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Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 3
Posted 2 years agoIt's been a while since I've posted anything here - but with the latest and supposedly final film of what is far and away my favorite franchise out, I have to share my excessively detailed thoughts somewhere, right?
Let's start by putting it out there: I really, really love Rocket, who is basically me but a little bit more anthropomorphic and a million times more badass (he is not my character but is the character I wish I was). My absolute adoration of the first GotG was largely driven by his central role in virtually every scene (often upstaging the rest of the cast), plus endearingly sarcastic and flippant attitude. Similarly, my mild disappointment in the second movie came down almost entirely to the fact that the plot does reduce him to a sidekick or antagonist role most of the time and even takes a couple of cheap shots at him for laughs, even though it quietly developed his character at the margins.
So it was bound to be the case that my opinions of Volume 3 were going to come down almost entirely to what happens with Rocket. And a lot happens with Rocket in this movie, because from beginning to end the film is entirely about him. Everything the characters do is driven by the events surrounding Rocket, his backstory is revealed in painstaking detail, and the end of the movie completes his character arc. Indeed, his role is so pivotal and the circumstances surrounding him so serious that seeing this movie was an intense emotional experience for me in a way that I didn't ever expect a film (much less a comic book film) could produce.
Warning: Extensive spoilers (and Rocket obsession) ahead!
The good: Rocket's origins revealed
Before I get to that, though, I'll start with the discussion of Rocket's backstory, which up until now has been a mystery, hinted at only via a few casual remarks in the previous two movies. This was what I was originally worried the third film might mess up - the franchise very deliberately scrubbed the "Raccoon" from Rocket's pre-MCU name and in one of his first scenes in the original GotG he doesn't even know what a raccoon is. At the same time, his character design was made as raccoon-like as possible to an incredible degree of detail, and (in that very same early scene) he also makes clear he knows of no entity like himself in the universe, so it seems unlikely that he was an alien race, either. Is he a raccoon, or isn't he? In my headcanon he obviously was, but if his origins turned out differently I had worried I'd end up wishing the sequels away such that we could go back to a time when one could fill in his origins as one liked.
Fortunately that won't be necessary, because I have to say that the film absolutely nails Rocket's origins in a way that not only explains why he looks the way he does but also why he acts the way he does. The second question is really the more important one but the first is important to me so I'll discuss that first - and trivial or not, the movie resolves this question beyond my wildest dreams, placing his realization and acceptance of the fact that he absolutely is a raccoon as the climactic moment of the whole movie (and by extension the whole trilogy)! Never in my life did I imagine that there would be a high-budget, massively-popular movie franchise that culminates when the main character, a talking raccoon, walks into a room, sees a sign with the word "Procyon" on it above a raccoon enclosure, then proudly announces to the audience that he's a raccoon before blasting the villain across the screen. The scene is completely ridiculous but I wanted to pump my fist in the air in glee.
So that was incredible. The origin of his other physical characteristics (intelligence, strength, etc.) could largely be surmised from the hints dropped in previous films, but here they're made explicit during the various flashbacks to his youth: he was a lab experiment, created and toyed with as a vehicle to test various bio-technologies to later be perfected on others (but not as a means to any particular end in and of himself, as one might have naively guessed). While designed to be sentient, the extent of his genius was accidental and a mystery even to his creators - a fact that ends up driving the plot of the film. While not entirely surprising or original, the details make the backstory more interesting than it could have been and was also well-handled.
And now we get to what is by far the most difficult and important aspect of his backstory, which is the origin of his personality. The Rocket of the previous movies is a total jerk - not only consistently selfish (occasional obligatory Galaxy-saving heroic act aside), but almost going out of his way to behave in a way that pushes people away from him. Yondu surmises in Vol.2 that this originates from a tortured upbringing that makes him fearful of friendship, but in volume 3 we learn exactly what happened that led to this - and while even thinking about it makes me cry uncontrollably, it completes his character so well that it makes me love and appreciate him even more.
We learn the Rocket of his youth was a kind and gentle creature. This, despite being kept in a dingy cage, being routinely pulled out to be subjected to some new experimental torture. Indeed, he harbors no obvious initial resentment towards his tormentors and even helps them out at one point by identifying the key flaw in their latest experiment. He is playful, living with a group of beloved (if rather stupid) cybernetic-animal cellmate friends with whom he daydreams and plays games with.
And then The Scene happens. Having learned that he had been lied to for his entire life and that he was nothing more than an experimental creation to be tossed away when no longer useful (his creator twists the knife by calling him a "collection of mistakes" and "hideous"), he activates an escape plan and frees himself and his cellmates. But then he's caught in the act, and his friends are murdered right in front of him, his best friend shot dead in his arms. This was emotionally devastating to watch the first time and it was even worse the second and third times. I cry immediately if I even think about it. It's rough. I suppose it hits me personally not just because I've sort of imprinted myself upon the character and thus everything that happens to Rocket affects me as well, but because it so vividly portrays the nightmare of losing all one's friends in an instant and being cast into an unforgiving world all alone.
But in this sadness it explains him perfectly. It explains why he seems to hate humanoid creatures specifically and why up until the start of the Guardians, his only "friend" is a tree creature who cannot talk and who is virtually impossible to kill. It explains his constant obnoxious behavior towards his teammates, calibrated to push people away and make himself hated out of fear for becoming emotionally connected to anyone again, lest he lose everything a second time. (Even Groot is subject to constant verbal abuse in the first movie.) None of it is because he was born or even raised that way, it's all a manifestation of his own childhood emotional trauma - behind his antisocial nature is an inner sadness and vulnerability that has been there all along. It makes me even more enamored with the character.
So, all in all it's an undoubted A++ to Rocket's backstory, which is a difficult one but very much needed to be told, and it's hard to see how it could have been done much better (my only real complaint is that it would have been appropriate to acknowledge that his friends were also suffering - they all seem just a bit too happy in their cages, and it is a little curious how Rocket is not warped more by the physical trauma he endures.) But this story is really just a series of short flashbacks, with the main part of the movie taking place in the present day, and this is where the going gets even more difficult.
The difficult: Rocket's injury and the primary plot vehicle
The vehicle for these flashbacks - and indeed, the primary plot driver for the first two-thirds of the movie - is the fact that Rocket is mortally wounded just a few minutes into the movie (impaled through the chest, basically) and thus reduced to a helpless state in a medical bed while the others try to save him. As a result, he is suffering horribly not just in the past but also in the present, and this makes for some really tough viewing. Ultimately, the reason I love the Guardians movies is because it shows Rocket doing awesome badass stuff, but in this movie we instead mostly see him bleeding, electrocuted, coughing, convulsing, being tossed around like a ragdoll... and again, this is on top of those very difficult flashbacks! So it's just incredibly tough to watch, especially the first time where I was almost in a state of shock about the turn the movie had taken.
I'm not sure if this is a criticism, per se - it gives a solid reason to portray the very important flashbacks the way they are without it feeling like an unnecessary interruption to the main plot narrative, and the incredible lengths to which the other Guardians go to save him has an important message of its own, as it shows how beloved and valued a friend he is to the rest of the group even in spite of his at-times deplorable behavior. But... wow, it is just difficult to watch in a way that creates a completely different experience to the antics of the previous two movies (the trademark humor of the series is also much more difficult to appreciate in this movie, with these circumstances hanging in the background). It also means that even though the story is literally entirely about Rocket, he really doesn't do much for most of the movie, being largely a hapless bystander to the plot that unfolds around him.
The not so good: the plot
And said plot is, unfortunately, a bit of a mess - careening through three major settings (the Orgoscope, Counter-Earth, and the Arête), all of which have pretty significant problems. The Guardians series has never worried too much about letting a few plot holes get in the way of a fun story and it generally comes out better for it, but the inconsistencies in this one are just so ubiquitous that it does get distracting and it's occasionally hard to take the movie as seriously as it otherwise deserves.
Why is Gamora? - First of all we have the peculiar decision of the Guardians to add Gamora to their ranks again, even though she has basically no connection to the team whatsoever in this timeline nor any real reason to be there (the best they can come up with is she's being paid a fee in order to be vaguely useful by finding the Orgoscope records room, somehow). Now, the reasons why the plot-writers wanted her in was obvious: she's one of the O.G. (Original Guardians) and it would be weird to have a movie without her, and Quill's grappling with her death/reapparance is a key part of his own character development in this story. (The inverted dynamic between still-kinda-bad Gamora and fully-reformed Nebula is also kind of fun.) But plot-wise, there is really no compelling reason for her to be present at any point and I wonder if the movie would have been better if she had been left out or given a more minor role.
Man or God? - The big baddie in both the past and the present is the High Evolutionary. In the past he is Rocket's creator, tutor, and ultimately tormentor; in the present he calls the shots behind the conflict as part of his obsessive need to get his standout creation back for further study. But the movie really can't decide what exactly he is. As portrayed on-screen, he is basically a mad scientist: driven by his passion project (to create a perfect race) at all costs, intelligent but not able to solve every problem and occasionally highly emotional and even irrational. He leads a corporation set up to fund his experiments, suggesting limited resources. He can be physically injured and killed like any human and the best he can do after young-Rocket tears his face off is to replace it with a plastic mask. His ship is easily ambushed and boarded. But at the same time, he has godlike powers to create and then snuff out entire planet-spanning civilizations virtually at a whim, having done so "many times before" - not even Thanos could do that. Speaking of which:
Not so Soverign - Perhaps a minor issue, but it annoyed me that Vol.3 took such an about-face regarding the Soverign, who are one of the main antagonists in Vol.2. Back then, they were portrayed as an extremely advanced civilization, with its own unique values and even its own military - one of the more interesting aspects of that movie. Here, they are recast totally as a plaything of the High Evolutionary and their leader bullied and extorted as he pleases.
Animental - As artificial civilizations go, though, the one that really stands out (and not in a good way) is that of the Animen of Counter-Earth, a world that looks like a clone of Earth but inhabited by... well, anthro animals, who are the culmination of the experiments that the High Evolutionary was working on during Rocket's childhood. Almost nothing about this place makes any sense: it has an Earthlike culture yet no one there can be more than a few decades old (apparently the adults just sprung into existence?), there is no rational reason why it's populated by dozens of different anthro species, the movie does not bother to explain why everything there uses 1980's Earth technology, and so on. Its uncanny and incomprehensible inhabitants draw little interest or sympathy; a lot of time is devoted to a sequence where the Guardians visit the house of one of them, but it's only to learn something that they could surely have figured out on their own (that the bad guys live in the giant futuristic pyramid), giving the sense that the whole place exists basically for gags even though on paper it plays an important role in Rocket's story. Ultimately the High Evolutionary decides to just glass the whole planet, a mass atrocity with few comparable analogues in the whole MCU - and one with no emotional impact at all, since the audience is not primed to care and none of the characters (good or bad) give it a second thought.
Boarding party - The plot contrivances continue in the next segment. Rocket is finally rescued (yay!) but a reason to keep the plot going is needed other than vengeance, so we have Drax and Mantis (along with Nebula) literally hopping aboard a launching rocket (having abandoned capital-R Rocket earlier for reasons Drax can't even explain) and getting imprisoned. Rocket & co. come to the rescue, but it turns out that Drax/Mantis/Nebula have largely rescued themselves in the meantime following another incomprehensible sequence where our godlike villain decides to dispose of them by lowering them into an abilisk pit but Mantis domesticates the monsters instead. (This is another aspect of Vol.2 that Vol.3 trivializes: previously it took the whole Guardians team to take down one such "interdimensional monster"; here we have three kept for the villain's amusement who are then easily tamed.) Drax can inexplicably speak the language of the Star-Children but no one else can, and yet he doesn't think to do so for minutes after they meet. And so on. This segment sets up the incredible central moment where Rocket discovers and accepts his origins, but all the rest of it feels kind of like slapped-together chaos.
Does any of this matter? In a sense not really; the standard for plot consistency in a comic book movie is low and things don't have to make sense for the movie to succeed. If forced between telling Rocket's story the way I wanted to see it and making a coherent plot I would definitely take the former over the latter. But that doesn't mean a story couldn't have been written that accomplished both, and the plot flaws stand in the way of turning what was merely an important movie for me personally into a great movie (or even just a very good movie) to recommend whole-heartedly to everyone, which it simply isn't.
Dog Days are Over: Rocket's future
Back to the positives (and to Rocket.) I tried very hard to avoid spoiling myself before the film came out but while looking for an image to post online the day before release Google decided to suggest autocompleting "rocket raccoon" with "rocket raccoon death", which made me extremely worried that the film was going to kill him off in the end. So I was steeling myself for that to happen.
As with my concerns about his backstory, I needn't have worried. Not only is Rocket alive and well at the close of the film, he becomes the undisputed leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after Quill steps away to reconnect with his biological family. The final scene of the movie is another emotional one that made me cry a bit, this time in a good way: Quill has gifted Rocket his precious Zune (the stand-in for the Walkman that was his primary tether to Earth and which was destroyed in Vol.2) which Rocket uses to put on a good-bye party of sorts for the whole team. He's shown dancing, cheering, and genuinely happy in a way which he's never been seen before. After the torment he endures throughout the film (and indeed the whole series, as we now know that his entire personality is a manifestation of deep emotional trauma) this is a fitting way to close and one which I found extremely touching.
The question is now what happens next. Rocket's story arc is closed and the Guardians as we knew them disbanded, but in the end-credits we already see a new Guardians (led by Rocket). So we could see a Volume 4, or even just them appearing in key roles in other MCU stories. I would of course love this, and particularly if Volume 3 does well in cinemas it doesn't seem unlikely. The MCU canon has become so convoluted that setting future epics on Earth is messy, whereas the Cosmic side of the Marvel universe (where the Guardians are the real Avengers) offers the ability to tell cleaner stories not weighed down by prior events - much as was the case in this movie.
Rocket will be a different and (in a sense) less interesting character now with his story resolved and trauma surpassed and I'm not sure if any director will show him the same respect that Gunn did (Vol.2 gags aside...) but it would be amazing to see him reappear on the big screen a few more times in the coming years/decades, regardless. Even better than further sequels would be a prequel showcasing his time in between his escape and joining the Guardians (which could be combined with the origin story of the one O.G. character whose origins still remain untold, Groot), although as he wasn't much more than a small-time thief and bounty hunter at the time that's probably unlikely. But a raccoon can dream...
Let's start by putting it out there: I really, really love Rocket, who is basically me but a little bit more anthropomorphic and a million times more badass (he is not my character but is the character I wish I was). My absolute adoration of the first GotG was largely driven by his central role in virtually every scene (often upstaging the rest of the cast), plus endearingly sarcastic and flippant attitude. Similarly, my mild disappointment in the second movie came down almost entirely to the fact that the plot does reduce him to a sidekick or antagonist role most of the time and even takes a couple of cheap shots at him for laughs, even though it quietly developed his character at the margins.
So it was bound to be the case that my opinions of Volume 3 were going to come down almost entirely to what happens with Rocket. And a lot happens with Rocket in this movie, because from beginning to end the film is entirely about him. Everything the characters do is driven by the events surrounding Rocket, his backstory is revealed in painstaking detail, and the end of the movie completes his character arc. Indeed, his role is so pivotal and the circumstances surrounding him so serious that seeing this movie was an intense emotional experience for me in a way that I didn't ever expect a film (much less a comic book film) could produce.
Warning: Extensive spoilers (and Rocket obsession) ahead!
The good: Rocket's origins revealed
Before I get to that, though, I'll start with the discussion of Rocket's backstory, which up until now has been a mystery, hinted at only via a few casual remarks in the previous two movies. This was what I was originally worried the third film might mess up - the franchise very deliberately scrubbed the "Raccoon" from Rocket's pre-MCU name and in one of his first scenes in the original GotG he doesn't even know what a raccoon is. At the same time, his character design was made as raccoon-like as possible to an incredible degree of detail, and (in that very same early scene) he also makes clear he knows of no entity like himself in the universe, so it seems unlikely that he was an alien race, either. Is he a raccoon, or isn't he? In my headcanon he obviously was, but if his origins turned out differently I had worried I'd end up wishing the sequels away such that we could go back to a time when one could fill in his origins as one liked.
Fortunately that won't be necessary, because I have to say that the film absolutely nails Rocket's origins in a way that not only explains why he looks the way he does but also why he acts the way he does. The second question is really the more important one but the first is important to me so I'll discuss that first - and trivial or not, the movie resolves this question beyond my wildest dreams, placing his realization and acceptance of the fact that he absolutely is a raccoon as the climactic moment of the whole movie (and by extension the whole trilogy)! Never in my life did I imagine that there would be a high-budget, massively-popular movie franchise that culminates when the main character, a talking raccoon, walks into a room, sees a sign with the word "Procyon" on it above a raccoon enclosure, then proudly announces to the audience that he's a raccoon before blasting the villain across the screen. The scene is completely ridiculous but I wanted to pump my fist in the air in glee.
So that was incredible. The origin of his other physical characteristics (intelligence, strength, etc.) could largely be surmised from the hints dropped in previous films, but here they're made explicit during the various flashbacks to his youth: he was a lab experiment, created and toyed with as a vehicle to test various bio-technologies to later be perfected on others (but not as a means to any particular end in and of himself, as one might have naively guessed). While designed to be sentient, the extent of his genius was accidental and a mystery even to his creators - a fact that ends up driving the plot of the film. While not entirely surprising or original, the details make the backstory more interesting than it could have been and was also well-handled.
And now we get to what is by far the most difficult and important aspect of his backstory, which is the origin of his personality. The Rocket of the previous movies is a total jerk - not only consistently selfish (occasional obligatory Galaxy-saving heroic act aside), but almost going out of his way to behave in a way that pushes people away from him. Yondu surmises in Vol.2 that this originates from a tortured upbringing that makes him fearful of friendship, but in volume 3 we learn exactly what happened that led to this - and while even thinking about it makes me cry uncontrollably, it completes his character so well that it makes me love and appreciate him even more.
We learn the Rocket of his youth was a kind and gentle creature. This, despite being kept in a dingy cage, being routinely pulled out to be subjected to some new experimental torture. Indeed, he harbors no obvious initial resentment towards his tormentors and even helps them out at one point by identifying the key flaw in their latest experiment. He is playful, living with a group of beloved (if rather stupid) cybernetic-animal cellmate friends with whom he daydreams and plays games with.
And then The Scene happens. Having learned that he had been lied to for his entire life and that he was nothing more than an experimental creation to be tossed away when no longer useful (his creator twists the knife by calling him a "collection of mistakes" and "hideous"), he activates an escape plan and frees himself and his cellmates. But then he's caught in the act, and his friends are murdered right in front of him, his best friend shot dead in his arms. This was emotionally devastating to watch the first time and it was even worse the second and third times. I cry immediately if I even think about it. It's rough. I suppose it hits me personally not just because I've sort of imprinted myself upon the character and thus everything that happens to Rocket affects me as well, but because it so vividly portrays the nightmare of losing all one's friends in an instant and being cast into an unforgiving world all alone.
But in this sadness it explains him perfectly. It explains why he seems to hate humanoid creatures specifically and why up until the start of the Guardians, his only "friend" is a tree creature who cannot talk and who is virtually impossible to kill. It explains his constant obnoxious behavior towards his teammates, calibrated to push people away and make himself hated out of fear for becoming emotionally connected to anyone again, lest he lose everything a second time. (Even Groot is subject to constant verbal abuse in the first movie.) None of it is because he was born or even raised that way, it's all a manifestation of his own childhood emotional trauma - behind his antisocial nature is an inner sadness and vulnerability that has been there all along. It makes me even more enamored with the character.
So, all in all it's an undoubted A++ to Rocket's backstory, which is a difficult one but very much needed to be told, and it's hard to see how it could have been done much better (my only real complaint is that it would have been appropriate to acknowledge that his friends were also suffering - they all seem just a bit too happy in their cages, and it is a little curious how Rocket is not warped more by the physical trauma he endures.) But this story is really just a series of short flashbacks, with the main part of the movie taking place in the present day, and this is where the going gets even more difficult.
The difficult: Rocket's injury and the primary plot vehicle
The vehicle for these flashbacks - and indeed, the primary plot driver for the first two-thirds of the movie - is the fact that Rocket is mortally wounded just a few minutes into the movie (impaled through the chest, basically) and thus reduced to a helpless state in a medical bed while the others try to save him. As a result, he is suffering horribly not just in the past but also in the present, and this makes for some really tough viewing. Ultimately, the reason I love the Guardians movies is because it shows Rocket doing awesome badass stuff, but in this movie we instead mostly see him bleeding, electrocuted, coughing, convulsing, being tossed around like a ragdoll... and again, this is on top of those very difficult flashbacks! So it's just incredibly tough to watch, especially the first time where I was almost in a state of shock about the turn the movie had taken.
I'm not sure if this is a criticism, per se - it gives a solid reason to portray the very important flashbacks the way they are without it feeling like an unnecessary interruption to the main plot narrative, and the incredible lengths to which the other Guardians go to save him has an important message of its own, as it shows how beloved and valued a friend he is to the rest of the group even in spite of his at-times deplorable behavior. But... wow, it is just difficult to watch in a way that creates a completely different experience to the antics of the previous two movies (the trademark humor of the series is also much more difficult to appreciate in this movie, with these circumstances hanging in the background). It also means that even though the story is literally entirely about Rocket, he really doesn't do much for most of the movie, being largely a hapless bystander to the plot that unfolds around him.
The not so good: the plot
And said plot is, unfortunately, a bit of a mess - careening through three major settings (the Orgoscope, Counter-Earth, and the Arête), all of which have pretty significant problems. The Guardians series has never worried too much about letting a few plot holes get in the way of a fun story and it generally comes out better for it, but the inconsistencies in this one are just so ubiquitous that it does get distracting and it's occasionally hard to take the movie as seriously as it otherwise deserves.
Why is Gamora? - First of all we have the peculiar decision of the Guardians to add Gamora to their ranks again, even though she has basically no connection to the team whatsoever in this timeline nor any real reason to be there (the best they can come up with is she's being paid a fee in order to be vaguely useful by finding the Orgoscope records room, somehow). Now, the reasons why the plot-writers wanted her in was obvious: she's one of the O.G. (Original Guardians) and it would be weird to have a movie without her, and Quill's grappling with her death/reapparance is a key part of his own character development in this story. (The inverted dynamic between still-kinda-bad Gamora and fully-reformed Nebula is also kind of fun.) But plot-wise, there is really no compelling reason for her to be present at any point and I wonder if the movie would have been better if she had been left out or given a more minor role.
Man or God? - The big baddie in both the past and the present is the High Evolutionary. In the past he is Rocket's creator, tutor, and ultimately tormentor; in the present he calls the shots behind the conflict as part of his obsessive need to get his standout creation back for further study. But the movie really can't decide what exactly he is. As portrayed on-screen, he is basically a mad scientist: driven by his passion project (to create a perfect race) at all costs, intelligent but not able to solve every problem and occasionally highly emotional and even irrational. He leads a corporation set up to fund his experiments, suggesting limited resources. He can be physically injured and killed like any human and the best he can do after young-Rocket tears his face off is to replace it with a plastic mask. His ship is easily ambushed and boarded. But at the same time, he has godlike powers to create and then snuff out entire planet-spanning civilizations virtually at a whim, having done so "many times before" - not even Thanos could do that. Speaking of which:
Not so Soverign - Perhaps a minor issue, but it annoyed me that Vol.3 took such an about-face regarding the Soverign, who are one of the main antagonists in Vol.2. Back then, they were portrayed as an extremely advanced civilization, with its own unique values and even its own military - one of the more interesting aspects of that movie. Here, they are recast totally as a plaything of the High Evolutionary and their leader bullied and extorted as he pleases.
Animental - As artificial civilizations go, though, the one that really stands out (and not in a good way) is that of the Animen of Counter-Earth, a world that looks like a clone of Earth but inhabited by... well, anthro animals, who are the culmination of the experiments that the High Evolutionary was working on during Rocket's childhood. Almost nothing about this place makes any sense: it has an Earthlike culture yet no one there can be more than a few decades old (apparently the adults just sprung into existence?), there is no rational reason why it's populated by dozens of different anthro species, the movie does not bother to explain why everything there uses 1980's Earth technology, and so on. Its uncanny and incomprehensible inhabitants draw little interest or sympathy; a lot of time is devoted to a sequence where the Guardians visit the house of one of them, but it's only to learn something that they could surely have figured out on their own (that the bad guys live in the giant futuristic pyramid), giving the sense that the whole place exists basically for gags even though on paper it plays an important role in Rocket's story. Ultimately the High Evolutionary decides to just glass the whole planet, a mass atrocity with few comparable analogues in the whole MCU - and one with no emotional impact at all, since the audience is not primed to care and none of the characters (good or bad) give it a second thought.
Boarding party - The plot contrivances continue in the next segment. Rocket is finally rescued (yay!) but a reason to keep the plot going is needed other than vengeance, so we have Drax and Mantis (along with Nebula) literally hopping aboard a launching rocket (having abandoned capital-R Rocket earlier for reasons Drax can't even explain) and getting imprisoned. Rocket & co. come to the rescue, but it turns out that Drax/Mantis/Nebula have largely rescued themselves in the meantime following another incomprehensible sequence where our godlike villain decides to dispose of them by lowering them into an abilisk pit but Mantis domesticates the monsters instead. (This is another aspect of Vol.2 that Vol.3 trivializes: previously it took the whole Guardians team to take down one such "interdimensional monster"; here we have three kept for the villain's amusement who are then easily tamed.) Drax can inexplicably speak the language of the Star-Children but no one else can, and yet he doesn't think to do so for minutes after they meet. And so on. This segment sets up the incredible central moment where Rocket discovers and accepts his origins, but all the rest of it feels kind of like slapped-together chaos.
Does any of this matter? In a sense not really; the standard for plot consistency in a comic book movie is low and things don't have to make sense for the movie to succeed. If forced between telling Rocket's story the way I wanted to see it and making a coherent plot I would definitely take the former over the latter. But that doesn't mean a story couldn't have been written that accomplished both, and the plot flaws stand in the way of turning what was merely an important movie for me personally into a great movie (or even just a very good movie) to recommend whole-heartedly to everyone, which it simply isn't.
Dog Days are Over: Rocket's future
Back to the positives (and to Rocket.) I tried very hard to avoid spoiling myself before the film came out but while looking for an image to post online the day before release Google decided to suggest autocompleting "rocket raccoon" with "rocket raccoon death", which made me extremely worried that the film was going to kill him off in the end. So I was steeling myself for that to happen.
As with my concerns about his backstory, I needn't have worried. Not only is Rocket alive and well at the close of the film, he becomes the undisputed leader of the Guardians of the Galaxy after Quill steps away to reconnect with his biological family. The final scene of the movie is another emotional one that made me cry a bit, this time in a good way: Quill has gifted Rocket his precious Zune (the stand-in for the Walkman that was his primary tether to Earth and which was destroyed in Vol.2) which Rocket uses to put on a good-bye party of sorts for the whole team. He's shown dancing, cheering, and genuinely happy in a way which he's never been seen before. After the torment he endures throughout the film (and indeed the whole series, as we now know that his entire personality is a manifestation of deep emotional trauma) this is a fitting way to close and one which I found extremely touching.
The question is now what happens next. Rocket's story arc is closed and the Guardians as we knew them disbanded, but in the end-credits we already see a new Guardians (led by Rocket). So we could see a Volume 4, or even just them appearing in key roles in other MCU stories. I would of course love this, and particularly if Volume 3 does well in cinemas it doesn't seem unlikely. The MCU canon has become so convoluted that setting future epics on Earth is messy, whereas the Cosmic side of the Marvel universe (where the Guardians are the real Avengers) offers the ability to tell cleaner stories not weighed down by prior events - much as was the case in this movie.
Rocket will be a different and (in a sense) less interesting character now with his story resolved and trauma surpassed and I'm not sure if any director will show him the same respect that Gunn did (Vol.2 gags aside...) but it would be amazing to see him reappear on the big screen a few more times in the coming years/decades, regardless. Even better than further sequels would be a prequel showcasing his time in between his escape and joining the Guardians (which could be combined with the origin story of the one O.G. character whose origins still remain untold, Groot), although as he wasn't much more than a small-time thief and bounty hunter at the time that's probably unlikely. But a raccoon can dream...
MFF (and FC)
Posted 7 years agoHey, posting on here about upcoming cons is still a thing people do right? Right???
Anyway I'll be at MFF! I fly in on Thursday and out on Monday.
And if you don't catch me there, I expect to be at Further Confusion in January, too!
Looking forward to lots of fun and friends and animal-person adventures!
Anyway I'll be at MFF! I fly in on Thursday and out on Monday.
And if you don't catch me there, I expect to be at Further Confusion in January, too!
Looking forward to lots of fun and friends and animal-person adventures!
Further Confusion 2018
Posted 8 years agoHi I've been forgetting to post about cons on here lately! BUT yes, I will be at Further Confusion again... continuing the streak of [embarrassing number] of consecutive attendances. Unfortunately I'm at a research conference right now in Washington DC that partially overlaps the dates of FC so I'll be arriving a little bit late (mid-afternoon Friday, presuming all goes well with the flights).
I hope to see many of you there!
- Procyon
I hope to see many of you there!
- Procyon
Confuzzled
Posted 8 years agoWell, now that I actually live in the UK I can't very well not go to this con, can I?
This time around I'll be staying in the main hotel and will be there all the main days, although probably not arriving until late Friday afternoon (or possibly even the evening, depending on how work goes.) I'll head home either Monday night or Tuesday morning.
I couldn't find a roommate so I'll be rooming with someone random the con assigned to me and hoping that's not a disaster >_>
And Cami will obviously be there (with footpaws even!!)
Looking forward to lots of furry fun :D
This time around I'll be staying in the main hotel and will be there all the main days, although probably not arriving until late Friday afternoon (or possibly even the evening, depending on how work goes.) I'll head home either Monday night or Tuesday morning.
I couldn't find a roommate so I'll be rooming with someone random the con assigned to me and hoping that's not a disaster >_>
And Cami will obviously be there (with footpaws even!!)
Looking forward to lots of furry fun :D
Guardians of the Galaxy, vol. 2
Posted 8 years agoAfter three years of waiting, Rocket Raccoon and some other characters are back in theaters for the sequel to what was quite possibly my favorite movie ever! I of course was there to see Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 2 opening week, and while I admittedly didn't enjoy it as much as the first movie I've managed to see it two more times since.
Mixed feelings aside, I love thinking and talking about this movie and series, even if it's to complain about stuff I think could have been done better, and I figure at least SOME of you might feel the same. So without anything better to do on a Saturday night, I'm going to coredump a bunch of thoughts in a loosely structured "review" of sorts.
Extensive spoilers ahead!
Being extremely, intensely enamored with Rocket, his portrayal in the movie unavoidably dominates my perception of it. Since this isn't necessarily how everyone sees the movie (at least to the same extent) this means that in writing up my thoughts there are two different approaches: one in which I unabashedly look at everything through the lens of Rocket's portrayal, and another in which I try to pretend to be able evaluate the movie in a more general sense.
The first of these is obviously the more honest one and hence is the one I'll start with, since this offers the clearest way to demonstrate why I can't quite put the movie on the same tier as the first and ended up with quite a few qualms. The original movie almost went out of its way to put Rocket at the center of every major scene (so much that he frequently upstages the other characters) and leave zero doubt in our minds that this is a serious, tough character and not a joke. In contrast, while the second movie certainly doesn't ignore him or mistreat him, his influence is often destructive (stealing batteries, squabbling over control of the ship) and he's frequently put in the role of a minor character: he's literally left behind by the other characters to perform the grunt work of repair/guard duty, and he's openly made fun of on many occasions with few consequences. He's almost a bystander in the jailbreak (which ought to be right up his alley) and generally plays sidekick to Yondu throughout the final scenes.
We do get to see him run around on all fours and show off previously-unseen combat agility as he takes down an entire crew of Ravagers, and he even manages to hold his own in melee combat at the end of the same sequence. But the former makes him look like a bit of a sadist and the latter was an obvious unnecessary risk on his behalf that does in fact lead to his capture, so even these don't quite come close to any of his many standout scenes from volume 1.
What the movie does do more successfully is to try to develop his character and personality a little. The fact that he's totally insufferable in the beginning is surely part of this, although during the first viewing it seems that the movie is sacrificing his likeability mainly just to get the plot moving and create some amusing arguments between the characters. The later scenes at least make his situation a little clearer. The notion of being part of a team is evidently not sitting well with him at all: he's not fond of being dependent on and tied to others, and after a lifetime of being treated as an outcast the idea that people care about him is strange and uncomfortable, and he pushes his newfound "friends" away by insulting and belittling them. Yondu figures this out and calls him out on it, and he matures a little towards the end, admitting his behavior and expressing gratitude that they tolerated him despite of it. I'm not sure how I feel about this: while it develops him, it doesn't move him anywhere other than back to where he appeared to be at the end of the first movie anyway, and we learn nothing more about his complex/tormented background that would help us genuinely understand who he is or why.
Evaluating the movie in a more general sense is somewhat more challenging, partly due to my own "bias" and partly because the verdict is not so obvious. Some things I liked a lot: Peter's father being a Celestial bent on expanding himself across the universe is a bold decision that makes for a very interesting high-level villain. Drax's humor is used way way more effectively than last time (his dynamic with Mantis is not exactly high-grade humor but I found it funny nevertheless). Nebula becomes an actually sympathetic figure and not just a straight-up-evil-bitch.
There were other things I didn't like so much, or which didn't make very much sense to me. Deciding what to actually complain about in this regard is not so obvious: the first movie was filled with plot holes on its own (e.g., it made absolutely zero sense that the Milano would be kept in perfect operating order, ready as a getaway vehicle for the Guardians to escape the Kiln) but these were easily overlooked in light of so much else that the movie did right. A few I can think of are:
Baby Groot is overdone - Cute but kind of questionable; the comedy of having his and Rocket's relative sizes inverted is funny as a sight gag, but ultimately turning the most unusual character into a pet/mascot role does get old (I may have been slightly dismayed at Rocket's less serious treatment in this movie, but Groot is almost entirely there for gags this time around). It's also kind of perplexing as to why he's repeatedly placed by the others into dangerous battles despite being clearly not psychologically or physically being ready for it, given that he can't even understand simple instructions. On the other hand: the decision to reboot his character does magnify the meaningfulness of his initial sacrifice and Rocket's sadness over it in the first movie, since the old Groot is clearly gone.
Unnecessary violence/cruelty - The movie really glorifies pain and death too much for my liking. Yondu's arrow sequence is way over the top (especially so because it kind of reeks of god-modding: more super-power than weapon, fitting awkwardly alongside the more limited capabilities of every other non-villain character in the series.)
Some lazy/recycled storytelling - I can think of a few of these instances. Both vol.1 and vol.2 both involve Rocket stealing a battery. Just about every character already has a parental trauma/orphan story already, and we find out Yondu does too. And the emotional moment in the end when Yondu sacrifices himself to save Quill also is just a little too familiar for comfort, since Quill did almost the same for Gamora in vol.1. And speaking of that scene:
Did Yondu really need to die? - This is wrapped up in one of the somewhat unflattering Rocket scenes, where he abandons his buddies in the core and then electrocutes Gamora to prevent her from going in to save Quill. His decision is meant to be justified later when the planet collapses moments afterward and Yondu rescues Quill on his own, clearly having understood in advance and getting Rocket to understand he didn't expect to make it out on his own. Still: I can't help but feel that his death was easily preventable; Ego's reach never seemed to extend beyond the surface of the planet and Yondu and Quill could have been rescued up together long before Yondu died ingloriously of exposure to space. One can come up with excuses for this, but all in all the possibility that he could/should have lived weakens the notion of his sacrifice.
So altogether it's not entirely obvious whether the movie comes across as better or worse in this respect, compared to the original film. The plot and character interactions are generally more interesting and original, especially compared to the very cliched "keep the artifact away from the fanatic evil dude" plot of the first movie. But, the plot flaws seem more impactful, and the space battles (against the not-really-evil Sovereign drones) are less epic. The pacing is peculiar; little happens at Ego's planet for the longest time yet his emergence as villain seems sudden and rushed. And of course the "originality factor" of the wonderful surprise we got the first time around can't return in the sequel.
In any case - it is what it is, and it was still a lot of fun. I don't expect I'll see it eight times in theaters this time around, but maybe once or twice more. And! Looking further ahead, we are now guaranteed a third movie in a few years plus (I gather) Guardian appearances in other Marvel films before (and likely after).
Putting the Rocket-fan glasses on again, one particularly interesting aspect of that is that the other character's driving narratives have been primarily wrapped up. Quill's search for his dad: finished. Gamora's conflict with Nebula: resolved. Yondu: gone. Drax was a simple character to begin with and his sole motive (despite what he says at the end of the first film) was revenge against Ronan - vol.2 makes obvious that his motive now is to support his new friends and taste the occasional thrill of combat. Groot was reborn from scratch.
So what character with still-unresolved tensions and a backstory that remains mysterious is left? Rocket, obviously. While it's possible that the series now will become entirely forward-looking and focus on some intergalactic conflict involving the Infinity Stones rather than the characters' own life stories, both movies so far have heavily referenced their pasts - if it's going to do that again, it seems inevitable that we're going to learn a lot more about Rocket. There is some danger here (currently we have the benefit of imagining whatever we want about his past and the next movie might do something weird; or maybe it will just try to hard to make him sympathetic and make him less appealing) but it seems that one way or another he'll be playing a large role again in the next movie.
I'm happy to hear your thoughts as well :D
Mixed feelings aside, I love thinking and talking about this movie and series, even if it's to complain about stuff I think could have been done better, and I figure at least SOME of you might feel the same. So without anything better to do on a Saturday night, I'm going to coredump a bunch of thoughts in a loosely structured "review" of sorts.
Extensive spoilers ahead!
Being extremely, intensely enamored with Rocket, his portrayal in the movie unavoidably dominates my perception of it. Since this isn't necessarily how everyone sees the movie (at least to the same extent) this means that in writing up my thoughts there are two different approaches: one in which I unabashedly look at everything through the lens of Rocket's portrayal, and another in which I try to pretend to be able evaluate the movie in a more general sense.
The first of these is obviously the more honest one and hence is the one I'll start with, since this offers the clearest way to demonstrate why I can't quite put the movie on the same tier as the first and ended up with quite a few qualms. The original movie almost went out of its way to put Rocket at the center of every major scene (so much that he frequently upstages the other characters) and leave zero doubt in our minds that this is a serious, tough character and not a joke. In contrast, while the second movie certainly doesn't ignore him or mistreat him, his influence is often destructive (stealing batteries, squabbling over control of the ship) and he's frequently put in the role of a minor character: he's literally left behind by the other characters to perform the grunt work of repair/guard duty, and he's openly made fun of on many occasions with few consequences. He's almost a bystander in the jailbreak (which ought to be right up his alley) and generally plays sidekick to Yondu throughout the final scenes.
We do get to see him run around on all fours and show off previously-unseen combat agility as he takes down an entire crew of Ravagers, and he even manages to hold his own in melee combat at the end of the same sequence. But the former makes him look like a bit of a sadist and the latter was an obvious unnecessary risk on his behalf that does in fact lead to his capture, so even these don't quite come close to any of his many standout scenes from volume 1.
What the movie does do more successfully is to try to develop his character and personality a little. The fact that he's totally insufferable in the beginning is surely part of this, although during the first viewing it seems that the movie is sacrificing his likeability mainly just to get the plot moving and create some amusing arguments between the characters. The later scenes at least make his situation a little clearer. The notion of being part of a team is evidently not sitting well with him at all: he's not fond of being dependent on and tied to others, and after a lifetime of being treated as an outcast the idea that people care about him is strange and uncomfortable, and he pushes his newfound "friends" away by insulting and belittling them. Yondu figures this out and calls him out on it, and he matures a little towards the end, admitting his behavior and expressing gratitude that they tolerated him despite of it. I'm not sure how I feel about this: while it develops him, it doesn't move him anywhere other than back to where he appeared to be at the end of the first movie anyway, and we learn nothing more about his complex/tormented background that would help us genuinely understand who he is or why.
Evaluating the movie in a more general sense is somewhat more challenging, partly due to my own "bias" and partly because the verdict is not so obvious. Some things I liked a lot: Peter's father being a Celestial bent on expanding himself across the universe is a bold decision that makes for a very interesting high-level villain. Drax's humor is used way way more effectively than last time (his dynamic with Mantis is not exactly high-grade humor but I found it funny nevertheless). Nebula becomes an actually sympathetic figure and not just a straight-up-evil-bitch.
There were other things I didn't like so much, or which didn't make very much sense to me. Deciding what to actually complain about in this regard is not so obvious: the first movie was filled with plot holes on its own (e.g., it made absolutely zero sense that the Milano would be kept in perfect operating order, ready as a getaway vehicle for the Guardians to escape the Kiln) but these were easily overlooked in light of so much else that the movie did right. A few I can think of are:
Baby Groot is overdone - Cute but kind of questionable; the comedy of having his and Rocket's relative sizes inverted is funny as a sight gag, but ultimately turning the most unusual character into a pet/mascot role does get old (I may have been slightly dismayed at Rocket's less serious treatment in this movie, but Groot is almost entirely there for gags this time around). It's also kind of perplexing as to why he's repeatedly placed by the others into dangerous battles despite being clearly not psychologically or physically being ready for it, given that he can't even understand simple instructions. On the other hand: the decision to reboot his character does magnify the meaningfulness of his initial sacrifice and Rocket's sadness over it in the first movie, since the old Groot is clearly gone.
Unnecessary violence/cruelty - The movie really glorifies pain and death too much for my liking. Yondu's arrow sequence is way over the top (especially so because it kind of reeks of god-modding: more super-power than weapon, fitting awkwardly alongside the more limited capabilities of every other non-villain character in the series.)
Some lazy/recycled storytelling - I can think of a few of these instances. Both vol.1 and vol.2 both involve Rocket stealing a battery. Just about every character already has a parental trauma/orphan story already, and we find out Yondu does too. And the emotional moment in the end when Yondu sacrifices himself to save Quill also is just a little too familiar for comfort, since Quill did almost the same for Gamora in vol.1. And speaking of that scene:
Did Yondu really need to die? - This is wrapped up in one of the somewhat unflattering Rocket scenes, where he abandons his buddies in the core and then electrocutes Gamora to prevent her from going in to save Quill. His decision is meant to be justified later when the planet collapses moments afterward and Yondu rescues Quill on his own, clearly having understood in advance and getting Rocket to understand he didn't expect to make it out on his own. Still: I can't help but feel that his death was easily preventable; Ego's reach never seemed to extend beyond the surface of the planet and Yondu and Quill could have been rescued up together long before Yondu died ingloriously of exposure to space. One can come up with excuses for this, but all in all the possibility that he could/should have lived weakens the notion of his sacrifice.
So altogether it's not entirely obvious whether the movie comes across as better or worse in this respect, compared to the original film. The plot and character interactions are generally more interesting and original, especially compared to the very cliched "keep the artifact away from the fanatic evil dude" plot of the first movie. But, the plot flaws seem more impactful, and the space battles (against the not-really-evil Sovereign drones) are less epic. The pacing is peculiar; little happens at Ego's planet for the longest time yet his emergence as villain seems sudden and rushed. And of course the "originality factor" of the wonderful surprise we got the first time around can't return in the sequel.
In any case - it is what it is, and it was still a lot of fun. I don't expect I'll see it eight times in theaters this time around, but maybe once or twice more. And! Looking further ahead, we are now guaranteed a third movie in a few years plus (I gather) Guardian appearances in other Marvel films before (and likely after).
Putting the Rocket-fan glasses on again, one particularly interesting aspect of that is that the other character's driving narratives have been primarily wrapped up. Quill's search for his dad: finished. Gamora's conflict with Nebula: resolved. Yondu: gone. Drax was a simple character to begin with and his sole motive (despite what he says at the end of the first film) was revenge against Ronan - vol.2 makes obvious that his motive now is to support his new friends and taste the occasional thrill of combat. Groot was reborn from scratch.
So what character with still-unresolved tensions and a backstory that remains mysterious is left? Rocket, obviously. While it's possible that the series now will become entirely forward-looking and focus on some intergalactic conflict involving the Infinity Stones rather than the characters' own life stories, both movies so far have heavily referenced their pasts - if it's going to do that again, it seems inevitable that we're going to learn a lot more about Rocket. There is some danger here (currently we have the benefit of imagining whatever we want about his past and the next movie might do something weird; or maybe it will just try to hard to make him sympathetic and make him less appealing) but it seems that one way or another he'll be playing a large role again in the next movie.
I'm happy to hear your thoughts as well :D
Procyon moves to England
Posted 9 years agoHi everyone! Many of you know this already, but for those who don't - recently I accepted a job offer in Liverpool, so I'm moving countries yet again! I finished my move just last week and I've been starting to jump into the UK fur scene, which looks particularly active, so I think that ought to be pretty fantastic :) This is finally a permanent position in my field, so I will likely be out this way for a good long while!
For my friends elsewhere, fear not! I'll still be visiting Denmark from time to time in addition to my earlier haunts in Northern and Southern California and elsewhere in the US, not to mention a bunch of cons each year thanks to a pretty generous vacation allowance.
Cheers!
For my friends elsewhere, fear not! I'll still be visiting Denmark from time to time in addition to my earlier haunts in Northern and Southern California and elsewhere in the US, not to mention a bunch of cons each year thanks to a pretty generous vacation allowance.
Cheers!
Further Confusion
Posted 9 years agoHey yes I'm going again! Looking forward to seeing all my Bay Area furry friends (and many of my global ones!) See you all tomorrow :D
Midwest Furfest 2016!
Posted 9 years agoIt's con time again! I'm too lazy to do a meme/survey this year but I will be there starting Thursday and until Sunday evening. Cami will be there too! I am very much looking forward to it and to all the awesome fuzzy folks whose company I'll enjoy for the next few days!
Eurofurence 2016
Posted 9 years agoHi!
I'll be down at Eurofurence again... sort of (again!) As usual, I missed out on getting a hotel room and am staying with a friend elsewhere in Berlin (about 40 minutes away on public transit). And I'll only be there for a couple days; I get in on Friday and am leaving Sunday night. (Essentially, these are the same parameters as for my trip last year.)
Anyway! Let me know if you are going and want to meet up :) You can contact me here, or on telegram, or twitter, or wherever!
I'll be down at Eurofurence again... sort of (again!) As usual, I missed out on getting a hotel room and am staying with a friend elsewhere in Berlin (about 40 minutes away on public transit). And I'll only be there for a couple days; I get in on Friday and am leaving Sunday night. (Essentially, these are the same parameters as for my trip last year.)
Anyway! Let me know if you are going and want to meet up :) You can contact me here, or on telegram, or twitter, or wherever!
Other websites
Posted 9 years agoHi all!
I've been too lazy to keep track of who else has accounts with what where and who is or isn't staying around, but I thought I'd point out that I am also on Weasyl and FurryNetwork and would encourage you to add me there as well if you want! Account names are the same as here:
https://www.weasyl.com/~procyon
https://beta.furrynetwork.com/procyon/
I'll probably continue to be mainly active over here (for at least as long as it remains the fandom's primary art hub) but will check those occasionally as well!
I've been too lazy to keep track of who else has accounts with what where and who is or isn't staying around, but I thought I'd point out that I am also on Weasyl and FurryNetwork and would encourage you to add me there as well if you want! Account names are the same as here:
https://www.weasyl.com/~procyon
https://beta.furrynetwork.com/procyon/
I'll probably continue to be mainly active over here (for at least as long as it remains the fandom's primary art hub) but will check those occasionally as well!
BLFC! (Also, Confuzzled!)
Posted 9 years agoYep, time for some more furcon news!
First of all, despite living super-far away these days, I will be at BLFC this year, albeit briefly! I'm leaving Copenhagen on Wednesday and flying the Bay Area and will be hanging out with
astroq and other ineffable fuzzies for a couple days. I should get to the con on Friday sometime, and I'll be there all day Saturday before having to leave pretty early on Wednesday.
After that I'll be bouncing around various cities for a couple weeks for conferences and (yet another) job interview. The interview conveniently occurs just a couple hours away from Confuzzled, which means that I'll be attending that also! Actually because I only found out I'd be there super recently I missed the deadline to get a hotel room - so I, uh, don't have one. I'll try to snag something at a nearby hotel and walk over each day. If you or anyone you know also is looking for a room, let me know!
First of all, despite living super-far away these days, I will be at BLFC this year, albeit briefly! I'm leaving Copenhagen on Wednesday and flying the Bay Area and will be hanging out with
astroq and other ineffable fuzzies for a couple days. I should get to the con on Friday sometime, and I'll be there all day Saturday before having to leave pretty early on Wednesday.After that I'll be bouncing around various cities for a couple weeks for conferences and (yet another) job interview. The interview conveniently occurs just a couple hours away from Confuzzled, which means that I'll be attending that also! Actually because I only found out I'd be there super recently I missed the deadline to get a hotel room - so I, uh, don't have one. I'll try to snag something at a nearby hotel and walk over each day. If you or anyone you know also is looking for a room, let me know!
Nordic Fuzzcon
Posted 9 years agoConsidering that I managed to attend this con a couple times *before* I moved to Scandinavia obviously I'm going to make it out this year! I'm wrapping up an exhausting month of interview travel right now and flying back to Denmark tonight - I won't be making it to the con until the "regular" arrival time of Thursday evening (and will leave midday Sunday), but I'll definitely be there! A few highlights:
* Cami (my grey dog fursuit) will be there too, so look for him scampering around and maybe at some of the fursuit events!
* Barring major flight delays I'll be attending the Zootopia showing on Thursday after I arrive!
* I will, once again, be room-sharing with
staghorne , and if I'm lucky I'll even manage to spot him at some point during the 27 seconds when he's not running around managing the con. ;)
* I don't know that many furries in Europe and usually end up not being very busy at cons on this side of the Atlantic, so if you're there I would be extremely happy to hang out at just about any point; just send me a message!
* On that note, I'm on Telegram as @procyonid, just message me anytime!
* Cami (my grey dog fursuit) will be there too, so look for him scampering around and maybe at some of the fursuit events!
* Barring major flight delays I'll be attending the Zootopia showing on Thursday after I arrive!
* I will, once again, be room-sharing with
staghorne , and if I'm lucky I'll even manage to spot him at some point during the 27 seconds when he's not running around managing the con. ;)* I don't know that many furries in Europe and usually end up not being very busy at cons on this side of the Atlantic, so if you're there I would be extremely happy to hang out at just about any point; just send me a message!
* On that note, I'm on Telegram as @procyonid, just message me anytime!
Further Confusion 2016!
Posted 10 years agoTime for the mandatory furcon post! I'll be there and you all hopefully know how to get in touch with me! In addition to my US phone (still works) there is Telegram (works on my US phone now). I'll be arriving late tonight and will be there until Monday. Yay!
Midwest Furfest 2015!
Posted 10 years agoOf course I'll be there! Did you want to know more? Well read on!
Where are you staying?
Hyatt!
What day are you getting there?
Thursday, from LAX. Amusingly, for the last two years I arrived a day late and came directly from other countries (Taiwan in 2013 and Italy in 2014). Now that I actually live in another country I'll be flying in from LA. Go figure. I won't have slept at all the night before arriving though, so I may be completely zonked out on Thursday.
Who will you be rooming with?
linusmynx and 
jads ! (Although roommate swapping may occur!)
Who will you hang out with during the convention?
SO MANY COOL FUZZIES that I can't even keep track of them and I'm sure I forgot some people (or don't know if they are going for sure) and some others aren't on FA, BUT at minimum:
How can I contact you?
Hm, good question! I was intending to make this a con where I would make heavy use of Telegram and the SUPER CUTE sticker set that I commissioned from
rileyy a couple months back, but apparently I need a confirmation code sent to my DK phone to activate it on my US phone as well (and I don't want to confuse everyone by creating a separate account), so I'll be sticker-less and will instead be mostly using regular text/SMS from my "old" US number (which still works in the usual way). Twitter DM also works!
Where can I find you?
All over the place! I'll hopefully be sleeping late in the morning, grabbing coffee at Perks after, probably hanging out at the tables behind the elevators on the lower level for part of the afternoons, and spending some quality time at Red Bar in the evenings. Then, I'll be scampering around to the dance floor and room parties at night!
Are there any panels you might be attending?
If I have some downtime and have to kill an hour! Otherwise, probably not.
Are you attending any stage or public performances?
Wasn't planning on it, but again, if I have nothing going on some early-evening I might go to one or two things!
Will you be suiting?
Yep! Cami will be making his first appearance at a con since... well, since May. I guess it's not been that long, but it does feel like ages!
Do you draw?
There will probably be some silly games of furry telepictionary that happen! But nothing serious.
Can I talk to you?
If you're not weird!
Can I touch/hug/snuggle you?
Hugs are raccoon-approved but I admit that other forms of personal contact can sometimes make me uncomfortable!
Can I visit your room?
If I know you well! I intend to have some sort of small-scale party on at least one of the nights!
Can I buy you drinks?
I intend to be doing the buying of drinks where possible but you are welcome to reciprocate!
How long are you going?
Really long! I leave Monday night.
Where are you staying?
Hyatt!
What day are you getting there?
Thursday, from LAX. Amusingly, for the last two years I arrived a day late and came directly from other countries (Taiwan in 2013 and Italy in 2014). Now that I actually live in another country I'll be flying in from LA. Go figure. I won't have slept at all the night before arriving though, so I may be completely zonked out on Thursday.
Who will you be rooming with?
linusmynx and 
jads ! (Although roommate swapping may occur!)Who will you hang out with during the convention?
SO MANY COOL FUZZIES that I can't even keep track of them and I'm sure I forgot some people (or don't know if they are going for sure) and some others aren't on FA, BUT at minimum:
How can I contact you?
Hm, good question! I was intending to make this a con where I would make heavy use of Telegram and the SUPER CUTE sticker set that I commissioned from
rileyy a couple months back, but apparently I need a confirmation code sent to my DK phone to activate it on my US phone as well (and I don't want to confuse everyone by creating a separate account), so I'll be sticker-less and will instead be mostly using regular text/SMS from my "old" US number (which still works in the usual way). Twitter DM also works!Where can I find you?
All over the place! I'll hopefully be sleeping late in the morning, grabbing coffee at Perks after, probably hanging out at the tables behind the elevators on the lower level for part of the afternoons, and spending some quality time at Red Bar in the evenings. Then, I'll be scampering around to the dance floor and room parties at night!
Are there any panels you might be attending?
If I have some downtime and have to kill an hour! Otherwise, probably not.
Are you attending any stage or public performances?
Wasn't planning on it, but again, if I have nothing going on some early-evening I might go to one or two things!
Will you be suiting?
Yep! Cami will be making his first appearance at a con since... well, since May. I guess it's not been that long, but it does feel like ages!
Do you draw?
There will probably be some silly games of furry telepictionary that happen! But nothing serious.
Can I talk to you?
If you're not weird!
Can I touch/hug/snuggle you?
Hugs are raccoon-approved but I admit that other forms of personal contact can sometimes make me uncomfortable!
Can I visit your room?
If I know you well! I intend to have some sort of small-scale party on at least one of the nights!
Can I buy you drinks?
I intend to be doing the buying of drinks where possible but you are welcome to reciprocate!
How long are you going?
Really long! I leave Monday night.
RMFC! (Also, Eurofurence!)
Posted 10 years agoWell, I said that moving to Europe wouldn't decrease my presence at US cons (much), and I meant it! So, next week I'll be heading to Rocky Mountain Fur Con in Denver for a couple days, getting in Friday and leaving Monday. Woot! I've only been to this con once before (and for less than 24 hours!) but am definitely looking forward to it. 8) Feel free to look me up there (my US number will still work, for now!)
Alas, Cami will not be attendance - he is temporarily taking a little break from travel in New Mexico until I can get down there again and retrieve him. (In any case, RMFC is just one of three stops on this trip - the other two being Honolulu and Washington, DC, for work, so likely it would have been impractical anyway.)
Of course, I'll certainly be making it out to cons in Europe too, now that doing so is super easy! So two weeks after RMFC I'll be dropping by Eurofurence in Berlin. Unfortunately I don't have a room so I might not be there always (and I'm only doing late Friday to midday Sunday in any event) - but when I am around I'll probably be hanging in the main space somewhere.
Yay!
Alas, Cami will not be attendance - he is temporarily taking a little break from travel in New Mexico until I can get down there again and retrieve him. (In any case, RMFC is just one of three stops on this trip - the other two being Honolulu and Washington, DC, for work, so likely it would have been impractical anyway.)
Of course, I'll certainly be making it out to cons in Europe too, now that doing so is super easy! So two weeks after RMFC I'll be dropping by Eurofurence in Berlin. Unfortunately I don't have a room so I might not be there always (and I'm only doing late Friday to midday Sunday in any event) - but when I am around I'll probably be hanging in the main space somewhere.
Yay!
Move to Europe completed
Posted 10 years agoFor those of you keeping track at home, after about 7 weeks of non-stop travel around the western US and Hawaii I've now finally completed the move to Denmark, and am now living in Copenhagen. Come visit sometime! :3
Of course, this isn't going to stop me from attending cons in the US, so I'm not about to drop off the map. 8) In particular, I'll be at RMFC in Denver in August! I'll also be at Eurofurence again (though only sort-of; no hotel room), at MFF in December, and then hopefully at FC in January. Plus I expect to visit SoCal and the Bay Area each at least once over the same period, and maybe a couple other places around the holidays as well.
So, hope to see you all around, somewhere or another!
Of course, this isn't going to stop me from attending cons in the US, so I'm not about to drop off the map. 8) In particular, I'll be at RMFC in Denver in August! I'll also be at Eurofurence again (though only sort-of; no hotel room), at MFF in December, and then hopefully at FC in January. Plus I expect to visit SoCal and the Bay Area each at least once over the same period, and maybe a couple other places around the holidays as well.
So, hope to see you all around, somewhere or another!
BLFC (and, leaving California)
Posted 10 years agoHi everyone!
I'll be attending Biggest Little Fur Con this weekend, rooming with the distinguished linusmynx. I'll be arriving tomorrow (Friday) evening around 6 PM.
In addition to this being an awesome con in its own right, BLFC is going to double as my final going-away festivity associated with the fact that next week I am moving out of Pasadena, California, and the US to take up a postdoc position in the very different environments of Copenhagen, Denmark for the next 1-2 (possibly more) years. I'll be back to visit both LA and SF a few times per year I expect, but certainly I'll be around a lot less often than I used to be. (Of course, the flip side is that a few of you who follow me here will be seeing me around a lot more!)
So - before that happens, if you're going to be in Reno, let's hang out for one last drink/dinner/chat before I leave the US "furever". I'll either have some sort of party in my room on Saturday night, or we'll just meet up before all the big traditional parties. Let me know...!
I'll be attending Biggest Little Fur Con this weekend, rooming with the distinguished
linusmynx. I'll be arriving tomorrow (Friday) evening around 6 PM.In addition to this being an awesome con in its own right, BLFC is going to double as my final going-away festivity associated with the fact that next week I am moving out of Pasadena, California, and the US to take up a postdoc position in the very different environments of Copenhagen, Denmark for the next 1-2 (possibly more) years. I'll be back to visit both LA and SF a few times per year I expect, but certainly I'll be around a lot less often than I used to be. (Of course, the flip side is that a few of you who follow me here will be seeing me around a lot more!)
So - before that happens, if you're going to be in Reno, let's hang out for one last drink/dinner/chat before I leave the US "furever". I'll either have some sort of party in my room on Saturday night, or we'll just meet up before all the big traditional parties. Let me know...!
Further Confusion 2015!
Posted 11 years agoYep, this con is right around the corner and I am super ridiculously stoked 8)
A not-necessarily-complete list of reasons I am stoked is as follows:
* astroq
* Rooming with the super ultra awesome taikamiya and 
ootachi
* taikamiya in general 8)
* ALL THE BEER
* Ye and toki
* the con is FIVE DAYS LONG
* Fursuiting!
* astroq fursuiting
* ROOM PARTIES
* Furries
* Not forgetting my sketchbook and getting some new art~
* Getting to see
wolfwithdances during the 5 free seconds he might have in between running around dealing with everything XD
* All sorts of other Bay Area furs!
relaxingdragon1, 
abehusky, 
kuisbright, and tons of others who don't seem to be on FA... :P
* HYPERPUPPYDANCETIME
* Hopefully buying some neat originals in the art auction again!
* Grilled cheese party
* Possibly playing the new SSB?
* getting Tanq'ed
* PARTY FLOOR YESSSS
* Seeing the SoCal furs, up Northside!
* Furries
* Hanging out with the New Mexico furs and associates! (Hopefully also the Utah furs?)
* Some sort of astro-furs meetup! At minimum kyash-tyur and astroq, and possibly 
ZehenausZauber if he's coming this year?
* Frolic San Jose??
* Furries
* Seriously I effin' love furries you all are amazing
* Meeting EVEN MORE cool new fuzzy people!
* Any awesome furfriends I forgot here (or who I don't know for sure if they're coming or don't have FA accounts or who do have FA accounts but I don't know them) - my apologies!
A not-necessarily-complete list of reasons I am stoked is as follows:
*
astroq* Rooming with the super ultra awesome
taikamiya and 
ootachi*
taikamiya in general 8)* ALL THE BEER
* Ye and
toki* the con is FIVE DAYS LONG
* Fursuiting!
*
astroq fursuiting* ROOM PARTIES
* Furries
* Not forgetting my sketchbook and getting some new art~
* Getting to see
wolfwithdances during the 5 free seconds he might have in between running around dealing with everything XD* All sorts of other Bay Area furs!
relaxingdragon1, 
abehusky, 
kuisbright, and tons of others who don't seem to be on FA... :P* HYPERPUPPYDANCETIME
* Hopefully buying some neat originals in the art auction again!
* Grilled cheese party
* Possibly playing the new SSB?
* getting Tanq'ed
* PARTY FLOOR YESSSS
* Seeing the SoCal furs, up Northside!
* Furries
* Hanging out with the New Mexico furs and associates! (Hopefully also the Utah furs?)
* Some sort of astro-furs meetup! At minimum
kyash-tyur and astroq, and possibly 
ZehenausZauber if he's coming this year?* Frolic San Jose??
* Furries
* Seriously I effin' love furries you all are amazing
* Meeting EVEN MORE cool new fuzzy people!
* Any awesome furfriends I forgot here (or who I don't know for sure if they're coming or don't have FA accounts or who do have FA accounts but I don't know them) - my apologies!
MFF!MFF!MFF!MFF!
Posted 11 years agoThis year's meme is pretty terrible, so I made some changes to it.
Where are you staying?
The Hyatt!
Who will you be rooming with?
A superawesome otttr and airyu and their guest and ~~~~~~
What day are you getting there?
Friday, late-afternoon! A bit late unfortunately because (like last year) I have some IMPORTANT BUSINESS TRAVEL right before, BUT I will get there as soon as I can!
How are you traveling?
I'm flying in from Rome, Italy (via Munich, Germany)!
How is the best way to find you?
Text message (if I know you and have your number)! Twitter also works!
Are there any panels you might be attending?
Erm, maybe? I didn't see anything really obvious in the schedule.
Will you be suiting?
Well this was a little more complicated than usual to arrange this year (see question #3) BUT Cami is navigating the postal system as we speak and will be there too~~
Do you do free art?
Uh, really bad art, maybe...
Do you do trades?
Well, if you want to draw something awesome in exchange for me drawing something terrible I won't object :P
What is your gender?
♂
How tall are you?
6'1"
What do you look like?
See above two lines, and look out for my conbadge which is course is how I would prefer to be seen ^__^
Or, Cami is a grey dog with floppy ears and a white star over one eye!
Can I talk to you?
Obviously!
Can I touch you?
I'm a little bit contact-phobic IRL but in general if I know you it's OK.
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs see above. Snuggling is past my IRL comfort threshold even with close friends ;__;
How can I find you?
Looking around Red Bar would not be a bad start!
Can I visit your room?
Only if I know you and roommates are kewl with it (room is a bit crowded this year).
Can I buy you drinks?
yes~~~~~~~~~~
Can I give you stuff?
Uh, if I know you?
Are you nice?
Most of the time?
Do you have an artist table?
Not an artist, sorry!
Will you be going to parties?
yes yes yes yes yes
Will you be performing?
Nope. One of these years...
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Er, walk up and introduce yourself?
Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
All over! In the bar, hanging out in the room or in friends' rooms, fursuiting, fursuit-dancing, visiting the dealers' den, sleeping...
What/where will you be eating?
Red Bar a lot, probably. ^^ Ordering pizza once or twice, most likely. Hopefully someone will arrange a dinner outside the hotel at one point but as I won't have a car to make such arrangements myself, we'll see!
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If I know you then certainly you're welcome to join at parties or meals on the premises!
Can I look in your sketchbook?
Erf, unfortunately I forgot it at home - I should have stashed it in the shipping box with Cami but neglected to do so :(
Can I draw in your sketchbook?
N/A :(
Can I take your picture?
Cami, YES ^__^ Out of suit, I'm not so keen, but probably OK.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Have fun! Hang out with friends I don't see anywhere near often enough! Scamper around in fursuit! Drink a lot! Enjoy some cold weather! Snag some cool art!
Where are you staying?
The Hyatt!
Who will you be rooming with?
A superawesome
otttr and airyu and their guest and ~~~~~~What day are you getting there?
Friday, late-afternoon! A bit late unfortunately because (like last year) I have some IMPORTANT BUSINESS TRAVEL right before, BUT I will get there as soon as I can!
How are you traveling?
I'm flying in from Rome, Italy (via Munich, Germany)!
How is the best way to find you?
Text message (if I know you and have your number)! Twitter also works!
Are there any panels you might be attending?
Erm, maybe? I didn't see anything really obvious in the schedule.
Will you be suiting?
Well this was a little more complicated than usual to arrange this year (see question #3) BUT Cami is navigating the postal system as we speak and will be there too~~
Do you do free art?
Uh, really bad art, maybe...
Do you do trades?
Well, if you want to draw something awesome in exchange for me drawing something terrible I won't object :P
What is your gender?
♂
How tall are you?
6'1"
What do you look like?
See above two lines, and look out for my conbadge which is course is how I would prefer to be seen ^__^
Or, Cami is a grey dog with floppy ears and a white star over one eye!
Can I talk to you?
Obviously!
Can I touch you?
I'm a little bit contact-phobic IRL but in general if I know you it's OK.
Can I hug or snuggle with you?
Hugs see above. Snuggling is past my IRL comfort threshold even with close friends ;__;
How can I find you?
Looking around Red Bar would not be a bad start!
Can I visit your room?
Only if I know you and roommates are kewl with it (room is a bit crowded this year).
Can I buy you drinks?
yes~~~~~~~~~~
Can I give you stuff?
Uh, if I know you?
Are you nice?
Most of the time?
Do you have an artist table?
Not an artist, sorry!
Will you be going to parties?
yes yes yes yes yes
Will you be performing?
Nope. One of these years...
If I see you, how should I get your attention?
Er, walk up and introduce yourself?
Where will you be most of the time during the day/s?
All over! In the bar, hanging out in the room or in friends' rooms, fursuiting, fursuit-dancing, visiting the dealers' den, sleeping...
What/where will you be eating?
Red Bar a lot, probably. ^^ Ordering pizza once or twice, most likely. Hopefully someone will arrange a dinner outside the hotel at one point but as I won't have a car to make such arrangements myself, we'll see!
Can I come with you for food/fun/etc?
If I know you then certainly you're welcome to join at parties or meals on the premises!
Can I look in your sketchbook?
Erf, unfortunately I forgot it at home - I should have stashed it in the shipping box with Cami but neglected to do so :(
Can I draw in your sketchbook?
N/A :(
Can I take your picture?
Cami, YES ^__^ Out of suit, I'm not so keen, but probably OK.
What's your goal(s) for the con this year?
Have fun! Hang out with friends I don't see anywhere near often enough! Scamper around in fursuit! Drink a lot! Enjoy some cold weather! Snag some cool art!
Guardians of the Galaxy
Posted 11 years agoHm, where to begin in reviewing this movie. Well, I could start with the backstory, or with the first scene of the movie, or with a plot synopsis...
OR I COULD TALK ABOUT ROCKET.
Guardians of the Galaxy features Rocket, a raccoon that is able to walk on two legs and talk and SHOOT HUGE FRIGGIN WEAPONS and PILOT A SPACESHIP and BREAK OUT OF A MAXIMUM-SECURITY SPACE PRISON and okay I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Rocket is awesome.
He's known in the comics as Rocket Raccoon (although the "raccoon" part is dropped in the movie because he is not actually aware of the details of his own origins: "There ain't no thing like me, 'cept me"), but I'd struggle to tell you anything other than that about his comics origins: I knew basically nothing else about the character before this movie, and from what miniscule amount I knew of the comics it seemed like he'd make a pretty silly film character. Given that even I had that reaction, the natural thing for Marvel to do in developing this movie would been to have exclude him completely or at least shunt him off into some supporting role. But, clearly, the studio's recent commercial successes have emboldened them to take some risks and so - remarkably enough - they went to exactly the opposite extreme, making him a totally integral member of the cast, the main "tough guy" of the whole crew with some of the best lines and clearly the best ass-kicking weapons scenes.
(some spoilers ahead)
So, let's see, during the course of the movie, Rocket...:
* Maniacally cackles while shooting one of the other Guardians in the back
* Proudly explains that he's going to break out of prison in front of his captors, and then does so
* Cows an entire prison filled with violent convicts by threatening to kick their asses
* Gives fake instructions to his allies just for kicks
* Does THIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crI.....zXgqto#t=1m06s
* Builds a super-weapon "of his own design"
* Gets drunk while gambling, swinging a huge gun around in people's faces in a drunken rant
* Steals an industrial capsule and turns it into a head-on ramming device
* Takes on a mothership-like vessel almost singlehandely while issuing an ultimatum to the captain
* Ends up effectively commanding the air defense of a densely-populated planet
* Drives a spaceship kamikaze-style right through the window of the main villain's vessel
* Even aside from the above, has perhaps the most critical role in saving the galaxy at the end
(end spoilers)
And, just in general, has some of the best lines of the movie, is animated astoundingly well, and is basically just the most awesome character evar.
The rest of the cast of unlikely anti-heroes is, despite an obvious deficiency in racconness, actually also pretty cool. The nominal team leader, Star-Lord, is the other stand-out character: with the personality of the the laid-back, jokester friend that everyone has (except that he's an interplanetary mercenary), he has almost as many good lines as Rocket, and his casual attitude, occasional incompetence, and various scenes in which he willingly or unwillingly embarrasses himself basically drive the movie's silly, buoyant character. Tree-creature Groot is the muscle behind Rocket's brains (they are a duo at the start of the movie) and despite having no dialogue other than "I am Groot" has his own hilarious charm. Drax (the big brawler) and Gamora (an assassin out for revenge against her former master) are the straight-men of the team and don't have quite the same silly vibe as the other three but help balance out the others (although Drax's inability to comprehend metaphor leads to some good jokes at his expense).
The rest of the movie is your standard silly comic book/superhero/sci-fi fare, with your apocalyptic relic and super-evil nutcase baddies and all the rest of it - but at least it is more or less coherent once you figure out who all the characters are, and the silly, playful atmosphere of the entire movie keeps it from being weighted down by the usual pretentiousness.
TLDR: Go see this movie. And then go see it again. And possibly a third time.
OR I COULD TALK ABOUT ROCKET.
Guardians of the Galaxy features Rocket, a raccoon that is able to walk on two legs and talk and SHOOT HUGE FRIGGIN WEAPONS and PILOT A SPACESHIP and BREAK OUT OF A MAXIMUM-SECURITY SPACE PRISON and okay I'm getting ahead of myself here.
Rocket is awesome.
He's known in the comics as Rocket Raccoon (although the "raccoon" part is dropped in the movie because he is not actually aware of the details of his own origins: "There ain't no thing like me, 'cept me"), but I'd struggle to tell you anything other than that about his comics origins: I knew basically nothing else about the character before this movie, and from what miniscule amount I knew of the comics it seemed like he'd make a pretty silly film character. Given that even I had that reaction, the natural thing for Marvel to do in developing this movie would been to have exclude him completely or at least shunt him off into some supporting role. But, clearly, the studio's recent commercial successes have emboldened them to take some risks and so - remarkably enough - they went to exactly the opposite extreme, making him a totally integral member of the cast, the main "tough guy" of the whole crew with some of the best lines and clearly the best ass-kicking weapons scenes.
(some spoilers ahead)
So, let's see, during the course of the movie, Rocket...:
* Maniacally cackles while shooting one of the other Guardians in the back
* Proudly explains that he's going to break out of prison in front of his captors, and then does so
* Cows an entire prison filled with violent convicts by threatening to kick their asses
* Gives fake instructions to his allies just for kicks
* Does THIS: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crI.....zXgqto#t=1m06s
* Builds a super-weapon "of his own design"
* Gets drunk while gambling, swinging a huge gun around in people's faces in a drunken rant
* Steals an industrial capsule and turns it into a head-on ramming device
* Takes on a mothership-like vessel almost singlehandely while issuing an ultimatum to the captain
* Ends up effectively commanding the air defense of a densely-populated planet
* Drives a spaceship kamikaze-style right through the window of the main villain's vessel
* Even aside from the above, has perhaps the most critical role in saving the galaxy at the end
(end spoilers)
And, just in general, has some of the best lines of the movie, is animated astoundingly well, and is basically just the most awesome character evar.
The rest of the cast of unlikely anti-heroes is, despite an obvious deficiency in racconness, actually also pretty cool. The nominal team leader, Star-Lord, is the other stand-out character: with the personality of the the laid-back, jokester friend that everyone has (except that he's an interplanetary mercenary), he has almost as many good lines as Rocket, and his casual attitude, occasional incompetence, and various scenes in which he willingly or unwillingly embarrasses himself basically drive the movie's silly, buoyant character. Tree-creature Groot is the muscle behind Rocket's brains (they are a duo at the start of the movie) and despite having no dialogue other than "I am Groot" has his own hilarious charm. Drax (the big brawler) and Gamora (an assassin out for revenge against her former master) are the straight-men of the team and don't have quite the same silly vibe as the other three but help balance out the others (although Drax's inability to comprehend metaphor leads to some good jokes at his expense).
The rest of the movie is your standard silly comic book/superhero/sci-fi fare, with your apocalyptic relic and super-evil nutcase baddies and all the rest of it - but at least it is more or less coherent once you figure out who all the characters are, and the silly, playful atmosphere of the entire movie keeps it from being weighted down by the usual pretentiousness.
TLDR: Go see this movie. And then go see it again. And possibly a third time.
BLFC ski trip!
Posted 11 years agoHey, anyone going to Reno this weekend!
As already announced, I'm going to be there (flying in Thursday night, flying out Sunday) and it's going to awesome 8) However, what is even more awesome about this year is that the con is in March during peak Sierra ski season!
Now, admittedly, this is the worst year for snowfall since 1976... BUT, nevertheless, it is going to snow a little bit on Wednesday and Thursday so at least conditions (on the slopes that are actually open) won't be too terrible.
Anyway, I'm almost certain to go on Friday and there's a possibility I'll go on Sunday as well. If you're interested and going and are driving up, let me know ASAP - I'd be very happy to hitch a ride! Otherwise, I'll probably rent a car for Friday.
Alright, let me know, and hope to see you up there one way or another!
As already announced, I'm going to be there (flying in Thursday night, flying out Sunday) and it's going to awesome 8) However, what is even more awesome about this year is that the con is in March during peak Sierra ski season!
Now, admittedly, this is the worst year for snowfall since 1976... BUT, nevertheless, it is going to snow a little bit on Wednesday and Thursday so at least conditions (on the slopes that are actually open) won't be too terrible.
Anyway, I'm almost certain to go on Friday and there's a possibility I'll go on Sunday as well. If you're interested and going and are driving up, let me know ASAP - I'd be very happy to hitch a ride! Otherwise, I'll probably rent a car for Friday.
Alright, let me know, and hope to see you up there one way or another!
NFC -> FWA -> BLFC
Posted 11 years agoYes, for some reason I am going to all of these cons (three in one month)! NFC already happened (which I forgot to post about here, whoops), but the other two are coming up! I'll be at FWA Thursday until Sunday, and then BLFC the following Thursday to the following Sunday.
See some of you there I hope!
See some of you there I hope!
Further Confusion 2014!
Posted 12 years agoI am so ridiculously excited for this con - can it please be Thursday already!
Anyway, here's the usual list of facts about my attendance.
Arrival: I'm driving up Thursday - probably pulling in around 6-7 PM, but maybe a little earlier if I can get my tail out of bed in the morning a little early.
Departure: Leaving Monday, presumably around the noon checkout deadline. May or may not spend another day up in the Bay Area afterwards before heading back.
Hotel: Marriott! Hopefully I'll get the room type we actually requested this year...
Roommates: I'll be hanging with taikamiya and astroq
Schedule: The usual! Wake up a little before noon, grab coffee, maybe grab lunch, do some combination of fursuiting / dealer's den / mild drinking during the day, get dinner, then MORE drinking (either at Tanq or in room or at roomparties) and/or fursuit dancing until late in the evening.
Panels/events: I'll probably be in the fursuit parade and attend the main variety show. And I've heard that some cool people are putting on a jazz performance that I'll try to drop by for. Other than that, I'll go do things on a "if I'm free at the moment I might check the schedule" basis.
Dinner plans: OK, this always ends up being a little complicated every year because I know *so* many people that are at FC! Dinner is one of the best opportunities to get caught up with people socially, especially good friends who I don't see (or talk to online) often. So if you're a friend of mine and we haven't talked in a while I would really love to get dinner, and if you have a night that's free, please let me know so we can make plans! The flip side of this of course is that since there are only so many nights available, and organizing enormous groups of people gets complicated, I might not be free every night for dinner with the same group of people, so don't be offended if I vanish some evenings.
Art: I'm not an artist, but will bring some basic sketch supplies that may or may not be broken out at some point. I will certainly be getting commissions, though! In particular, I have sketchbook dedicated to Procyon doing silly things with others' characters; if you're a friend of mine and would like to make an appearance let me know!
Fursuiting: Cami will, of course, also be making an appearance!
Dancing: Yep, in fursuit of course. I have some special accessories for the dance this year that I hope will work out, too!
Drinking: Most definitely 8) I'm sure I'll be spending a "healthy" amount of time at Tanq (Marriott hotel bar), will be keeping a decent stock of liquor in the room (let me know if you want to drop by!), and of course will also be at...
Parties: YES! Let me know if you have any plans, though with some of you I know I don't have to actually ask, hehe. :D There'll certainly be a night of perusing the party floor as well.
Romantic stalkery stuff: I am not mated and am not really interested in becoming that way (unfortunately).
Interaction/contact: Hugs are encouraged, as are silly pretend in-character sorts of things. Cuddling/feeling/whateverz can be saved for others.
Contact info: If you have my cell phone number feel free to use that (texts are optimal, phone call also good). Twitter is also a good option. By the way, keep in mind that because I'm too lazy to lock my phone you may get some pocket dials back, just ignore them.
See everyone there!
Anyway, here's the usual list of facts about my attendance.
Arrival: I'm driving up Thursday - probably pulling in around 6-7 PM, but maybe a little earlier if I can get my tail out of bed in the morning a little early.
Departure: Leaving Monday, presumably around the noon checkout deadline. May or may not spend another day up in the Bay Area afterwards before heading back.
Hotel: Marriott! Hopefully I'll get the room type we actually requested this year...
Roommates: I'll be hanging with
taikamiya and astroqSchedule: The usual! Wake up a little before noon, grab coffee, maybe grab lunch, do some combination of fursuiting / dealer's den / mild drinking during the day, get dinner, then MORE drinking (either at Tanq or in room or at roomparties) and/or fursuit dancing until late in the evening.
Panels/events: I'll probably be in the fursuit parade and attend the main variety show. And I've heard that some cool people are putting on a jazz performance that I'll try to drop by for. Other than that, I'll go do things on a "if I'm free at the moment I might check the schedule" basis.
Dinner plans: OK, this always ends up being a little complicated every year because I know *so* many people that are at FC! Dinner is one of the best opportunities to get caught up with people socially, especially good friends who I don't see (or talk to online) often. So if you're a friend of mine and we haven't talked in a while I would really love to get dinner, and if you have a night that's free, please let me know so we can make plans! The flip side of this of course is that since there are only so many nights available, and organizing enormous groups of people gets complicated, I might not be free every night for dinner with the same group of people, so don't be offended if I vanish some evenings.
Art: I'm not an artist, but will bring some basic sketch supplies that may or may not be broken out at some point. I will certainly be getting commissions, though! In particular, I have sketchbook dedicated to Procyon doing silly things with others' characters; if you're a friend of mine and would like to make an appearance let me know!
Fursuiting: Cami will, of course, also be making an appearance!
Dancing: Yep, in fursuit of course. I have some special accessories for the dance this year that I hope will work out, too!
Drinking: Most definitely 8) I'm sure I'll be spending a "healthy" amount of time at Tanq (Marriott hotel bar), will be keeping a decent stock of liquor in the room (let me know if you want to drop by!), and of course will also be at...
Parties: YES! Let me know if you have any plans, though with some of you I know I don't have to actually ask, hehe. :D There'll certainly be a night of perusing the party floor as well.
Romantic stalkery stuff: I am not mated and am not really interested in becoming that way (unfortunately).
Interaction/contact: Hugs are encouraged, as are silly pretend in-character sorts of things. Cuddling/feeling/whateverz can be saved for others.
Contact info: If you have my cell phone number feel free to use that (texts are optimal, phone call also good). Twitter is also a good option. By the way, keep in mind that because I'm too lazy to lock my phone you may get some pocket dials back, just ignore them.
See everyone there!
Fursona questions
Posted 12 years agoSince these are often popular questions when chatting with other furries (and I've enjoyed reading other people's responses to them), I figured some of you might be interested in my own answers if I posted them here. Here goes!
What made you choose the species of your main fursona?
It was, ultimately, the amusing double-meaning that it enabled my name to represent: "Procyon" the scientific genus of the raccoon but is both a bright star in the night sky, so the character and name explicitly embody my scientific interests and IRL career path as well as a pretty awesome furry critter. I adopted the name online first (it permanently solved my perennial dilemma about whether to use an online handle involving a physics/astro reference or a zoology/biology reference in my early days online), and the character eventually followed once I started feeling obligated to come up with a subtitle, avatar, etc. to also indicate the double meaning.
Of course, it helped that raccoons are pretty awesome: clever and crafty, able to manipulate objects even in quadrupedal form, and definitely in the small-cute-critter category without also being complete pushovers. Still, ultimately, the species followed from the name!
Does your fursona have the same personality you have?
Not really. IRL I'm pretty shy, reserved, and cautious; Procyon is (when played in social environments) quite extroverted, obnoxious, and constantly demanding to be the center of attention. But maybe there are some similarities; when I was in middle school my personality then was actually pretty similar to the way I envision Procyon being all the time - loud, unconcerned with others' opinions, and generally a bit of a troublemaker (but never in a dangerous or serious way).
Does your fursona have the same dislikes and likes as you do?
Largely, although Procyon is surely a little less spoiled in that he is a feral living in the forest and so on and can't afford to dislike certain things.
Does your fursona look like you at all?
It's hard to compare against a feral, but at least eye color and overall build are the same. Procyon is unusually small in all dimensions, though, whereas I'm pretty tall IRL.
Is your fursona the same gender as you, if not why?
Technically, yes, although Procyon (while nominally male) is effectively genderless for all practical intents and purposes. On the other hand I'm also pretty close to being genderless personally (see 3 questions down), so whatever.
Do you have more then one main fursona?
No, I don't have any other characters I actively use to represent myself online or internally. Long ago (before I knew anything about furry) I had a mountain lion proto-fursona that I would sometimes envision myself as, but have had no real connection to him since Procyon became an actual character; and of course there is Cami, my fursuit character (who was constructed to also carry some symbolic meanings about my interests), but neither comes near what I consider a fursona.
Is your fursona mated, if so is it to your real life significant other?
My fursona is not mated.
If not are they looking for a mate?
"No" would be the correct answer although just as in IRL this is a subject that causes me a little bit of grief. There is no fundamental reason why Procyon has to also be asexual - the character is intended to be more outgoing and less restrained than I am, open to experiences which I might not be - yet ultimately even thinking about the issue of romantic/sexual relations in character leads to the same sort of massive personal discomfort that it does in real life. And as a result Procyon ends up being exactly the same as me, feeling vaguely like something is missing yet hemmed in by an inability to develop strong feelings for anyone and open discomfort/fear of even the concept of intimacy.
I guess that was a little more introspective than I intended.
Is there something special about your fursona that you think sets them apart from others?
No; while I've settled on some details about the exact fur color patterning that may make Procyon moderately identifiable compared to a generic sketch of a non-anthro raccoon, none of those details are really "special". Having an exclusively non-anthro character is a bit unusual, but hardly rare either.
Do you have much art of your main fursona/s?
Lots and lots.
Would you ever consider parting with your main fursona, if so why?
Absent some sort of unimaginable life crisis, nope!
If you suit, do you have a suit of your main fursona?
Nope, my suit is of a completely different character, as I mentioned above. You can't really fursuit ferals (other than maybe bears, wolves, and other large creatures, and even then only very uncomfortably).
Have you ever roleplayed with your main fursona, or do you prefer not to?
Yep, lots of times. Though usually it's not particularly serious or formal roleplay.
Do you consider your main fursona to be a part of you in any way?
Sure, it's been how I've preferred to think of myself and represent myself where possible for 13 years, so that means something!
What made you choose the species of your main fursona?
It was, ultimately, the amusing double-meaning that it enabled my name to represent: "Procyon" the scientific genus of the raccoon but is both a bright star in the night sky, so the character and name explicitly embody my scientific interests and IRL career path as well as a pretty awesome furry critter. I adopted the name online first (it permanently solved my perennial dilemma about whether to use an online handle involving a physics/astro reference or a zoology/biology reference in my early days online), and the character eventually followed once I started feeling obligated to come up with a subtitle, avatar, etc. to also indicate the double meaning.
Of course, it helped that raccoons are pretty awesome: clever and crafty, able to manipulate objects even in quadrupedal form, and definitely in the small-cute-critter category without also being complete pushovers. Still, ultimately, the species followed from the name!
Does your fursona have the same personality you have?
Not really. IRL I'm pretty shy, reserved, and cautious; Procyon is (when played in social environments) quite extroverted, obnoxious, and constantly demanding to be the center of attention. But maybe there are some similarities; when I was in middle school my personality then was actually pretty similar to the way I envision Procyon being all the time - loud, unconcerned with others' opinions, and generally a bit of a troublemaker (but never in a dangerous or serious way).
Does your fursona have the same dislikes and likes as you do?
Largely, although Procyon is surely a little less spoiled in that he is a feral living in the forest and so on and can't afford to dislike certain things.
Does your fursona look like you at all?
It's hard to compare against a feral, but at least eye color and overall build are the same. Procyon is unusually small in all dimensions, though, whereas I'm pretty tall IRL.
Is your fursona the same gender as you, if not why?
Technically, yes, although Procyon (while nominally male) is effectively genderless for all practical intents and purposes. On the other hand I'm also pretty close to being genderless personally (see 3 questions down), so whatever.
Do you have more then one main fursona?
No, I don't have any other characters I actively use to represent myself online or internally. Long ago (before I knew anything about furry) I had a mountain lion proto-fursona that I would sometimes envision myself as, but have had no real connection to him since Procyon became an actual character; and of course there is Cami, my fursuit character (who was constructed to also carry some symbolic meanings about my interests), but neither comes near what I consider a fursona.
Is your fursona mated, if so is it to your real life significant other?
My fursona is not mated.
If not are they looking for a mate?
"No" would be the correct answer although just as in IRL this is a subject that causes me a little bit of grief. There is no fundamental reason why Procyon has to also be asexual - the character is intended to be more outgoing and less restrained than I am, open to experiences which I might not be - yet ultimately even thinking about the issue of romantic/sexual relations in character leads to the same sort of massive personal discomfort that it does in real life. And as a result Procyon ends up being exactly the same as me, feeling vaguely like something is missing yet hemmed in by an inability to develop strong feelings for anyone and open discomfort/fear of even the concept of intimacy.
I guess that was a little more introspective than I intended.
Is there something special about your fursona that you think sets them apart from others?
No; while I've settled on some details about the exact fur color patterning that may make Procyon moderately identifiable compared to a generic sketch of a non-anthro raccoon, none of those details are really "special". Having an exclusively non-anthro character is a bit unusual, but hardly rare either.
Do you have much art of your main fursona/s?
Lots and lots.
Would you ever consider parting with your main fursona, if so why?
Absent some sort of unimaginable life crisis, nope!
If you suit, do you have a suit of your main fursona?
Nope, my suit is of a completely different character, as I mentioned above. You can't really fursuit ferals (other than maybe bears, wolves, and other large creatures, and even then only very uncomfortably).
Have you ever roleplayed with your main fursona, or do you prefer not to?
Yep, lots of times. Though usually it's not particularly serious or formal roleplay.
Do you consider your main fursona to be a part of you in any way?
Sure, it's been how I've preferred to think of myself and represent myself where possible for 13 years, so that means something!
MFF 2013
Posted 12 years agoHi everyone! I'm going to be there and it's going to be ridiculously great this year 8) Just five years ago when I first attented MFF I think I knew all of three people there and even two years ago I was a bit melancholy that I didn't know more, but starting last year this con has really ramped up to (past?) FC levels of epic awesome win.
-SO- of course I am coming this year, although the scheduling was somewhat more complicated than usual as I will describe in a moment. Anyway, if you're looking to hang out with me there, here is what you need to know!
Arrival
So, we have a little problem which is that I'm in Taiwan right now on a conference about DUST IN SPACE (very exciting and important business I assure you) which nominally lasts until Friday evening. I'm bailing on the conference a day early, however, and time zones work strongly in my favor (15 hour gain), so despite the ridiculously long journey involved I'll be pulling into Chicago at 7:30 PM on Friday.
Room
I will of course be in the Hyatt at the center of the action! I'll be rooming with the super great astroq and linusmynx
Alter Egos
I was able to squeeze in enough time between returning from Taiwan and heading to Chicago to swing by my apartment and pick up Cami, so there will be hyperpuppy scamperings going on as well this con.
Itinerary
While I do not suffer from "jet lag" per se, the rather odd travel schedule may have unpredictable effects on exactly when I wake up. We shall see. ANYWAY, chances are you can find me in the following places at the following times:
Before noon - sleeping, or coffeeeeing with
Early afternoon - running around the lobby or dealers' den with or without fursuit
Late afternoon - see above
Lunch/Dinner - Hopefully eating with friends, let me know if you want to meet!
After dinner - red bar with and 
and all other comers 8)
Late - At the dance! In suit of course.
Later - Room parties!
Contact
Send me a note if you want my phone number and for some reason I know you but you don't have it! procyonir on Twitter also works!
Other kinds of contact
Hugs are highly encouraged but in general other forms of contact tend to make me mildly uncomfortable, FYI.
Conversation
Things I like talking about include: my job (which is awesome), travel, furries, and lightheartedly making fun of everything. Things I do not like talking about include: relationships (alienating), references to things I do not understand.
Departure
Since I'm arriving late I'm also leaving late; noon on Monday. You guys are all going to be there Sunday right, right? *listens to crickets chirp*
-SO- of course I am coming this year, although the scheduling was somewhat more complicated than usual as I will describe in a moment. Anyway, if you're looking to hang out with me there, here is what you need to know!
Arrival
So, we have a little problem which is that I'm in Taiwan right now on a conference about DUST IN SPACE (very exciting and important business I assure you) which nominally lasts until Friday evening. I'm bailing on the conference a day early, however, and time zones work strongly in my favor (15 hour gain), so despite the ridiculously long journey involved I'll be pulling into Chicago at 7:30 PM on Friday.
Room
I will of course be in the Hyatt at the center of the action! I'll be rooming with the super great
astroq and linusmynxAlter Egos
I was able to squeeze in enough time between returning from Taiwan and heading to Chicago to swing by my apartment and pick up Cami, so there will be hyperpuppy scamperings going on as well this con.
Itinerary
While I do not suffer from "jet lag" per se, the rather odd travel schedule may have unpredictable effects on exactly when I wake up. We shall see. ANYWAY, chances are you can find me in the following places at the following times:
Before noon - sleeping, or coffeeeeing with
Early afternoon - running around the lobby or dealers' den with or without fursuit
Late afternoon - see above
Lunch/Dinner - Hopefully eating with friends, let me know if you want to meet!
After dinner - red bar with
and 
and all other comers 8)Late - At the dance! In suit of course.
Later - Room parties!
Contact
Send me a note if you want my phone number and for some reason I know you but you don't have it! procyonir on Twitter also works!
Other kinds of contact
Hugs are highly encouraged but in general other forms of contact tend to make me mildly uncomfortable, FYI.
Conversation
Things I like talking about include: my job (which is awesome), travel, furries, and lightheartedly making fun of everything. Things I do not like talking about include: relationships (alienating), references to things I do not understand.
Departure
Since I'm arriving late I'm also leaving late; noon on Monday. You guys are all going to be there Sunday right, right? *listens to crickets chirp*
