Unsafe space

Stolen from my f/l. Not sure what's its purpose - collecting statistics? developing the feeling of gratitude? but I suppose it proves that my childhood was not as crappy as I imagine. And it's a lot of nice questions, not depressing / invasive like most of the Friday Five questions.

( TL;DR: I'm privileged, I suppose )

I came across a Divergent faction quiz on Wikihow and got Dauntless. It's very flattering, of course, but totally incorrect - I'm definitely Erudite. But most Erudite-related answers in this quiz are either too uninspiring or too impractical. Like, what goal would you have rather accomplished 5 years in the future: climbed Kilimanjaro or read all of the classics? Would you rather have to complete a new terrifying challenge (shark diving, sky diving, etc.) on every birthday, or be forced to read 200 nonfiction books per year for the rest of your life? (I think the quiz author slipped their own opinion here, using the word "forced" ;) And this one is hilarious: what would you bring to a deserted island? a weapon so I can fight off predators, or an encyclopedia set to keep me entertained? LMAO!

So I think this quiz is rigged in favour of Dauntless... but maybe I do have a hidden aptitude towards it? Tris also could never imagine herself in Dauntless until it happened... Also, that's what I would choose if it was only a matter of choice and not personal qualities.

Btw I wonder if anyone would ever want Abnegation or Candor. They seem to be such crappy options. I can imagine some people would enjoy Amity.

A challenge by Dreamersdare. 

Challenge 2:
Make a Top Ten list for your favourite series and tell people exactly why you love it. This can be in any format - tv series, book series, radio plays, movie sequels, something else not mentioned here.

Here is a link with more details, and to post the link to your answers. 

I went with TV shows, starting with a few newer ones. 

* Squid Game

A Korean drama about a secret contest involving children's games, except these versions are deadly, and the last surviving player is supposed to receive a huge prize. In a cramped dormitory-like environment controlled by merciless masked guards, there's a lot of tension, intrigues, alliances and conflicts between the players. 

* Alice in Borderland

Based on a Japanese manga series (loosely inspired by Alice in Wonderland). It's also about deadly games, but the action happens in an alternate reality. The games are represented by playing cards, they're more varied and dynamic, and the atmosphere is more relaxed overall, as the characters are not confined to a single area but wander all around alternate Tokyo, with its gorgeous abandoned urbanscapes. (I just started the 3rd season, which is said to be the final one.)

* Wednesday

The newest addition to the Addams Family lore. Wednesday (and later, Pugsley) attends a high school for students with special abities. While not exactly a magic school and not focused on lessons, it fits the "magic school" trope for me. Nevermore has this lovely Dark Academia vibe, and Wednesday herself is perfect, with her extraordinary abilities, skills and willpower, and relentlessly morbid attitude. 

* Black Mirror

A sci-fi series emphasizing and extrapolating the possible dangers of computer technologies, resulting in dystopias of varying degrees of horror. Episodes are mostly unrelated, although several episodes mention the same technologies. As a fan of cyberpunk and dystopia, I enjoy these creepy glimpses into our possible futures. (I saw seasons 1-5, will continue with 6 and 7 after I'm done with Alice.)

* Westworld

A sci-fi series about a Wild West theme park featuring AI-powered androids created for the entertainment of rich guests who are free to abuse and murder the "hosts" any way they want. It raises many questions about AI, ethics, consciousness and reality. "Have you ever questioned the nature of your reality?" (I admit I quit during the 3rd season because the quality of the show declined dramatically, but the first season was amazing, and the 2nd was still good.)

* Death Note

An anime based on a Japanese manga series. A high-school student finds a notebook belonging to a God of Death, which allows to kill people by writing down their name and cause of death. He realizes it's a great opportunity to rid the world of bad people. Somehow, the police are not amused, and assign the smartest detective to track this secret vigilante. Following the mind games between two brilliant Chessmasters, Light and L, is incredibly exciting. (Note: there's also a Netflix film but it mangles the story and characters beyond recognition, and is a shame.) 

* Breaking Bad

One man's journey from a timid and shy school teacher to a ruthless crime boss. Despite the story taking place in the real world, no magic and no puzzles, it's somehow extremely engaging. Watching Walter White's transformation, step by step, makes you wonder where the boundary between good and evil lies, and how far someone can go even when starting with the best intentions. There are several strong and alluring characters (especially Gus Fring: a quiet,  perfectly composed villain with impecable style) and a lot of humour.

* Hannibal

The early years of Hannibal Lecter, the serial killer, cannibal and psychiatrist, before he became famous in Silence of the Lambs. It's fascinating to watch the development of a close bond between Hannibal and a man who's supposed to be his mortal enemy: FBI agent Will Graham. I'm not a shipper but this is one relationship where the chemistry shoots through the roof. Hannibal is so quietly menacing and sexy. Also, food porn.

* Game of Thrones

The epic history of a medieval-like fantasy world. Not something I'd usually watch, as there are so many plot threads, the story is extremely complicated and there are too many characters to keep track of. But it's so atmospheric and beautifully depicted and dynamic, and so much weird shit keeps happening, that it just draws you in, I guess... 

* Star Trek

Doesn't need an introduction ;) Actually, I'm only familiar with the first 4 series: TOS, TNG, DS9 and Voyager. I tried watching the next one but couldn't stick with it for some reason. My favourite is DS9, because it's darker and has more continuity in its story arcs (or maybe just because it was my first one...) Honestly, TOS feels so cheesy in comparison. Even so, I especially enjoy episodes like Mirror Universe, where the characters behave in atypically evil ways.

A challenge by Dreamersdare. 

Challenge 1:
Make a Top Ten list for your favourite standalone media and tell people exactly why you love it. This can be in any format - movies, one shot dramas, novels, short stories, plays, something else not mentioned here. Whatever you like!

Here is a link with more details, and to post the link to your answers. 

I don’t watch a lot of movies, so this list is pretty random. In no particular order, 10 movies that stayed in my memory, chosen specifically because I’ve rewatched each of them more than once, and I can remember the details without consulting the Internet ;)

* The Prestige – a mystery/drama about the feud between two stage magicians, each of them inventing brilliant tricks using really unconventional methods. The ending horrified me, and I spent many hours pondering how that trick worked and felt for everyone involved.

* eXistenZ – a pre-Matrix movie featuring virtual reality. A game developer and her sidekick get trapped in a fully immersive VR game. The technology is biologically based and looks very creepy. A kind of motivational movie for me because hey, it’s about game development ;)

* Mulholland Drive – a mystery/drama with a dreamlike atmosphere, where the same events and details repeat and recombine in different ways. The story has a puzzle-like feel to it, with the pieces slowly matching together by the end. But even after you know what it’s all about, there are still new details to notice on a rewatch.

* Cabin in the Woods – a comedy/parody of horror movies, incorporating many genre clichés and combining them in dark, weird and hilarious ways. I like how we get a bigger view of the story several times (i.e., this is not what is really happening…).

* The Truman Show – a comedy/psychological drama about a man who is the star of a reality show but is completely unaware that every detail of his daily life is broadcast to the world. His environment is artificial, and all his friends and family are actually actors. When he starts noticing weird things that don’t quite add up, it’s eerie and relatable. (Warning: may exacerbate paranoia... ;) Amazing soundtrack by Philip Glass.

* Memento – a detective story in which the main character, who investigates the murder of his wife, suffers from short-term memory loss. He has to leave himself notes to retain the clues. The story is told in reverse. Even though we start at the end and move toward the beginning, the mystery works just like in a regular story, and it ends with a twist that changes everything... so you immediately need to rewatch.

* Alice in Wonderland (by Tim Burton) – an adult version of the famous children’s tale, so everything is darker and edgier, with more angst and sadness and gorgeous scenery. I was especially taken by the menacing, long-suffering Knave of Hearts.

* Galaxy Quest – a comedy/parody of Star Trek, very smart and meta. It’s about a group of actors from a sci-fi TV show who are suddenly forced to relive their screen adventures IRL. It's funny and witty but also has some genuinely touching moments. Plus, a brilliant performance by Alan Rickman.

* The Usual Suspects – a crime thriller focused on the mysterious and terrifying criminal mastermind Keyser Söze. The action alternates between a police interrogation and flashbacks. TBF, the crime stuff was a bit boring, but the ending was so shockingly unexpected that I immediately went to rewatch the whole thing (and not just once!) to check all the details I had missed.

* Idiocracy – a comedy/satire that provides a bleak but hilarious view of a dystopian future, where humankind becomes so drastically dumb that an average Joe from our time appears to be a genius. There are so many funny moments. I really liked the character of President Camacho, a former wrestler - an attractive, reasonably smart and an overall cool guy.

Wrote this kinda poem for the Creative Court prompt "Birthday", I guess I can post in my own journal as well.

(It had originated on the night of a thunderstorm when our building was hit by lightning, and we had a power outage, and I couldn't sleep.)

the year falls down like heavy rain
crashing into the ground
the thunder of memories crushing my brain
drenched and dazed
I stumble around my maze of disquieting voids
avoiding the vortex of voices
incessantly drowning my mind from within
and without
you
another year runs out
another year streams in

Challenge #13

TALK ABOUT A COMMUNITY SPACE YOU LIKE. It doesn’t need to be your favorite, or the one where you spend the most time (although it certainly can be). Maybe it’s even one that you’ve barely visited. But talk about that space and how it helps support fannish community.

I don't participate in communities much, I'm mostly a lurker. Lately my preferred lurking space is Reddit. I like the way you follow not people but groups (subreddits), the slightly old-fashioned interface, the convenience of threaded comments, and most of all, the variety, breadth and depth of the content.

There is an active (or relatively active) subreddit for almost any interest, mood or app!
( linkspam )

and that's just a tiny bit of what's out there. (Not all of the listed above are fandom-related, but heck, whatever keeps your creative gears spinning ;)

Also, it's easy to group subreddits into your own themed lists, and browse a specific theme whenever you feel like it. Actually, I mostly just drop to my main page and scroll for a while.

Perhaps Reddit is not a proper "community", as the atmosphere is not always warm and friendly and supportive, and some users are rude and obnoxious, and the interaction is mostly on specific subjects and not with specific people, but I suppose this is my personal usage pattern as a lurker. And TBF, real communities take a lot of time and effort to participate in, and I usually just don't have so much energy in my mental space. (Snowflake Challenge is pushing me in the best way though ;)

Challenge #11
In your own space, grant someone's wish from Challenge #5.

Ah, a creative way to increase user engagement ;) I did post a few comments with various recs the last time. This time I've invested some effort into it and made several snooker icons for zimena. It feels a little like cheating - normally it's very hard for me to make icons for fandoms I don't associate with. But zimena is my friend, and I've heard a lot from her about her snooker heroes, so the subject is at least somewhat familiar :) And adding Chinese text was very educational for me ;)

Talk about your favorite tropes in media or transformative works. (Feel free to substitute in theme/motif/cliche if "trope" doesn't resonate with you.)

Oooh tropes! I love classifications and patterns and TVTropes ;) To avoid the overload, listing just 10 favourites, in no particular order.

(Warning! These links lead to TVTropes, and they may cause you lose hours of time, if you're not careful ;)

* GroundhogDayLoop Time loops in any form, not necessarily one day, it can take from a few days to a few years. It's so cool to see the same events happening in subtly different ways. Some interesting examples involve re-experiencing the same events as a different character.

* PerspectiveFlip Bad guys are actually good, and good guys are actually bad, and everything we had believed in was wrong :) History is written by winners. This is mainly a fandom trope because it requires an established baseline, but it can work with original fiction as well.

* UnreliableNarrator There are so many ways to make it work! From characters who are deliberately lying to those who are genuinely mistaken, gaslighted or neurodivergent.

* FairPlayWhodunnit A classic detective mystery, presented like a puzzle, which the reader can solve alongside the fictional detective. I love puzzles, provided they are not abstract like chess or sudoku, but have a solid story and clues.

* VirtualReality Our real lives are still not integrated with computers enough, but at least we can get full integration in fiction...

* DeadlyGame All kinds of high-stake competitions where the players risk their lives, and are often forced to participate. Works very well with Virtual Reality, but also in any kind of a dystopian environment.

* SplitPersonality A classic twist that never gets old for me! Works well with Unreliable Narrator trope. 

* WizardingSchool Schools of magic or other unusual disciplines like teaching villains, fictional characters etc. There are so many variations!

* GroupedForYourConvenience For fans of classifications and patterns and personality tests. Hogwarts Houses, the Hunger Games districts, the Divergent factions, Westeros families, 9 planets of the Locked Tomb... etc etc

* Metafiction Breaking the 4th wall, and messing up with your mind. Works best with computer games. (Some examples: OneShot, A Pet Shop After Dark, and don't forget the famous Doki Doki Literature Club ;)

Challenge #7. LIST THREE (or more) THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF. They don’t have to be your favorite things, just things that you think are good. Feel free to expand as much or as little as you want.

These questions are getting harder...

1. I have programming skills. Obviously not as good as many people out there who create OSes and program robots, but I can make apps and utilities both for work and for my own hobbies, and even simple games.

2. I'm branching out into art and music, after years of certainty that I have no talent. While it's still true, I'm less scared of experimenting and messing up.

3. Not necessarily a positive quality, but I'm addicted to learning, and not shy to try out new tech things like apps, frameworks, approaches, gadgets. (Although I'm quite conservative with my physical/mundane environment and hate any changes in that area.)

In your own space, create a list of at least three things you'd love to receive, a wishlist of sorts.

1. Feedback on my fics is always nice... https://archiveofourown.org/users/catness Though the only relatively new post is a set of short Pokemon Go themed poems for genprompt bingo. (If anyone wants to be Pokemon Go friends btw, drop me a PM! :)

2. Some Locked Tomb DW-icons, esp. featuring Harrow or Palamedes, I can never get around to making these...

3. Some recs for your favourite video games extensively featuring cats, maybe? I'm currently playing Nine Noir Lives, it's an old-school point&click adventure, a hardboiled detective mystery in a city of anthropomorphic cats, it's awesome!