connielane (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
connielane) wrote2016-03-10 05:39 pm
connielane) wrote2016-03-10 05:39 pm
Fannish stuff
Pottermore and Magic in North America
I'm still as in love with JKR as I ever was, but this is the first time she's released information where I wish she hadn't. And I look back on how much we all wanted the HP Encyclopedia, and I'm glad this new info is only on a website (and somewhat easier to overlook/ignore) than if it were in print in a bookstore. The North American wizard worldbuilding -- what little I've seen of it -- is kind of embarrassingly bad. To the point that I'm still half waiting for it to turn out that she didn't actually write it. (I *cannot* believe she wrote the phrase "as dim as she was pretty.") As a white person, it's not my place to talk about the portrait of Native Americans, but that and the religious persecution element (and probably more that I haven't looked at) seem grossly under-researched. This makes me very nervous about anything else she might be planning to release about magical history in South America, Asia and Africa. I wonder if any backlash she might get on this might make her rethink it.
I swear I'm not one of those people who thinks she should just shut up and not give any more story beyond the seven books. I've loved the little bits of extra character backstory and details that were part of her worldbuilding and just couldn't fit into the books. But this recent string of updates have literally nothing to do with the plot or characters of the books and it doesn't really add anything to them. This is not a series that really needed a Silmarillion.
Captain America
I've gotten away from watching trailers much at all, and this latest super-hyped trailer for Civil War reminds me why. Did we really need to see Spidey? I also have to echo something FilmCritHulk said today -- that it's difficult to buy that the world is tearing itself apart over Bucky Barnes when we care so little about him. Yes, I know Bucky is Tumblr's "precious cinnamon roll," but honestly I'd forgotten who he was by the time Winter Soldier came out (and I know I'm not the only one).
***
On an unrelated-to-anything note ... what is with this new trend of the kids calling their faves "daddy" or "my son"?! I mean, when I was in high school I crushed pretty hard on Kevin Costner. I can safely say I did *not* want him to be my dad. "My son" is maybe a *little* more understandable. Maybe. At least coming from someone my age, or if you're actually older than the person you're talking about. I don't know why a 19-year-old wants to call 55-year-old Bradley Whitford "my son."
I'm still as in love with JKR as I ever was, but this is the first time she's released information where I wish she hadn't. And I look back on how much we all wanted the HP Encyclopedia, and I'm glad this new info is only on a website (and somewhat easier to overlook/ignore) than if it were in print in a bookstore. The North American wizard worldbuilding -- what little I've seen of it -- is kind of embarrassingly bad. To the point that I'm still half waiting for it to turn out that she didn't actually write it. (I *cannot* believe she wrote the phrase "as dim as she was pretty.") As a white person, it's not my place to talk about the portrait of Native Americans, but that and the religious persecution element (and probably more that I haven't looked at) seem grossly under-researched. This makes me very nervous about anything else she might be planning to release about magical history in South America, Asia and Africa. I wonder if any backlash she might get on this might make her rethink it.
I swear I'm not one of those people who thinks she should just shut up and not give any more story beyond the seven books. I've loved the little bits of extra character backstory and details that were part of her worldbuilding and just couldn't fit into the books. But this recent string of updates have literally nothing to do with the plot or characters of the books and it doesn't really add anything to them. This is not a series that really needed a Silmarillion.
Captain America
I've gotten away from watching trailers much at all, and this latest super-hyped trailer for Civil War reminds me why. Did we really need to see Spidey? I also have to echo something FilmCritHulk said today -- that it's difficult to buy that the world is tearing itself apart over Bucky Barnes when we care so little about him. Yes, I know Bucky is Tumblr's "precious cinnamon roll," but honestly I'd forgotten who he was by the time Winter Soldier came out (and I know I'm not the only one).
***
On an unrelated-to-anything note ... what is with this new trend of the kids calling their faves "daddy" or "my son"?! I mean, when I was in high school I crushed pretty hard on Kevin Costner. I can safely say I did *not* want him to be my dad. "My son" is maybe a *little* more understandable. Maybe. At least coming from someone my age, or if you're actually older than the person you're talking about. I don't know why a 19-year-old wants to call 55-year-old Bradley Whitford "my son."