Weeknotes 2023-03-17 · 3:25am Mar 19th, 2023
Is anyone actually reading these? I can see the views counter, but you just don't get the same kind of feedback with a blog post that you do with a story. There's no likes or notifications of people adding it to their bookshelves. Only comments.
Whatever the case, I'm going to keep on going with these. I have a bookshelf that keeps track of every story I read here, but it's good to have a more in-depth record, and especially to take a moment to organize my thoughts about these stories. I still haven't decided how reviewish to make them; I don't even know if that means anything. But it's far too easy to just coast by on vibes, letting the stories flash by you with barely a chance to make an impression.
Let's get into some of those impressions, shall we?
Everything Everywhere All at Once
This isn't fanfiction, but it's still okay :) Seriously though, it was good. At Least as far as I can tell. I'll confess that I'm not a very good judge. I haven't been to the movies in a while, but I'd heard good things about it even before the Oscars, and an opportunity came up to see it in a theater in the area that does late showings of movies like this, so that was fun. There's a lot of multiverse shenanigans, but it's not really about that. It touches on the choices that the characters have made and what could have been, but doesn't dwell on it. at it's heart, it's about family.
A family that has broken itself, and that is trying to heal itself. I mean, yes, there is a lot more to the movie than that, but that's what I think the core of it is.
It is definitely a movie that bears rewatching. There is a lot going on. I'd like to see just how early the black ring motif shows up. (and did you catch that the googly eyes are the inverse of that: a white ring ;)
The ending was a little unsatisfying to me. It was not clear to me exactly which universe it took place in, what had "actually" happened in that timeline. Presumably it didn't include the fights that trashed the IRS building. Also, as fun as theaters are, I do like to have subtitles; I never quite catch all the dialogue without them.
In conclusion, I hope the cast and crew enjoy their Oscars.
Memories Returned
First things first: have you read Austraeoh? This is a side story to that. Rainbow Dash has flown away on her adventures, but those who stayed behind have their own stories to tell. I won't spoil the main story with the details, but this one is a story
about grief, and friendship. Friends cannot make things better, they cannot bring back what you lost, but you need them all the same.
Memories of Myself
This is the aftermath of the original story of the Memory Stone, before Wallflower had it. Clover the Clever is the star here. It's a good idea for a story, Clover having to rebuild his memories, rediscover who he is, relearn the names of the ponies he loves. There is an excellent moment when he is forced to confront his old prejudices in a stark contrast between the pony he used to be and the pony he became, rather than the gradual shifts that natural experience gives, without all the memories of the intervening time to cushion things. There is a problem though. This story is far too short. There is no time to really explore Clover's situation and to make us feel his struggles. It's disappointing that it's over as soon as it starts.
The Things In Between
The last one was about the Memory Stone, this one is about Wallflower Blush. She is visiting Equestria with her girlfriend Sunset. She has a tough time of it. It’s easy to forget how many of the main characters of this show are extraordinary and well connected. Wallflower is not one of those charters. The poos girl does not have those. She gets to see wondrous creatures and amazing magic, but she doesn't get any of it. She's just a plain old earth pony. Needless to say it doesn't do her depression any favors.
That's it for this week's batch of stories. There isn't really anything else I can think of to report. There was a new toy I ordered that I was hoping to include in this but it's not here yet. That will have to go in next week's post. I'll see you then. As always if there's any stories you like and would recommend, please do share them with me. There is no such thing as a reading list too long.
I loved Everything Everywhere All at Once, and I think for a similar reason--it was a good family relationship movie, and a good action-adventure movie. Though I agree the ending is vague. I wanted to know if the family is always going to keep bringing up how many people the daughter murdered for her amusement.