Hello Internet!
I hope everyone is doing well and staying as healthy as they can. I know that the quarantine is ongoing where I live although I’ve seen reports that we might have passed the peak of new cases, so maybe we will see a slow decline in cases and things will slowly reopen. Either way, I’m sure it will be a slow process. I just hope that governments will keep safety and health in mind when deciding when to reopen and when. But that’s not what I want to talk about this week because 1) That’s a very sensitive subject and 2) I am not qualified to talk about it in detail. I’m just going to do my best to stay quarantined and maintain social distancing. This of course has lead to me spending a lot of time watching stuff, but we’ll get to that in a second. First, I want to talk about all the stuff I’ve published in this past week. Last Sunday, I published a Weekly Blog talking about Easter. Easter was very different this year because of the quarantine and I used this Weekly Blog to talk about how it was different for me and how the message of Jesus can give us hope for what we are going through now. On Wednesday, I published a Poem titled “Spring Awake” which mirrors imagery of Spring with awaking from a dream. It’s a simple, but lovely poem that I really enjoyed writing. Finally, on Friday, I published the next chapter of my Dungeons and Dragons inspired series titled “Meeting The Chief (D&D).” After the group split up to find Riffen, they were attacked by Assassins. Fortunately, they lived the battle and now must head to the courthouse to give a statement to The Chief of the Xylon City Guard. Check any or all of those published pieces if you haven’t already. Also, we are quickly approaching piece number 500 and I have some ideas brewing on what I want to do!
Now like I said, I’ve been quarantining and spending a lot of time inside during this pandemic, and let me say, I am so happy we have things like the internet and Netflix. I would be so bored if I didn’t have things to watch. I mean, I have been re-reading World War Z (which I will probably do a Weekly Blog on someday), but I spend a lot more time watching stuff. Since I have been watching so much Netflix, I thought I’d share with you what I’m watching right now. First, I watched Violet Evergarden: Eternity and the Auto Memories Doll. I am a huge fan of Violet Evergarden which is an Anime which follows a young woman who loses her arms during a war, gets robot replacements, and then spends the time after the war as an Auto Memory Doll. She writes letters for people who cannot write or read themselves and through this, she understands things like love and friendship. The movie basically takes two, 45 minutes episodes of the Anime and puts them together to form a movie which I’m totally ok with because it still tells an amazing story with compelling characters. Violet Evergarden is amazing and gives an interesting view on the world. Also I love the setting. The Anime and Movie are set in this pseudo-late-1800s/early 1900s Europe and it’s amazing. The history and shifting technology both are super interesting and honestly, I’d love to watch any shows set in this world. Just give me more world building! Overall, I highly recommend both the Anime and the Movie.
The next thing I’ve been watching is Avatar: The Last Airbender. Now, if you live in the US, Avatar is not on Netflix. They only have the horrible movie. But, if you live in other parts of the world, or have a VPN like I do, you can still watch it. I found it available in France so I just use my VPN and pop over there so I can watch it. Now I haven’t completely re-watched the series again but I’m most of the way through Book 2 – Earth. I am very surprised I have not talked about Avatar as it’s own Weekly Blog yet, because I have so many things to say. The world-building and the ideas of elemental benders is amazing, the characters are lovable, the dialogue is memorable, and the story arcs are fantastic. Avatar: The Last Airbender is definitely one of the best television shows ever made. Like, not best cartoon. Best television show. I did notice that early on, the animation is a little wonky and the voice acting isn’t the best, but the show also debuted over 15 years ago. These problems go away quickly as they go through the first season and into the second. Like Book 1- Water was already a 9.5/10, but Book 2 – Earth is a straight 10/10. Even the one episode in Book Earth everyone complains about isn’t really that bad. I’m not going to complain about some filler episodes when I’m desperate to spend more time in this world and with these characters. I’m a huge fan of Aang, Katara, and Sokka, but my favorite has to be Toph. I kind of forgot just how amazing she is, but rewatching the series definitely makes me like her even more. She’s funny, strong, and is a great example of how to write a character with a disability but show it as a strength. She embraces her blindness and it actually makes here a better bender. Overall, if you haven’t watched this series, you need to change that. If you have watched the series, I’m pretty sure it’s the perfect time for a rewatch.
Last but not least, the live action show I’ve been watching is Community. Now Community is on Netflix in the US so no need for a VPN if you live in America. This is a fantastical comedy from the mind of Dan Harmon (of Rick and Morty fame). It focuses on seven main characters who are making their way through community college. They start out as a Spanish study group but quickly grow into a group of friends with some romantic relationships as well. I’ve also watched Community before, but once it was on Netflix I knew it was time to watch it again. This show kind of raises above the tropes of NBC sitcoms it was being created beside and it really excels when it goes off the rails. It’s a show about going to community college but that’s the backdrop to wacky adventures involving paintball wars, zombie attacks, civil war documentaries about pillow forts, and multiple timelines. These are just a few different episodes which highlight how great this show is when it thinks outside the box. It also relies on strong characters with great character arcs. There are moments where characters can feel one dimensional or just playing up their related cliches, but these moments are far and few between. Also following the third season, the show went through rocky periods where it looked like the show wasn’t going to be continued. During this time, the fans showed support with the phrase Six Seasons And A Movie. Community did get five seasons on NBC and its sixth season on Yahoo Streaming. Remember Yahoo Streaming? Yeah, nobody does. The show has some very strong moments even among some rocky patches in the second half of its time on the air. Just embrace the characters and their wackiness and you’ll have a great time watching Community. Again, I recommend this show as well as the other shows I’ve been watching. All of them have been great!
So that’s what I’ve been watching during quarantine. Violet Evergarden, Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Community are all fantastic and are worth the watch. Hopefully you have Netflix because everything I’ve mentioned is there. If not, I’m sure there are also amazing things to watch on other platforms. Can’t go wrong with watching Disney Movies on Disney Plus, but that’s a whole other subject for another time.
Thank you so much for reading that Weekly Blog. Hopefully you have found some new stuff to watch or revisit. If you liked this Weekly Blog where I talked about television shows and movies I watch, I hope you will leave a like. Feel free to also leave a comment down below talking about any of the stuff I’ve mentioned or what you are currently watching during this quarantine. I’d love to get some recommendations from you. Or maybe you are more of a reader. If that’s the case, you are in luck. Here on WordPress I have published over 450 pieces including Weekly Blogs, Poems, Writing Prompt Pieces, and Pokemon Fanfiction. Hopefully some of that piques your interest and you spend some time reading my stuff during this quarantine. I really appreciate all the love and support everyone shows and the fact that people around the world are reading my stuff really makes my day. It’s like I have a global community of love and support.
Thank you again and I hope you have a wonderful week!
-Allen_The_Writer
Header Photo Credit to Community’s Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Community_(TV_series)
Allen The Writer 