More of what everyone is talking about…

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I was excited. I’m still a little excited… but it’s dulled now.

Spent some time with Disney+ last night. Guess what you can’t binge? That’s right – they’re not dropping the Mandelorian all at once, they’re spacing it out and dropping one episode at a time.

I watched the first one. It’s good. It’s the Star Wars Universe. SPOILER ALERT – there are storm troopers in there too. As I was watching the show I caught a couple of very disturbing things. Things that make me question certain aspects of the show – and exactly how appropriate it is for kids.

IF you don’t want spoilers, turn away now.

There’s a scene in one of the bars where a fight breaks out ~ like it would in any movie frontier situation. Then one of the individuals involved in the fight gets cut in half. Yes, they allowed that to happen mostly off screen, but it was pretty clear what went down. Episode 1, right off the bat. Dude was cut in half by one of those iris doors. I suppose all the safety measures had been removed because frontier or something. I guess if it’s mostly off screen that’s fine.

The part that really bothered me was a passing little piece in the market. You remember this guy from Jabba’s place?

Salacious B. Crumb

They’ve got one of them in a cage in the market… watching another one of their race being cooked on a spit. A sentient creature – able to express emotion – being cooked on a spit in front of another of it’s race. I’m not sure I’m OK with that. I need to give it some real consideration.

Other people are far less circumspect. There has been a ripple of backlash against Disney and how… dominating? overpowering? destructive? they’ve been in the entertainment industry for a very long time. IF you get a chance you should check out this article in Variety about the warnings that are popping up on some of the cartoons / movies they’re playing on their channel.

I have to agree that the folks at the WB seem to have handled that a lot better. I wonder what their thoughts are on sentient being rotisserie as torture…

Disney +

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It started yesterday. I went out and pulled the new Roku streaming channel and signed in. It was actually really simple. My house now has Disney+, the new streaming service.

Let’s be honest, this was the biggest draw for me:

Binge!

Then I started scrolling through all the choices available on the channel. Two things became apparent right away… first – Disney owns a HUGE amount of entertainment. Second, we’ve seen a HUGE amount of what they have to offer.

We immediately fell down the rabbit hole so to speak (there are 2 versions of Alice In Wonderland on there). We looked at a number of the Pixar short films right away. Some we remembered, some we didn’t, some we couldn’t say we’d ever seen. IF we had started the channel on a weekend I think we’d still be sitting there.

There were two disappointing things. First – the short film that I presume accompanies Toy Story 4 is on there, but the film is not. I don’t know how the powers that be determine when stuff goes to streaming – but having one and not the other seemed odd. Second – I thought that ESPN+ and HULU were part of the package when I signed up. That is not the case. If I want those things, they cost extra.

I have a feeling that we’ll be spending a disproportionate amount of time on this channel in the very near future… and I can’t wait to binge the Mandalorian!

Political

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I know this makes some of my friend ’employable’

I don’t post about politics. I don’t feel like anyone wants my opinion, and I generally don’t like asking for a wave of stupid to come crashing down on me when a troll decides that my opinion needs to be trashed. I avoid it.

This political post is just to say that I’m happy to be past another election cycle. I know the presidential race is underway for next year and that there will be a lot to pay attention to, but I’m hoping for a small reprieve from all the political nonsense out there.

I will absolutely recommend going over to check out Girl Genius if you don’t happen to know about it. It’s absolutely wonderful art and story telling. The author and artists don’t really need me to tout their work, but I have been a fan since the days of “What’s New with Phil & Dixie“. Great stuff. Go check it out!

Digging into things

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Since I wrote up my post about the gap in my blog I’ve been going back and digging stuff up that I’ve been meaning to talk about. I often grab and save links to articles that spark something in me. I want to be timely in my discussions, but never at the expense of decent writing and forethought.

Back in July I saw this article over at Tor.

https://www.tor.com/2019/07/01/was-1999-the-year-nerd-culture-began-to-take-over-the-world/

You should read it. The two things that caught my eye were the claim of a ‘coming out’ year for fandom and an acceptance of the label(s) geek / nerd.

The first part about the coming out year caught my eye. I’ve written before about the influence of films on my own fandom. Movies that are still resonating today came out when I was a young teen (Terminator anyone?). I somehow thought this was a thing that might not have been repeatable, but then there was 2015. The movies that hit during that year were big and amazing. I’ve written a couple of times about how I think / hope my daughter will have positive memories and just as much influence from these films as I had with the crop from back in 1984. What I failed to understand was that this type of influence could be just about any year. The author of that article could have been on to something. I don’t agree with all the movie choices, but I wasn’t a teen in 1999. I absolutely agree with the assertion of the Matrix being a massively influential film. Things since then really have heated up.

The second part of that is more problematic for me. For a very long time my “nerdom” was something I made every attempt to hide. It was never popular to be called that when I was growing up. D&D wasn’t accepted as an influential part of culture, it was a derided thing that cost me friendships because some parents bought into the panic about the game. I learned to avoid talking about my favorite hobby. I was not immune to the social pressure to fit in and get along. That formative experience hasn’t left me.

No matter how popular “nerdy” things become I don’t think I’ll ever shake that. I hold my fandom close and tend not to share it.

I actively question the hot new trend to claim to be a nerd or a geek or a comic fan because you’ve seen all the Marvel movies. I’ve seen some of the so called celebrations of geekdom and I don’t think they’re as celebratory as people want to believe they are. The amount of things out there relating to science fiction and fantasy is stunning. It’s an unprecedented level of availability. All of those things feel temproary to me. It’s a bunch of people that don’t really care about fandom, but they DO care that they can make a buck from it. Media and movie folks are looking for any way possible to come up with, package, and sell the next ‘hot’ nerd thing. They don’t care about what’s in the package, just that they can sell it.

Suddenly everyone is claiming to be a geek or a nerd of some variety. The glut of marketing material for these ‘geeky’ things brings to mind a quote. “It’s the burning of the library of Alexandria by way of the Hot Topic t-shirt printing press”.

In short, I don’t buy it.

Another topic belongs right here – and that is toxic fandom. I won’t go into it right now (perhaps another post) but it’s a real thing. I suspect it’s a backlash to the popular thing. The ever present push back of being ‘cool’ by not buying into the trend.

I’m very glad there are folks out there who enjoy so many of the same things I do. I love the level of availability of all the cool things that tie in to my favorite books or games or movies. I’m thrilled to see an influx of diversity. I will continue to be wary. I’m in fandom for the long haul. I hope you are too.

The Realm Beyond!

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I have a new story coming out in the final issue of The Realm Beyond. My story “No Visitors Beyond This Point” will be published in early November. In fact, I hope to have copies in my hands the weekend of Philcon.

I have been very lucky with a number of my stories and I consider myself lucky with this one as well. The first story I ever had published was in the first issue of Trail of Indiscretion also from Fortress Publishing. Now my latest story will be in the final issue of The Realm Beyond. I look forward to sitting down and checking out all the other stories in there. I hope you will pick up a copy too!

How cool is that cover art?

Disney+

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I did it. A few weeks ago I saw an article talking about Disney+, the next big streaming service that was coming out. I had heard rumors of it for quite a while, but figured I’d wait and see if anything actually came of all the noise. Something DID come of all the noise, and when I looked at the absolutely massive offering from all the things Disney now owns I had to check it out.

The article sent me to a link, the link made an offer. It was one I couldn’t refuse.

What a collection, just on the front images, right?

I actually paid for 2 years up front to receive some kind of crazy discount thing. I did it. Anyone that’s read here for some time will realize that I’m not usually an early adopter of this sort of thing. In this case, I couldn’t resist.

I’m hopeful that it will be worth the investment for more than just the collection of things I’ve seen before, but given my past experiences with Disney if there’s one thing they DO know how to do it’s entertain.

I really can’t wait…

Philcon Schedule

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I will be attending Philcon again this year as a guest. I am always grateful to be asked to participate. Schedules were recently announced. A number of my friends have posted their schedules already, but I held off just a little. I’m still adjusting to the idea of what I signed up to do…

Fri 6:00 PM in Plaza II (Two) (1 hour)
INTRO TO URBAN FANTASY (3632)

    [Panelists: Vikki Ciaffone (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Elektra Hammond,
    Bruce Dykes, Michael Hanson]

    Contemporary Fantasy, Portal Fiction, and yes, Paranormal Romance-
    what makes this genre distinct from other kinds of fantasy? What
    books make the best entry point into the various subgenres

Fri 10:00 PM in Plaza III (Three) (1 hour)
CROSSING THE STREAMS (3619)

    [Panelists: Aaron Feldman (mod), Eric Hardenbrook, Joseph Haughey]

    The old policy of fan artists and writers carefully avoiding any
    contact with The Powers That Be is becoming untenable in the age of
    Social Media, where actors routinely retweet fanfic and fanart of
    their characters and more professional authors are going public
    about their history as fanfic writers. But some boundaries are still
    useful to maintain. How can fans and professionals coexist in this
    new status quo

Sat 11:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Three (1 hour)
HOW DOES A READER DISCOVER NEW AUTHORS? (3492)

    [Panelists: Elektra Hammond (mod), Timothy Pratt, Elyse Rosenstein,
    Mary Spila, Eric Hardenbrook, Phil Giunta]

    In a world where people are more likely to order new releases by
    their favorites off of Amazon than drive to a bookstore and browse,
    how do readers find authors they hadn’t previously heard of

Sun 10:00 AM in Crystal Ballroom Two (1 hour)
ROSIE OR THE ROOMBA? (3678)

    [Panelists: Eric Hardenbrook (mod)]

    Modern science fiction frequently depicts advances for the spaces we
    live in as dependent on the technology inside of them.  What are
    some advances in the technology of the actual buildings around us
    today?

It’s the last one that caused me to hesitate. You read it right – that panel is all me. I have the hour all to myself. IF it all goes wrong, it’s all on me. So I’m going to start digging in and getting my program ready.

Hopefully I’ll see you there!

Save Against Fear

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Great art for the con

This review was originally published in Watch The Skies – October 2019 issue.

The Bodhana Group is a nonprofit organization that advocates the use of tabletop gaming as a directed therapeutic and clinical practice that can benefit personal growth as well as enhance social and educational services to individuals and families. Over the weekend of October 11 through 13th they also ran their annual convention “Save Against Fear”. IF you’re in the Central Pennsylvania area and enjoy playing games, I would highly recommend putting this event on your calendar.

This year was the ninth year for the event and the third time I had attended. I was not alone. The con this year brought in about 450 people from all across the area and nearby states. The convention took over a large space in a local mall and used it all. There were literally dozens of games running at any given time all weekend long. Role playing games, computer simulation games, board games, card games – even beta test games. There were at least six game design groups set up and showing off their latest creations. Massive miniatures displays and games took up the rear section of the game floor covering everything from the Civil War to Star Wars. The miniatures on display were painted in myriad colors and stood out against all sorts of terrain. Some folks took the opportunity to learn how to paint the minis and add spectacular bases to them. In short, if you like to game this was the place to be.

Registration was right up front. It was fast, clearly marked and a breeze to get through. In fact, all the aspects of the convention were super smooth. There was a bake sale if you needed a snack. Vendors took over a section of the floor and brought a wide variety of items in for sale, from art to books to the next set of dice that you clearly need. The game designers had a lot of interesting things to play test and just have plain fun with.

The single biggest part of the con was the game library. It’s massive. It was overwhelming. When I say those thing it feels a bit like hyperbole, but there were hundreds of games to chose from. The games were all laid out along a huge set of tables and roughly divided into sections based on how long it would take to play the game. If you can name the game, I’d wager it was there. I know there are some skeptics out there but when I saw Gnip Gnop, Payday, and Canasta next to the Mork and Mindy board game I began to have trouble choosing what to play. If there’s any criticism of the con it would be that. The game selection was too much if you were even a tiny bit unsure what to play. The best part would be the fine folks working all the tables. All the people working were gamers and fans of the work they do. They were happy to come up with a recommendation based on what you were thinking and even an explanation of how to play if somebody in your crowd didn’t know how to play.

The convention had easy parking, easy access via the mall and was just down from the food court. The staff was fantastic, the games and programs were smooth as could be. I know I’m missing some of the things that were going on (Oh yeah! There were raffles and a silent auction too) but I think that’s what’s going to recommend this con the most. There was a ton to do all weekend long. If you’re in the area next October I would highly recommend you make your way there. I know I’m looking forward to it already.

A Hole

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There’s a hole in my blog. We’re going to call that hole August and September.

Most people have the overwhelming urge to apologize for not posting. There will be excuses and statements declaring passion and a list of things that are going to show how the blog has not faded and will be moving forward at a great pace!

That’s not me.

Yes, I probably could have been on here and working at keeping this up. Probably. Maybe not. Sometimes other things get in the way. Life happens. The day job stomps in and grabs up all your time like it was lunch money and you were the kid on the wrong end of the deal.

Sometimes depression sneaks in and strangles your creativity. It uses stress to open the door and before you know what’s happened you’re sitting and staring at reruns because they don’t challenge you and it’s nice to laugh sometimes… right?

I have never actually been diagnosed with depression or anything so official. It certainly felt that way. I didn’t read. I didn’t write. I didn’t paint or draw or create in any way. It was rotten and miserable. I really was busy and the day job was crushing. Lots of things to adjust to in my life added up to me just not having the drive or motivation to do anything but sit and stare. More than once my declared intention was to get home and stare at the wall.

The good news is that seems to be getting better. I’m still crazy busy but certain aspects of things seem to be getting better. Sometimes hanging in there is all you can do. I was hanging and not falling – and that’s the part that really counts.

So – no apologies or grand plans. The hole in the blog remains. I’m starting to work again and we’ll see how that turns out on here together.

Military Science Fiction Giraffes

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I have read and reviewed at least one book by author Marko Kloos in the past. I remember it only in vague terms. I DO very much remember that he wrote my favorite story from Love Death + Robots on Netflix. I was distinctly in the category of MEH when I saw a new book coming out from him. Then I read his words in “The Big Idea” and I was sold. This has the potential to be a very cool book indeed.

Check out what he said here.

Read the first chapter here.

To blatantly self promote along with this ~ IF you like military science fiction there is another work out right now that you can get and it even has one of my stories in it! There is a plan in motion to make an appearance at Shore Leave this Friday to celebrate the new book. Feel free to come on out and see us!

Hop on over to a new tab and order up your copy of DTF: In Harm’s Way!