They might not be raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens, but that doesn’t mean that we love them any less. Welcome back to My Favorite Things, a weekly column where we gab about the greatest in geek. This week, we’re all about one of the “New Gods” on the American Gods television show, a beautiful new music video that’s both speculative and powerful, and the latest issue of one of our favorite comics here on Speculative Chic. Read on for more!
Casey’s Favorite Thing is… Media!
So this was a tough one to nail down, but my very favorite thing right now is Gillian Anderson’s portrayal as new god Media on American Gods. For those who aren’t familiar with the character, Media is one of the “new gods” of America and one of several antagonists of the series. Anderson is a fantastic chameleon who has offered up absolutely perfect portrayals of Lucy Ricardo, Marilyn Monroe, and (my personal favorite) David Bowie. You can watch a clip of Anderson as Bowie here, but beware of extremely slight spoilers. She’s amazing. All of Anderson-as-Media’s different appearances have been spot on. Check out these images of her turn as Lucy! There haven’t been many scenes with Media so far in the series — only the three — but I am very much looking forward to seeing more of this character.
Nancy’s Favorite Thing is… “Lost Girls”!
Over the past year, I’ve become a huge fan of dancing violinist Lindsey Stirling (thanks in no small part to Casey’s column here on Speculative Chic!). I find her playing to be infectious, her music to be truly unique, and love the way that her videos often tell stories. One of her latest videos, “Lost Girls” is actually a follow up to one of her most popular videos, “Shatter Me.” “Shatter Me” tells the story of a ballerina (played by Lindsey herself) trapped in a snow globe. By the end of the video, the ballerina has found a way to break out of her prison. In “Lost Girls” we are able to see her take her first steps into the world around her. She clashes with wicked fairies and is assaulted by the forest before encountering an enchantress who tempts her to return to the safety of her snow globe prison.
“Lost Girls” is satisfying on multiple levels. As someone who has always enjoyed stories in which people wander into the lush and treacherous world of faerie, the video appealed to the speculative fiction fan in me. At the same time, the video for “Lost Girls” also serves for a strong metaphor for recovery, and how easy it can be to get sucked back into negative habits. Lindsey’s struggle is tied to a past eating disorder, but the message is broad enough that it can apply in many situations. Much like “Shatter Me,” “Lost Girls” is a powerful and personal video with wonderful music. I hope that this isn’t the last time we will encounter the ballerina in Lindsey Stirling’s videos.
Keyes’s Favorite Thing is… Monstress #12!
Other contributors have expressed their delight with Monstress before, but it never hurts to pile on the love for this absolute gem of a comic. I read it religiously, and I am not a comic reader, aside from having followed Girl Genius online for years and occasionally recalling to catch up on a few other webcomics in fits and spurts. Monstress issue #12 closes out the second story arc, and wow were there some doozies I did not see coming. Or, more appropriately, I did see coming, but not from the direction they actually took. I am rarely surprised reading, watching or playing fiction, so throwing me at all is a high compliment. Now, I’ll be on pins and needles waiting for Monstress to come back with issue #13.
Any thoughts on the selections above? Let us know in the comments!
I so look forward to getting my eyeballs on American Gods, and I really do need to catch up on Monstress. That comic is amazing.
I’m dying to start American Gods…