Month: February 2018

#CurrentlyWatching: Anne with an E

Kat Impossible32 Comments

This week’s theme is “literary adaptations not just for kids” (I know, I am so fabulous at coming up with something new all the time) and I am very excited to talk about this particular show. I was pretty late to the bandwagon, but Anne with an E definitely needs to be talked about at one point or another.

This, by far, isn’t the first adaption of the Anne of Green Gables book series, however, Netflix really managed to give it a fresh take with a fantastic young cast and extraordinary detail concerning the set and costumes. So far there is one season, but production for the second one has already started in November 2017. Again, I have not read the book (BUT I have ordered it – progress! But seriously, Anne of Green Gables just wasn’t really a thing in my country, so you can’t blame me for not knowing it.), but I have heard that there were some changes made to the original narrative as well as tone, probably to fit into the darker and more drama-filled TV landscape of today.

Anne with an E chronicles the adventures of a young orphan girl as she finds a new home, love and friendship on Prince Edward Island during the 19th century.

Okay, I have to admit that I started watching this because I missed Canada. I am not sure how much sense that makes, considering the time this is set in and that Canada is huge and I wasn’t actually in that part of the country, but I still got the vibes that I wanted. Anne with an E is such an easy show to fall in love with. The visuals are simply stunning and no one on this planet can tell me that this isn’t the most stylish adaptation of the source material yet. But it really shines because of how emotional and gripping it is. Thinking back, I don’t believe there was a single episode where I didn’t need tissues.

As I mentioned above, there were some changes made to the story and that resulted in the show getting edgier than the books. In my opinion, this added greatly to the realism and the exploration of Anne’s past. Having said that, I don’t want you to think this is a super dark show, because it definitely is not. Anne with an E is a beautiful visual treat with a slow pace to accompany the gorgeous cinematography. You will laugh and cry, both out of joy and sadness.

I also really want to applaud all the actors and actresses involved in this series. Netflix always manages to pull amazing young talent out of seemingly nowhere (at least it feels that way for me), but the adults really hit home with me as well. The performances (aside from a very theatrical Anne at times) were so quietly convincing. It’s all a big part of what makes Anne with an E so charming.

Overall, I just really enjoyed the themes that were explored on the show. It is about all kinds of things, each of them relatably portrayed even with the very different setting from our world today. It is about growing up and finding that place called home. The adoption process and Anne’s background were an emotional roller coaster for me and her continued fight to be heard and accepted was so very inspiring. It’s about poverty and friendship. It’s about first love, loss and grief. Also, there’s a real feminist element to everything Anne does and I love her all the more for it.

Lastly, the show has an amazing theme song “Ahead by a Century” by the Tragically Hip, which doesn’t just fit the vibe of the show, but is another celebration of Canadian culture.

I could talk about Anne for days. She’s quirky, charming, smart, wonderful, has the biggest capacity for imagination I have seen on screen and probably knows more complicated words than me. She can also be overly dramatic and a real scene stealer, but I guess that is what makes Anne so very Anne. Even when I will admit that it can border on the point of being a tad annoying behaviour, Amybeth McNulty really made that role her own and I cannot imagine that being easy at such a young age. However, I feel like this part of the post is not just here to feature the main character and that is why I want to talk about Gilbert Blythe.

Gilbert is the guy everyone loves, except Anne. Even though the poor boy immediately takes a liking to her, Anne feels like he is just making her life harder and that’s true even if he never intended for that to happen. He is kind, smart, confident, incredibly cute (except when he pulls girls’ pigtails) and most importantly he doesn’t judge people by where they are from but rather who they are.

He is an overall good guy and doesn’t give up on Anne so easily, but rather uses her aversion towards him to start an academical rivalry he knew she wouldn’t be able to resist. I hope you can see where I am going with this, but it’s the perfect set up for enemies to lovers/the hate-to-love-trope. I adored seeing how Anne slowly changed her view of Gilbert and through that her feelings for him. I am really looking forward to where this is going in the future (although everyone who has read the books already knows, but the journey still counts!).

So, in the end, I don’t know how this show will fare with people who absolutely adore the books. I went into it pretty unknowing and that might have been the best way to watch the show. After all, there are changes! And they aren’t just minor ones either, but I still think that this show is like a piece of art that should be appreciated anyway.

Did you watch Anne with an E? Did you read the books? What are your thoughts? Let’s chat! (Bonus question: can you guess which show I will talk about on Friday?)

#CurrentlyWatching: Altered Carbon

Kat Impossible14 Comments

And on we go with this week’s “Freaky Sci-Fi” theme. I like to present shows that are quite different from each other together and so this pick is the opposite in style to Travelers in many ways. I am talking about Altered Carbon.

Like many other shows and movies these days, Altered Carbon is based on books, in this case written by Richard K. Morgan. As seems to be a reoccurring theme with these posts, I have not read those books yet, nor am I sure I will pick them up. This just means I cannot draw any real comparisons between the source material and the screen adaptation, but I think we will all survive.
Altered Carbon is a Netflix show with one season out so far. I usually don’t say this, because I am a greedy person and always want more, but I quite liked the ending of the season. I think there are talks about season 2 (which have some storytelling quirks to figure out due to the finale), but I personally wouldn’t mind if that was all there is to the story, which is almost refreshing.

Human consciousness can be stored and transferred. A former prisoner now has the option to win his freedom, provided he can solve a highly complex and dangerous murder case.

Those of you who follow my tweets, probably saw me binge-watching and binge-tweeting about Altered Carbon on release weekend. When I was done, I knew that I had liked it but I had watched it while being sick with borderline hypothermia, so I wasn’t sure how accurate my judgment really was. But in the following days I saw everyone else’s reactions and I knew this was one of the good ones.

Altered Carbon brings you into a world where, if you have the money, you can live forever. Don’t like the body you were born with? Well, just upgrade your sleeve (what bodies are called) and you are settled. In all the stories I have ever read/watched/otherwise-consumed, I have never encountered one where it was smart to give humanity access to immortality. We simply aren’t built for it! This already brings me to one of the main topics throughout the series – immortality and all its moral ramifications and repercussions. It’s very thought provoking in some ways. If you are rich, you can’t just buy any body you like, you can also clone the one you have infinite times without ever even having to age. Would that be ground for unlimited freedom or a prison in itself? There’s a religion featured that absolutely doesn’t want to be reborn in a new sleeve, as it would taint the soul. But if you had the possibility to talk to murder victims by giving them a new sleeve to testify, wouldn’t that almost eradicate violent crimes? It’s questions like that, which although not always front and center, are the underlying current of the show.

Where Travelers is very understated, Altered Carbon is almost overwhelming you with information and vibrant visual cues. The CGI is great, in my opinion, and we gradually get to explore all the dark corners of this particular universe, while never getting all the information. I believe this is necessary if the show is thinking long-term, but I also think it might have been too much information otherwise.

With all the love I have for the show, it definitely isn’t perfect. I know I am terribly bad at giving trigger warnings, but let me tell you the violence in this one is real! There are multiple cases of sexual abuse and downright torture. In an almost Blade-Runner-esque fashion, women are definitely sexualised but I think the series really tried to show almost equally as much male nudity. I am really bad about talking about these parts of a show, because if I don’t care about it much, my mind can very easily just blank those parts out. Let’s just say, be prepared for some disturbing stuff.

This time, I really couldn’t decide on just one character. So, I am going to feature two. One is the main character, Takeshi Kovacs, and the other is a really quirky AI, going by the name of Edgar A. Poe (yes, exactly like the poet), who I sometimes loved more than the humans on the show.

As the name Takeshi Kovacs already suggests, the character is of Japanese and East-European descent. He comes from a very different world to the one we get to see and I especially enjoyed slowly rolling up his past episode by episode. And, not being a fan of flashback episodes whatsoever, I also really valued the background we got during that particular part of the show, even if I will always stand by the opinion that it is a tiny interruption of the natural flow of the storyline. Anyway, he is a very tortured man, who had to fight for survival from an early age on. I think he does what he has to, however, I do believe that he’d rather do what’s right in the process. He seems very loyal to the people he loves and respects, but also easily closes himself off from the world in order to not get hurt or hurt anyone else. In my mind, he will always be haunted by the things he has done.

In some ways, I think it was a bold choice to go with a white actor for Takeshi’s main sleeve during the course of the first season. In the book, you got Takeshi’s inner voice to show how he felt about basically being whitewashed, but that wasn’t possible to portray as easily in a visual way. I appreciated that the creators made sure to have two Asian actors portray other bodies Takeshi inhabited at least. There is still an element of racism in the 26th century setting and to show that, only minor roles in the book were expanded for the adaptation and cast with POC as well (Lizzie, to this day, being one of my favourites).

Now finally on to my lovable AI! Poe is the owner of the Raven Hotel (you see he can stick to a theme) and finds his first guest in over 50 years in Kovacs. As I understood it, no one uses AI run hotels anymore, because they become obsessed and stalkerish with their guests and that’s, of course, bothering. However, Poe is a real life saver. He would literally die for his inhabitants and is in general quite fascinated with humans. While other AIs seem to be fed up with humanity, he genuinely wants to help wherever he can. I think of him as the funny sidekick, who can be very weird, but is probably a better person than some of the actual people. Also, I will forever love him for quoting one of my favourite poems. I am easily swayed that way.

Okay, this post got super long! I hope you have a better understanding of what Altered Carbon is like but, please, don’t hesitate to ask questions if anything is unclear. The body swapping and such can be quite confusing.

Did you watch Altered Carbon? Is it something you’d be interested in?

Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (Book Review)

Kat Impossible27 Comments

Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Page Count: 304

This is the first book review of the month! It may have taken me quite a long time to finish Born a Crime, but that is in no correlation with the quality of the writing, I was just very pre-occupied with other things this month. In fact, this book was so incredibly well written and thoughtful and funny and insightful, I don’t think the review will have to be very long.

To start with, Born a Crime is non-fiction, a memoir of sorts to be more exact. I always struggle with reviewing those, because this is someone’s life we are talking about. The things happened and that’s it, but there is still a difference in how you tell a story and Trevor Noah definitely knows how to do that!

“We spend so much time being afraid of failure, afraid of rejection. But regret is the thing we should fear most. Failure is an answer. Rejection is an answer. Regret is an eternal question you will never have the answer to.”

You may know Trevor Noah as the host of the Daily Show these days, but I heard about him a couple years before that when I browsed YouTube for comedy stand up programs. His acts immediately enticed me, as they were equally funny and thought-provoking, teaching me things about Africa while also being highly entertaining. I’ve followed his rise to global fame since and am very happy to see his success. Going into this book, I knew that it wouldn’t talk too much about his career as a comedian though, seen as Born a Crime chronicles Trevor Noah’s childhood up to his mid-twenties in South Africa.

“We tell people to follow their dreams, but you can only dream of what you can imagine, and, depending on where you come from, your imagination can be quite limited”

As much as this book was about the intricacies and injustice of apartheid and racism, it was also a love letter to Trevor’s mother. She sounds like one of the strongest, most resilient and lively people out there. You may not always agree with her methods, but you have to give her credit for the confidence and safety she instilled in her children, giving them the tools to face almost anything. There is so much respect, appreciation and plain love in their relationship, even through all the struggles and hardships, you know that Trevor’s childhood couldn’t have been so bad simply because of her presence and care. It gets especially tragic when you see domestic abuse rattling their lives and how difficult of a situation it is to deal with, especially in a country that has societal stigmas and a vastly incompetent justice system that fails to support you in any way.

“Relationships are built in the silences. You spend time with people, you observe them and interact with them, and you come to know them—and that is what apartheid stole from us: time.”

While there was a definitely presence of his mother in the book, you can equally feel the absence of his father. There are no hard feelings towards him, their entire family fell victim to circumstances. But I don’t think that anyone who hasn’t actually lived in a segregated country, can even begin to imagine the consequences of such a system. To imagine how long the system was in place and that it has affected the living situations, mindsets and relationships of the people to some extent even to this day is just mind-blowing (in the worst of ways). I very much enjoyed to read how Trevor tricked the system, found the loopholes and made his way nonetheless. Everyone just always seemed so resourceful and I found it especially interesting how easily he could prove that knowledge (be it languages, business know-how, history, etc.) can give you a certain advantage in life and how devastating it is to be denied that knowledge.

“Language brings with it an identity and a culture, or at least the perception of it. A shared language says “We’re the same.” A language barrier says “We’re different.”

“Language, even more than color, defines who you are to people.”

Finally, after this book review has already gotten way longer than I intended, I can only recommend this book to everyone out there. It gives you such an understandable view of the repercussions of apartheid and racism, but couples it with personal experiences to really add that emotional punch. I would love to read further books written by Noah, maybe about how he decided to become a comedian, but there’s no rush there.

“Being chosen is the greatest gift you can give to another human being.”

Fazit: 5/5 stars! Hopefully a new addition to everyone’s must-read list!

Have you read Trevor Noah’s book? Did you watch some of his stand up programs? Did you like the quotes? Let’s chat!

#CurrentlyWatching: Travelers

Kat Impossible25 Comments

At this point, I don’t think I necessarily have to say it, but I got another weekly theme for you! We are talking “Freaky Sci-Fi” today and on Friday and are starting it all off with Travelers. From what I’ve noticed, not that many people know it. So, I figured it would be the perfect opportunity to showcase it a little.

So, far there are 2 Seasons of the time travel drama out there. You can watch them on Netflix, but they originally air on Showcase in Canada. There’s definitely more to tell, but it has been well received among viewers and even made it onto some list of Netflix, ranking it among the top 10 shows to marathon/binge-watch. So, here’s to hoping Season 3 will be greenlit soon.

The future is in peril! To prevent humankind from extinction, brave souls go on a suicide mission and transfer their consciousness into the 21st century to change what’s to come.

Usually I decide whether I am going to keep watching a show or not within the first 10 minutes. Whatever you do, do not base your opinion of Travelers on the first ten minutes! I might be sightly exaggerating, but they were dreadful. I didn’t understand what was going on and when I finally did, I didn’t enjoy seeing those situations over and over with different people. It just took way too long to really get going, felt hacked up and not like a good flow at all, but in the end I am really glad I stuck around.

The so-called Travelers leave their original identity behind and enter their new host body shortly before their moment of death, which they then prevent. Most of their information is based off of social media accounts or official records and digital papertrails. This makes for a great fish-out-of-water-scenario as the main characters have to pretend to be someone they don’t know in a time they’ve basically only read about.

Other than most Sci-Fi shows, Travelers is very understated. There’s not a lot of CGI or pompous effects, but rather a focus on interpersonal relationships and the drama that comes with wanting to save the world, but also having to preserve the cover of being an ordinary person. It’s more on the slow paced side, which gives the show room for character development and the exploration of the moral predicament the cast is facing at every other turn. After all, there are rules to time travel but nothing is what it seems and there comes a time when they have to decide which rules might be worth breaking and which ones aren’t.

Now it’s time for a new official part of my #CurrentlyWatching posts. I’ve already started to implement this a little in the past, but most of the time, it’s really the characters that make the show worth watching. So, from now on, I want to do a specific section to feature and spotlight one or several characters of a show that particularly enticed me. I am trying to get you attached here, but at the same time, I will try not to give too much away. Otherwise where is the fun in watching, right?

Already I struggled a bit to just spotlight one person for this post. After all, there is Trevor – one of the oldest travelers, yet the one who ends up in the body of a High School student. He is invigorated by youth, but struggles to fit into the shallow and reckless life the real Trevor used to lead. Then there is Philip – the historian of the team who has perfect recall and has to carry the weight of remembering all the deaths of all the people they might encounter, knowing that he is not allowed to change history, while also coping with a drug addiction that wasn’t made privy in death records of his host. Or maybe Carly – the tactician and soldier of the group, who finds herself with an abusive boyfriend and newborn baby that she cannot help but feel maternal for. But in the end I went with Marcy.

Marcy, the team’s medic, also fell victim to expecting a different life from her host, due to fake social media profiles. In truth, the real Marcy was a intellectually disabled woman and did not in fact have a relationship with David, who, in reality, is Marcy’s social worker. On the one side, I really enjoyed watching Marcy’s journey as she is one of the most enigmatic characters, but then again there is so much … problematic (not sure that’s the right word, but it’s what I am going with for now) with her character. Aside from the fact that they basically “cured” an intellectually disabled woman (which gets a whole new spin in Season 2 that I will not go into right now but I am also still not sure how to feel about), there is also the fact that she then proceeds to have an on and off relationship with her former social worker. Don’t get me wrong, they are incredibly cute. David is one of the most precious people out there, but the implications that come with that are staggering.

I am glad that it’s a topic that is discussed, challenged and by no means just accepted. David in particular struggles with his growing feelings for Marcy and knows what that means for his career and life.

There’s a lot happening in the two seasons so far. Some things I really liked, others I felt more iffy about. There is a tranquility to the show that is really appealing to me, but there are also single episodes that don’t work particularly well for me. In general, I feel like the show works better as a binge than one episode per week. There’s still so much potential in this story and their characters, so I am curious to see where they will go next.

Have you ever watched Travelers? Do you think you would want to check it out?

#CurrentlyWatching: Peaky Blinders

Kat Impossible55 Comments

Let’s continue with this week’s theme of “family business“, but with a show vastly different from Dynasty. If you follow me on Twitter, you will have seen me gush about it all of last week and that show is Peaky Blinders!

I joined in quite late, considering that the show premiered in 2013 and already has 4 seasons available, but then again, I am really glad I could binge it all in a short amount of time, instead of waiting a year or more between season (seriously, Season 5 won’t be out until 2019 and I am dying a little bit inside, but am also super grateful the show continues). Peaky Blinders is made by the BBC, but is also available on Netflix in most territories as far as I know.

**Please ignore that the official BBC speaker pronounces Cillian as Sillian, because it is Killian and I am ashamed for them**

Set in the early 1920s, Peaky Blinders chronicles the life of the infamous gang by the same name run by the ambitious and ruthless Shelby family.

While the Peaky Blinders as a gang really did exist, the show has no claim on being factually correct whatsoever. Whereas the series starts in 1919, the real Peaky Blinders operated from around 1890-1920 and would have most likely been extinct by the time the show begins. There is no proof of any of the characters having existed (except maybe some of the opponent crime bosses) and the razors the gang has sown into their caps were a luxury product at the time that probably not even the Peaky Blinders could have afforded. So, I personally do not care about any of these things at all, but some people might want to know that this is not based on real history. I always saw it as a pure work of fiction to begin with.

Right from the get go, I quite enjoyed the family dynamic of the Shelbys. Whereas the family business, in this case a buzzing gambling den, is usually run by the eldest sibling, it is Thomas Shelby (the middle child) everyone looks to. None of the brothers have come home from the war the way they left for France, but he has taken up the responsibility to care for his family and to get them the life he thinks they deserve for their service to their country – by whatever means necessary.

Thomas Shelby is a complex character and I love him all the more for it. Is he a good man? Debatable for sure. I wouldn’t even go so far as to say that he always has good intentions in mind, because it wouldn’t be the truth. People fear him, but they also adore him. He provides protection, but at the same time he is often the reason people need protection to begin with. Whatever he does, it always feels like a two-edged sword. He wants to go legit, but in the end there is always one more thing to do, one last heist, one last mission. I am not sure he would actually be able to be content with a life in peace if it was right in front of him.

Cillian Murphy’s portrayal of Thomas is perfection in my eyes. He has no problem showing his callous and ruthless side, he can turn on the charm and self-confidence that is required to navigate certain situations, but there is also an underlying vulnerability and endless sadness to him. All this affects his every relationship at one point or another and shows how broken war has left him.

Women were at a clear disadvantage in the 1920s, however, I appreciate that there is an element of progressiveness among the Peaky Blinders. Women’s issues are discussed, equality is at least attempted and it is in no way implied that they are just damsels in distress that need to be saved and protected all the time. Women have their own head in this show and oftentimes sneakily manipulate the men in their small ways. I am not saying that the female representation is perfect, but considering the time period it is set in, I certainly enjoyed the direction they decided to go in.

There is no denying that the show can go quite dark and violent. I suppose that is part of the whole ogranised crime topic we are dealing with. However, it also handles topics such as mental health and PTSD in particular. Considering how little regard there was given to mental health issues at the time, I always find it interesting to see how people dealt with it. There is a lot of emotional trauma to deal with throughout the series and they constantly managed to break my heart.

All in all, I hold Peaky Blinders in high regard. It has most stellar acting in all roles, be it the main casting or supporting characters. The setting is not one you see on TV every day and even throughout several seasons, it never seizes to amaze me in terms of intricacies of the plot and characters. Also, one final shout out to all the epic walking scenes on that show. You should never underestimate how difficult it is to walk normal or cool while being filmed.

So, by the order of the Peaky Blinders, I command you to watch this show. Just kidding! But if you do think this one is for you, check it out and tell me what you think!

 

#CurrentlyWatching: Dynasty

Kat Impossible28 Comments

I am on a roll, because this week has a theme as well! It’s all about family business, which usually means a lot of drama, backstabbing and generally business equating or overshadowing what one might call regular family life. Today’s show is a perfect example for that and it’s Dynasty!

Dynasty is another remake, because that’s just the kind of time we are living in. My mum still remembers watching the original show, but I can’t say that I do (admittedly, that show aired before my time). You can watch it on the CW or Netflix. I’ve stayed away from promoting shows on the #CurrentlyWatching feature that don’t even have one season out yet, because when I did that last year, some of them got cancelled and I was devastated (RIP No Tomorrow, Emerald City, Sweet/Vicious and Class). But then again, shows are always in danger of getting cancelled no matter what season they are in.

Dynasty follows one of the wealthiest families of America, the Carringtons, as they battle family drama and business scandals alike.

I wasn’t too impressed when I first started the show, which could have something to do with a certain person dying that I would have liked to see on the show for longer, but whatever. It fulfilled about every cliché I could possibly think of for this kind of show and I figured I would soon be bored. But for some reason I stuck with it nonetheless and that was a good decision. If you are looking for something with a lot of over the top drama that gradually escalates over time, then Dynasty is the show for you.

My favourite character so far is probably Fallon Carrington and despite her being far, far from likable, I do have my reasons. First, I love having Elizabeth Gillies on my screen whether it be on Victorious, Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll or now this show, she is always highly enigmatic and worth watching. And second, Fallon is ruthless and ambitious – she is my new Blair Waldorf, who, to this day, is one of my all time favourite characters (despite inconsistencies and Gossip Girl being far from perfect). Both of these women were incredibly strong but with deeply rooted insecurities that surface in a certain mean girl attitude. Where Blair was focused on approval from everyone and her love life, Fallon is all business. I adore that about her, she just wants to make it on her own merits and won’t let anyone or anything get in her way of success. That doesn’t mean she has no love interest, in fact she has two. At first I wasn’t sure who’s side I was on, then it became more clear, but in the end I will just always be Team Fallon.

There’s a couple of things the Carringtons have to deal with, most of them having to do with murder and otherwise illegal activities. One of their biggest opponents through all of this is the Colby family. There is clear history concerning the parents, but we only slowly find out what the kids are up to. There is so much duplicity going on and I am mad about some developments, yet I am not completely against them. Before I make the judgment, I would like to have all the info, because usually there is some reason for vendettas.

Another character who grew on me immensely with time, but definitely not from the beginning, is Sammy Jo. He is Cristal’s nephew and starts living with the Carringtons after having tried to con Steven, Fallon’s brother. He develops such an interesting dynamic with both Carrington siblings, I feel like he has become an invaluable part of the family. Also, he brings all the snark and his banter with the head of the household, Anders, is just hilarious.

As you may have been able to guess by the characters I spotlighted, I don’t care too much for the “grown-ups” aka the life of Blake and Cristal and the likes. There’s still loads of drama there, but often I don’t understand their reasons behind their actions as well as I do with the younger generation, which in turn makes it even harder to relate to them (taking aside the fact that they are super rich and therefore have problems the average person wouldn’t particularly relate to to begin with).

In the end, I think this is either going to be an addictive kind of guilty pleasure for viewers or they will hate it. At least the opinions I have seen so far have been very polarising. I, for one, quite enjoy it and am looking forward to the upcoming episodes.

Are you watching Dynasty? What’s your take on the show?

Valentine’s Day Write Tag!

Kat Impossible51 Comments

It’s time for another tag for writers! Since the Winter Is Here one worked quite well, I thought I’d do one for the upcoming Valentine’s Day as well. As per usual, I will be answering my own questions with the characters from Arcadia (more about that here) and hope you’ll enjoy!

RULES

  • Thank the person who tagged you but also link back to the original post! (I want to see all your lovely answers, people!)
  • Provide a short description of your WIP/story!
    Kasia and Dyson have known each other their entire lives, their paths intertwining at every crossroad. So forgetting he ever existed doesn’t make any sense to Kasia and neither does finding out about the magical beings that took him away from her. Now, with the help of some allies with motives of their own, she will do everything she can to get him back, not knowing if either one of them will ever be the same after all is said and done.
    You can check out this post to find out more about Arcadia!
  • Don’t use just one character for all answers if possible!

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

If there is a couple in your WIP, what are their plans for Valentine’s Day? And if there is no couple in your WIP, is there someone your main character would like to spend Valentine’s Day with?

Dyson and Kasia are a couple and whenever they spent Valentine’s Day together, they’d have breakfast in bed with fresh strawberries and chocolate banana pancakes (which Dyson cooked). There were no special plans during the day, but they always made sure to get each other a ridiculously non-romantic Valentine’s Day card and have a quiet dinner together as well.

Who has no shame about going out for dinner on Valentine’s Day alone?

I think Findlay couldn’t care less about what other people think. I doubt he’d actually get a table at a restaurant, but he isn’t too aware of other people’s pitiful stares and such.

One of your characters requests a song on the radio for their crush! Which song and for which character would they pick it?

This is cheesiness only Dyson could plan for Kasia.

Is there a character who would organise an Anti-Valentine’s Day party?

Georgie would happily organise a party like that, because she don’t need no man/woman/society-forcing-a-construct-on-her-for-what-to-do-with-her-life. Galentine’s Day is her jam instead.

What romantic gesture would swoon your main character?

Hands down, Dyson had the best of best gifts for Kasia when he gave her a personalised leather-bound notebook. He wrote a heartfelt inscription for her on the first page and had her name and a favourite quote engraved on the outside. He is such a good boyfriend, I swear I would steal him away from her if I could.

Which character would buy a bunch of red roses and hand them out to strangers on the street, just to make their day?

This is something Leo, my precious darling, would definitely do. He has the best of hearts and even if he doesn’t have a sweetheart himself, it wouldn’t stop him from spreading the love with others. Also, who could say no to this cutie?

What are your main character’s favourite Valentine’s movies? (Note: Valentine’s movies don’t have to be romantic!)

Those are Kasia’s picks, but Dyson likes them too and if he says otherwise he is lying, because he is a big mushy softie inside.

Who is ready for the February 15th, just to get all the chocolate on sale?

Kasia, because chocolate.

Is there a character who never spends Valentine’s Day alone aka always has some sort of date?

From the top of my head, I can’t really think of anyone, but maybe Robyn. She strikes me as the kind of person who doesn’t like to be by herself a lot. Which is fine, you know, but some things you have to do yourself. Thankfully, Valentine’s Day is not one of those things.

Bonus: Create a Valentine’s Day aesthetic for one or several of your characters!

Even though Georgie may not celebrate Valentine’s Day with someone, that doesn’t mean she doesn’t treat herself!

I TAG THEE

I hope you liked the tag and if you did, please, spread the word!!! I know I cut it close to Valentine’s Day, but maybe there’s still some people out there who’d like to do the tag.

#CurrentlyWatching: One Day at a Time

Kat Impossible38 Comments

One Day at a Time is the perfect embodiment of this week’s them on #CurrentlyWatching – sitcoms with depth. As I’ve mentioned quite a lot now, I am not really the type to watch sitcoms and after posting this, there is really only one left that I haven’t talked about on here and that’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Anyway, that’s not why we are here today.

One Day at a Time is technically a remake of a TV show from the 70s, but I have never seen it. According to others, the show pays homage to the original sometimes, but I honestly wouldn’t be able to tell you anything about it. At this point in time, there are two seasons available for streaming on Netflix!

The show revolves around three generations of a Cuban-American family who lives in the same apartment together.

odaatdivider.jpg

I don’t even know where to start, because there is nothing not to love about this show. From what I’ve seen around social media, everyone is talking about the show and rightly so! One Day at a Time is fast paced, with SO much heart. While it may only follow the everyday life of the family, it manages to integrate so many different and very important topics, I am still amazed this show is real.

Penelope, divorced mother of two teens, seems like an actual superwoman. She is ex-military and now a hard-working nurse who handles the stress of raising two kids, having an old-school diva as a mother and battling with PTSD and mental health issues like a champ. Nothing she goes through is ever discarded, it is talked about and therefore easier to understand for people who might not have to deal with the same stuff. It is so very important to normalise things like therapy or needing medication to help with mental health as to make it less of a stigma.

Elena, Penelope’s daughter, is a feminist badass who has one of the best coming out stories I have ever watched. Seen as she is from a pretty conservative and religious family, it was interesting to watch how each of the other family members reacted to her revealing that part of herself.

Also, Ariela Barer plays her best friend and I love that girl (you may recognise her as Gert from Runaways). They face way more than teens should when immigration, deportation and long-distance friendship comes into play.

Alex, Penelope’s son, has traits that might be categorised as seeming feminine, but he is never made fun of for that. Also, I adore his relationship with his grandmother, Lydia. She is such a strong personality and together they are super sassy. Lydia in general is a dream come true. She shows that you can be religious and still accept the LGBT+ community in their entirety.

Lastly, there is Schneider, their landlord and friend. He adds the goofy element to the story and often helps to educate on topics such as “mansplaining” or white (male) privilege. In all of this, he never comes off as the bad guy. He genuinely wants to learn and just be part of the family. One of my favourite parts of the show is his friendship with Penelope. While a lot of shows would have tried to pair them off, it hasn’t happened yet and I am so glad about it! I personally only see them as being in a platonic friendship. I’d even go so far as to say that she sees him as a brotherly kind of figure in her life.

I am still amazed that the show managed to pack so much in those short 13 episodes per season. The second season was just as intense as the first one, but still had moments where you could simply laugh out loud. I can only recommend it to everyone out there!

Do you watch One Day at a Time? What are your thoughts on it?

 

The Goodreads Book Tag

Kat Impossible45 Comments

We shall not speak of when I was actually tagged for this Goodreads Book Tag! (Seriously peoples, I don’t understand how there are drafts from 2015 to now? I apparently never check my drafts …) Anyway, the lovely Flo @flowlessbooks tagged me and I want to thank her for her patience and consideration when she wrote the tag over a year ago …

What was the last book you marked as ‘read’?

Die Wunderübung

The last book I marked as “read” was Die Wunderübung by Austrian author Daniel Glattauer. I went to the signing for this book and it was really fun. One of my former teachers is the director of the movie adaptation of this book and he was there as well … and didn’t recognise me. Somehow I wasn’t surprised.

 

What are you currently reading?

Born a Crime: Stories From a South African ChildhoodBorn a Crime by Trevor Noah! (Finally – as Cristina has wanted me to read this for the longest time)

What was the last book you marked as TBR?

The Cruel Prince (The Folk of the Air, #1)Apparently that was The Cruel Prince by Holly Black because EVERYONE just seems to scream about how amazing and fun this book is, so I want to know if the hype was justified. But also, I am not actually going to read it anytime soon until the hype has died down. If that makes sense?

What book do you plan to read next?

I think it will be Everything, Everything, but I refuse to actually be tied down to one book. I am way too much of a mood reader for that and there’s so much out there that I could chose from, you know?

Do you use the star rating system?

Yep, I do. I have this theory that all the books I read start out as a 3-star-book and then either improve or get worse from there on out. I would love to have half-stars as well though, then I wouldn’t always have to decide if I should round up or down.

Are you doing a 2018 Reading Challenge?

Again, this is also a yes. I decided to go with 60 books as a goal and so far so good.

Do you have a wishlist?

Actually, I do have a wishlist but not on Goodreads? It’s just some place I can keep track of what I want, because I don’t use the “Want to Read” option all too regularly. Most of the time I forget to even check on there unless someone directly prompts me to.

(Should you want to see my Amazon wishlist for whatever reason, you can do so here)

What book do you plan to buy next?

Something from my wishlist????

Do you have any favorite quotes? Share a few.

I just randomly made screenshots from two quotes I someday in the past liked on Goodreads!

Who are your favorite authors?

SO MANY!!!

  • Pierce Brown
  • Leigh Bardugo
  • Victoria Schwab
  • Becky Albertalli
  • Nina LaCour
  • Jeff Zentner
  • Morgan Matson

Have you joined any groups?

I think I did at some point, but I can’t even remember at this point because I never visit them. So, I am just going with a simple no instead.

I TAG THEE

Do you use Goodreads to keep your books in order? Did you relate to my answers? Let’s chat!

#CurrentlyWatching: The Good Place

Kat Impossible76 Comments

By some miracle, I am able to keep having a theme for each week of #CurrentlyWatching posts and this week is all about sitcoms with depth. I can’t exactly say what it is with sitcoms, but usually they are terrible at holding my attention. It’s not so much that I don’t enjoy watching them, but they rarely have a compelling overarching theme or storyline that compels me to watch every single episode. Well, until the shows came around that I am going to present to you now, starting with The Good Place.

The Good Place airs on NBC, has currently 2 seasons available and is already renewed for a third one (Major YAAAS! for that). As I mentioned, it’s a sitcom, so episodes are usually about 20 minutes long.

Eleanor died and made it to the Good Place. Or has she? A seemingly small mix-up that Eleanor refuses to clear up in fear of having to go to the bad place, leads to consequences for all the inhabitants of her new neighborhood.

Is everything really fine? No, it is not and it’s hilarious. Surprisingly enough, I keep meeting people who haven’t even heard of The Good Place yet, but for me it was such a breakout star when it premiered at the end of 2016. While it is funny at all times, it also manages to carry a life message or get an ethical point across without ever turning really heavy. I can appreciate that, because there are days you don’t want the heavy stuff on your screen.

Also, while the concept may seem formulaic, I can promise you that there are tons of twists and turns that you won’t be expecting. Obviously I am not going to give anything away here, but let’s just say it’s big and very good!

During the past two season, I’d say we’ve gotten a pretty good look at the main characters, without having seen ALL there is to them. With flashbacks (that are thankfully not overused) we discover more about the humans, but also Michael – the architect of the this particular neighborhood in the Good Place.

I like that there is such variation in the personalities. You are bound to recognize both, good and bad, traits in each of them that you are probably also able to find in yourself. Eleanor, for example, may be rude and selfish, but it’s mostly because she had to fend for herself from a young age on and therefore knows the world doesn’t hand out freebies. Or Chidi, the ethics and moral professor, who is so flustered by the idea of making the right choice that he sometimes fails to make any choice at all. I’d like to go more into detail, because these characters are absolutely fantastic, but I just realised how many spoilers are potentially in their description, so I’d rather have you discover them yourselves.

There is so much to love about this show. Janet, who can’t technically be classified as a person, is definitely among the favourite parts of the show. However, there was always something about Eleanor and Chidi’s relationship that fascinated me the most. Actually, all relationships Eleanor has are interesting, because they don’t just make her but the other person a better being as well. This probably has a lot to do with the fact that there are several main characters, with Kristen Bell’s Eleanor kind of being the main main character among them.

So, that’s it for today. I hope I could pique your interest for this show a little bit. Again, it is funny, explores some moral issues but never fails to surprise and stay interesting as it continues on the long run (seriously, the season finales are the bomb!).

Have you watched The Good Place? Do you like it as much as me? Who else is pumped for Season 3?