Pfangirl Through the Looking Glass

Fan fiction is, sadly, a dirty word, and will probably stay that way. Still, I will always remain a supporter of the activity for its writing skill development and audience-building capacities. If I hadn't started producing Tomb Raider fanfic, I probably wouldn't be 50 000+ words into my own novel. But anyway... This post is really for people who maybe want to read more Lara Croft adventures in the aftermath of the new movie 's release, and the announcement about trilogy-concluding game Shadow of the Tomb Raider . So, welcome! You can find all my Tomb Raider stories on FanFiction.net , as well as a smaller selection of the same set on Archive of Our Own . The following places the spotlight on some of my personal faves, or stories I consider significant for one reason or another. Currently Ongoing Three or so chapters from the end, Living Legend is my Tomb Raider-Wonder Woman crossover. Its basic premise is that what if, instead of Steve Trevor, the first person...

Another month, another recap of all the online content I created during the previous one. February was a bit quieter from a writing perspective, but there was more video, and a hefty research piece on all the geek and gaming events South Africans can look forward to this year. It's not just about the first-ever Comic Con Africa, let us never forget. Features South Africa's gaming and geek con 2018 calendar  [Critical Hit] Long Live the King - Black Panther profiled  [Gamecca Magazine] Reviews Two South Africans review Black Panther: Also posted on Critical Hit here and this blog (with written summary ). News South Africa's star-studded and Afro-chic Black Panther premiere  [Critical Hit] February DVDs - Little romance but loads of choice [Critical Hit]

Wakanda, forever! Happy Black Panther Day , everyone. To celebrate the release of this groundbreaking new superhero film – the first solo comic book adaptation to centre on an African hero and his world – here you can find my spoiler-free review. Huge thanks to Tracy and Potato the cat for joining in the discussion. Because I know not everybody has the time to sit and watch a 20-minute clip, below the video you can find our thoughts in summary form – which we used to guide our discussion in the video. The notes should give you the gist of our feelings about the movie. “Tell me something. What do you know about Wakanda?” Introduction: No spoilers in this video. It's also not our place to discuss race and how the movie truly delves into African / black experience. Synopsis:  Straight after the events of Captain America: Civil War, Prince T’Challa (Chadwick Boseman) returns home to claim the throne and take over as king of the hidden African nation of Wakanda. ...

I vowed to get better at recapping here, particularly for people who haven't followed my Facebook page , which is my other collection of content updates. Here though is everything I wrote and produced during the first never-ending month of 2018. Opinion Tomb Raider and the suppression of heroine agency [Critical Hit] Annual birthday blog post: 2018 thoughts edition [This blog] Reviews The Emoji Movie (DVD) - Technically not terrible, but soulless and lazy [Critical Hit] Bright, and the Critic vs. Home Viewer opinion wars [YouTube video] News The second Tomb Raider trailer ups the island action  [Critical Hit] January DVDs - Starting the year with a bargain bin selection [Critical Hit] Features Look Forward - Ten movie must-sees for 2018 [Gamecca Magazine]

I said I was going to try and get better at keeping this blog updated with my latest work. So here is my first vlog of 2018, looking at Netflix's big budget urban fantasy film, Bright , starring Will Smith, directed by David Ayer and written by Max Landis. I also briefly look at two recent incidents where critical opinion clashed violently with that of ordinary cinemagoers and home viewers. You can watch my video review below. Alternatively, if you're not a vlogging fan or can't watch the clip for whatever reason, you can read my script notes beneath the video as a rough written review. -------------------------- Happy New Year and I wish you all the best with your personal projects for 2018. Looking back a little bit, we ended December with an interesting situation in entertainment. Two cases in the past few weeks where movie critics and the public have been at strong odds with each other Star Wars: The Last Jedi, which is a helluva lot more divisive than I e...

Apologies for this blog looking so deserted. Just a friendly reminder that I do a lot of my pop culture commentary and reviews for Critical Hit these days, in addition to the movie feature every month in Gamecca Magazine . Occasionally, I also contribute to IGN Africa. That said, I promise to become better about linking to my work here (expect a huge catch-up post soon), but don’t forget I highlight my latest work almost daily on my Facebook page , which I recommend you Like. You can also subscribe to my YouTube channel , which I’ve committed to updating more frequently this year. Speaking of 2018, here we are a week and a bit into January. I always struggle mood-wise this time of year. Having a birthday in early January makes you extra contemplative about yourself, your achievements and your place in the world. So, to look back… 2017 highlights I managed to attend all the major geeky cons and expos in South Africa (Cape Town’s FanCon , Durban's  ICON by the Sea , and...

It's been a while since the last one of these posts, collecting all my creative output . In that time I've created a Facebook page , as well as put a lot more effort into my YouTube channel . These are alternate ways to stay on top of my writing and other work, so please Like/Follows and Subscribe if you're interested in keeping up to date. Anyway, here's the latest collection of my reviews, articles and stories, etc. and where to find them. Written movie reviews: Wonder Woman second opinion - A comic fan's reflection [Critical Hit] Baywatch  - More like Borewatch, amirite? [Critical Hit] Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge - About as fresh as Tortuga tavern stew [Critical Hit] Pirates of the Caribbean: Salazar's Revenge - Second opinion [Geek Node] Beauty and the Beast  - Ultra-faithful, for better or worse [Geek Node] Feature articles and opinion: The  Mini Me Memorables  experience "Female superhero movies are the w...

Because it's Wonder Woman day, or weekend, or hopefully forever, I had to invest my pent-up (p)fangirl enthusiasm into something. The result was this video, delving into the characters of Wonder Woman and Lara Croft , and how they compare as two substantially different heroines: If you don't want to watch me ramble on, here's the video script to read instead: Lara Croft and Wonder Woman are both icons. One is the First lady of video games (literally) and the other the first female costumed superhero. Being icons they’ve had to bear a lot of representational burden over the years. What was interesting to me to discover was, especially among cosplayers, the number of Tomb Raider fans who are also Wonder Woman fans. Why are people drawn to these two characters in particular - who I see as being quite different? I’ve given this a lot of thought. There’s my ongoing fan fiction Living Legend, on FanFiction.net and Archive of Our Own . It’s a Wonder Woman-Tomb R...

Just a little fun for today, following yesterday's post on making a custom LEGO minifigure through Mini Me Memorables . Well, after my little Lara Croft arrived, I did what most adults do: I used it as an excuse to haul out my childhood LEGO (the Knights and Castles stuff of course, because that was always the best!). More specifically, I reenacted the third act of Rise of the Tomb Raider , because the Deathless Ones were far more challenging (and therefore satisfying) opponents than the military goons employed by Trinity. Deathless Ones sighted. The Divine Source must lie beyond those gates. Not advisable to go toe to toe with this frustratingly tough, armoured enemy, but what the hell... The supreme satisfaction of taking these guys down! Making sure to put all those skill points into the Brawler tree's brutal finishing moves. Stealth kill XP bonus imminent. More sneaky-sneaky satisfaction. Lara is clearly enjoying this a bit too much.

This post is result of a trade exchange between Mini Me Memorables and myself. Specifically, I was invited to create my own Mini Me in exchange for a review/feature based on the experience. When it comes to buying geeky gifts, there’s no shortage of options these days. But is there really anything better than LEGO? It doesn’t matter how old you are – assembling and posing it always brings on the nostalgic warm fuzzies of childhood play. Online retailer Mini Me Memorables takes the experience further by allowing you to create your own customised LEGO minifigure from their huge inventory of original, out the box parts. With the ability to add your own unique message, these are great as personalised birthday presents, quirky corporate gifts; even wedding cake toppers. Most people seem to make a “mini me” of themselves or the gift recipient. Myself, I decided to make a LEGO Lara Croft (what a surprise!) for some desktop inspiration. What quickly became apparent to me is that y...

As much as my heart belongs to the written word, one thing I learned painfully last month was that vlogging is the future. Or, it's the current future flavour - with PR companies increasingly reaching out to fresh-faced YouTubers over the conventional media to promote their properties. For better or worse, video is colourful, exciting and incredibly easy/passive to consume. So I'm dabbling in the medium again. My differentiator is that I'm not a conventional "genki" vlogger. I'm older, I'm more introverted, but I offer considered opinion and commentary in a compact form. My videos should rarely cross the 5-minute mark because ain't nobody got time for that. Also, my work is fully scripted, so if you don't want to look at my consternated mug, you can just read the transcript, which I will also make available online. To start, here's my low-tech 5-point review of Guardians of the Galaxy: Vol. 2 : Hi again. I’m back with my low-tech,...

So what has been my writing output during the first two months of 2017? I can't show any of my novel progress - although I do now at least have some sweet commissioned art to help with the eventual promotion process. Otherwise, it's been the usual combination of cross-media-spectrum reviews, features and fan fiction. Here's the full set of posts, articles and stories, and where to find them. P.S. January started with the birth of all-encompassing entertainment and lifestyle website Critical Hit , the product of a merger between specialist sites TheMovies.co.za (who I was associated with) and LazyGamer.net. Check it out sometime. Movie reviews: Hidden Figures - A feel-good winner… with Maths [Critical Hit] Fences - A powerfully-acted domestic drama [Critical Hit] The Great Wall - Pretty. Stupid. Popcorn entertainment. [Critical Hit] Fifty Shades Darker - A slight step up in quality [Critical Hit] Rings - Just watch It Follows instead [Critical Hit] Reside...

Last week was a birthday milestone for me. Not one of the big decade markers, but a 5-year point that still makes you more prone to self-reflection. I don’t really do personal blogging anymore, so I'm very out of practice, but here goes. First things first, they're not exactly New Year’s resolutions but I did set some basic aspirations for 2017, as I do function better with goals: Read more, because that definitely makes you a better, more motivated writer. Limit my starch carb intake, or, at the bare minimum, don’t combine starches in one meal. Don’t over-commit to writing freebies. Unpaid is the default state when it comes to entertainment and geek lifestyle writing in South Africa. However, I can’t afford to divert too much energy and time from my own creative projects. On that note, finish my novel, and push further with other WIP across the media spectrum. Find paying employment. Number 5 is the biggie on the list, and it's going to take up the major...