Join me in congratulating Earth for making another successful orbit around the sun. Good job, Earth!
I made up my own challenge and decided to do 24 days of art last month. The goal: draw/paint something or work on an unfinished piece for the first 24 days of December, and I am happy to report that I DID IT! If you remember my post in May when I lamented over the fact that I wasn’t as prolific as I used to be, 24 days of art helped me overcome that difficulty.
With out further adieu, here is the result of December’s challenge.
All
Mars
Nature
The Aurora Mountains
Inspired by the one and only Bob Ross! I learned so much from him.
American River
This is based on a photo I took during my July trip to my home state of California. It’s not finished yet, but it was so much fun to finally get this one started.
Alice of two worlds
My character Alice from my unfinished story set in the world of Sisters. What would you be like on other worlds?
Mars & Starfury
A tribute to two of my favorite things: Mars and Babylon 5’s Psi Corps. The Black Omega squadron soars through Mars’ atmosphere into the great beyond.
MCRN: Self portrait
Because I can, ha ha!
A Winter Escape
A fun painting that I had a great time working on and completing. A family of bears marches through the snow as the frozen lake glimmers in the moonlight.
Admiral Smith of the MCRN
A tribute to The Expanse, Mars, the MCRN, and of course Smith from The Man in the High Castle
Windy Beach
One of my first attempts at oil painting. This was a learning experience for sure!
Elf with blue hair
Something fun and different, an ode to the many elves I drew in the early 2000s.
Hello everyone! I know it’s been about six months since I’ve posted here, and I am going to blame it on the prolonged-neverending-braintomush-pandemic because…well, it’s true! But this post isn’t about me ranting into the void; it’s about the annual grasshopper awards! Grab your popcorn and get ready for my favorites of 2021; I’ve added a few categories!
2021 Grasshopper Awards
Best Discovery of 2021
This goes to a YouTuber I stumbled across who has provided me hours of vivid storytelling. He’s my go-to Thing In The Background As I Draw. If you like the strange, dark & mysterious, MrBallen has you covered.
Thank you for keeping me company while I sketch, draw, and paint, MrBallen!
Best Discovery of 2021: MrBallen YouTube Channel
Best Show of 2021
This award goes to my favorite show that aired this year (we all know what my all-time favorite is!).
The Expanse.
Season 5 (and now 6) keeps me on the edge of my seat, and if you follow me on various platforms–or have seen me in real life–chances are you know of a certain, growing obsession of the Mars variety. I love everything about this show except for the fact that we get fewer episodes this final season. I’ve talked about The Expanse before, so without further adieu, thank you to the cast & crew for hours of entertainment and sparking my imagination!
BestShow of 2021: The Expanse
Best Movie of 2021
This one goes to 1917 (with a huge thanks to Delta over the summer, lol! I take full advantage of catching up on films when I fly). This one did not disappoint. It is a thrilling ride from the moment it starts. The way it was filmed–a continuous shot–is part of what makes this movie so gripping. If you are a history buff or have an interest in WWI, 1917 is a must see.
Best Movie of 2021: 1917
Best Wardrobe Find of 2021
As I mentioned earlier, The Expanse awakened a certain, dusty red obsession in me. I found this shirt when looking for something else, and I had to by it. I mean look at it. It captures everything badass about Mars and how much I want to go there.
Thank you to Everyday Astronaut for the hard work you do to bring us your live streams and videos. I’ve worn this shirt more times than I can count.
Best Wardrobe Find 2021: Everyday Astronaut
Best Vintage Find of 2021
I’ll give you a moment to guess. It feels like eons since I bought the winner of this award, but it was, indeed, in 2021.
…Time’s up! This one goes to the beautiful purses from the set of Man in the High Castle I got early in the year.
Best Vintage Find of 2021: High Castle Purses
Best of the Best 2021
This is for everyone who kept me company, laughed with me, or made me smile—both in person and online.
Thank you for making the pandemic a bit easier to handle.
Best of the Best in 2021: You!
*There is no Best Book category this year as I have yet to finish reading any of the multitude of books I started.
It’s time for another fun filled Seriously Geeky Sunday! I know I’ve been sporadic lately–you can blame Pandemic Brain for that one. I’m ever so slowly getting myself back up to pre-covid creativity levels. I painted a mural in my bathroom last weekend, and let me just say that it was a much needed reprieve from everything.
And now for today’s theme, which is near and dear to my heart: Science Fiction. I’ve been into the genre for as long as I can remember. I’ll be focusing on six shows that I don’t normally spotlight on here, including my current obsession.
Let’s dive in!
23rd – Six on a Sunday: Science Fiction
Starting new this year one week a month will just have a theme and no questions. It’s in the spirit of memes that are no longer active and to give us all a relaxing week once a month. The theme can be answered anyway you wish and there is no right or wrong answer. If the subject was ‘science fiction movies’ you could discuss your favourites or the upcoming movies you’re looking forward to. As long as there are six of them you’re good!
The Expanse – MCRN
First up is my current obsession, The Expanse: more specifically Mars and the MCRN. If you haven’t watched this show yet, you are missing out. It throws you right into the action as you follow Holden and crew throughout their adventures. I remember I became obsessed with the MCRN (Martian Congressional Republic Navy) the first time one of their ships appeared (The Donnager).
I love their authoritative, militaristic society (what can I say; I like that sort of thing in fiction). I cannot wait to see more of the splinter group headed by Sauveterre in Season 6 (Before I get ahead of myself, I just want to note that I haven’t read the books yet). I I know that there is an epic MCRN villain named Duarte, whom I’m looking forward to seeing.
The Mandalorian
I loved this show. Everything about it captivated me, the music, costumes, the characters, and the simplicity of it. I kept calling it “The Witcher in space” because it follows a similar adventure/quest of the week format. That format is refreshing in today’s era of many complicated plot lines involving dozens of characters, some of whom forgotten and never resolved.
Altered Carbon
It only ran two seasons, but it’s one of those little known shows on Netflix that is uniquely different. It had its own niche cyberpunk charm. I highly recommend it!
More than 300 years in the future, society has been transformed by new technology, leading to human bodies being interchangeable and death no longer being permanent. Takeshi Kovacs is the only surviving soldier of a group of elite interstellar warriors who were defeated in an uprising against the new world order. His mind was imprisoned for centuries until impossibly wealthy businessman Laurens Bancroft offers him the chance to live again. Kovacs will have to do something for Bancroft, though, if he wants to be resurrected. Bancroft’s request of Kovacs is to solve a murder — Bancroft’s. “Altered Carbon” is based on Richard K. Morgan’s cyberpunk noir novel of the same name.
Dark
If you enjoyed The Man in the High Castle and the multiverse within, you’ll enjoy Dark. It weaves in an out of time through alternate realities involving the same small town. A mysterious cave is at the center of it all. Two opposing forces are at work–I won’t drop spoilers because this is a show where everything has a purpose and story.
Watch it in its original language (German) with subtitles.
The Orville
I remember rolling my eyes at the first trailer when it came out ages ago. I thought it would be just another stupid comedy and shove a bunch dumb jokes down our throats with every single awful trope that ever existed–Oh, how wrong I was! I am so thankful I gave it a chance. It’s one of my favorite sci-fi shows in recent years. If you love the 90s era of Star Trek (The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, and Voyager), you’ll love The Orville .
The comedy is PERFECT! It’s on point and fits into the story (which is rare in television).
Please let there be a Season 3!
Falcon and The Winter Soldier
Out of the three Disney+ shows we watched (WandaVision, The Mandalorian, and Falcon and the Winter Soldier), this one was my favorite. It was the show I cared least about going into Disney+, but ended up being my favorite. It falls under the genre of military sci-fi, which is probably one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much.
It was wonderful to see an actual hero with a kind heart being the lead for once instead of a snarky anti-hero who does horrible things, yet constantly gets free passes.
What they did with Walker was fantastic. I fully expected them to drop the ball and turn him into a one-dimensional prick. He was a troubled soul, but deep down a good person. He cared deeply for Lamar, and was such an interesting character to follow. I’ll stop there in the name of spoilers.
The weather may be dismal and chilly, but Seriously Geeky Sundays is hot off the press! I just want to say that I had a lot of fun with this one, and a certain song keeps playing in my head with its accompanying maniacal laughter. You’ll find it right here!
9th – Moving On
Did you know that May is National Moving month (or that such a thing existed?), nope, neither did I. Moving is a typical plot prompt used in fandoms to start a story, inject new characters or just shake things up a little when they get stale. So this week we’re asking you to think about what happens when characters move in or away in your fandoms.
What was the most recent fandom that started with someone new moving to town?
WandaVision – The show was so much fun, and the premise was such a refreshing, unique take on telling a story within the MCU. I loved seeing the different costumes, sets, and camera filters (black and white…etc) throughout the episodes.
Tell us about your favourite character who left home to find their fortune.
Nog (Deep Space Nine) – He didn’t find a fortune in the traditional sense of the word, but he embarked on a journey no other Ferengi had done before. He left his family, friends, and home to join Starfleet. He found purpose in uniform and was happy despite the Dominion War and what it did to him.
Sometimes moving to a new place can put a character exactly where they’re supposed to be; who does this make you think of?
Sansa & Arya (Game of Thrones) – The sisters couldn’t be more opposite. Where Sansa was draped in beauty and grace, longing for a life in the palace as queen, Arya craved action and adventure. They were torn apart after everything unraveled into chaos, forced to survive. Sansa had to play the game while Arya struggled and fought for her next meal.
There is a scene when the two are reunited and they talk about how they wouldn’t have survived each other’s fate. The line always struck me as being true. I remember how it made me look back and think about their paths.
Sansa is crowned Queen of the North, as the years have wizened her. Arya sails off into the wild, seeking new worlds. Their fates couldn’t have been more fitting.
Not all new neighbours are benign, sometimes the devil comes to town (literally). Who was the most interesting villain to come to town?
There is no way I am not mentioning Agatha Harkness! Her snark, her laugh–I mean, how can you not enjoy a villain who comes up with their own, cheesy intro? And by cheesy, I mean awesome.
Not everyone sticks around; no fandom would be complete without the wandering passerby. Which one stuck in your mind?
Miller (The Expanse) – Doors and Corners, Kid. The private detective is hired to find a billionaire’s prodigal daughter. He follows clue after clue as a bigger mystery starts to unravel, and I can think of no better character to represent the wandering passerby than him. He’s got the dry wit, the hat (yes, the hat!), and appears at will (especially in the later seasons).
Which character shook things up just a bit too much and made a complete mess of things?
I am going to catch a lot of flack for this, but I have to go with Lyta from Babylon 5. She was fine in the Pilot episode, but after that, she grated my every last nerve. She creates nothing but division, pain, and suffering in her wake. Lyta kills and abuses her powers without a second thought (she destroys an entire planet and commits genocide in the process. Just because the planet was full of villains doesn’t make it any less of a tragedy). She constantly carries a mind-numbing, nauseating self-righteous-always-the-victim attitude. Lyta should not be considered one of the ‘good guys.’
She is irredeemable in my eyes. I’ll go so far to say that she is one of my most hated characters.
Babylon 5 – Season 1 Cast, guess who is conveniently not present, ha ha ha!
And on that unpopular opinion note, Have a great Sunday! *Laughs maniacally*
And we’re back with another fun filled Seriously Geeky Sundays adventure! Today we are taking a trip to Asia.
14th February – Around the World in 8 Sundays [Asia]
Everyone is going to be sick of lovey-dovey stuff today, so you’ll be glad to hear we’re skipping it as we head Around the World to Asia as February 12th was the Chinese New Year!
Who is your favourite female character from this continent?
There are so many amazing characters to choose from. I couldn’t possibly select just one, so I’ll highlight two of my favorites.
High Castle’s The Crown Princess – She is beautiful, calm, collected, yet passionate and authoritative when it comes to doing the right thing. And I am sure this comes as no surprise to my High Castle fam!
The Expanse – Chrisjen Avasarala, Queen Secretary-General of Earth. Need I say more?
How about a male character?
High Castle:
Chief Inspector Kido – A complex character played to perfection by Joel de la Fuente. Kido will always terrify, yet fascinate me.
Yoshida – Kido’s aid in S1 & 2. He is a complete badass, fiercely loyal, and full of style (see image).
Inokuchi- I’ve drawn a lot of fanart of him, which means that he is a character near and dear to me!
Tagomi – Wise, calm, curious, and good.
Kido
Yoshida
Inokuchi
Tagomi
There are so many talented people in the entertainment industry from this continent, who are your favourites?
Since the 16th Century (Gullivers Travels), fictional Asian countries have appeared in fandoms. How many on this list are you familiar with?
The only show/movie/book I’m familiar with on that list is 24. I have a vague memory of Kamistan.
Asia is home to some stunning locations; what is your favourite location from a fandom?
O-Ren Ishii & The Bride scene in Kill Bill Vol 1.
From video games to animation and film, Asia has a large presence in the entertainment world. What product/fandom has had the biggest impact on you?
High Castle is the reason I discovered so many wonderful, passionate Asians in the industry, and it is a joy to follow their journeys on social media. Representation matters, and I support them in their efforts to cast more Asian actors and actresses.
George Takei’s They Called us Enemy The book opened my eyes to his struggle during WWII. I want to eventually see Allegiance.
