Links: Lando, Lucy Liu, & Alien vs. Predator

Workspace with computer, journal, books, coffee, and glasses.It’s Wednesday Links time! We’re all back from RT in Reno. I am still very jet-lagged, though my cat is appreciating all the naps we’ve been taking. For those of you who made it out to Reno, we hope you had a lovely time and it was really great meeting so many of you.

Have you heard of SkyKnit? Knitters + neural network = very odd results. You can check out the generated patterns and photos of finished projects here. They’re all very…alien-like to me. Have you tried any of the SkyKnit patterns?

I’m on the fence about seeing Solo, the new Star Wars movie that focuses on a young Han Solo. If I do see it, it’s only to gaze upon Donald Glover as Lando Calrissian. However, I absolutely loved reading this article from The Verge on Lando’s pansexuality:

Kasdan’s eagerness to represent the LGBT community is a lovely thought, but it’s just that: a thought. Real representation means crafting considered, nuanced characters whose sexuality is treated as respectfully on-screen as it is off. If creators want to do right by LGBT fans, they can start by picking them up off of the cutting-room floor.

I completely agree. Saying a character is LGBT seems like the lazy way out of giving communities real representation.

Curious about what your baby name would be if you were born in a different decade? For me, Ruth was killing in during the 1900s and 1910s.

Author Alyssa  Cole is at Frolic and she’s challenging my opinion on whether Alien vs. Predator was really a horror movie.

Meet cute

Well, it’s not super cute. He’s trying to kill Alexa and her colleagues because, that’s just what predators do. Though, when a wellmeaning Lance Hendriksen tries to distract him so Alexa and Sebastian can get away, Pred (that’s what we’re going to call him) decides to let him live, foreshadowing that perhaps there’s some compassion beneath those layers of steel? (He does end up just killing Lance when he won’t be ignored). Alexa and Sebastian are busy running from Alien Xenomorphs and Pred, though alas Sebastian doesn’t make it, leaving room for love to bloom between Pred and Alexa.

Enemies no more?

Alexa stumbles upon Pred while trying to navigate her way out of the pyramid. He pulls out his weapon, but she hands over her own, telling him “The enemy of my enemy is my friend,” which marks their transition from enemies to more. He’s wary, but then an alien attacks and she uses Pred’s weapon to try to kill it. Pred sees this go down and hey, he has to respect that, right? After reclaiming his weapon, he turns to leave instead of attacking her and Alexa follows, demanding he take her with him. Pred should kill her…instead he offers her a gift. A badass weapon and shield he makes himself from the carcass of the alien she killed. (Pred’s love language is clearly “acts of service.”) They then run off to battle the enemy together.

Cole makes a compelling argument. I may have to watch the movie again with this new outlook.

New rom com alert! 

Don’t forget to share what super cool things you’ve seen, read, or listened to this week! And if you have anything you think we’d like to post on a future Wednesday Links, send it my way!

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  1. Jill Q. says:

    I’m so excited for that Lucy Liu romantic comedy, you have no idea.

  2. Chiara says:

    Eloisa James and Sarah MacLean were on the CBC a few weeks ago. They chose a pretty obviously problematic sound bite from a man to counterpoint the discussion, but it was still exciting and had me making angry exclamations in my kitchen while I was listening. The most interesting part is that the Toronto Public Library is hiring a writer in residence specifically in Romance Fiction.

    http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/there-s-underlying-sexism-when-the-romance-genre-is-criticized-novelists-says-1.4659353

  3. Julia aka mizzelle says:

    I just wish Lucy Liu and her intended were the main characters, not the assistants.

  4. Marissa says:

    https://www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna876791

    Georgia gubernatorial hopeful is ONE OF US…

  5. Marissa says:

    https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfHB53JklWo_tDJEV9rdQAFcOx9kdPUkbVm6s9_dJ5hkSlhBA/viewform

    Also, re: Skynit – they have moved on to crochet!
    If you’re on Ravelry check out LSG (Lazy, Stupid, & Godless) for a stickied thread.

  6. Amelia says:

    OMG STACY ABRAMS! Didn’t know I was capable of being MORE excited about her candidacy than I was after her 75% sweep last night but I am now. Also, Rachel Maddow just called her one of the most talented politicians she’s ever met, so there’s that…

  7. Thanks for the tip about the Lucy Liu movie. I love rom-coms.

    And did you guys see that MY CHRISTMAS PRINCE on Netflix is getting a sequel? https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/a-christmas-prince-sequel-royal-wedding-set-at-netflix-1105080

  8. Kate says:

    I don’t know if this has been posted before, but I just discovered it via Jezebel and have been cracking up at my desk. “Come Be My Friend” is my favorite so far. https://twitter.com/paprbckparadise

  9. KateB says:

    YES!!!! NETFLIX MAKE ALL THE ROMCOMS OF ALL THE VARIETIES, PLEASE

  10. Katherine McCorry says:

    The kissing booth on Netflix was actually pretty cute. It’s a teen romcom with the “off limits” sibling. Was good for a rainy day movie.

  11. Andrea D says:

    My baby name for the 1940s came back as my Mom’s name, and that’s the decade she was born. Which startled me and made me cry a bit since she passed away a few years ago. One of those little things I wish I could share with her.

  12. Amanda says:

    @Andrea D: I’m so sorry to hear that, Andrea. But perhaps it’s a sign. I’m not a religious person, but my grandmother was. She passed last summer and I was tasked with cleaning out her house. I remember finding her bible with the ribbon marked on a certain page. There was a lovely passage highlighted about love and grief.

    And of course, I lost my mind and cried. But I take stock in those strange coincidences.

  13. EmRosa says:

    Looking forward to that Lucy Liu romcom. Love her in anything, esp. after the movie Rise (vampires, people!) some years ago.

    Am reading The Epic Crush of Genie Lo now, thanks to sale posted here recently. It’s got a great breezy, irreverent tone. But, how do you pronounce Genie — jeeny or jehny? My mind says jeeny.

    Also, I now have a TBR pile on my kindle. Keep buying books on sale from here. This is a new experience for me. *goes off to read Genie and/or wrestle the TBR*

  14. Heather Greye says:

    I don’t even remember watching Alien vs Predator (Aliens 4EVAH!) but read the theory to dh and he said, “oh, it’s totally an action-romance. I’ve been saying that since we watched it.”

  15. Curlthulu says:

    I will say I saw Alien vs Predator when I was about 13, and I was definitely feeling the romance. I legit was like “coolio, they’re gonna be in love now and together and happy,” as I was watching it so Alyssa and I are apparently like 1000% on the same page here

  16. AShley S says:

    There is a Sci fi series of Alien vs. Predator books. The movie is loosely based off the first book. Pred (ator) is bringing the younger predators on a training hunt that goes wrong. The female protagonist is the security officer for a ranching community who is trying to protect her outpost. They work together to destroy the aliens. The queen takes out Pred but before he dies, he marks her, with the Hunter mark that he would have given to his predators in training. The story was more about the hunter code, because predator society is all about the hunt. Having that background, when I watch the movie, I see respect for her abilities/character vs. romantic intention.

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