Mod Post: Off-Topic Tuesday

[icon_uk]

In the comments to these weekly posts (and only these posts), it's your chance to go as off topic as you like. Talk about non-comics stuff, thread derail, and just generally chat among yourselves. Normal board rules about conduct and behaviour still apply, of course.

Another short one as I'm up to my eyeballs in work at the moment.

Today, the UK commemorates a year since our first National Lock Down triggered by COVID-19 (We're currently on something like our third, depending on where you live). A minutes silence will be held at 12 noon GMT, and at 8pm it is suggested that people across the country light a candle/light a torch and stand in doorways or windows.

The Zack Snyder Justice League cut was released, and we have a thread about that where you can post your thoughts

The Falcon and the Winter Soldier debuted on Disney+, and Ed Brubaker has some slightly mixed feelings about it, though he is very supportive of the cast.

Random question: favourite Dinsey Princess/Prince? (Or if staunch anti-royalist, favourite other character)

Comments

[tinygaylaura]

My favourite Disney princess is probably Elsa. or Belle from Beauty and the Beast

Batwoman has announced that Kate Kane is being recast this season and I'm both very excited to see the new actor in the role of Kate and also glad that the show will be keeping Ryan Wilder even though it's bringing Kate back as Ryan has been great so far and I'm excited to get to see her and Kate interacting

I watched the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier and I have to say I really hope the Flag Smashers are meant to be anti-villains who the characters are going to end up teaming up with because their actual goal of "A world without borders" really does not sound all that evil or bad to me. It was nice to see Batroc again! I hope he is a recurring menace for the MCU and gets foiled each time getting more and more pissed off with each ridiculous defeat

[werehawk]

Mine is Elsa too. Damned if that Let It Go doesn't resonate with everyone. I loved being at DisneyLand and seeing all girls dressed up at Elsa, not just pale blonde ones. And its not just girls... We are all Elsa.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tqn_e0bMjr0

[tripodeca113]

The Doctor Who game the Lonely Assassins, came out recently. It was pretty decent. Easily the best Weeping Angel story since 2010. I realize that's not a particularly difficult task, but it's still enjoyable. Sure, maybe the climax could have used a bit more work (maybe it's because it crashed there for me), but it was a fun time. It had enjoyable references. Questions we've waited 13 years for have been answered.

Thankfully we now own Shrek 2 on DVD. It's better now.

Ah Gargoyle references, how I love them. This inspired me to check Ebay again and I found a copy of Gargoyles Season 2 Volume 1, going relatively cheaply. Hooray!

Ah good The Sandman Companion has arrived, now to appreciate Neil Gaiman more, and constantly bemoan my own failings in comparison. Truly I have not really lived.

I had a dream about watching The Wire, which makes me think I should try and watch it again.

My arching work is over now. it really made me consider the nature of online identities , both as a record of ourself, and how they will be interpreted by other people. All the depth and experience there is too a person....
And now I get to spend my free time on other things

Well, I read Neonomicon. I don't know man, I don't know.....I feel like I should have a stronger reaction, but I don't.

Oh no, more information on future Avatar media. “I think that universe will encompass definitely a theatrical film, animation, certainly multiple TV series and probably multiple films,”..oh I don't like the sound of this. Does this mean some of these Tv shows won't be animated? The warning bells are ringing...

[tinygaylaura]

I feel like I am the only Doctor Who fan who actually liked Time of the Angels/Flesh and Stone ;-;

[scorntx]

Watched that first episode of Falcon and Winter Soldier.
It had satisfactory levels of Batroc. ... though it is upsetting that he's more malevolent than his comic incarnation.
Very nice that Sam actually gets some character moments (just feel he didn't get enough in the films).
...
... my one major gripe is Wyatt Russell as John Walker just looks... er... well, kind of adorable in his Cap outfit.
... it's them baby cheeks. John Walker should not look remotely adorable, dammit!


Saw Wonder Woman 1984 last night.
...
... I think that was probably the least convincing explanation for someone turning into a cat-person I've ever seen.
(Mind, my expectations of the movie lowered pretty dramatically the minute I saw Geoff Johns had a writer's credit.)
Never mind Minerva being the most cliched Hollywood nerd right from the off, or how her turn seems to be "welp, I got superpowers... I'mma be evil now!"
Also, no Etta Candy of any kind. Serious mark against it.
I did very much enjoy the fact Diana did not have or use a sword at any point.


Favourite Disney Princess? Oooh... toughie.
Maybe Anna or Elsa... (with the caveat I ain't seen Frozen 2 yet, so I only knows them from there.)
Possibly Rapunzel in third place.
... but in non-Princess categories it's Mulan. No question.

[icon_uk]

Oddly, I had the opposite reaction to Wyatt Russell, who I had never heard of before.

Something about the camera angle and the proportions of the helmet they used really did make him look more like Popeye than Captain America.

I mean, all evidence points to him being a handsome man, but that reveal just did not work for me.

[cyberghostface]

Vanellope is my favorite Disney princess.

[dewinged]

That was going to be my answer.

[flo_nelja]

My favourite Disney princess is Moana!
(I also love Mulan, and Tiana, and Belle, and Eilonwy because no one ever remembers her)

[cygnia]

Do you (or anyone here) follow Pocket Princesses on InstaGram?

[skjam]

Watched "Kid Cosmic". That's a fast-paced show, despite several gags about a character moving very slowly across the screen.

Over at my blog, it's 70s men's adventure paperback time: http://www.skjam.com/2021/03/21/book-review-high-disaster/

[tinygaylaura]

Kid Cosmic is a great show!

[leahandillyana]

Many things happened this week, I cannot even list all of them, and they will be out of order.
-a gay couple was attacked while jogging in Gdańsk by a group of roughly thirty thugs who ran away when bystanders reacted. Note that they were likely inspired by the ministry of justice praising the stabber from February. Both victims ended up on intense care.
-of much lesser degree, a bookstore my friend works in, a bookstore that regularly donates part of its money to various charities, had its display glass smashed with a brick. Somebody most likely felt „triggered” by a „Refugees Welcome” sticker on the doors to the store. It reminds me of the situation from last year when a refugee-friendly hairdresser was similarly vandalized.
-this is especially upsetting because Poland is a very safe country – normally the worst that can happen to you is being shouted at by a drunk
-american ambassador wrote about these events on her twitter and condemned them. In reply, several members of parliament told her to keep out of business that is not hers.
-a priest was beaten to death by his drunk employee. The prime minister organised an emergency conference where he talked how we are in a state of war and we need to use everything we can to protect priests and churches from feminists and queers
-Turkey has removed itself from the Istambul Convention (more here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Istanbul_Convention) and Poland intends to leave it too. In its place, there’s a bill of „Convention of the rights of family”, which:
-talks very little about women’s rights
-not only forbids abortion in any and every case but equalises it with „especially cruel murder” (dunno what the proper English term is), thus everyone performing or helping in it would be imprisoned until death in the most strict prison
-bans gender transition
-bans same sex relationships from being recognised by law
-makes sex ed a crime equal with child rape (which is funny in a very dark way since there are like 100s cases of child abuse by priests that are dismissed and not persecuted)
-two of my idols, a punk rocker and a poet- philosopher, died of covid
-I wonder when I will die lol
On the brighter side, the highest court of Hungary decided that THEIR ban on legal gender change is unconstitutional.
Also, fuck Disney, always and forever.

[deh_tommy]

I wonder, too, but less in a “lol” way and more in a “I’m worried about you and your well-being and I don’t know what to do if anything happened to you when we could have done more to help” way. Is there any specific cause or charity over there that we here can donate to or raise awareness for?

[dewinged]

My first day working from home was 3/18 of last year. This past 3/18, I had to go to the office to switch out the company laptop I've been using (they cycle them out every few years).

I saw the IT tech who had to transfer my data from the old laptop to the new one. And the security guard who had to take my temp before I could enter. (We had to fill out a questionnaire online last week so we could be cleared to come in.)

Other than that, it was completely empty, and it had a serious Silent Hill/liminal space vibe to it. Something in my subconscious saying 'You should not be here.' Thank goodness I was only there about 90 minutes to get all my data transferred.

[iamrman]

Loved the first episode of Falcon and the Winter Soldier. It helped that it is partially inspired by one of my favourite Captain America story arcs. The scenes with Bucky got me right in the feels. Unfortunately, Batroc wasn't nearly ridiculous enough.

[tinygaylaura]

They need to make Batroc more ludicrous and extra

AND LET HIM LEAP MORE

[tinygaylaura]

Just found out we're getting a new volume of SFSX

One of my favourite comics of all time

It's sex positive, pro kink, pro porn, pro sex work and a massive "fuck you" to disgusting backwards douchebags like radfems, terfs, and conservative scum in general. It's easily one of the best and most important comics of the last thirty years at least and I am so happy it's continuing

[leahandillyana]

And I really hate how "triggered" is used as a gotcha in internet discussions. A person who is bombarded by the news of pandemic and growing death toll on one side and hateful propaganda against them and their friends on the other, who has been sent death threats, who had their property destroyed, who knows people like them being assaulted because they were like them has the right to feel upset, but when you talk about it online all you get is "we triggered this bitch, good job boys". I dont want to diminish the severity of PTSD, but I am starting to suspect that living in Poland is giving me PTSD.

[zachbeacon]

I assume "triggered" was once used by actual trauma victims but I've only ever seen it used by right-wing assholes. I mean, it had to come from somewhere and the second group just isn't that creative.

I'm sorry to hear you're being robbed of ways to describe your pain on top of everything else.

[arilou_skiff]

It was cheesy, and an obvious thing to do, but I love how Sam Wilson is literally "Uncle Sam" in Falcon and the Winter Soldier.

[zachbeacon]

"He wants you ..."

... to give bank loans to small businesses that were hit hard by the global pandemic ... er, I mean, 'the blip'

[juniper6]

I got vaccine appointments for everyone in my immediate family (other than Daughter2 who is a medical student and was already vaccinated). By two weeks from tomorrow we will all have had our second injections. I don’t know what to do with the four hours a day I was spending on the search for available slots for seven people.

My mother is still alive and has some time most days when she is able to sit up an interact with people (mainly virtually; there’s still a pandemic going on and apparently when you’re dying of cancer they don’t recommend getting vaccinated for Covid). The hope now is that she can make it the 2 and 1/2 weeks to her 60th wedding anniversary.

Apparently I never saw any of the X Men movies. I honestly don’t know why. Some but not all are available on Disney+.

[thezmage]

Got my first shot yesterday.

I love pointing at random properties acquired by Disney and declaring people in them Disney Princesses, so I think I'll go with Thor. Although from the more traditional standpoint I'd probably choose Moana.

I saw Raya and the Last Dragon. This guy sums up my feelings (spoilers): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YidRwB2L0kg

[zachbeacon]

Thor isn't a Princess. You're thinking of Loki.

Its a shame the Inhumans show was a train wreak. Crystal is one of the few tolerable Inhumans and it'd be fun to see her in the Princess conversion.

Though Shuri is clearly the best MCU Princess.

[deh_tommy]

I’m all for people getting vaccinated, but I have to say I’m very wary of the current COVID vaccines and how quickly they were put out. Not only are they fairly unreliable against newer strains, a good batch were temporarily banned over here because a good chunk of people who got one apparently died of blood clotting later. I’m also kind of worried about the testing of said vaccines being done on elderly folks who are already immunocompromised.

[tinygaylaura]

Nothing wrong with educating yourself about potential health concerns

Just be wary of where you're getting your information. There's a lot of bullshit and conspiracy theory nonsense out there

[llordllama]

Does Kuzco count as a prince? If so - him :)

Very much enjoyed the Bucky & Sam show, although Lady Llama was a bit cooler on it than she was for WandaVision. I may have been especially pleased to have new themes from Henry Jackman in the episode.

Hosted a virtual housewarming at the weekend, which was oddly better than expected as we were able to invite friends from around the globe to attend rather than just those down the road. Given we're just north of lockdown central UK (Leicester), this was all for the best.

70% of my graphic novels are unboxed now (5 weeks post move) and looking very nice on the shelves in my home office, although not found my bound volumes of Charlie's War so far. Next job, work out how best to liquidate my papery volumes of comic book issues, as sitting in long boxes in the loft is no way for them to live. Best route to achieve that on a postcard...

[icon_uk]

Does Kuzco count as a prince?

He's ruler of his own country, so I'd say he's absolutely one. (Adam/Beast is, so no reason Kuzko wouldn't be)

[bruinsfan]

My favorite Disney princess? Does this count as a twofer?

I got my first shot of the Pfizer vaccine Thursday, and assuming my second dose is administered on time should be receiving full protective effects by the third week in April.

[donnblake]

Does Luke count as a prince? Hmm. Leia is a princess because she was adopted into a royal, and while the Organas seem like decent folk who probably would have welcomed into the family if things had gone differently, their entire planet exploded before that could really become a consideration.

But Luke is the biological son of a Queen. On the other hand, the monarch of Naboo is an elected position, frequently held by very young women for what Wookiepedia tells me is a two year term, so it seems likely that royal babies are uncommon, and in any case unlikely to maintain that status for long, even if they are technically princes and princesses at the time. In any case, Padme was no longer serving as Queen by the time of Luke and Leia's birth.

Now, Vader clearly holds high position in the Empire, as Palpatine's apprentice and personal enforcer, and he is consistently referred to as Lord Vader but I don't get the sense that that signified any formal rank- at high levels, a lot of the Empire feels like a kind of adhocracy, where you have whatever authority and titles the Emperor has most recently bestowed upon you, until and unless you displease him or he has no further use for you and disposes of you. In any case, being the son of a Lord generally isn't enough to qualify one as a prince.

Finally, in the words of Mark Hamill himself,

"When they told us it would soon be revealed we were siblings. Me:"Wait a minute, If Luke is Princess Leia's brother...does that make me royalty?" Her:(without a moment of hesitation )"NO!!!" I didn't really care, but she really, REALLY did, so I never let it go-EVER. 🤣#TrueStory".

On the other hand, R2-D2 would make a pretty cute Disney Animal Companion...

[mazway_75]

For those outside the U.S., I wish I could explain this refusal to have stronger gun laws even after mass shootings happening so regularly. I really do but it's something that's just baffling even to us in the country and unlikely to change.

And no, the last two aren't going to change anything because if multiple school shootings didn't, neither will this. Sadly, we tend to treat this like a hurricane or earthquake, something totally beyond our control and just have to live with it. I can't explain it either.

[zachbeacon]

Actually I think this is the one time something meaningful could happen. The NRA has been holding this country hostage for my entire lifetime but they've fallen apart so much even Ollie North wants to keep his distance. Yeah, we still have an entire political party dedicated to voting "no" on things that help people but the people who were buying their gun votes have been forced to regroup.

I'm just not sure how popular any kind of reasonable gun control is outside of moderate democrats at this point. The last four years radicalized a lot of people on both sides.

[werehawk]

Well the concern is that if your body is fighting off something else, you won’t have as much of an immune response to the vaccine. That’s the concern anyway. If you are feeling better, it should be fine, but it might be prudent to reschedule if it’s possible. But if not, you might just want to go for it.

[silverhammerman]

I started a small podcast with a friend, because we've both been in lockdown for too long. It's called Regarding Spawn, and we're trying to go through Todd McFarlane's franchise more or less chronologically. Like all creative projects I really only care that I have a good time doing it, but I thought I'd share. Our latest episode is our third, in which we talk about 1992 in Spawn after taking the first couple of episodes to talk about Spawn more broadly, and doing the obligatory close read of Spawn #1.

Brubaker's comments on Falcon and The Winter Soldier (bolstered by my being in an early Image Comics headspace right now) are honest and insightful, and I'm glad he's in a place professionally where he can say it. As the next phase of Marvel movies move into adapting more and more recent stories, and Disney more and more obviously starts treating the comics as R&D for the movies, I expect that a lot of creators are going to end up feeling similarly, though comics' longstanding Code of Silence will probably keep many of them from saying anything.

No other big thoughts about that show, the surface level politics of it look dodgy enough that I'll sit it out, and the revelation that Joaquin Torres has been transformed from a teenaged immigrant and activist into yet another MCU army guy has put off my curiosity.

[mazway_75]

So big news: Black Widow now debuting in theaters on July 9 and a $30 Disney+ premium showing on the same day.

I guess Disney worried about European lockdowns affecting box office and bowing to demand of websites to "Just release it online" even though naturally a blow to theaters.

Also, Shang-Chi moves to September but rest of Phase 4 still seems on track for now.

[thezmage]

Cruella is going the Premium route as well and Luca is just going to Disney Plus for free

[deh_tommy]

Hoo boy, who isn’t my favourite Disney royalty? ...well, lots I’m sure, but I do have my preferences. Off the top of my head, there’s Tiana, Quasimodo, Cinderella, Jack Skellington, Mulan, Anastasia, Elsa and Anna, the Inhumans, Marianne and the Bog King, the Sultan, Prince Edward, The King of Dinoco, Leia, the Alien Queen, Hades, I’m sure I can think of more if I put my mind to things.

[stubbleupdate]

Is there a LAdy bane in the Joker comic?

[thezmage]

What's the current status of the Inhumans in Marvel comics? Did everyone die except for the royal family, Ms Marvel, Quake, and Moon Girl?

[lilacsigil]

Lockjaw and Maximus are supposedly dead and the rest of the royal family alive, but it's very unclear how many of the "regular people" Inhumans are alive.

[zachbeacon]

So, the rumor is Sony is shutting down the stores for PS3, Vita, PSP, and possibly even movies/tv soon. Hopefully I’ll still be able to redownload those Vita games that didn’t fit on the memory card that cost as much as the handheld itself.

On the bright side, a bunch of indie games are going to be free for a while starting later this week.

https://blog.playstation.com/2021/03/17/play-at-home-2021-update-10-free-games-to-download-this-spring/


As far as Disney Princesses go, well, Leia is my smartass answer.

Honestly, I relate a fair amount to Anna, Ariel, and Belle but not necessarily in great ways*. Merida is the most fun to watch and Moana seems like the best role model.

*I too have given away my heart too quickly, hoarded artifacts from someone else’s culture, and used books as an escape.

[zachbeacon]

And as far as Princes go, I guess either Flynn or Kristoff. Flynn is entertaining and Kristoff is both relatable (why, yes, animals are better than people) and admirable (he's just such a good guy). Honestly most Disney dudes before Beast were blank slates anyway.