#Bex talks about stuff

[bex-pendragon]

3 Books tag game

Thanks for the tag @nerdgatehobbit ! It's been too long since I talked about books on here.

So the idea of this game is to pick 3 recent reads and try to convince your followers to read them too - but you only have one sentence to state your case. Luckily I am very good at run-on sentences :D

The Perils of Lady Catherine de Bourgh by Claudia Gray: I love a retelling and this one features everyone's least favourite Austen matriarch fending off murder attempts in the third book of a series that sees the daughter of Catherine and Henry Tilney solving mysteries with the son of Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy.

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross: I read this earlier in the year as I worked my way through Ross's catalogue and I loved the elemental/music based magic system, the mysterious island setting, and the romance in this one!

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins: I re-read the Hunger Games trilogy last year so it was fresh in my memory when I picked this up and now I understand how Katniss must've been President Snow's worst nightmare.

Tagging anyone who wants to brag about some recent reads!

[bex-pendragon]

13 Books

Thanks for the tag, @nerdgatehobbit ! I never turn down the chance to babble about books :D

1: The last book I read: I just finished a Little Women retelling called Great or Nothing. It was co-authored by 4 writers (one for each of the March sisters.) The setting of the book was moved from the Civil War to WWII. I thought the authors did an excellent job translating the story to the different time period, while still retaining the spark that made the sisters' relationships feel realistic.

2: A Book I recommend: I'll scream at anyone and everyone to read Jane Austen, especially Northanger Abbey.

3: A book that I couldn't put down: A few months back, I read The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins. I don't read a lot of thrillers, but this one kept me turning the pages to find out what would happen next!

5: A book on my TBR: I want to read Ruthless Vows (the sequel to Divine Rivals) soon! I loved the first book so much.

6: A book I've put down: Don't judge me, but I had to put The Silmarillion down because I had a bunch of library holds come in. But I want to get back to it soon! Just need to be in the mood for it.

7: A book on my wish list: I'm really looking forward to the Iron Widow sequel! It was one of my favourite books of the last few years and I need to know what happens next!

8: A favorite book from childhood: I was such a big fan of the Babysitters Club. Those girls were like my besties.

9: A book you would give to a friend: Can I say I'd give my friend a gift card to their favourite bookstore so they could pick out whatever they wanted?

10: The most books you own by a single author: I have so many Rick Riordan books.

11: A nonfiction book you own: I have this book about 20th century fashion that I bought years ago at the Met in NYC. I pick it up every now and then and it always makes me remember that trip.

12: What are you currently reading: I just got the new Emily Henry romance out from the library and I'm loving it so far! She never misses.

13: What are you planning on reading next: Ooh, that's a good question. It'll depend on whether or not I get another library hold in or if I pull something off my own shelf. Maybe Ruthless Vows or The Silmarillion. I also want to get to that Hunger Games prequel sometime soon.

Tagging everyone who wants to do it!

[bex-pendragon]

Anyway, how is everyone doing lately? Anybody watching any good shows or reading any interesting books? Discovered any cool new music?

I'm 5 episodes into Renegade Nell and I'm having a blast!

[bex-pendragon]

Soooo... how alarmed/annoyed would my longtime friends and followers be if I decided to change my url after all these years?

[bex-pendragon]

List 5 things that make you happy, then put this in the askbox of the last 10 people who reblogged something from you! get to know your mutuals and followers ♡

Ooh, fun! Let's see:

I just baked some chocolate chip cookie bars and they're delicious!

Finished watching Good Omens season 2 a few days ago and it left me feeling the perfect combination of happy and sad.

Hearing that familiar theme music in the new trailer for AtLA got me hyped up for the show.

I've read 6 books so far this year and they've all been good.

Starting a new year in an empty journal.

[bex-pendragon]

Anyway, I finished watching Wheel of Time and I will now be entering my Moiraine stan era.

[bex-pendragon]

Anyway, I finished the first season of Wheel of Time.

I am now a diehard Moiraine fan and I won't be taking any criticism about it.

[bex-pendragon]

Another thing about Wheel of Time that I noticed back when I listened to the audiobook of The Eye of the World last year (and forgot about until I started watching the show yesterday) was that there's a very obvious reference to WoT in Once Upon a Time:

A villain called The Dark One. Now this alone could've been coincidental, except that OUAT also had a minor character called Moiraine.

It's been years since I watched OUAT, but it all came rushing back. It occurred to be that the OUAT showrunners would have been in the target demographic for the WoT books when they were first being published.

It was a fun callback, but at the same time: those guys didn't have an original idea in their heads, did they.

Anyway! On to Episode 3!

[bex-pendragon]

Okay so I decided to start watching Wheel of Time at long last.

I had a bit of background going into it, having listened to the (30 hour!) audiobook of Eye of the World last year.

It's always an experience to see/hear about a piece of media in multiple ways. Before I listened to the audio, I kept seeing gifs of Moiraine all over Tumblr and I decided she was my kind of woman. So it was a let down that she's not in that first book very much.

But the show! She is in the show A LOT.

I'm now two episodes in and I'm liking it so far. After the slower-paced book, it's a very different experience again.

[bex-pendragon]

I feel like I've been back in lurk mode on this webbed site lately. Like I haven't really talked to any of my buddies in a while.

So... how are we all doing/coping? Anyone read any good books lately? What projects are you working on? What song is currently stuck in your head?

[bex-pendragon]

It's been a while since a piece of media let me down quite this much, but I guess I was overdue for it.

That Loki season finale (and the whole season really) was a major letdown.

I think on some level I get what they were trying to do, but it did not land for me. I'm glad Loki gets to level up as a hero. I am! He deserves it! But at what cost? No one will ever know what he's done. He'll probably never see his brother again, or his best friend, or the love of his life. He didn't get a chance to say a proper goodbye to anyone. After all the time this season spent spinning its wheels, the ending felt rushed.

The whole season just felt off for me. Season 1 set a high bar. I don't even know what this is.

I mean yeah, maybe I didn't manage my expectations. Maybe I've got my shipping goggles on too tight. But it's not just that. I was a Sylvie stan as much as I was a shipper and while I'm relieved they didn't kill her off, it didn't feel like a satisfying end to her story. She's such a compelling character and they didn't do enough with her. We got the beginnings of some character development, but it really feels like they benched one of their MVPs. And for what? Because they couldn't handle an angry female character?

Of course it wouldn't be the first time this franchise has wasted a compelling character or a capable actor. They didn't do nearly enough with Gugu either. (At least we got that gorgeous 1890s Victorian outfit though!) I liked that we got to see B-15 come into her own as a leader. OB was a fun addition. If I could only keep one thing from this season, it would be him.

But what was the whole point of Brad? Of Dox? Why all the fuckery with Miss Minutes? They'd better recast that creep Majors if they intend to keep Kang as the next big bad. (Seriously. Get Aldis Hodge in there! Or David Ajala! Instant upgrade!) Ugh. So much screentime that could have been spent elsewhere.

You could tell there was turnover on the creative team too. It felt the the two seasons weren't even in conversation with each other. Why the hell was Eric Martin going around liking tweets about Sylki? What an absolute troll. The queer baiting was just plain mean. Now the shippers on both sides are in the same shitty leaking boat. So much for you go, I go.

This whole season was a waste of time. But I'll look forward to how the fanfic writers write their way out of this one.

Onward and upward, fans. Take it from a millennial fangirl who's been through several major fandom disappointments: At the end of the day, these characters belong to us now. They're finally free and so are we.

[bex-pendragon]

Rules: Tag 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people.

I was tagged by @carlithiel - thank you!

I'm gonna add gifs because it makes it more fun:

#1 All the Star Treks! Voyager is the sentimental favourite, DS9 is the practical favourite, and SNW is the current fave.

#2 BBC Merlin: my forever fave.

#3 Willow 2022: my newest comfort show! I'll never be over its untimely cancelation.

#4 ATLA: truly one of the shows of all time.

#5 Leverage: one of the best ensembles of any show ever.

#6 Shadow and Bone: the show where almost every character is my favourite character.

#7 Pushing Daisies: it fills me with so much nostalgia.

#8 Derry Girls: it's so rewatchable!

#9 Friends: I just love the quotes and the memes.

#10 The Dragon Prince: it's like a hybrid of Merlin and ATLA.

I've lost track of who's done this one, so consider yourself tagged if you want to!

[bex-pendragon]

Star Trek: SNW is determined to leave me emotionally wrecked after every single episode this season, aren't they.

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I was having a nice day enjoying Ides of March memes and then I find out Willow was cancelled.

This show was fun, damn it! I was right in the middle of a rewatch too.

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Dracula Daily friends, I’m getting very worried about poor Lucy Westenra.

[bex-pendragon]

Feeling personally attacked by the new Netflix adaptation of Persuasion this evening.