Not unexpected nostalgia.
Sep. 19th, 2017 07:43 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
insaneladybug... Toys R Us filed for bankruptcy. At least it's Chapter 11 and not 7, so the stores are staying put for now, but maybe they'll start closing some eventually. And in any case, it seems like Chapter 11 is how it always starts. Borders filed for Chapter 11 and then folded within a couple of years. K-Mart filed for Chapter 11 and even though they're still hanging on, I don't have much hope for their continued survival. And now Sears is going down with them since they're one company following the Chapter 11.
Seriously, though, please no. It was horrible enough to lose Borders and to have the K-Marts leave the state. Toys R Us cannot fold!
So I did search for stuff about The Loner last night and I found a very nice and informative article on a Rod Serling website. It's pretty much what I thought it would be once I learned he was involved, mostly downer or bittersweet endings. But it does sound like a powerful series. I probably would want to see it for Lloyd Bridges, if nothing else, since Mike Hammer is honestly a pretty downer series but is worth watching for Darren McGavin. However, I don't think I would make buying The Loner a priority ahead of other things. I may ask for it, though.
And with my preoccupation over the Pokemon DVD set shipping and trying to decide what to do about the other DVD sets, naturally it was expected that I would have a Pokemon dream sooner or later. Naturally it also heavily involved Team Rocket, especially James and Meowth, but while awake, I can't seem to recall many of the details.
It did cause me to go on another nostalgia trip and try to figure out why I got interested in those characters. I was obsessed with them to the point of trying to get merchandise involving them, including some stickers, a magazine with a Men In Black parody poster, and videos with my favorite episodes. (I only managed to get one of my most favorites to own, although I have four tapes.) I also tried to get a cute gift bag Toys R Us had, but I missed that one. And I wanted a huge Meowth plush that was only $20 at Toys R Us. I remember holding it longingly on my 16th birthday. I was absolutely ecstatic when one of my aunts brought him later that night as a present! And let's not forget the time I tried to dress up as Jessie for Halloween. I still wish I'd played James instead, because my costume was really more his in every way except for the wig. (No way would I wear a midriff shirt or a short skirt!) Then more recently, my failure at getting the shirt F.Y.E. carried. And I never have managed to get any of the figure releases, although I've wanted to.
Then there were the few times I did get plunnied for Pokemon fics. I think the only ones I actually finished were the one deconstructing Ash always electrocuting them and blasting them off and one where James is thought dead and turns up running around with amnesia. Oh, and one where Team Rocket helps the kids when they get in life-threatening trouble. Then I had one where the trio tries to leave the Team Rocket organization after James witnesses a near-murder (which was a tie-in with a YGO fic I did, actually) and a random hurt/comfort one where he and Jessie got into an argument and he later ended up hurt. I haven't looked at them for many years. They're probably terrible now, LOL. I think they may have been written before I was told my stories looked script-like and needed more details.
Anyway, I honestly can't remember why I initially found them so compelling. I don't recall at all what the first Pokemon episode is that I watched. But perhaps whatever it was, Team Rocket did something interesting that made me want to know more about them. So I may have looked them up, decided they were intriguing, and promptly wanted to get episodes focusing on them. I do remember going after all the videos in the library that I could with interesting Team Rocket episodes.
I think why I find them interesting now is that they seem to be good deep down, no matter how they try to be bad, and I like their close friendship with each other. I did play on the shipping bandwagon for a time, but then I got turned off because of one fan's obsessiveness over insisting on the pairing. The more she insisted it should be, the more I balked with why it shouldn't be. Now I like it better as kept in a platonic light. Boy and girl friendships are too few and far in-between in media.
I am very eager for the DVD set to arrive. I do wonder if I'll be able to stick to my goal of saving it to get into until my birthday. I am so anxious to see some of my most favorites again.
It's been my week for oddball dreams, too. I also had a strange one involving Vincent getting into a fight with an evil Iron Man rip-off, which is just all kinds of WTH. I haven't even seen any of the films with that character, so the only inspiration could have been talking to someone who was mentioning the Marvel attractions at Walt Disney World and such. Anyway, Vincent came out on the losing end of the fight and was thought dead. Baxter and Barney later confronted Shredder about it, and I don't know what he had to do with it. Maybe he hired the weirdo. And then a technician from their father's company was examining Vincent and it looked like he was mostly okay; the technician said the damage had been 92% fixed.
So then I got in the mood for some more Vincent hurt/comfort and started finally writing the Electric Soul fic, which has been on the docket for months and kept getting pushed back. That idea was in place shortly after Barney's redemption, so way back in winter. And at last I was ready for it! It feels good to write it. I was able to use most of my original blurb in it, although some things had to be tweaked or changed to fit things as they are now. Probably now is the best time to write it, too, since there are supernatural themes and it's kind of Halloweeny.
Seriously, though, please no. It was horrible enough to lose Borders and to have the K-Marts leave the state. Toys R Us cannot fold!
So I did search for stuff about The Loner last night and I found a very nice and informative article on a Rod Serling website. It's pretty much what I thought it would be once I learned he was involved, mostly downer or bittersweet endings. But it does sound like a powerful series. I probably would want to see it for Lloyd Bridges, if nothing else, since Mike Hammer is honestly a pretty downer series but is worth watching for Darren McGavin. However, I don't think I would make buying The Loner a priority ahead of other things. I may ask for it, though.
And with my preoccupation over the Pokemon DVD set shipping and trying to decide what to do about the other DVD sets, naturally it was expected that I would have a Pokemon dream sooner or later. Naturally it also heavily involved Team Rocket, especially James and Meowth, but while awake, I can't seem to recall many of the details.
It did cause me to go on another nostalgia trip and try to figure out why I got interested in those characters. I was obsessed with them to the point of trying to get merchandise involving them, including some stickers, a magazine with a Men In Black parody poster, and videos with my favorite episodes. (I only managed to get one of my most favorites to own, although I have four tapes.) I also tried to get a cute gift bag Toys R Us had, but I missed that one. And I wanted a huge Meowth plush that was only $20 at Toys R Us. I remember holding it longingly on my 16th birthday. I was absolutely ecstatic when one of my aunts brought him later that night as a present! And let's not forget the time I tried to dress up as Jessie for Halloween. I still wish I'd played James instead, because my costume was really more his in every way except for the wig. (No way would I wear a midriff shirt or a short skirt!) Then more recently, my failure at getting the shirt F.Y.E. carried. And I never have managed to get any of the figure releases, although I've wanted to.
Then there were the few times I did get plunnied for Pokemon fics. I think the only ones I actually finished were the one deconstructing Ash always electrocuting them and blasting them off and one where James is thought dead and turns up running around with amnesia. Oh, and one where Team Rocket helps the kids when they get in life-threatening trouble. Then I had one where the trio tries to leave the Team Rocket organization after James witnesses a near-murder (which was a tie-in with a YGO fic I did, actually) and a random hurt/comfort one where he and Jessie got into an argument and he later ended up hurt. I haven't looked at them for many years. They're probably terrible now, LOL. I think they may have been written before I was told my stories looked script-like and needed more details.
Anyway, I honestly can't remember why I initially found them so compelling. I don't recall at all what the first Pokemon episode is that I watched. But perhaps whatever it was, Team Rocket did something interesting that made me want to know more about them. So I may have looked them up, decided they were intriguing, and promptly wanted to get episodes focusing on them. I do remember going after all the videos in the library that I could with interesting Team Rocket episodes.
I think why I find them interesting now is that they seem to be good deep down, no matter how they try to be bad, and I like their close friendship with each other. I did play on the shipping bandwagon for a time, but then I got turned off because of one fan's obsessiveness over insisting on the pairing. The more she insisted it should be, the more I balked with why it shouldn't be. Now I like it better as kept in a platonic light. Boy and girl friendships are too few and far in-between in media.
I am very eager for the DVD set to arrive. I do wonder if I'll be able to stick to my goal of saving it to get into until my birthday. I am so anxious to see some of my most favorites again.
It's been my week for oddball dreams, too. I also had a strange one involving Vincent getting into a fight with an evil Iron Man rip-off, which is just all kinds of WTH. I haven't even seen any of the films with that character, so the only inspiration could have been talking to someone who was mentioning the Marvel attractions at Walt Disney World and such. Anyway, Vincent came out on the losing end of the fight and was thought dead. Baxter and Barney later confronted Shredder about it, and I don't know what he had to do with it. Maybe he hired the weirdo. And then a technician from their father's company was examining Vincent and it looked like he was mostly okay; the technician said the damage had been 92% fixed.
So then I got in the mood for some more Vincent hurt/comfort and started finally writing the Electric Soul fic, which has been on the docket for months and kept getting pushed back. That idea was in place shortly after Barney's redemption, so way back in winter. And at last I was ready for it! It feels good to write it. I was able to use most of my original blurb in it, although some things had to be tweaked or changed to fit things as they are now. Probably now is the best time to write it, too, since there are supernatural themes and it's kind of Halloweeny.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-21 10:38 pm (UTC)True about Mike Hammer; I did skim through an ep with Robert and yiiikes, that was depressing. Though I probably will watch the whole thing at some point. Riverboat, too, though that was a much happier ending for Robert's character.
(But I really want to see Simon's ep of the Outsiders!)
Ooh, I remember the deconstruction fic about the thundershock treatment! The others slip my mind, but ooh, the one where they want to leave after being witnesses is certainly intriguing!
Good luck resisting the temptation! Sometimes, it's easy. Sometimes... nope. LOL.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-21 11:22 pm (UTC)Indeed, and I'm not sure that was even one of the most depressing ones. Riverboat is certainly a happier series, although I really detested Noah Beery's character in season 2 (and the introduction of more romance-centric plots, blech).
Oh yes! And I saw a couple of Outsiders episodes and told you about them. I think they were happier than Mike Hammer?
It was! Although I'm not sure if Team Rocket as an organization has ever been into murder, hmm. It was Tyson's squad, though, so maybe it was that he was going against orders, even. I never liked Tyson....
Indeed. LOL.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-22 01:53 am (UTC)Bleh at the romance, but yay for a happier series!
Yes, you did! Hopefully we'll see Simon's ep someday!
Hmm. I don't think the organization has in general--it's mainly thievery/smuggling like V.I.L.E., but there are a couple violent and sadistic members (it's stated flat-out in the first game that they killed a mother Marowak in Lavender Town trying to catch her child)--Tyson is indeed one, and Executive Proton (from the game-verse) is another; in the anime adaptation of the game-verse, Origins, it's strongly implied that he's the one who killed the Marowak, and his partner was against it.
no subject
Date: 2017-09-22 02:45 am (UTC)Hopefully! Maybe I should check again and see if anyone's put it up.
Yeah, that's what I thought. Gah, how horrible! That's good that the partner didn't want to do it!
no subject
Date: 2017-09-23 02:01 am (UTC)Ooh, let me know if it is!
Yep. And gah indeed!
no subject
Date: 2017-09-23 02:13 am (UTC)Looks like the episodes I saw are still there. One of them has a kitty, but now I don't remember which one. I don't see Simon's, sigh. But if you search "The Outsider Darren McGavin" you'll turn up some other things down the line, like an episode of Suspense and one of Robert Montgomery Presents. I'll have to check those out tonight.