labour-time than most marxists i've read, who generally leave that latter part off when it's so completely critical to the whole damn thing. (i have even bigger issues with his theory of value after reading it in depth now, though. but i also think that whole theory of value as some sort of intrinsic thing is chasing ghosts, so i have problems with everyone's theories of value.)

the book i've enjoyed most so far is emily wilson's new translation of the odyssey, which is so far fantastic and brilliant and very much unlike other translations and great. also? a fucking page-turner. which is why it's great. this is a crazy epic story for reasons and her explicit decisions not to do things like fake old-style english language and keep it in scansion (iambic pentameter in this case) and the same number of lines(!) as homer are all working beautifully.

ancient greece was so fucking weird you guys. so weird. and with all that artificial crap out of the way it really comes through. holy hell it does.

so, yeah. books!

From here. Hey, maybe I'll start using this for more than a fanfic blog, eh?

January 21 - Are you naturally messy or organized?

Organised. But I've been messier lately. I'm not sure why, but I don't mind it, really.

Grabbed from ckd who got it from other people.

Tattoos: None
Surgeries: Lots. Four on eyes alone.
Broken bones: Yes
Shot a gun: Yes
Quit a job: Yes
Flown on a plane: Yes, including little seaplanes.
100+miles in car: lol touring musician yes
Gone zip lining: No
Watched someone give birth: No
Watched someone dying: No
Ridden in an ambulance: Yes
Been to Canada: HAHAHAHAHAHA Yes
... to Europe: Only Scotland, but yes.
... to Washington D.C: Yes
... to Florida: Yes
... to Colorado: ...Not really. Only in layovers.
... to Mexico: Nope
... to Las Vegas: Yes
Sang karaoke: Yes
Had a pet: Yes
Been downhill skiing: Yes
Gone snowboarding: No, honestly, what even is that no.
Ability to read music: Sort of. I can piece my way through it slowly. Mostly it's an ocean of dots and lines.
Rode a motorcycle: Yes
Rode a horse: Yes
Stayed in a hospital: Yes
Driven a stick shift: Yes
Ride in Police Car: No
Driven a Boat: Yes (Sailboat)
Eaten Escargot: No
Seen a UFO: No
Been on a Cruise: No
Run out of Gas: Yes, in grad school, while at an ATM to pull out enough money to buy a couple more gallons of gas.
Eat Sushi: Yes
Seen a Ghost: No

A- Age: File under "questions which should not be difficult." I honestly don't know.
B- Biggest Fear: Bees, in the trivial sense. Goddamn.
C- Current Time: 22:52 PDT
D- Drink you last had: tea, hot, tippy assam black.
E- Easiest Person to Talk to: Oh, annathepiper.
F- Favorite Song: Just one? Fffft. I am currently listening to Needlemau5 (Sonic 3 Ending Theme) | bLiNd, RoBKTA
G- Ghosts, are they real: In the Scooby Doo sense? Can't say I've ever met one. Thematically? Oh yeah.
H- Hometown: Seattle, modulo I don't know where I was born. I think of myself as from the U. District.
I- In love with: annathepiper
J- Jealous of: Too many musicians.
K- Killed Someone? Only their prospects, darling.
L- Last time you cried?: A few weeks ago.
M- Middle Name: The (Solarbird the Lightbringer)
N- Number of Siblings: File under "questions which should not be difficult." I honestly don't know.
O- One Wish: Wings that work.
P- Person who you last called: Doctor's office, to reschedule, because President Xi has been in town.
Q- Question you're always asked: "Where's that from?"
R- Reason to smile: See F, above.
S- Song last sung: "Anarchy Now" - I was rehearsing earlier. No, wait, an unfinished song, so part of it, called "We're Not Friends." Despite the title, it's super upbeat.
T- Time you woke up: 8:30, for an appointment that got cancelled, see again, President Xi.
U- Underwear Colour: At the moment, white. That's kind of atypical, but hey.
V- Vacation Destination: I go around on this, but tonight, I'm thinking Edo, Japan.
W- Worst Habit: Dwelling on things. It's a side-effect of the PTSD anxiety.
X- X-Rays you've had: Most of my upper body, certainly, mostly after the car hit-and-run.
Y- Your favorite food: oh jeez. About 3/4 of a properly qualified sushi bar. Sure, we can start there.
Z- Zodiac Sign: File under "questions which should not be difficult," subcategory, "and that I don't care about, because astrology is stupid." The most likely candidates are Horse and Tiger, with Rat being a relevant thematic candidate because reasons.

What Villain Are You Like When You're Angry?

The Wicked Witch of the West.

It would not be wise to look down on the woman who strategically manipulated countless flying monkey minions, wolves, vicious bees and ruled her land with quite the magically iron fist.

She was west SIIIIDE before it even WAS a west side! You've chosen a path of manipulation, magic, and mayhem. As a villain you're the face of evil, but you're loyal to those important to you and have wicked ways of making the unlucky fellows who cross your path suffer! The three Ms that take the Wicked Witch of the West to the next level of villain and quite the distance beyond.

That being said, I do NOT want to meet you in a dark alley on a bad day. Oh, before I go, watch out for Dorothy, she's coming… and an umbrella wouldn’t hurt you.

Your last text message is now your army's new battle cry. What will your followers be shouting?
"what their servers all fell down?"

in all lower-case letters, of course. that seems to be important. battle-cries in whisper form.