I was planning on writing this back in February when I wrote the companion piece, but life happened and I didn't get around to it. I'm glad I didn't though, because we've had some developments in the MCU that is relevant and need to be discussed.
The thing is, I'm still on the side that the X-Men is better outside the Marvel Cinematic Universe, but I'm open to them joining. Here's why...
Completing the Story
Since the conception of the X-Men, they've existed in the Marvel Universe along with the Avengers. The Maximoff twins are the children of Magneto, and their joining the Avengers is reflective of them rejecting their father but still not agreeing with Xavier. Rogue gained her flying abilities and super strength from "killing" Captain Marvel (Turns out she wasn't really dead, secret base retcon yada yada). Wolverine and Captain America used to bust Nazi heads back in the day.
The MCU has always had to skirt around the missing mutants in their storylines, creating a bit of a hole in the universe that OG Marvel fans can't help but notice. Throughout the life of the Marvel Cinematic Universe fans have been looking for easter eggs and hints about where the X-Men might be, only to be disappointed at bluffs and false flags.
Until...
...And Then Xavier
Fast forward to Dr. Strange and the Multiverse of Madness. Dr. Strange is confronted by the alternate Earth's Illuminati. Right before the interrogation begins, in comes professor Charles Xavier, played by space dad Patrick Stewart, in the iconic yellow hovering chair. A small piece from the X-Men cartoon plays and our hearts all stop.
Mutants have just entered the MCU and it was glorious.
We only saw one X-Man, but that's all we needed. The universe felt complete.
With all my complaining about narrative issues, problems with hypocrisy in the comics, continuity issues, and my love of the X-Men stand-alone movies, I lost my mind when Xavier entered the room.
Do It Justice
Narrative sense and other pretentious arguments aside, there's no denying that Disney and the MCU will do the X-Men right. No matter what issues arise with continuity and cluttered narrative, I have all faith that the MCU will make it work, which is what we really need for the X-Men. The stand alone movies, while awesome in their own right, do have plenty of issues, including trashing some of the best characters (Looking at you, Gambit.) With the X-Men in the MCU we're sure to get some amazing films doing justice to our favorite groups of outcasts as they take their place alongside the Avengers.
I love fantasy. It is the genre of books I read the most. I believe Lord of the Rings movies are
perfect. If I play a video game, it is mostly RPG fantasy game. What I like
about fantasy is it is a genre that I can escape from the world, and they
contain the best stories I have ever read, seen, or played. I love complex
stories that give the story depth and lore. I always thought that fantasy
needed violence to distinguish the bad guys from the good. However,
this year I have read two books that focuses not on fighting the enemy. Apparently,
you can have other stresses rather than trying to survive and save the world. I
have nothing wrong with violence in movies or shows, but it has been an
interesting trend to observe, and I believe there could be more flavors of
fantasy if we branched off of this concept.
Like I have mentioned before I
believe that Lord of the Rings are perfect movies. The battles were
always amazing like the battle at Helm’s Deep in Two Towers. However, they were never the most memorable parts of the movie for me. When I reflect
on the messages from it, I think about how similar Frodo and Gollum are, that if
it were not for Sam, Frodo would have ended up like Gollum. I think about Gandalf
choosing not to touch the ring because he fears that it would tempt him to do
evil. I reflect about the council of Elrond where the fellowship was formed and
how Merry, Pippen, and Sam bravely volunteered to go on a suicide mission to help a
friend. Don’t get me wrong I loved the battle sequences, and they contributed to the perfection of the movie, but I believe the more memorable portion took place
outside the battles.
I haven’t seen Rings of Power,
but I hope that instead of focusing on tragic battles that led Sauron make the One Ring (I am not even sure if that is the plot of the show), that it focuses on exploring Middle Earth. let us visit the Shire and learn how the Tooks became well known
for the bravery (FYI: Gandalf chose Bilbo to be the burglar in The Hobbit
because he was a Took). Let’s explore the Ents and see why the woman Ents became
silent. We could have a whole season focusing on the best character Tom Bombadil
and how he became so powerful that when Frodo gave him the ring, he took it and threw
it out because it didn’t matter to him. Truly this post is about how I envisioned
the show Rings of Power.
This year I have read a few fantasy
books that I believe are great and contain little to no violence, meaning that
the plot doesn’t revolve around a battle. The first book is purely delightful; Legends
of Lattes. From the title you can gather that this is
a casual lighthearted fantasy. Where we follow Viv, an orc barbarian, after
years of adventuring decides to retire and open a coffee shop in a small town
that never experienced coffee before. As she settles down, she gains new
friends and the life she envisioned is slowly achieved. She starts off with just lattes
and slowly she adds more delectable items to the menu. She hires a baker who invents new mouth watering delights, like cinnamon rolls, each pastry is described so well that I wanted
to buy 12 to appease my salvation. The climax of the book is revolved around a
tragic accident that occurs and how she as a person must progress and overcome these setbacks.
The other
book that I have been currently reading is The King Killer Chronicles.
Contrary to the name of the series it isn’t as violent as you would expect as
far as I am aware of. This book is more violent than the predecessor, but it
doesn’t revolve around it. The book focuses on an innkeeper named Kvothe who is
telling his life story to a man named Chronicler. At the beginning Kvothe teases the reader by giving titles he earned throughout his life, like Kvothe the Bloodless, Kvothe the Arcane, and Kvothe Kingkiller causing us to dedicate time to find how he gained those alternative names as he tells his life story. His life is a life of tragedy,
but he makes the best of it. We start with him, as a young prodigy, living with
his successful parents as they travelled to do performances across the land.
They run into an evil mythical group called the Chandrian, who kills everyone in
his company besides Kvothe. He survives the next few years as a homeless boy
until he stops morning for his loss and attends the university to become an arcanist (aka wizard).
At the university he is trying to learn as much as he can and earn enough money
to be able to pay his high tuition or he will be kicked out. As a reader we feel the financial stress that he goes through being homeless and attending the university. Very enjoyable
read and I can’t wait to read the third book whenever it comes out.
I thought that fantasy needed violence, but during
this year I have discovered that some of my favorite fantasy’s don’t require a climactic
battle. It could be hard for TV shows and movies to adapt these not as violent
stories, but I believe that it could be possible and it would be remembered as
being unique.
If you're in Salt Lake or Utah County next week, take a day or two to check out Salt Lake FanX. When I lived in Utah, I attended FanX/Salt Lake Comic Con for five years and it was a blast! If you're into cosplay, celebrities, or geekdom in general, you'll feel right at home. But in the meantime, I wanted to spotlight a friend (who I met at FanX because of his Digimon artwork) and an artist who'll have a booth at the Con: Zack Smith. I sent him a few sample questions to introduce himself and express his life as an artist, so I'll let him take it from here.
Where are you from and how does that affect your work?
I'm from Utah. I've been a doodler all my life, but never considered art as a possible career path until I was on my LDS mission to Mexico and would send little drawings to my friends on their missions. When I came home, I decided that I wanted to pursue story telling, and decided to study Gaming and Animation at UVU, from which I graduated in 2017. After graduation, I decided I wanted to work on a comic project, but also became aware that my Inking ability was sadly lacking, so I started drawing and posting to Instagram as inking practice. During this, I applied and was accepted into Salt Lake FanX as a vendor in Artist Alley, so suddenly I had to make some real art. My first project was to make a coloring book, and a bunch of prints. From that point the rest is basically history. I got into doing conventions, and have been working on art and improving ever since.
Tell me about your favorite medium.
I tend to work with mixed media - I do all of my line art by hand, and scan that into my computer to do my color digitally. However, in the past few years I've gotten addicted to alcohol markers. I love how I am able to create a sort of watercolor effect with them. I love the soft, muted colors.
How do you develop your art skills?
I work on developing my art skills constantly. I used to look at every one of my drawings and dislike them, but the further I go on my journey as an artist, the happier I am with each drawing. I feel like I'm finally getting closer to where what I draw matches the vision I have for the drawing in my mind. The main thing is drawing every day. I used to force myself to post something every day to Instagram, and while I've relaxed on that, I still draw every day, I just give myself more time to make sure that the art I'm producing is art that I am happy with.
What memorable responses have you had to your work?
At the first convention I sold at, one thing that stands out to me was a group of guys walking past my booth, and one of them pointing to my drawing and saying "That looks f***ed up!" I was having a pretty hard time as it was, so that didn't help, but I'm glad that I didn't take it personally, and I kept going. Selling at multiple events this year, I've been gratified to have many people tell me how much they love my work, including the drawing the guy made fun of.
What do you like about your work?
The fun thing about being an artist is that I always get to see my own growth, even from one drawing to the next. Considering that I never planned on being an artist, I'm glad that my life has led me to this path, and I'm excited to see what art brings me in the future!
What superpower would you have and why?
I generally would like to have the superpower of super speed - I would love it if I could get to places faster, and get more done!
Your top 3 fandoms of all time
For my three top fandoms, that’s a tough question! I tend to enjoy a lot of different fandoms! I would definitely have to say Digimon and Pokémon, however, but I can’t really pinpoint a third that has been super strong for me.
Zack will be at Salt Lake FanX next week, alongside his brother Jacob (both probably in cosplay). Check booth A825 to buy some prints of their art.
If you're an artist (even if you're not a Latter-day Saint) and would like to be featured on our blog, send us an email to mormongeeks@gmail.com or message us on Facebook/Instagram.
Music has a way of touching the soul like nothing else- and when woven into a narrative it can increase the impact till we can't stand it. The following are some songs from Broadway shows that bring yours truly to tears and leave me breathless.
For the record, I will NOT be including productions that started life as a film, so no Sister Act or Newsies, and no Disney productions so no Lion King or Beauty and the Beast. They deserve lists of their own.
Also, spoilers.
10: Memory (Cats)
This is one of the classic heartbreak songs of Broadway that even the awful Cats film couldn't ruin. The song is about remembering the time when things were better and Grizabella was young and beautiful. It invokes a sense of sadness at what she lost, and pared with the melodic tone it moves the heart every time.
9: Not My Father's Son (Kinky Boots)
This irreverent play is a celebration about being different, but being different comes with its own pain. This song is about not being able to live up to a father's expectations, despite wanting his approval. This is a pain most men go through, no matter their situation, so this becomes a dagger right to the daddy wound.
8: I'm Not That Girl (Wicked)
Usually the pick for Wicked is For Good, the finale and conclusion of Elphaba and Galinda's relationship, but I'm going to argue for I'm Not That Girl. Another song for the outcast, this is Elphaba morning the fact that she will never be the one Fiyero will ever want to be with (Even though he does later). It's a heartbreaking song about being rejected for things you can never change, whether you'd want to or not.
7: Little Fall of Rain (Les Miserables)
Honestly pick a song from this musical and you will probably burst into tears (Except Master of the House, that one's just pure fun) but I'm going with Little Fall of Rain. Here Epanine sacrifices herself to protect her beloved Marius, despite him being in love with Cozette. In her last words, she sings how all she wants is for him to be with her till the end, and that despite the sadness at least the rain will make the flowers grow, and thus something beautiful can come from this one moment.
6: For Forever (Dear Evan Hansen)
Quick synopsis: Evan is a shy depressed kid starting a new year at school with a broken arm. On the first day the school burnout swipes one of his letters he wrote for therapy then later that evening commits suicide. When the letter is found on him it's assumed that he and Evan were best friends. Evan, not wanting to tell grieving parents that the reason his letter was in their son's pocket was due to an act of bullying, decides to go with the assumption and procedes to make up a story about their friendship. Now if this show was purely a comedy (and a bad one at that) this story would probably be played up for laughs with exaggerations, things that can be easily misproven, and a lot of nervous stammering. Instead though Evan tells a story of them going out to the woods and climbing a tree when he fell off and subsequently broke his arm. The story is beautiful in the sincerity Evan pours into it, making the listener think that this was the day he wanted instead of the day he actually had, where he did go out to the woods and climb a tree but jumped off in his own suicide attempt. Evan rewrites his own story as a what if these boys had been friends, and what that friendship would've meant to each other.
5: Somewhere That's Green Reprise (Little Shop Of Horrors)
Somewhere That's Green is a pretty song in and of itself, as Audrey describes her want for a life outside the dirty city where everything is green and pretty. In the film that most people would be familiar with, Audrey and Seymore escape the flesh-eating plant and get their fairytale life. In the play however, Audrey is killed by Audrey II, and has a soliloquy about how she will become the green place she always wanted, as long as Seymore is there to take care of her they will always be together.
4: Doubt Comes In (Hadestown)
I talked about Hadestown recently but this song is probably the most killer (Get it, cause it's about death?) in it Orpheus and Euridice are trying to walk out of the underworld, their success based on weather or not Orpheus can lead them out without turning around to see if his beloved is still following him. The song is Orpheus in his head, debating weather or not Hades' promise is real and if Euridice is even still behind him. While Euridice is trying to encourage him, the music stings, indicating the moment when his doubt finally gets the better of him and he turns around. The moment is as heartbreaking now as when it was first penned thousands of years ago.
3: It's Quiet Uptown (Hamilton)
Another play where you can pretty much pick a song and cry, Hamilton's most tear-jerking song describes the grief parents feel after losing a child. Alexander wanders New York in a daze, his charisma completely eradicated by the loss of his son. On top of that we still have the fallout of the Reynold's pamphlet, where he confessed to infidelity on his wife. In this song though not only do we get their grief but her forgiveness, seeing a slight glimmer of hope in an extremely dark time.
2: You Are Not Alone (Into The Woods)
Even a comedy can have its moments, and the finale of Into the Woods is no exception. The baker, so scared to be a parent, holds his child and hears his wife's voice helping guide him in the first few moments of this new life. The entire idea that even when you feel alone that you aren't is something everyone at one point or another needs to hear, and this song takes us right back to those moments.
1: I'll Cover You Reprise (Rent)
This list has covered loss a lot (And a lot of reprises) but this funeral hymn takes the cake. Originally sung as a celebration of Angel and Collin's love, Collins now sings it at Angel's funeral, both celebrating and mourning his partner. The upbeat lyrics juxtoposed to Collins' tone is enough to rip your heart out and make you pull your beloved close to you.
My hot take on the Harry Potter series is that the prophecy could never have truly meant Neville Longbottom….
This is hinted to in Order of the Phoenix but not in the way I originally thought. Harry wonders if Volde… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named had targeted Neville I would be him with the lightning scar, and Harry being hugged and kissed by his own mother before heading off to school. Harry then has the dark thought that what if the sacrifice to save Neville (by his mother) didn’t happen… What if she was unable to do it? I truly believe that this would have been the case. Alice Longbottom could never have done what Lily Potter did. Not because she wouldn’t have defended Neville, not because she didn’t love him, not because she wasn’t brave. There is only ONE real defining factor in the prophecy about Volde--He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and Harry Potter and that is… Severus Snape.
Lily Potter’s sacrifice was very noble and was the defining act of love that changed so much in the Wizarding World. I don’t wish to take away from that, but to add a bit of context. We are to believe that Lily put herself between Voldemort and Harry and that this act gave Harry valuable protection… But then why didn’t James’s sacrifice mean that too. We are to believe that never in the history of Voldemort’s murders had anyone tried to sacrifice themselves for their fellow wizards?
The reality is Lily’s sacrifice created the protective charm for only one reason, she chose to sacrifice herself when she didn’t have to. When Voldemort heard the prophecy and decided it meant the Potter Family he surely planned to murder them all. Destroy the only chance for his demise. If he would have chosen the Longbottoms he would have known that all of them must die. So the question must be why Lily’s death was so special, and there was only one reason for it. Snape asked Voldemort to spare her… Why else would Voldemort ask her, a muggleborn, to stand aside? Why else show her mercy? Alice Longbottom no doubt would have died for her son, but she would not have had a choice. Lily died for her son when she didn’t have to… She didn’t have to because of the love that Snape had for her.
There is only one person who really made the difference in the prophecy… Snape. He heard it… he took it to Voldemort… He realized it meant Lily… He asked for her life to spared… and due to those actions Harry was marked as Voldemort’s equal and we have the story we do….
Working my way through the Star Wars canon, I finally arrived at the Sequel Trilogy era. People may have their issues with it, but I enjoyed the sequels and have fond memories of seeing them in theaters (The Last Jedi was the setting of my bachelor party). So when people told me that Star Wars Resistance was a flop, I took it with a grain of salt. That being said, it still fell short for me.
My biggest problem with Resistance is that I don’t think I was its target audience. I know people call Clone Wars or Rebels a kid show, but it still has deep themes and stories relevant to Star Wars fans of all ages. However, Resistance felt like it was exclusively geared towards kids. The stories were very episodic, with very few threads to follow through from start to finish. In fact, I’d say about 90% of the series was filler. Not great for engaging long-time, adult Star Wars fans, but great for kids with short attention spans. In addition, other than a few isolated incidents, there weren’t even many life/death moments, despite it being Star Wars. Even the stormtroopers shot their blasters to stun most of the time, instead of to kill.
One of the great things about Clone Wars was the integration of characters we knew and how it was woven into the canon of the Prequel Trilogy. Even Rebels kind of had this, in a prequel sense, leading up to A New Hope. However, Resistance felt very separate from the Sequel Trilogy. Other than a few appearances from General Organa, Poe Dameron, and General Hux, we didn’t get a lot of overlap with the movies… even though they happen at the same time. Don’t get me wrong, there were some references to the movies (like the destroyed Dreadnought from The Last Jedi) and BB-8 leaving to go on a mission with Poe (leading into The Force Awakens). But despite those minor instances, everything in the movies felt distant.
To avoid going out on a negative note, I want to talk about a couple things I liked. First off, Tam and Sinara. They were two of the few characters who got some development and growth through the series. I kept wanting to know more about Tam’s inner conflict during the second season. And to see Sinara grow from a pirate to a rebel was inspiring too. All because of the power of friendship. Speaking of which, the other thing I liked: Neeku. He might be annoying at times, but who couldn’t love Neeku? He’s so wholesome, innocent, and unassuming. The perfect friend for anyone who needs to feel a little love.
So it’s not the perfect show. Still, it’s wholesome. And it was worth watching, even if it’s just the one time. If you want to check it out but you’re skeptical, maybe watch it with your kids, as it’s probably the most kid-friendly Star Wars. In the end, it was part of the journey through the Star Wars timeline. And I’ve enjoyed this journey through a galaxy far far away.
If you could
send one message to your past, what would you like to tell your younger self?
Would you want to tell yourself that you’re beautiful; put more time into
playing the piano; or start playing a sport? The one thing I would want to tell
my immature self is to “read books, I promise you will enjoy it.”
I am honestly so
grateful for my wife who encouraged me and challenged me to read books. It was
in 2019 and a local bookstore set a yearly challenge that if you read a variety of 50
books of different categories than they would reward you with a $50 voucher. My wife started at the beginning of the year and finished quickly.
I wasn’t planning on doing it but then during the summer my wife challenged me
to do it. Like a true competitor I accepted and worked hard to read those 50
books and I rushed by the end of the year to finish and claim my reward. Besides
the in-store credit and the pride of finishing the challenge I gained the best
reward possible; the appreciation for reading books.
Growing up I was
a slow reader and I spent so much time reading every work of every line of
every paragraph of every page that I didn’t enjoy it. I did everything possible
to get out of reading and I was jealous of my friends that could read. I never
liked the books that were required in school. I will still challenge
most of them to this day: why were there never any modern authors and why are
most of the endings depressing? How I got out of reading those assignments was
by reading Sparknotes or texting ChaCha, A search engine that would help would
answer homework questions (phones in my time couldn’t access the internet). With this
distaste of reading in my youth I really missed out on great books. I
am still missing out on them because I am trying to catch up while
reading books that are currently being released. I remember my mom wanting me to learn to
read so she bought Legend of Zelda Ocarina of Time to help me learn how to
read. Instead of reading I played video games.
When I was young I remember Narnia coming to Theaters. My family liked the books and I wanted to understand why so I took our copies of them so I wanted to read them but I was also lazy so instead I
watch the movie, then the second came out and again I watched it without reading the book, but then I thought they wouldn’t make a third movie
so I spent so much time reading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader and then the movie
came out. When I watched the movie, I learned that my imagination is more
powerful than film, but what did I do with that knowledge; nothing. I didn’t
finish the series as a youth and I regret it. I wish I did because when I finally read the last book The Final
Battle I thought the simile was profound and is something that I still think about to this day. I felt so many different emotions while reading the last book. I felt sad about Susan then happy everyone coming back and sadder because of the ending.
If you haven’t read the books, read them enjoy the masterpiece of C.S. Lewis ending
to this brilliant series.
Currently I have
started reading the Percy Jackson series that I wished I read in my youth. I just
finished the first book a couple of weeks ago and it was surprisingly better
than I expected. I remember I saw the first movie, but I remember nothing that
happened in it. I recently decided to read the book because other readers highly praised it and
after reading the first book, I can confidently say it deserves that praise. It is better than the movie. The
main character is from a broken home and deals with dyslexia. I think if I read
this book I would want to be tested for dyslexia so I could be as cool as Percy,
but now since I am older I know that I am not dyslexic I was just a lazy
reader. The story is about Percy being accused of stealing Zeus' Thunderbolt and he sets out on a mission to return it before he gets captured.
I have not yet committed
to reading Harry Potter, but I am planning on it! My sister loved the series, and
she would read it to me and at the end of the chapter she would quiz me about
what happened; No wonder she became a teacher. I still don’t know what I am missing
out from not reading the books. It is on my to read list and I am planning on
reading them there is just other books that get me distracted. I appreciate
what Harry Potter has brought to the community and I see that many people
started reading because of this series. As a chemist I should want to read the
books and be on team Snap. I have seen all the movies and liked them and like every reader says about every adaptation "The book is better than the movie". That is not always true if you want proof read and watch The Prestige.
So, you might be
like me and have a hard time reading books and you may be wondering how I have overcome
this barrier. My last year in college, 2018, I took a class about speed reading,
and I learned the technique of reading faster, but it only works if you work at
it and read. Then when my wife challenged me in 2019, I started off reading slow
but as I kept reading, I kept practicing those techniques and became more comfortable with reading faster tempo. After that challenge I kept reading because I
enjoy reading books and I don’t want to lose what I worked so hard to obtain. I
can change the velocity of how fast I read, and I figured out a good pace for
me where I will be interested in what I am reading without getting bored. Each person
is different and the more you read the sooner you will find your comfortable speed.
Here are some
books that I have been recently enjoying in categories short, medium, and long depending on the length of the book. Side note most of these are fantasies
because I enjoy reading fantasy the most. Some of them maybe Sci-Fi.
What books do you enjoy reading? What book(s) should I put on my to reading list above Harry Potter? Would you like more content about books, leave a comment!
Short:
Narnia – C.S.
Lewis
Alcatraz vs. The
Evil Librarians – Brandon Sanderson
The Seventh
Tower – Garth Nix
Beyonders – Brandon
Mull
A Series of
Unfortunate Events – Lemony Snicket
The Squire Tales
– Gerald Morris
Howl’s Moving
Castle – Diana Jones
The League of
Princes – Christopher Healy
The Chronicles
of Prydain – Lloyd Alexander (Movie didn’t do it justice)
